Talk:On the campaign trail in the USA, September 2020

Message to Supporters/Fundraising letter from Jo Jorgensen
BIG News. Please read. Inbox

Dr. Jo Jorgensen <[redacted]> Unsubscribe Sep 15, 2020, 9:30 AM to me

William,

It's official - my campaign is on ballot in ALL 50 states!

I want to thank all the volunteers and staff who made this possible. It was a lot of work! We're talking about hours upon hours of collecting petitions.

Now, it's time to put things into perspective.

We are the real choice for American voters in November, yet the corrupt Commission on Presidential Debates refuses to have me. Our campaign is the only viable option to both Trump or Biden.

Why are they refusing to have voters hear our message?

I emailed you before about our plan to reach over a million voters before the debate. I am counting on your immediate help here, William.

Can you send an urgent donation of $5, $20.20, $50, or any amount within your means? Click here to donate >>

Each dollar helps my campaign reach 11 voters with our message of liberty.

nick tweet I cannot count on the corrupt Commission on Presidential Debates.

I cannot rely on the biased media.

I cannot count on the polls, which exclude me as an option.

But I will NOT be silenced.

My only support comes from hardworking, grassroots Americans who believe in the values shared by our campaign.

Those values are shared by us and a majority of Americans - liberty, REAL healthcare reform, prosperity, justice, and peace.

William, please select an amount below to rush your donation today and help me get our new video in front of voters by tomorrow.

Donate $5 to reach 55 voters >> Donate $20 to reach 220 voters >> Donate $50 to reach 550 voters >> Donate $100 to reach 1,100 voters >> Donate $250 to reach 2,750 voters >> Donate $500 to reach 5,500 voters >>

Donate $1000 to reach 11,000 voters >> Donate $2800 to reach 30,800 voters >> Donate any amount here >>

Together, we can build the strongest Libertarian Party ever and challenge the system to bring about real change.

Thank you,

Jo Jorgensen

Paid for by Jo Jorgensen for President. Jo Jorgensen for President, 3620 Pelham Rd., #300, Greenville, South Carolina 29615, United States

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Interview with Jo Jorgensen
Laura Williams <[redacted]> Oct 21, 2020, 10:54 AM (3 days ago) to me

Hello, William. Apologies for the delay on these interview questions. I see your deadline was yesterday but I hope they will be of use to you. As I'm sure you can imagine, we are buried in urgent requests and doing our best!

Thank you for your help in informing voters ahead of an historic election.

Laura Williams [redacted]

Which past U.S. president(s) do you most admire and why?

Thomas Jefferson. Hey, he wrote the Declaration of Independence. I would, however, change the phrase, "that all men are created equal," to " that all people are created equal"!

2. How have your past experiences prepared you for the job of President?

The most important preparation for the job of president is to learn that businesses and families and people everywhere are better off when they are free to run their own lives without government interference. My grandmother, who immigrated from Denmark, instilled in me a love of freedom when I was a child. Ever since, life has taught me, over and over, that government must be strictly bound to protecting our life, liberty and property - and nothing more.

3. How would you describe your style of leadership? How does it compare to the leadership styles of President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama?

My leadership style is rooted in the principle, “first, do no harm.” I will assemble a cabinet and staff that, with me, will scrutinize any proposal for use of government force for any purpose. That's the polar opposite of both President Trump, former President Obama, and his former Vice President Biden.

4. If you were president, how would you have handled the coronavirus pandemic differently than President Trump?

I would have made sure the bureaucrats at the CDC and the FDA did not block access to tests and treatments developed by the free market. Once it became clear that the primary danger is to people with comorbidities, I would have used my bully pulpit to strongly advise that those people use masks, socially distance, and self-quarantine as needed to avoid contagion. I would have ended any emergency economic lockdowns and trusted people to take care of themselves and go back to work and school in a safe manner.

5. How has the pandemic affected your campaign and your ability to reach out to voters?

It has limited our in-person events to being mostly outside and socially distanced. That has obviously decreased the number of people able to participate in rallies and the ability of volunteers to execute a traditional ground game. On the positive side, it has tied people closer to their cell phones and computers and, we hope, increased our ability to reach people through social media.

6. In 2016, Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson, the former Governor of New Mexico, received about 3.28 percent of the popular vote, a record for the party. Based on your polling and general feeling on the ground, what percentage of the popular vote do you expect to receive in the 2020 election?

As a popular former governor with another former governor as a running mate, who was also very popular with the media, our 2016 Libertarian ticket received unprecedented media coverage. As a result, they were polling double digits shortly after they were nominated. Those polling numbers declined as election day drew near. I started out with virtually no name recognition outside the Libertarian Party. Coming out of our (virtual, thanks to COVID) nominating convention, I was polling at 1% according to RealClearPolitics. That number has gone up and ranges from 2 to 5% in national polls. In addition, we are polling high enough in battleground states like Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa, Georgia and now Alaska to cover the spread between Biden and Trump..

We have already won in the sense that Republicans and Democrats now pay lip service to libertarian ideas (lower taxes, bringing our troops home, ending the War on Drugs, etc.) to win votes. This shows that our ideas are becoming more and more popular. Unfortunately, the Ds and Rs betray those libertarian ideals - and those voters. We’ll keep fighting until we make government much smaller than it is today - whether or not I, and other Libertarians, are elected. That is the ultimate victory.

7. During the 2016 campaign, Gary Johnson responded to a reporter's question about the Syrian city of Aleppo with "What is Aleppo?" This seems to be one thing people most remember about Johnson. If there's one thing the public will remember about you and your campaign, what do you want it to be? What do you expect it to be?

I expect that it will be one of two things: That I am the only 2020 candidate who has credibly campaigned to bring the troops home and make America like one giant Switzerland, armed and neutral..

Or that, when I hear politicians call for Medicare for All, I hear “VA for all.” If there’s one thing I want people to remember, it’s this: We haven’t had a free market in health care in over 100 years. As president, I will work tirelessly to remove government barriers to free market heathcare, so that it’s a fraction of today’s cost, much higher quality, and easily accessible to everyone.

8. What would a Jorgensen administration look like? Which specific individuals would you ask to be in your cabinet?

A Jorgensen administration would call on talented, seasoned public policy analysts from institutions like the Cato Institute, Reason Foundation, and others who are committed to the goal of a much smaller government to staff the cabinet and administrative agencies. We would also draw on the libertarians now holding office as Democrats and Republicans and those who show strength in particular areas of government.

9. There is currently only one Libertarian in Congress, Justin Amash. He is not seeking re-election. If you win the election, the government will remain divided. How will you work with Congress to avoid gridlock and pass your agenda?

My biggest tool will be my veto pen. I will refuse to sign any budget that is not in balance. I will require all Department heads to propose budgets that are smaller than the previous year. Some issues like cannabis decriminalization and criminal law reform already have enough bipartisan support that they will get passed with a presidential nudge. I will immediately pardon all non-violent federal drug war prisoners as well as whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and Julian Assange. As Commander in Chief, I will immediately begin bringing the troops home.

10. What should be done, from the government's perspective, to combat global climate change?

All federal subsidies to the energy industry, especially fossil fuels, should be eliminated. Cronyist, anti-competitive policies that prevent the full development of nuclear energy should be ended. Zero-emission nuclear power will fare very well on a level playing field, cutting greenhouse gas and protecting our irreplaceable planet.

11. What are your views on the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan? What would you do as president to help resolve the conflict and how does that comport with your overarching philosophy on foreign affairs?

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is their conflict. Not ours. We have no business taking either side. Our foreign policy should resemble one giant Switzerland, armed and neutral.

12. Are you concerned about the deplatforming and social media censorship of notable conservatives and libertarians? How would you address this issue as president?

The kind of censorship I worry about is government censorship. That's what repeal of Section 230 would ultimately lead to. One of the reasons prominent social media platforms have been censoring users is fear of government regulation if they don't censor on their own. I would foster an environment where censoring platforms’ biggest fear would be users departing to competing platforms that do not censor.

13. What can you do, as president, to improve race relations in the United States?

The two most effective ways to improve race relations are criminal justice reform and ending restrictive, protectionist licensing laws.

Victimless crime laws like drug and vice laws put minorities in prison at a higher rate than non-minorities even though the actual crime rate in both populations is similar. Ending qualified immunity, no-knock raids, federal "gifts" of tanks and other weapons of war to local police departments, civil asset forfeiture and other oppressive police tactics will go a long way in restoring respect between people of color and government. Americans should not feel like enemy combatants in their own neighborhoods

In the long run, the best way to improve race relations is to provide equal economic opportunity to all. Ending overly restrictive licensing (which prevents people from learning trades, opening businesses, or growing their wealth) would extend American prosperity and opportunity to all, not just those whom the state favors. .

review status
I've been through the summary. --Pi zero (talk) 05:45, 28 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Been through the Jo Jorgensen subsection. --Pi zero (talk)
 * Been through the court-packing subsection. Because I'm also tracking which of the cited sources I've consulted, it's possible I might have some revisions to make (or to revert) to some of these sections after going through all of them. --Pi zero (talk) 21:38, 28 October 2020 (UTC)