John Mackey for President - 2012

[Krugerrand]

I was motivated to start this thread by a recent thread on potential 2012 candidates. While I want to encourage continued discussion of the pool of candidates there, I'd like to use this thread to pitch drafting John Mackey to run for president in 2012 and focus solely on that.

The GOP has been hurt by the neocons - the wars have confused what had been a unified opposition to being the world's policeman, government expansion became the reality over smaller government. TARP 1.

Most existing politicians now have stained hands from the past. Many were wrong in supporting the war or supporting things like NCLB or prescription drugs for seniors - and it leaves those who were right wondering if a recent conversion is a matter of political convenience. Others were right on the above ... but many otherwise reliable conservative voters are still blinded by the neocon punchlines.

Many of our reliable candidates bring their credentials from outside of politics - Rand Paul and Peter Schiff come to mind. We don't have time to get another 'Ron Paul' credentialed with political experience by the 2012 election. We need to find somebody outside of politics.

John Mackey is a nationally recognized successful businessman.

John Mackey wrote a letter in 2006 to all of his staff announcing that he would reduce his own salary to $1 a year, donate his stock portfolio to charity and set up a $100,000 emergency fund for staff facing personal problems. [....] "I am now 53 years old and I have reached a place in my life where I no longer want to work for money, but simply for the joy of the work itself and to better answer the call to service that I feel so clearly in my own heart."

John Mackey has said that he used to be a "democratic socialist" in college, but when he began a business and barely made money while being accused by workers of not paying them enough and customers of charging too high prices, he began to take a more capitalistic worldview and discovered the works of Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich Hayek and Friedman. [... and] is an admirer of author Ayn Rand.

^^^swiped from wikipedia

While the Democrats have been attacking the GOP for not having a health carae plan, John Mackey put one out in August:

• Remove the legal obstacles that slow the creation of high-deductible health insurance plans and health savings accounts (HSAs).
•  Equalize the tax laws so that employer-provided health insurance and individually owned health insurance have the same tax benefits.
•  Repeal all state laws which prevent insurance companies from competing across state lines.
• Repeal government mandates regarding what insurance companies must cover
• Enact tort reform to end the ruinous lawsuits that force doctors to pay insurance costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.
•  Make costs transparent so that consumers understand what health-care treatments cost.
• Enact Medicare reform.
• Finally, revise tax forms to make it easier for individuals to make a voluntary, tax-deductible donation to help the millions of people who have no insurance and aren't covered by Medicare, Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

I think I'm onto something here. Tell me why I'm wrong or what we need to do to make it happen.

[Bradley in DC]

I'm listening.

[cheapseats]

I was motivated to start this thread by a recent thread on potential 2012 candidates. While I want to encourage continued discussion of the pool of candidates there, I'd like to use this thread to pitch drafting John Mackey to run for president in 2012 and focus solely on that.

The GOP has been hurt by the neocons - the wars have confused what had been a unified opposition to being the world's policeman, government expansion became the reality over smaller government. TARP 1.

Most existing politicians now have stained hands from the past. Many were wrong in supporting the war or supporting things like NCLB or prescription drugs for seniors - and it leaves those who were right wondering if a recent conversion is a matter of political convenience. Others were right on the above ... but many otherwise reliable conservative voters are still blinded by the neocon punchlines.

Many of our reliable candidates bring their credentials from outside of politics - Rand Paul and Peter Schiff come to mind. We don't have time to get another 'Ron Paul' credentialed with political experience by the 2012 election. We need to find somebody outside of politics.

John Mackey is a nationally recognized sucesful businessman.

^^^swiped from wikipedia

While the Democrats have been attacking the GOP for not having a health carae plan, John Mackey put one out in August:

I think I'm onto something here. Tell me why I'm wrong or what we need to do to make it happen.

New haircut.

Suit and tie, I am oh-so-sorry to say. Caricature-grade graft is perpetrated from behind the Magic Suit, it could not be more obvious. Still, at this time, suit and tie. White shirt.

New photo. Maybe a trace of a smile -- portending a Good Nature, but no teeth -- but probably straight-faced. The Michael Douglas speech in An American President, "These are serious times . . . " Hear also the Michael J. Fox speech re: "In the absence of leadership . . . "

What is his height/weight proportion? Again, I don't make the rules . . .

[cheapseats]

I was motivated to start this thread by a recent thread on potential 2012 candidates. While I want to encourage continued discussion of the pool of candidates there, I'd like to use this thread to pitch drafting John Mackey to run for president in 2012 and focus solely on that.

The GOP has been hurt by the neocons - the wars have confused what had been a unified opposition to being the world's policeman, government expansion became the reality over smaller government. TARP 1.

Most existing politicians now have stained hands from the past. Many were wrong in supporting the war or supporting things like NCLB or prescription drugs for seniors - and it leaves those who were right wondering if a recent conversion is a matter of political convenience. Others were right on the above ... but many otherwise reliable conservative voters are still blinded by the neocon punchlines.

Many of our reliable candidates bring their credentials from outside of politics - Rand Paul and Peter Schiff come to mind. We don't have time to get another 'Ron Paul' credentialed with political experience by the 2012 election. We need to find somebody outside of politics.

John Mackey is a nationally recognized sucesful businessman.

^^^swiped from wikipedia

While the Democrats have been attacking the GOP for not having a health carae plan, John Mackey put one out in August:

I think I'm onto something here. Tell me why I'm wrong or what we need to do to make it happen.

With Andrew Lahde as Vice President, or vice versa. I could sell that.

October 17, 2008

Today I write not to gloat. Given the pain that nearly everyone is experiencing, that would be entirely inappropriate. Nor am I writing to make further predictions, as most of my forecasts in previous letters have unfolded or are in the process of unfolding. Instead, I am writing to say goodbye.

Recently, on the front page of Section C of the Wall Street Journal, a hedge fund manager who was also closing up shop (a $300 million fund), was quoted as saying, "What I have learned about the hedge fund business is that I hate it." I could not agree more with that statement. I was in this game for the money. The low hanging fruit, i.e. idiots whose parents paid for prep school, Yale, and then the Harvard MBA, was there for the taking. These people who were (often) truly not worthy of the education they received (or supposedly received) rose to the top of companies such as AIG, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and all levels of our government. All of this behavior supporting the Aristocracy, only ended up making it easier for me to find people stupid enough to take the other side of my trades. God bless America.

There are far too many people for me to sincerely thank for my success. However, I do not want to sound like a Hollywood actor accepting an award. The money was reward enough. Furthermore, the endless list those deserving thanks know who they are.

I will no longer manage money for other people or institutions. I have enough of my own wealth to manage. Some people, who think they have arrived at a reasonable estimate of my net worth, might be surprised that I would call it quits with such a small war chest. That is fine; I am content with my rewards. Moreover, I will let others try to amass nine, ten or eleven figure net worths. Meanwhile, their lives suck. Appointments back to back, booked solid for the next three months, they look forward to their two week vacation in January during which they will likely be glued to their Blackberries or other such devices. What is the point? They will all be forgotten in fifty years anyway. Steve Balmer, Steven Cohen, and Larry Ellison will all be forgotten. I do not understand the legacy thing. Nearly everyone will be forgotten. Give up on leaving your mark. Throw the Blackberry away and enjoy life.

So this is it. With all due respect, I am dropping out. Please do not expect any type of reply to emails or voicemails within normal time frames or at all. Andy Springer and his company will be handling the dissolution of the fund. And don't worry about my employees, they were always employed by Mr. Springer's company and only one (who has been well-rewarded) will lose his job.

I have no interest in any deals in which anyone would like me to participate. I truly do not have a strong opinion about any market right now, other than to say that things will continue to get worse for some time, probably years. I am content sitting on the sidelines and waiting. After all, sitting and waiting is how we made money from the subprime debacle. I now have time to repair my health, which was destroyed by the stress I layered onto myself over the past two years, as well as my entire life -- where I had to compete for spaces in universities and graduate schools, jobs and assets under management -- with those who had all the advantages (rich parents) that I did not. May meritocracy be part of a new form of government, which needs to be established.

On the issue of the U.S. Government, I would like to make a modest proposal. First, I point out the obvious flaws, whereby legislation was repeatedly brought forth to Congress over the past eight years, which would have reigned in the predatory lending practices of now mostly defunct institutions. These institutions regularly filled the coffers of both parties in return for voting down all of this legislation designed to protect the common citizen. This is an outrage, yet no one seems to know or care about it. Since Thomas Jefferson and Adam Smith passed, I would argue that there has been a dearth of worthy philosophers in this country, at least ones focused on improving government.

Capitalism worked for two hundred years, but times change, and systems become corrupt. George Soros, a man of staggering wealth, has stated that he would like to be remembered as a philosopher. My suggestion is that this great man start and sponsor a forum for great minds to come together to create a new system of government that truly represents the common man's interest, while at the same time creating rewards great enough to attract the best and brightest minds to serve in government roles without having to rely on corruption to further their interests or lifestyles. This forum could be similar to the one used to create the operating system, Linux, which competes with Microsoft's near monopoly. I believe there is an answer, but for now the system is clearly broken.

Lastly, while I still have an audience, I would like to bring attention to an alternative food and energy source. You won't see it included in BP's, "Feel good. We are working on sustainable solutions," television commercials, nor is it mentioned in ADM's similar commercials. But hemp has been used for at least 5,000 years for cloth and food, as well as just about everything that is produced from petroleum products. Hemp is not marijuana and vice versa. Hemp is the male plant and it grows like a weed, hence the slang term. The original American flag was made of hemp fiber and our Constitution was printed on paper made of hemp. It was used as recently as World War II by the U.S. Government, and then promptly made illegal after the war was won. At a time when rhetoric is flying about becoming more self-sufficient in terms of energy, why is it illegal to grow this plant in this country?

Ah, the female. The evil female plant -- marijuana. It gets you high, it makes you laugh, it does not produce a hangover. Unlike alcohol, it does not result in bar fights or wife beating. So, why is this innocuous plant illegal? Is it a gateway drug? No, that would be alcohol, which is so heavily advertised in this country. My only conclusion as to why it is illegal, is that Corporate America, which owns Congress, would rather sell you Paxil, Zoloft, Xanax and other additive drugs, than allow you to grow a plant in your home without some of the profits going into their coffers. This policy is ludicrous. It has surely contributed to our dependency on foreign energy sources. Our policies have other countries literally laughing at our stupidity, most notably Canada, as well as several European nations (both Eastern and Western). You would not know this by paying attention to U.S. media sources though, as they tend not to elaborate on who is laughing at the United States this week. Please people, let's stop the rhetoric and start thinking about how we can truly become self-sufficient.

With that I say good-bye and good luck.

All the best,

Andrew Lahde

[Bradley in DC]

New haircut.

Suit and tie, I am oh-so-sorry to say. Caricature-grade graft is perpetrated from behind the Magic Suit, it could not be more obvious. Still, at this time, suit and tie. White shirt.

New photo. Maybe a trace of a smile -- portending a Good Nature, but no teeth -- but probably straight-faced. The Michael Douglas speech in An American President, "These are serious times . . . " Hear also the Michael J. Fox speech re: "In the absence of leadership . . . "

What is his height/weight proportion? Again, I don't make the rules . . .

But that *is* the way he looks and carries himself. His thin/h/w proportioned. Really nice guy. Confident, knowledgeable. Definitely has his own take on a more people-oriented libertarianism.

[cheapseats]

But that *is* the way he looks and carries himself. His thin/h/w proportioned. Really nice guy. Confident, knowledgeable. Definitely has his own take on a more people-oriented libertarianism.

Nice Guys often finish last. American Politics is a blood sport.

Taller, shorter, middling?

[Bradley in DC]

With Andrew Lahde as Vice President, or vice versa. I could sell that.

I don't recognize that name. I'd strongly suggest we'd need an LBJ-type to complement a political outsider--and get the program rammed down Congress' throat.

[Bradley in DC]

Taller, shorter, middling?

Almost everyone is tall (relatively ).

[cheapseats]

Placeholder President

22 September 2008

As bad as things are, as much as we’ve been through, as many people as have died, and the best we can come up with is two people each of whom roughly half the people loathe?

Are we kidding me?

A system that by all accounts and every measure is broken is offering up a choice between pudding and jello…more like, between getting run over by a train or falling out of a plane. No parachute, sorry…CEO’s have dibs on those.

Why in God’s name are we putting up with this $#@!?

What are we waiting for, 2012? Are my countrymen actually conceding another four years of rapacious taxation, mind-numbing inefficiency, stunning stupidity, blatant corruption and outright criminality?

Between governance and campaigning, only about a gazillion rules have thus far been concocted, imposed, circumvented, rewritten, bent, revised, broken and abandoned…why not one more?

In view of the travesty of the Bush Administration…the financial fallout of which is liable to worsen before it improves…does it really seem such an outrageous notion for the American people to demand a full range of alternatives on the November ballot?

Independent is taken, you say? Okay, the Third Party ticket. There are more than three, sort of? The Alternative Party perhaps, or does that smack of gay? Very well, the People’s Party. Nope, reeks of Communism. Red, blue, green…all taken. Yellow, that won’t do. Nor White, nor Black. Nothing with New, Youth, Social, Progressive, Labor or Reform. The Principled Party is self-congratulatory. Lemme think.

Peace and Freedom always had a nice ring to it but, ironically, it is associated with loss.

Founders Party
Patriot Party
Pilgrim Party
S.O.S. Party…a two-for-one, ‘same old $#@!’ and HELP!

You have to hand it to Republicans for usurping the term Right…how smart was that? Democrats have been caught looking the wrong direction ever since. Right, you say? Good idea…guess we’ll just go ahead and be Wrong…LEFT, we meant Left.


The duopoly candidates have assured us that it’s not “about them.” They live to serve, right? The duopoly candidates, impassioned about our country’s best interests above their own political aspirations, will surely welcome more freedom of choice as testament to wholesome democracy.

Laws are man-made. It is by man that they are unmade. What judge would refuse the petition of millions upon millions of citizens for a meaningful choice, when we are “suddenly” in straights more dire than we supposed during the primaries. If Henry Paulson & Company can be wrong-sighted/wrong-headed to the clanging tune of TRILLIONS, the people can be forgiven for mistakenly identifying our next best options at Top Spot.

Under meaningful threat from without and unmistakable threat from within, with the Ruling Elite offering up financial mumbo jumbo that will further empower Established Interests, what judge would reject the People’s demand for Plans C, D and E?

Only a judge who is as unafraid of the People as he is indebted to the Establishment.

It seems to me that the American People would be well served by a non-denominational Placeholder President, someone that half the people don’t despise from the gate.

It seems we would do ourselves a favor by hiring someone who knows how to steward a troubled company with dodgy solvency through capital letter Reorganization, while Democrats and Republicans figure out what they stand for and who their standard bearers are, and while alternative parties formulate to represent the many many people whose causes and convictions are not represented by either of the two parties that have an unmistakable stranglehold on American politics.

On a good day, I imagine a slew of those fledgling parties joining forces to represent American Labor, insofar as it is obvious that BOTH parties’ hierarchies are intractably aligned with Big Money. The Union Party, perhaps…inexplicably, Labor is politically incorrect.

But in the meantime…while everyone continues to argue, as though that which they argue about is static…we would have a Competent Executive to stave off disaster by streamlining the operation, dumping worthless inventory and unproductive people, reigning in expenses and raising capital, WITHOUT mincing words or pulling punches out of consideration for re-election.

That doesn’t say John McCain to me. That doesn’t say Barack Obama to me.

I have read argument that Ron Paul ought not to jeopardize his seat in the house by donning an independent mantle, and I am inclined to agree. On the one hand, he’s one of few Congresspeople who is principled and knowledgeable…he is needed. On the other hand, he’s been in Congress forever…he is not persuasive.

HOWEVER, comma, I think he’d have a LOT of cache at V.P.

What about Lee Iacocca for president, with Ron Paul as vice president? If they lose, Ron Paul retains his seat.

Lee Iacocca knows from Bailouts.

What about T. Boone Pickens? He knows from Energy.

Hey, how ‘bout Lee Iacocca AND T. Boone Pickens…not to be morbid, but I expect one or the other of them has four years yet in him.

I expect I sound cavalier, but I’m not. I think about this stuff literally day and night, and I’m pretty smart. I think we are throwing good money after bad, I think there are foxes in the henhouse, and I think we owe it to both our future and our past to come to our senses lickety-split.

The people who are so impassioned about “their guy” winning, the people who applaud strategic grabs of power, need to bear in mind how their plots play out with other leads.

I would propose a different ticket now, but I stand by my reasoning.

With my father's Management Consulting/Big 8 Accounting blood coursing through my veins, I have seen fit to buy PartyPooperParty.com and AmericanIndependenceGroup.com.

A.I.G., for short.

[haaaylee]

President might be shooting too far, perhaps draft him for Congress first? And I didn't realize he was a fan of the Austrian school, i am really starting to like this guy . . .

[anaconda]

http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/me...?player_id=138

[steph3n]

Mackey can be tough when needed, I remember the court battles about Wild Oats/Whole Foods and other supermarkets.

[cheapseats]

http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/me...?player_id=138

What could be simpler?
.

JOHN MACKEY FER PRESIDENT &
JOHN MACKEY 4 VICE PRESIDENT

We is stoopid, but we ain't racist.

.

[Krugerrand]

President might be shooting too far, perhaps draft him for Congress first? And I didn't realize he was a fan of the Austrian school, i am really starting to like this guy . . .

Congress doesn't prepare somebody for the presidency ... it prepares somebody for career corruption.

[Krugerrand]

One serious knock against him ... he has a ranch in Texas. He'll need to sell that.

[cheapseats]

One serious knock against him ... he has a ranch in Texas. He'll need to sell that.

Or he could donate it for conversion to a comprehensive rehabilitation center for American soldiers who are returning from the Middle East missing arms and/or legs, and/or faces, and/or minds.

Contrast THAT with the Bush/Cheney "gentleman" ranchers.

[anaconda]

Or he could donate it for conversion to a comprehensive rehabilitation center for American soldiers who are returning from the Middle East missing arms and/or legs, and/or faces, and/or minds.

Contrast THAT with the Bush/Cheney "gentleman" ranchers.

That would get him a lot of publicity. RP could volunteer his services there a couple of days per month, to demonstrate the generosity of free market health care.

[YumYum]

New haircut.

Suit and tie, I am oh-so-sorry to say. Caricature-grade graft is perpetrated from behind the Magic Suit, it could not be more obvious. Still, at this time, suit and tie. White shirt.

New photo. Maybe a trace of a smile -- portending a Good Nature, but no teeth -- but probably straight-faced. The Michael Douglas speech in An American President, "These are serious times . . . " Hear also the Michael J. Fox speech re: "In the absence of leadership . . . "

What is his height/weight proportion? Again, I don't make the rules . . .

He looks like Michael J. Fox.

[Captain Bryan]

Same guy, right?

[libertarian4321]

http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/me...?player_id=138

Yup, that's the John Mackey I was thinking of as well (I guess my age is showing).

[libertarian4321]

Same guy, right?

I think Roddy Piper could whip Mackey's ass, but unfortunately, we can't nominate him for President because he wasn't born in the USA (I believe he's Canadian).

[Cowlesy]

Karen De Coster blogged about a WSJ article Stephen Moore wrote about Mackey. See below:

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewr...ves/38145.html

[Cowlesy]

Karen De Coster blogged about a WSJ article Stephen Moore wrote about Mackey. See below:

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewr...ves/38145.html

From the linked WSJ article:

But there's one other institution John Mackey thinks needs a makeover—and that's government. He describes what the Federal Reserve has done with massive money creation as "debauchery of the currency." He thinks the bailouts were a travesty.

"I don't think anybody's too big to fail," he says. "If a business fails, what happens is, there are still assets, and those assets get reorganized. Either new management comes in or it's sold off to another business or it's bid on and the good assets are retained and the bad assets are eliminated. I believe in the dynamic creativity of capitalism, and it's self-correcting, if you just allow it to self-correct."

Interesting.

[Bradley in DC]

I think Roddy Piper could whip Mackey's ass, but unfortunately, we can't nominate him for President because he wasn't born in the USA (I believe he's Canadian).

I heard he has a Kenyan birth certificate.

[RevolutionSD]

I was motivated to start this thread by a recent thread on potential 2012 candidates. While I want to encourage continued discussion of the pool of candidates there, I'd like to use this thread to pitch drafting John Mackey to run for president in 2012 and focus solely on that.

The GOP has been hurt by the neocons - the wars have confused what had been a unified opposition to being the world's policeman, government expansion became the reality over smaller government. TARP 1.

Most existing politicians now have stained hands from the past. Many were wrong in supporting the war or supporting things like NCLB or prescription drugs for seniors - and it leaves those who were right wondering if a recent conversion is a matter of political convenience. Others were right on the above ... but many otherwise reliable conservative voters are still blinded by the neocon punchlines.

Many of our reliable candidates bring their credentials from outside of politics - Rand Paul and Peter Schiff come to mind. We don't have time to get another 'Ron Paul' credentialed with political experience by the 2012 election. We need to find somebody outside of politics.

John Mackey is a nationally recognized sucesful businessman.

^^^swiped from wikipedia

While the Democrats have been attacking the GOP for not having a health carae plan, John Mackey put one out in August:

I think I'm onto something here. Tell me why I'm wrong or what we need to do to make it happen.

Here is the problem with politics.

Many on the left HATE and demonize Jeff Mackey.
But you as a libertarian want to impose him on everyone.

This is why we need to look into a voluntary society and stop playing their game, politics.

[Bradley in DC]

Many on the left HATE and demonize Jeff Mackey.

Who's "Jeff" Mackey?

[amy31416]

Everything I know about Mackey thus far, I like. I think he'd be great to have in the debates, and who knows? Third parties might get a bit more attention the next time around. (I'm assuming that he'd be libertarian or independent.)

[Epic]

Mackey should have some degree of cred with the left - growing up he was an anti-capitalist until he learned about the real world by founding whole foods. He could talk about that.

He then found out about libertarianism and started devouring libertarian literature from laissez-faire books.

I stumbled into reading Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, Ludwig von Mises, Ayn Rand — I read all of them. I said to myself, "Wow, this all makes sense. This is how the world really works. This is incredible." Then I became Laissez Faire Books' best customer for the next five years. I think I read every book in their catalog. If any of you in the audience have written books, I have probably read them.

http://www.libertyunbound.com/archiv...y-winning.html

He even claims to have formidable debating skills.

He also positions himself as a "compassionate libertarian" rebelling against the semantics and foundation of Rand's "virtue of selfishness"

Let's start with the critique. How many of you have read Ayn Rand? How many of you have been influenced by her? "Atlas Shrugged" remains one of the five greatest novels I have ever read. Who can ever forget characters like Dagny Taggart, Hank Rearden, Francisco d'Anconia, from "Atlas Shrugged," as well as Howard Roark in "The Fountainhead"? These characters all demonstrated tremendous passions and drive, backed by high self-esteem. Each one inspired this young entrepreneur. I wanted to be just like those heroic characters in "Atlas Shrugged."

However, despite her literary greatness and many positive contributions to the freedom movement, I believe that Rand has also harmed the movement. How? She was overly provocative. The "virtue of selfishness" is an oxymoron. Selfishness is not a virtue. Now, I understand all the arguments — I've read all the books. I know that self-interest channeled to the social good, as expressed through Adam Smith's "invisible hand," is the single most brilliant insight about social organization ever made in history. That being said, selfishness (as opposed to self-interest) is still not a virtue. It is something to be discouraged, and not something to be supported.

Similarly, I find insupportable the idea Ivan Boesky and Gordon Gekko made infamous, that "Greed is Good." Well, greed is not good. Greed is not a virtue. Excepting a few people on Wall Street and some people in the freedom movement, almost no one else in our greater society will support selfishness and greed as "good" when they see it. So my question to you is, why doesn't the freedom movement condemn selfishness and greed? If we don't, we are inappropriately seen as supporters of selfishness and greed. In my opinion, this is a major branding mistake that continues to undermine our movement.

Once we are free, or relatively free, to live our lives in the manner we choose, we must answer the question, "How then shall we actually live our lives?" Will we live our lives as hedonists, indulging ourselves with various amusements, diversions, and pleasures? Or will we choose the more difficult path of personal development and acceptance of social responsibility?

The freedom movement needs to reposition itself and re-brand itself. Personal freedom may be the first goal we work towards — but we can't stop there; it isn't enough. There is so much more to life. Using our freedom to take on greater social responsibility, as well as striving to reach our fullest potential as humans, needs to be a goal we support just as much as freedom from government coercion.

When I was a naive (some people in the audience by this time probably think I'm still naive) and idealistic young man, I migrated to the Left for my value system. Why did I do that? Because the Left provided an idealistic vision of the way the world could be. However, the reality of the Left's vision proved to be terribly flawed. Its socialist economic system not only didn't work very well, but in its communist manifestation it justified monstrous governments directly responsible for the murders of over 100 million people in the 20th century. Despite the horrible track record of leftist ideology, millions of young Americans continue to migrate to an intellectually bankrupt Left because the Left still seems to be idealistic, and idealism is magnetic to the young. Idealism will always be magnetic to the intelligent and sensitive young people of the world.