America First - Nicholas J. Fuentes - Libertarian Austin Petersen | The Nicholas J. Fuentes Show Episode 4

00:00:00.000 Welcome to the Nicholas J. Fuentes Show.

00:00:02.000 My name, of course, is Nicholas J. Fuentes.

00:00:05.000 We have a very special guest joining us today, a libertarian presidential candidate and founder of the Libertarian Republic, Austin Peterson.

00:00:13.000 He will be stopping by to share his thoughts on how to actually make America great again.

00:00:18.000 But first, today's topic liberty itself.

00:00:22.000 Is there any hope for a liberty renaissance in America today?

00:00:25.000 Do Americans even want liberty anymore?

00:00:28.000 Is the GOP still the party of Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater?

00:00:31.000 And does the advent of Donald Trump spell the death of grassroots conservatism?

00:00:36.000 All these questions and more coming up.

00:00:45.000 Welcome back.

00:00:46.000 Now, before we get into the meat and potatoes of the state of liberty in this country, let's look at what this presidential election tells us about the prospects for a free society once again in America.

00:00:57.000 Does this man look familiar?

00:00:59.000 No, it's not Doc from Back to the Future.

00:01:02.000 Younger people and rich white New England liberals will recognize this zany character anywhere.

00:01:07.000 Of course, he's the incomparable Bernie Sanders.

00:01:10.000 He is a self proclaimed democratic socialist.

00:01:13.000 He has called for free education, free health care, and raising the minimum wage.

00:01:18.000 That's as far as most people know his platform is.

00:01:21.000 But did you know that your free Bernie education will cost you more than $18 trillion?

00:01:27.000 Did you know that your free Bernie healthcare will cost anywhere between $13.1 and $28 trillion over the next decade?

00:01:34.000 Add these together for a grand total of $46 trillion just on education and healthcare alone.

00:01:41.000 I'm sorry, I mean free education and healthcare.

00:01:44.000 $46 trillion, to give you an idea, is more than the combined gross domestic product.

00:01:49.000 Of China, the European Union, and the United States combined.

00:01:53.000 Meaning that if you took every single thing produced in the entire continent of Europe, in China, and the United States of America over the course of a whole year, and you sold all of it, this would not cover the cost of free education and health care.

00:02:11.000 I guess you could say feel the burn. 0.98

00:02:14.000 Then, of course, there is Hillary Clinton.

00:02:15.000 Now, we'll skip over Benghazi because conservatives already know and liberals don't want to know.

00:02:21.000 As Secretary of State, her most noteworthy contributions included the Russian reset, the deposition of Muammar Gaddafi, and the pivot to Asia.

00:02:29.000 Since 2008, Russia has annexed Crimea in blatant violation of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, illegally fomented civil war in eastern Ukraine, illegally sold missiles to Iran, propped up the genocidal Assad regime in Syria, and is speculated to have shot down two civilian airliners, one of which had the entire Polish government on board.

00:02:52.000 Gaddafi's Libya has become a hotbed for terrorism, flirting with failed state status as the country has devolved into anarchy with several different gangs of radical Islamists, including ISIS, vying for control of the country.

00:03:06.000 And of course, China is now landing planes on their military bases built illegally on top of artificial islands constructed in the South China Sea in blatant violation of international law.

00:03:18.000 Now, on top of all that, on top of her amazing, stellar track record as Secretary of State, it was revealed this week that Clinton had sent SAP.

00:03:27.000 That is special access program intelligence from our unsecured home email server.

00:03:31.000 Now, for those of you that don't know, SAP intelligence is highly classified because if compromised, according to Charles Krauthammer, American operatives serving in the field die.

00:03:43.000 Now, if you didn't hear about the SAPs, it's probably because this revelation may have been overshadowed by the latest bit of political theater Sarah Palin's endorsement of Donald Trump.

00:03:53.000 Now, for all the absurdity that is Bernie Sanders and all the corruption that is Hillary Clinton, the Donald trumps them both.

00:04:00.000 He tells us he's going to make America great again. 0.98

00:04:02.000 He tells us he's going to straighten out all the Washington politicians and kill ISIS and kick out the Muslims and build the wall and beat China and talk to Putin. 0.99

00:04:11.000 Listen, conservatives, I'm mad as hell too. 0.99

00:04:15.000 But I also graduated middle school. 0.97

00:04:17.000 I'm not going to bash Trump for how far fetched and ridiculous most of the things he says are, because you can get that on TV or radio or from anyone you know any time of the day. 0.95

00:04:27.000 What you may not know is that Donald Trump is not a conservative. 0.89

00:04:31.000 He released his tax plan.

00:04:32.000 It calls for a progressive tax.

00:04:34.000 He has supported nationalized health care.

00:04:36.000 He gave generously to the Clinton Foundation when he wasn't running for president.

00:04:40.000 And he has supported a 45% tariff on China, our biggest importer.

00:04:46.000 He is not the anti establishment candidate that he is given credit to be.

00:04:50.000 Now, the American people should have rejected each and every one of these candidates.

00:04:54.000 And if they knew the facts, they probably would.

00:04:57.000 Bernie Sanders wants to triple our debt. 0.98

00:04:59.000 Hillary Clinton has committed two felonies. 0.99

00:05:01.000 And Donald Trump is demonstrably disingenuous and incompetent. 0.98

00:05:05.000 But Americans don't know these facts. 0.93

00:05:07.000 And it's not the media's fault, it's not the government's fault.

00:05:11.000 It's our fault.

00:05:12.000 America became the greatest country in the history of the world because we didn't look to a messianic presidential candidate to deliver change or to restore past glory.

00:05:22.000 Americans found the greatness of their country from within.

00:05:26.000 There was a sense of duty, a sense of personal and moral responsibility to take account for our nation and its governance.

00:05:33.000 Charity was not a tortured Facebook post or a vote to a socialist.

00:05:38.000 Defending America was not a drama to be seen on TV.

00:05:42.000 Reading the news was not a hobby.

00:05:45.000 If we wanted to feed the poor, it was on our own time and at our own expense.

00:05:50.000 If we wanted to go save the Middle East, it was our sons that sacrificed themselves for theirs.

00:05:55.000 And if we wanted to make America great again, we didn't look to a loudmouthed demagogue to do it for us.

00:06:01.000 The idea that we, the people, must take an active role in preserving liberty in the Constitution has become a laughable anachronism of talk radio hosts and old racists.

00:06:12.000 And it's a shame.

00:06:13.000 For the first 200 years of this country, the central debate of our political discourse was regarding the role of government in a free society.

00:06:21.000 Somewhere we got lost in hope and change and make America great, and we are the 99%, and now here we sit, 240 years later, with an income tax, a federal reserve, a national health care system, a social insurance program, and an army of bureaucrats.

00:06:39.000 2016 was supposed to be the libertarian moment.

00:06:43.000 After years of statism from both the left and the right, The grassroots were supposed to rise up and restore conservative principle, bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness.

00:06:54.000 But there is hope.

00:06:57.000 There are candidates talking about liberty, the Constitution, and the role of government.

00:07:01.000 One of them will join me in a moment.

00:07:04.000 There is an ongoing struggle for the soul of the conservative movement.

00:07:07.000 Currently, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are the favorites for the Republican nomination.

00:07:11.000 Trump, the moderate, and Cruz, the conservative.

00:07:14.000 The outcome of this contest will determine the future of this country.

00:07:18.000 Whether we revert to politics as usual, choosing between statist Trump and statist Hillary Clinton, or if Ted Cruz becomes the first conservative to run for president since Ronald Reagan and is able to finally resist the tide of government expansion.

00:07:33.000 Ultimately, however, as always, it will be up to we the people to restore the liberties of our republic.

00:07:45.000 Welcome back.

00:07:46.000 We have a very special guest joining us today.

00:07:48.000 We have Libertarian presidential candidate and celebritarian Austin Peterson here on our show.

00:07:55.000 Hey guys, thanks for having me.

00:07:57.000 Hey, Austin.

00:07:57.000 Glad to have you.

00:07:59.000 Now, my first question is there are a lot of libertarians today on the internet, all over the cybersphere.

00:08:07.000 What kind of libertarian would you describe yourself as?

00:08:10.000 More of a minarchist, a constitutionalist?

00:08:12.000 What kind of libertarian are you?

00:08:14.000 Well, since you're already whipping out the big words with multi syllables, I guess I'll go ahead and follow up.

00:08:20.000 You must have a smart audience.

00:08:22.000 Absolutely, I consider myself a minarchist, very much in the style of a gentleman who wrote a book called Anarchy, State, and Utopia in the 1970s, a man by the name of Robert Nozick, who justified what he called a night watchman state.

00:08:36.000 Basically, it's sort of like the Watchers on the Wall.

00:08:40.000 If your watchers of this show are interested in Game of Thrones, then they might know a little bit about the men of the Night's Watch, whose job is merely to protect the citizens of the Seven Kingdoms from the terrors that lurk beyond the wall, but whose job is not to interfere in the affairs of men.

00:08:57.000 Perhaps we might do better off if we had a government that was relegated to the role of a Night Watchman state.

00:09:02.000 Absolutely.

00:09:03.000 I think that's the right answer, because so many libertarians these days, I think, take it a little too extreme with the anarchism.

00:09:10.000 And the non aggression principle.

00:09:11.000 And having said that, in terms of libertarianism, because they tend to be a little bit more leftist when it comes to foreign policy, what is Austin Peterson's foreign policy when he's president?

00:09:23.000 Well, philosophically, by ideology, I'm a non interventionist.

00:09:27.000 I don't like seeing the government intervene in foreign affairs any more than I like seeing them interfere in domestic affairs.

00:09:33.000 That being said, governments around the world tend to not be non interventionists themselves.

00:09:38.000 So we do need some sort of a form of defense against these hostile interventionist.

00:09:43.000 Regime.

00:09:43.000 So, what that form of defense is really comes down to what I think you're going to have to look at on a specific case by case scenario.

00:09:50.000 You simply cannot take a philosophy and apply it to every single situation that has ever existed and expect that you're going to get the same results every time.

00:09:58.000 The world is inconsistent.

00:09:59.000 So, if you're asking, oh, can you have a consistent approach to foreign policy?

00:10:04.000 I don't think so, simply because circumstances change.

00:10:07.000 Sometimes new weapons are developed that changes how wars are fought.

00:10:12.000 And so, you have to be a little bit flexible there in how you're going to talk about.

00:10:16.000 How you would defend individual liberty because what's really important is are you defending individual rights?

00:10:21.000 Are you defending the natural rights of individuals?

00:10:24.000 Knowing that the individuals come before the state, the state is simply a tool.

00:10:29.000 So, if you're using the state for a tool of foreign policy, just remember that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.

00:10:37.000 That was a Martin Luther King quote.

00:10:40.000 But that is the reality.

00:10:41.000 We need to look for more peaceable, more diplomatic ways to solve our foreign policy crises around the world and know that.

00:10:49.000 There's a much better chance of you drowning in a bathtub than of you being killed in a terrorist attack.

00:10:54.000 No, and I think that's a great answer.

00:10:55.000 You're absolutely right.

00:10:56.000 I think a lot of the rhetoric, especially on the right, becomes a little bit too much on the side of the warmongering.

00:11:03.000 You know, you see someone like Rand Paul get booted off the stage because he's not so much of a warmonger as the rest of them.

00:11:10.000 If we're going on a case by case basis, what would you do about a threat like, say, Iran, for example?

00:11:16.000 Oh, that's a great question.

00:11:17.000 You need a dual approach.

00:11:18.000 It's sticks and carrots, as they like to call it. 0.90

00:11:21.000 And of course, Iran does pose an actual threat to the United States in terms of the cyber warfare capabilities which they can deploy. 0.80

00:11:28.000 So, we do need offensive cyber warfare capabilities for us to defend ourselves against those who would use offensive cyber capabilities against us. 0.98

00:11:35.000 There's no defensive strategy in something like that.

00:11:37.000 If someone is using a hacker to attack United States infrastructure, you need to have an offensive computer that can go in and destroy whatever computer is using that against you.

00:11:46.000 I mean, that's perfectly in line with the non aggression principle.

00:11:50.000 But we need to open up trade.

00:11:52.000 In terms of culture, we need to have a cultural revolution.

00:11:55.000 And the only way that that's going to happen in Iran is not through force of arms, I don't believe.

00:11:59.000 Because if you go in and you just overthrow the Ayatollahs right now, then you're only going to harden the hearts of the people against you because they're going to see you as invaders. 0.80

00:12:09.000 The only way that you can invade another culture is with your own superior culture.

00:12:13.000 We have to live our values.

00:12:15.000 I think we need to have more free trade with this country.

00:12:18.000 I think it's important for us to talk about what that means.

00:12:20.000 You know, let's talk about the nitty gritties.

00:12:22.000 Iran has a tremendous almond trade, they have some of the best almonds in the region.

00:12:26.000 You know, that's not a dangerous nuclear weapon.

00:12:29.000 Why can't we trade almonds with them?

00:12:31.000 And we are.

00:12:31.000 Then the Iranian deal that's gone on, that was passed through executive decree, unfortunately, instead of through constitutional processes, has opened up more avenues of trade to Iran.

00:12:44.000 And that's actually one of the reasons why we're currently experiencing a crisis in the oil markets, is because of the glut that has been produced by the boom of domestic American manufacturing, but also because of the addition of Iranian crude into the marketplace.

00:13:03.000 That mixed with The low growth in countries such as China and the impact it's had on Russia and their ruble, which has caused them to inflate their currency, is really what's the cause of the current financial crisis that we find ourselves embroiled in.

00:13:20.000 So there are sometimes problems when you do have an overabundance of supply, but I think the markets will clear and we'll start to see stabilization and better relations with Iran as a result.

00:13:31.000 And I think that's a very smart and comprehensive answer.

00:13:34.000 It's refreshing to hear something that addresses all facets of the issue rather than just the Populist nationalist element or the full engagement, we are the world, hold hands, sing kumbaya approach.

00:13:45.000 It is refreshing to hear something that is intelligent from all sides of the spectrum, economic as well as political.

00:13:51.000 Now, enough about foreign policy.

00:13:53.000 In regards to economics, I think this is one of the most fascinating elements of this race that you see tax plans and economic policies ranging from as liberal as Rand Paul's 14.5% flat tax rate to something as absurdly statist and progressive tax rate like Marco Rubio's.

00:14:11.000 Now, as a libertarian, what would Austin Peterson do about the economy?

00:14:15.000 Well, I would leave it alone, to be honest.

00:14:18.000 Finally.

00:14:20.000 The president doesn't really have any authority to intervene in the economy.

00:14:23.000 The government doesn't create jobs.

00:14:24.000 And I like that you use the word liberal to describe Rand Paul's tax policies, because I absolutely hate the fact that the liberals have taken away the word liberal from us, because I like to consider myself a classical liberal.

00:14:37.000 But classical liberals are even a little bit more statist than minarchists, perhaps.

00:14:43.000 But no, the tax policies that I would enact, I would like to see us eliminate the payroll tax so that we can incentivize employers to hire more.

00:14:52.000 I'd like to cut the corporate income tax rate in half.

00:14:56.000 It is the highest in the world.

00:14:58.000 And I would also like to cut our personal income taxes into, well, basically, I would like to flatten them out.

00:15:04.000 Move us towards a flat tax with a goal towards elimination of all taxes, towards a voluntary style of taxation, which everybody freaks out about as if there was no way to collect taxes other than to hit people over the head every year.

00:15:17.000 And forced to demand that they be thrown into a cage if they don't pay their progressive income taxes.

00:15:21.000 There are voluntary ways to fund public services.

00:15:24.000 People say, well, how are we going to fund all these government programs?

00:15:27.000 I'm like, well, government will be smaller, so we won't need as much tax money to fund the programs that we need.

00:15:33.000 Right, and that's the best answer because I think in any discussion about tax policy or fiscal policy in general, what's often left out is the size of government.

00:15:41.000 They're always revenue neutral tax plans.

00:15:44.000 How can we keep the size of government the same while cutting taxes?

00:15:48.000 I think it's a bunch of alchemy.

00:15:50.000 Now, in regards to cutting down government size, there's always an outcry of where are we going to cut government?

00:15:56.000 Nancy Pelosi says the cupboards are bare.

00:15:58.000 Where would Austin Peterson cut government to provide for this voluntary taxation?

00:16:02.000 I've got the plan that America needs.

00:16:04.000 I like to call it the penny plan.

00:16:06.000 The penny plan cuts one penny out of every federal dollar.

00:16:10.000 And what that would mean is that we would have a 1% spending cut, 1% across the board.

00:16:16.000 That way we don't get into talking about, oh, well, we can't cut this program or we can't cut that one.

00:16:21.000 Are you telling me we can't cut one penny out of every federal dollar across the board?

00:16:26.000 And of course, the plan itself would put us on a path towards sustainability.

00:16:29.000 We would have a balanced budget in five years.

00:16:32.000 Some economists guesstimate that this would save us $7.9 trillion in spending over the next 10 years.

00:16:40.000 And that's really what I'd like to see less government spending, less growth in government.

00:16:44.000 And if we can just cut it by 1%, 1% of government, and not growth, not in 1% of growth, but actual cuts, not growth in spending cuts.

00:16:54.000 But it's the penny plan that I advocate for as a way for us to wean ourselves off of this big government.

00:17:01.000 I see you took a page out of Sean Hannity's playbook there.

00:17:04.000 I know he's very fond.

00:17:05.000 Yeah, yeah.

00:17:06.000 The first time I heard of it actually was a Florida congressman by the name of Connie Mack who introduced it to me.

00:17:11.000 So that's how I found out about it.

00:17:12.000 I'm sure Sean Hannity heard about it from him.

00:17:14.000 Yeah, right, right.

00:17:16.000 No, and I think that's a great way to reduce spending.

00:17:17.000 I'm so tired of the Republicans in name only talking about cutting growth in spending rather than cutting the actual spending.

00:17:25.000 Now, in regards to spending, one of the biggest problems with it is entitlements.

00:17:29.000 You know, while many discretionary items can be spent without much backlash, Politically or economically, entitlements are kind of the third rail of politics.

00:17:37.000 How would Austin Peterson go about addressing entitlement reform in America?

00:17:41.000 Well, you know, we've got all sorts of different entitlements.

00:17:44.000 And all the time we look at things like Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid and we say, oh, well, the federal government, some people will say, well, why don't we consider raising the retirement age for Social Security?

00:17:57.000 Well, how about we raise the retirement age for federal pensions?

00:18:01.000 Why don't we force the government to take the haircut and make them foot the Bill for all of this. 0.97

00:18:06.000 But no, no, no, the public servants have to get their pensions, their lucrative public pensions.

00:18:11.000 You know, I don't like the idea that we have things like Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid.

00:18:15.000 And I think that what we need to do is find a way to put a moratorium onto these programs, basically. 0.95

00:18:20.000 We should allow young people to opt out of Social Security so that they can buy into the private market. 0.72

00:18:26.000 You know, if they had invested in the Dow Jones Industrial Average versus Social Security, you would have seen much greater returns.

00:18:32.000 But of course, people don't like that because they see it as more volatile.

00:18:36.000 But, you know, the government is volatile too.

00:18:38.000 There's risks involved with.

00:18:40.000 Both outputs, and we're supposed to be.

00:18:42.000 I think it's two more years until Social Security is not supposed to be clearing checks anymore.

00:18:47.000 So, you know, these programs are on the path to sustainability.

00:18:51.000 We're gonna have to talk about real problems, real cuts to these programs.

00:18:56.000 Did you hear me say that?

00:18:57.000 Yes, I said cuts to these programs because I'm sorry, you know, grandma and grandpa, but I never agreed to finance your health care and your retirement.

00:19:06.000 It's to me, I think it's selfish.

00:19:08.000 They say, Oh, how dare you, you're selfish.

00:19:10.000 No, it's selfish of you to take it from me in the first place and to demand that.

00:19:14.000 Younger people bear the burdens of taking care of older people who couldn't balance their own checkbooks.

00:19:21.000 And now the baby boomer generation says that the bills have come due and it's time for you and me, the young people, to pay for it.

00:19:28.000 No, and I think that's absolutely the right approach and the right attitude towards a problem like this.

00:19:28.000 Right.

00:19:33.000 So often you hear about the uncaring Republicans that don't want to fit the bill for all these liberal spending projects.

00:19:39.000 It was Madison who said charity would be no part of the legislative duty of this government.

00:19:44.000 So I think that that is a fine attitude.

00:19:45.000 To take when it comes to entitlements.

00:19:47.000 Now, we've talked a lot about fiscal policy, and I very much appreciate your voluntary taxation scheme and moving us towards a sustainable government spending project.

00:19:58.000 What do you think in terms of monetary policy?

00:20:01.000 What would you do with the Federal Reserve?

00:20:03.000 Oh boy, what wouldn't I do to the Federal Reserve?

00:20:05.000 Like, so salt, burn it to the ground, and then so salt into the ground.

00:20:11.000 You know, the Federal Reserve is the antithesis of the free market.

00:20:17.000 Because what it does is it's a government granted monopoly to one single corporation, private corporation, to create the nation's monetary supply and it bans all forms of competition.

00:20:30.000 And competition is American.

00:20:33.000 That's as American as apple pie.

00:20:35.000 And when I try and talk to people about what kind of a monetary policy I'd like to see, I like to talk to them about this experiment that we've had in the United States for a short time in free banking.

00:20:46.000 It was also an experiment in Scotland.

00:20:48.000 They had a very stable monetary system under a Free banking policy for a time.

00:20:52.000 And what this would do is, don't tell the big banks, but it would break up their big cartel in allowing private banks to compete against the Federal Reserve.

00:21:01.000 Now, in the United States in the late 1700s, no, I believe it was the late 1800s, excuse me, right before the Civil War, we had a bit of a free banking era.

00:21:11.000 And that free banking era was where states would issue the currency.

00:21:15.000 And if there were any private banks, they had to be chartered by state banks.

00:21:19.000 So it was a bit confusing.

00:21:20.000 But that's because the state banks were the ones issuing the currency.

00:21:23.000 And then the federal government said, well, let's just federalize it.

00:21:27.000 And I think it's important for us to understand that a free market in a currency would be just as effective as a free market in bread, right?

00:21:35.000 Why do we allow the government to fix the price or the exchange rate of money when we don't let them fix the price of bread or any other commodity?

00:21:44.000 We have this explosion of cryptocurrencies that are emerging.

00:21:49.000 Who wants to use cash?

00:21:50.000 Federal Reserve notes, dollars, these are things of the past.

00:21:53.000 They're all digital exchanges anyway.

00:21:55.000 So, why not allow digital currencies to potentially compete against the Federal Reserve notes?

00:22:02.000 You know why they don't want us to do that, is because they don't want anybody kicking down the door of their monopoly there.

00:22:08.000 But if President of the United States, I would demand that the Federal Reserve, because I couldn't abolish it by myself, the President's not a dictator, but I would request that Congress send me legislation giving me the authority to allow free markets in currency.

00:22:26.000 Abolish laws of legal tender.

00:22:28.000 That's really what we want, right?

00:22:29.000 That's the radical in me speaking.

00:22:32.000 But why can't gold and silver circulate as a currency instead of a commodity?

00:22:37.000 You know why?

00:22:38.000 Because they want us to pay taxes on it.

00:22:41.000 That's really what it is.

00:22:42.000 Because if you go down the street and you buy gold, you buy gold plus tax.

00:22:46.000 But how about you go to the bank, you buy gold, and you get it for an even exchange rate?

00:22:53.000 They don't like what they can't control.

00:22:55.000 And that's really what it is the federal government wants to be able to track every single Transaction that goes in and out of this marketplace.

00:23:03.000 They don't like the black market.

00:23:04.000 And that's where all the fun goes on because, let me tell you, within the black market is where innovation really occurs nowadays. 0.90

00:23:11.000 It's a shame to say it, but it's true. 0.99

00:23:14.000 Well, yeah, and that's one of the founding principles, I guess, is letting the black market choke the state.

00:23:19.000 I think, once again, you're right on the money. 0.97

00:23:21.000 And I think it's a shame that so few candidates, even the most conservative, will refuse to even address the idea of a Federal Reserve or a free banking system.

00:23:30.000 And I think.

00:23:31.000 You're absolutely right.

00:23:32.000 Money is one of the most important commodities, just like bread or any other good.

00:23:36.000 We shouldn't let the government have a monopoly on it.

00:23:38.000 So I think that's right on the money.

00:23:40.000 Now, I think that's kind of a theme here that you and I, we're liberty lovers.

00:23:44.000 We love liberty.

00:23:45.000 We know these arguments. 0.95

00:23:46.000 We know Nozick. 0.97

00:23:47.000 Right.

00:23:47.000 We love the Constitution, but not everyone does.

00:23:51.000 That's why Bernie Sanders is calling so well.

00:23:53.000 That's why Hillary Clinton isn't in jail right now.

00:23:56.000 Now, you said something earlier about a cultural revolution.

00:23:59.000 What would that entail?

00:24:00.000 As president, would you lead a cultural revolution for liberty, and what would that look like?

00:24:04.000 Well, I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a member.

00:24:09.000 But, you know, I just, all I can do is hold the torch up above me of the best of my knowledge and understanding and hope that people will follow.

00:24:19.000 You know, I've never been a fan of bashing people over the head to conform even to my belief systems.

00:24:24.000 You know, there is a statement that someone said once, they were a little bit more of a statist.

00:24:29.000 They said that, you know, if you want freedom, be prepared to force it on those who would deprive you of it.

00:24:35.000 Now, think about that for a moment.

00:24:36.000 If you're a communist or a socialist and you're trying to force me to be a communist or a socialist, Then, yes, I'm going to have to fight back and force freedom on communists and socialists.

00:24:44.000 But in a sense, it is the antithesis of libertarianism there because we don't want to be a neocon and intervene and force our idea of freedom everywhere around the world, even if we acknowledge that they are not free in Syria or Iran or any of these other countries, Iraq, for example, deposing Saddam.

00:25:02.000 So, again, this is a philosophical question and there are problems with it.

00:25:06.000 We want our logic to be as airtight as possible.

00:25:09.000 Ayn Rand said that reason and logic never contradict.

00:25:14.000 One another.

00:25:15.000 And so we're trying to find the most logical and reasonable approach to foreign affairs as well as domestic affairs.

00:25:21.000 But would I lead a cultural revolution?

00:25:22.000 Oh, I don't know.

00:25:23.000 Am I that cool?

00:25:24.000 Maybe.

00:25:27.000 I ran for vice president when I was in high school and I lost.

00:25:31.000 So I think I have some shortcomings, and perhaps those might become more apparent as I run for office.

00:25:38.000 But even if that's so, if I can light a brush fire here or there and inspire people like you or other people.

00:25:45.000 To talk about free banking, research more about these concepts that I am passionate about, then I will have considered myself a success.

00:25:52.000 You know, I don't see myself as a leader of a movement because despite all of the claims of my enormous ego, I actually try and remain a little bit down to earth and grounded.

00:26:03.000 So, but if I were elected president of the United States, that would mean that the United States was in the midst of a full blown revolution, no doubt.

00:26:10.000 But, you know, if Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders are the candidates, you just might see it.

00:26:15.000 So don't count me out.

00:26:16.000 Absolutely.

00:26:17.000 It's refreshing to hear some humility from a politician for once, especially in this race, right?

00:26:22.000 Now, on Donald Trump and on Bernie Sanders, we are sort of seeing a populist moment here in the West, even in Europe with Corbyn in Britain, even with Syriza in Greece.

00:26:33.000 We are seeing more of a populist line, and unfortunately, it's decidedly statist.

00:26:39.000 Whether it's on the conservative side or the liberal side, it's in a nationalist fervor.

00:26:44.000 Do you think the libertarian moment is dead?

00:26:50.000 I hope not.

00:26:51.000 I think that it's on life support.

00:26:53.000 If it's not dead, it's on life support.

00:26:55.000 And populism is a double edged sword.

00:26:57.000 We fed this baby because it started with the Tea Party movement back in 2010, and we made some strange bedfellows, some alliances with conservatives to get some of our representatives elected people like Justin Amash in Michigan, Thomas Massey in Kentucky, good representatives, as well as Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, most of the good guys, or at least the better guys.

00:27:22.000 And so, what has happened is that as the Tea Party has begun to wither and die, the ugly, evil, gnarled roots of populism have shown through.

00:27:34.000 As we've seen the xenophobia and the blatant racism that's come out of the Trump supporters, the idea that we're going to ban Muslims simply on account of their religion, which strikes at the heart of Americanism, not just libertarianism.

00:27:49.000 This isn't me just defending my own narrow ideology here, but this is Americanism at its core.

00:27:55.000 That's under attack by populists claiming to represent the American experiment, but they are only representing their own narrow, bigoted viewpoints that are collectivist.

00:28:06.000 And think about that because when they're trying to defend their culture, they are collectivists by nature.

00:28:15.000 Not individualists, but collectivists.

00:28:18.000 And so it has become a dangerous moment for libertarians.

00:28:21.000 You know, you've really hit at the heart of why I'm running, simply because I wish to be in this election, no matter what happens, the principled voice of individualism.

00:28:32.000 And I want to stand up against the collectivism and the populism that we see.

00:28:38.000 You know, you saw Sarah Palin endorsing Donald Trump.

00:28:41.000 Because the populists, again, the collectivists, they tend to collect.

00:28:47.000 The individualists are, we're like hardened cats.

00:28:49.000 They're trying to get us to run together, to work together.

00:28:52.000 It's very hard.

00:28:52.000 I mean, most of the opposition to what I'm trying to do is not coming from statists, it's coming from libertarians.

00:28:58.000 You know, like Taylor Swift said, people throw rocks at things that are shiny.

00:29:02.000 That's where a lot of this comes from.

00:29:04.000 But also because I think there's a fear in the liberty movement of success.

00:29:08.000 I do think that there are people who are terrified of success, in part because some of them are anarchists and because if a libertarian wins, then they're doing that.

00:29:15.000 Thing that they most oppose, which is govern.

00:29:18.000 Right. 0.82

00:29:18.000 And also because most of these people were losers who were always pick, catch, laugh for kickballs, so they don't want to have to deal with anything regarding winning because they want to be part of the. 0.82

00:29:27.000 I like to call them hipster terrians. 0.94

00:29:29.000 You know, if liberty goes mainstream, then it's not cool anymore, man. 1.00

00:29:33.000 You know, well, screw that.

00:29:34.000 I don't care.

00:29:35.000 If everybody believes what I believe, I don't care if it's right.

00:29:38.000 But I don't care about being on the side of the majority.

00:29:40.000 Yes, I do want to win, but it doesn't take a majority to succeed.

00:29:44.000 A keen, irate minority.

00:29:46.000 Right, right.

00:29:47.000 No, and I think he hit the nail right on the head there.

00:29:49.000 I think that's.

00:29:50.000 The frustrations of so many libertarians, common sense, simple libertarians that just want individualism, just want the Constitution, but get so much opposition from the people that think there shouldn't be a government or think that everybody's as bad as the next guy.

00:30:05.000 So I think you're absolutely right that the libertarian movement is detrimental to its own cause.

00:30:10.000 Now, in closing, I just want to ask more about your campaign.

00:30:15.000 And I know you've been asked this a lot.

00:30:16.000 I want to give you an opportunity to tell our viewers here why should the libertarians pick you over Gary Johnson?

00:30:22.000 He's ran so many times in the past.

00:30:24.000 Well, he's run before.

00:30:26.000 He's definitely more experienced at losing, that's for sure.

00:30:31.000 Gary Johnson disappeared in between the elections.

00:30:33.000 If he was really serious about continuing his campaign, where has he been?

00:30:38.000 He just threw his hat in the ring this year.

00:30:41.000 His campaign website looks like it was done overnight.

00:30:44.000 It wasn't done professionally, that's for sure.

00:30:46.000 Is this the campaign that we're going to be trusting to take care of us?

00:30:50.000 Again, there's nothing wrong with Gary Johnson on paper.

00:30:53.000 And I love marijuana as much as the next guy, and I hope that.

00:30:57.000 He makes a million dollars with his business, but the plain fact of the matter is that he ran the business that he had into the ground at this time, and it seems like a sort of a desperate attempt to regain some form of relevance.

00:31:08.000 Well, if Gary wins the nomination, I'll probably support him.

00:31:11.000 Not because he gets me super excited anymore, but because he's a good man.

00:31:17.000 So if he beats me, then I'll give him my vote, because I want to vote for the most libertarian candidate I can, and I think he definitely is.

00:31:25.000 But we've seen what Gary Johnson's campaign can do, and I know that everybody's.

00:31:29.000 Sort of like, oh, it was the most vote totals ever.

00:31:31.000 Yeah, I'm still less than 1%.

00:31:34.000 I think he fails to inspire.

00:31:36.000 And now that the Liberty Movement is young, but it's begun to grow up and we've started to mature into our own.

00:31:42.000 And I'm not a person, I don't believe in destiny or fate, but I feel myself at the vanguard of this movement.

00:31:49.000 I feel myself very much being pressed towards the spear tip and that I've been given these talents and this platform, these opportunities and pushed forward.

00:31:58.000 And I'm being bolstered up, buoyed up by hundreds of donors and volunteers who have rallied to my cause, who have said that Austin, this is the man that we want to take us to the future.

00:32:08.000 Because when Gary Johnson fades away in four years from now, even if he wins, he'll be gone in four years, ten years.

00:32:16.000 You know, how much longer does Gary Johnson really have?

00:32:18.000 You know, but by empowering me and my movement, you're not just empowering me individually, you're empowering everyone who is following me, who is associated with me.

00:32:27.000 And I think that I'm a good representative of this movement.

00:32:31.000 And I think I could make a Damn proud if given the opportunity to carry the torch.

00:32:37.000 I think you're absolutely right.

00:32:38.000 And I think what you're doing is very noble.

00:32:40.000 And I think with Gary Johnson, again, you're right.

00:32:43.000 He has come out of the woodwork after four years just to declare his candidacy once again, whereas you've been on the front lines on the Libertarian Republic, on Russia Today, on John Stossel.

00:32:53.000 And I think you're absolutely right.

00:32:54.000 I think we do need a new face for this Liberty moment.

00:32:57.000 And I think you might be that guy, Austin Peterson.

00:33:00.000 Well, I'm very grateful for you to say that.

00:33:02.000 I will do my best to make sure that I live up to the high expectations that have been placed on me.

00:33:07.000 Yes, absolutely.

00:33:09.000 And so now, in addition to that, what do you think is the future of the liberty movement?

00:33:14.000 Do you think it's in a third party like yourself, in the Libertarian Party, or do you think it's more in the grassroots movements like the Tea Party or something more conservative mainstream?

00:33:25.000 I have really been, you know, I hate looking into the future because I like to call myself, I like to caucus with this group of kids.

00:33:33.000 We call ourselves the skeptical libertarians.

00:33:35.000 And we like to do things like not just talk about libertarianism, but we talk about debunking psychics and.

00:33:41.000 Debunking woo woo and pseudoscience and anti GMO hysteria and vaccine creepers and stuff.

00:33:47.000 And a lot of politicians love to say the future will be blah, The future is only going to be when we make it.

00:33:54.000 And right now, I see myself at the potential for a new movement to grow out of an old movement that is passing away.

00:34:02.000 As Dr. Ron Paul, who inspired my activism, as his sun starts to set, as Gary Johnson's sun starts to set, we need new leadership to rise up and to carry the torch.

00:34:14.000 Forward.

00:34:15.000 So, I honestly have to tell you can I tell you something that politicians you'll never hear from them?

00:34:19.000 I don't know.

00:34:20.000 All I know is that I'm going to build an infrastructure, I'm going to build the skeleton of a campaign, and hope that the thousands of people who rallied to the other campaigns for the other libertarian candidates in the past will come and put the flesh and blood into my own.

00:34:37.000 If not, if I'm not successful for that, the liberty movement might do well, then they might go on just fine without me.

00:34:43.000 In fact, if I don't make it, I hope that they do.

00:34:46.000 But I'm doing everything I can to build up my camp and House Peterson to prepare for the eventuality that I would be the nominee.

00:34:54.000 And so I'm ready to take this fight to the status.

00:34:57.000 I'm tired of fighting with the libertarians.

00:34:59.000 I'm ready to go to war with the liberals like Tom Hartman, like you've watched.

00:35:04.000 I'm ready to go to war against Donald Trump.

00:35:06.000 You know, if the liberty movement wants to give me the cannons and the axes and the swords and the materials that I need to go into battle, I promise you that I will be able to accomplish great things, but I cannot do without people such as yourself or others because one man simply can't fight this fight alone.

00:35:25.000 Absolutely.

00:35:26.000 I think, again, you've hit the nail right on the head.

00:35:30.000 It means a lot to me as a frustrated libertarian myself, seeing a guy like Rand Paul get trounced by the Republicans, seeing all kinds of libertarians eat each other alive while the liberals stick together.

00:35:41.000 The collectivists, like you said, tend to collect and they sweep us every time.

00:35:45.000 So I think you might be the guy to carry the torch.

00:35:48.000 Is there anything you'd like to say as a closing statement to the voters?

00:35:53.000 Yes, please vote.

00:35:53.000 Yes.

00:35:56.000 Listen, if you're very sincerely interested in helping the campaign, there are a few things that you can do.

00:36:02.000 The most important thing that you can do is to join the Libertarian Party in your state, go to your state convention, and become a delegate.

00:36:11.000 Delegates will have voting authority in May at a national convention in Florida.

00:36:16.000 If you become a delegate in your state and then you come to Florida, you can vote for me to become the nominee of the Libertarian Party.

00:36:23.000 That's the most important thing that I need.

00:36:25.000 After that, you can donate by going to austinpeterson2016.com.

00:36:30.000 And if you're a poor, broke college student or a young guy who just can't afford five bucks for a bumper sticker, no problem.

00:36:37.000 If you're looking for good experience and you want to learn how to fight status, volunteer.

00:36:42.000 I know how to turn volunteers, little padawans, into Liberty Jedi.

00:36:46.000 Trust me.

00:36:47.000 I'm very experienced at taking people who are passionate about this message, finding their skills and talents, and cranking them up into a real professional.

00:36:57.000 I've launched the careers.

00:36:58.000 Of several professional libertarians, many of them that you'll see on Fox News every day, others that you'll see prominent in think tanks, people that have started as my intern that I turned into liberty champions just like me.

00:37:11.000 All righty.

00:37:11.000 Well, thank you so much for coming on my show.

00:37:14.000 I love your message.

00:37:15.000 I hope the voters feel the same way.

00:37:17.000 Thank you for coming on, Austin, and good luck to you in 2016.

00:37:20.000 You're a great American.

00:37:21.000 Thanks very much.

00:37:22.000 Thank you.

00:37:24.000 Thank you for joining us today.

00:37:25.000 I had a delight talking to my good friend and fellow libertarian, Austin Peterson.

00:37:30.000 And talking to you about the future of liberty in this country.

00:37:33.000 I'm Nicholas J. Fuentes for the Nicholas J. Fuentes Show.

00:37:36.000 Until next time, see you later and God bless the United States of America.

America First - Nicholas J. Fuentes - January 28, 2016

Libertarian Austin Petersen | The Nicholas J. Fuentes Show Episode 4

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