Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received applause on the Libertarian Nationwide Conference by criticizing authorities lockdowns and deficit spending, and saying America should not police the world.
It made me need to interview him. This month, I did.
He mentioned clever issues about America’s rising debt:
“President Trump mentioned that he was going to stability the finances and as an alternative he (elevated the debt extra) than each president in United States historical past—$8 trillion. President Biden is on monitor now to beat him.”
It is good to listen to a candidate truly discuss our debt.
“When the debt is this massive…you need to lower dramatically, and I am going to do this,” he says.
However taking a look at his marketing campaign guarantees, I do not see it.
He guarantees “inexpensive” housing by way of a federal program backing 3 % mortgages.
“Think about that you just had a wealthy uncle who was keen to cosign your mortgage!” gushes his marketing campaign advert. “I’ll make Uncle Sam that wealthy uncle!”
I level out that such giveaways will not cut back our debt.
“That is not a giveaway,” Kennedy replies. “Each greenback that I spend as president goes to go towards constructing our financial system.”
That is massive authorities nonsense, like his different declare: “Each million {dollars} we spend on youngster care creates 22 jobs!”
Give me a break.
Once I pressed him about particular cuts, Kennedy says, “I am going to lower the navy in half…lower it to about $500 billion….We aren’t the policemen of the world.”
“Cease giving any cash to Ukraine?” I ask.
“Negotiate a peace,” Kennedy replies. “Biden has by no means talked to Putin about this, and it is prison.”
He by no means answered whether or not he’d give cash to Ukraine. He did reply about Israel.
“Sure, in fact we should always,”
“[Since] you do not need to lower this spending, what would you narrow?”
“Israel spending is slightly minor,” he responds. “I’ll decide probably the most wasteful packages, put them multi functional invoice, and ship them to Congress with an up and down vote.”
After all, Congress would simply vote it down.
Kennedy’s proposed cuts would hardly decelerate our path to chapter. Particularly since he additionally needs new spending that activists fake will cut back local weather change.
At a live performance years in the past, he smeared “disaster” skeptics like me, who consider we are able to modify to local weather change, screaming on the viewers, “Subsequent time you see John Stossel and [others]… these flat-earthers, these company toadies—mendacity to you. That is treason, and we have to begin treating them now as traitors!”
Now, sitting with him, I ask, “You need to have me executed for treason?”
“That assertion,” he replies, “it is not a press release that I’d make at this time….Local weather is existential. I feel it is human-caused local weather change. However I do not insist different individuals consider that. I am arguing totally free markets after which the bottom price suppliers ought to prevail within the market….We should always finish all subsidies and let the market dictate.”
That sounds good: “Let the market dictate.”
However wait, Kennedy makes cash from photo voltaic farms backed by authorities assured loans. He “leaned on his contacts within the Obama administration to safe a $1.6 billion mortgage assure,” wrote The New York Instances.
“Why ought to you get a authorities subsidy?” I ask.
“In the event you’re creating a brand new trade,” he replies, “you are competing with the Chinese language. You need america to personal items of that trade.”
I suppose meaning his authorities would subsidize each trade leftists like.
But when a wind farm firm proposed constructing one close to his household’s house, he opposed it.
“Appears hypocritical,” I say.
“We’re exterminating the suitable whale within the North Atlantic by way of these wind farms!” he replies.
I feel he was extra trustworthy years in the past, when he complained that “generators…can be seen from Cape Cod, Martha’s Winery… Nantucket….[They] will steal the celebs and nighttime views.”
Kennedy was as soon as a Democrat, however now Democrats sue to maintain him off ballots. Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich calls him a “harmful nutcase.”
Kennedy complains that Reich will not debate him.
“No one will,” he says. “They will not have me on any of their networks.”
Properly, clearly, I’ll.
I particularly wished to confront him about vaccines.
In a future column, Stossel TV will put up extra from our hourlong dialogue.
COPYRIGHT 2024 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC.
