Bill Weld launches GOP presidential exploratory committee

[PAF]

Announces in NH he’s eyeing run against Trump

Former Massachusetts Gov. William F. Weld is launching a presidential exploratory committee to challenge President Trump in the Republican primaries, saying the country is “in grave peril” and he “cannot sit quietly on the sidelines any longer.”

Weld becomes the first Republican to officially announce he is exploring a run against Trump, and sets up a potential match-up in the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire presidential primary and in other states.

In prepared remarks at the “Politics & Eggs” breakfast in Bedford, N. H., Weld delivered a blistering critique of Trump, saying “we have a president whose priorities are skewed toward promotion of himself rather than toward the good of the country.”

“To compound matters, our President is simply too unstable to carry out the duties of the highest executive office — which include the specific duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed — in a competent and professional matter,” Weld said in his prepared remarks. “He is simply in the wrong place.”

Weld, who lives in Sharon but has a home in New Hampshire, was the Libertarian Party vice presidential candidate in 2016 but just last month switched party affiliation, going back to the Republican Party.

In his speech, the former federal prosecutor called out his own party for supporting Trump, saying “many Republicans exhibit all the symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome, identifying with their captor.”

“The truth is that we have wasted an enormous amount of time by humoring this President, indulging him in his narcissism and his compulsive, irrational behaviors,” Weld said.

The former governor, who served in Massachusetts from 1990 to 1997, did not mention the “impeachment” word but hinted he would like to see Trump removed even before the 2020 election.

“The situation is not yet hopeless but we do need a mid-course correction,” he said. “We don’t need six more years of the antics we have seen. We need to make a change, and install leaders who know that character counts.”

The 73-year-old former governor was set to make his announcement this morning in at the breakfast sponsored by Saint Anselm College and the New England Council.

Weld’s announcement is likely to trigger anger among President Trump and his supporters, who see the former governor as a flip-flopper who deserted the Republican Party. The New Hampshire GOP chairman told the Herald he doesn’t expect Weld to get a welcome reception from voters there, and polls show a vast majority of GOP voters back Trump.

But sources close to Weld say he is determined to make life difficult for Trump, even if his candidacy is a long shot.

While Weld was harshest in his criticism of Trump, he also singled out Democrats for drifting too far left toward socialism.

“We need the opposite of socialism,” he said. “In the federal budget, the two most important tasks are to cut spending and to cut taxes — and spending comes first.”

Weld laid out his positions on other issues, calling for less government intervention in health care and for more intervention to prevent climate change.


https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/02...ory-committee/

[acptulsa]

Ha. Here goes nothing.

Could be useful for making videos of presstitutes asking Ron Paul if he's still a Libertarian or will run as an independent after he fails to secure the nomination. Because I sincerely doubt this tool will get the same treatment.

[PAF]

Bill Weld: "The five-shot rifle, that’s a standard military rifle. The problem is if you attach a clip to it so it can fire more shells and if you remove the pin so that it becomes an automatic weapon. And those are independent criminal offenses. That’s when they become essentially a weapon of mass destruction."

Bill Weld: “The problem with handguns is probably even worse than the problem of the AR-15.”

Bill Weld said there is a "pressing need" to act on climate change, and that the United States should stay in the Paris climate accord.

.... and other positions you can look up.



They can have Weld. But this might be a good thing to stir things up and open the debate.

I am on board with promoting Kokesh who is running LP, not so much to win, but to get the message out there when most people are involved. Whether they love or hate Kokesh, some of the ideas will stick with people to ponder after the election is over.


Anybody else on board with this?

[CaptUSA]

I expect that his "exploration" will be much like that of Robert Falcon Scott's whose explorations of Antarctica found it to be a bitter cold, desolate wasteland void of nearly all intelligent life.


I'm not a big fan of Weld, but this is just a fool's errand.

[Superfluous Man]

Weld could potentially go nowhere.

But he could potentially be a factor if he gets the support of enough big-name Republicans, donors, and the media decides to treat him like a contender.

I don't see any scenario where he can win the Republican nomination.

But I do see the possibility of debates between him and Trump. And it will be interesting to see the two try to outdo one another in how serious they can be in taking guns from people without due process.

[oyarde]

Bill Weld: "The five-shot rifle, that’s a standard military rifle. The problem is if you attach a clip to it so it can fire more shells and if you remove the pin so that it becomes an automatic weapon. And those are independent criminal offenses. That’s when they become essentially a weapon of mass destruction."

Bill Weld: “The problem with handguns is probably even worse than the problem of the AR-15.”

Bill Weld said there is a "pressing need" to act on climate change, and that the United States should stay in the Paris climate accord.

.... and other positions you can look up.



They can have Weld. But this might be a good thing to stir things up and open the debate.

I am on board with promoting Kokesh who is running LP, not so much to win, but to get the message out there when most people are involved. Whether they love or hate Kokesh, some of the ideas will stick with people to ponder after the election is over.


Anybody else on board with this?

No , I am not on board . Since my state is in no danger of falling to a dem I will write myself in.

[acptulsa]

Weld could potentially go nowhere.

But he could potentially be a factor if he gets the support of enough big-name Republicans, donors, and the media decides to treat him like a contender.

I don't see any scenario where he can win the Republican nomination.

But I do see the possibility of debates between him and Trump. And it will be interesting to see the two try to outdo one another in how serious they can be in taking guns from people without due process.

Astute observation. More accurately, the Swamp could bankroll Weld just so Trump looks like a GoA poster boy by comparison.

That'll get Trump forgiven for a multitude of sins right quick. Republicans do love to choose the lesser evil, and Trump qualifies.

That'll also allow them to stretch their successful hijack of the LP out over another cycle. Give free publicity to Weld, and many people will probably assume he's the LP candidate.

[spudea]

Literally who? He would be lucky to get more than 1% Lindsey Graham

[Superfluous Man]

Literally who? He would be lucky to get more than 1% Lindsey Graham

That's what most people would have said about Bill Clinton before he ran for president.

[PAF]

No , I am not on board . Since my state is in no danger of falling to a dem I will write myself in.

RP: "If you're not having fun you're not doing it right".

RP: "We must reach the hearts and minds of the people."


I do not expect Kokesh to win, but if we can give him a platform to speak during the process when everybody is active (other than his existing base)...

[PAF]

Weld could potentially go nowhere.

But he could potentially be a factor if he gets the support of enough big-name Republicans, donors, and the media decides to treat him like a contender.

I don't see any scenario where he can win the Republican nomination.

But I do see the possibility of debates between him and Trump. And it will be interesting to see the two try to outdo one another in how serious they can be in taking guns from people without due process.

I am more interested/focused in giving Kokesh the opportunity to debate. We need a platform, even if temporary.

[Superfluous Man]

I am more interested/focused in giving Kokesh the opportunity to debate. We need a platform, even if temporary.

If you're talking about him being included in general election debates with Trump and the Democrat nominee, then there's no chance of that. If it couldn't happen with a Libertarian ticket of two former governors, then it won't happen with Kokesh. And I don't think it would be a good thing for him to be the face of libertarianism even if it were possible.

[PAF]

If you're talking about him being included in general election debates with Trump and the Democrat nominee, then there's no chance of that. If it couldn't happen with a Libertarian ticket of two former governors, then it won't happen with Kokesh. And I don't think it would be a good thing for him to be the face of libertarianism even if it were possible.

Before I got involved in the '12 election I was told the same thing about RP and not to "waste" any of my time on "him". Yes, I know how it turned out. But it was still worth it.

[Superfluous Man]

Before I got involved in the '12 election I was told the same thing about RP and not to waste any of my time on him. Yes, I know how it turned out. But it was still worth it.

RP ran as a Republican.

The likelihood of his being included in the Republican primary debates was always high. If someone told you he would be excluded from them, they had no basis for thinking that. He was included in the debates in 2008 when he was less of a factor (along with a number of other candidates in both of those years who were less serious contenders than RP was). Obviously being in the general election debates would require him first to have won the nomination, which, had he done that, he would have been in those debates.

Generally speaking, politics is a waste of time.

Generally speaking, supporting a third-party candidate is an even bigger waste of time than supporting the same kind of candidate in a primary election for one of the big parties.

And within those two givens, supporting a candidate with Kokesh's lack of credentials combined with his other personality quirks and peccadilloes for an office as high as POTUS is a bigger waste of time yet.

[PAF]

RP ran as a Republican.

The likelihood of his being included in the Republican primary debates was always high. If someone told you he would be excluded from them, they had no basis for thinking that. He was included in the debates in 2008 when he was less of a factor (along with a number of other candidates in both of those years who were less serious contenders than RP was). Obviously being in the general election debates would require him first to have won the nomination, which, had he done that, he would have been in those debates.

Generally speaking, politics is a waste of time.

Generally speaking, supporting a third-party candidate is an even bigger waste of time than supporting the same kind of candidate in a primary election for one of the big parties.

And within those two givens, supporting a candidate with Kokesh's lack of credentials combined with his other personality quirks and peccadilloes for an office as high as POTUS is a bigger waste of time yet.

Got it. The best approach, of course, is to stay on the couch, and keep posting statist articles day after day. That is a tremendous not waste of time.

[Superfluous Man]

Got it. The best approach, of course, is to stay on the couch, and keep posting statist articles day after day. That is a tremendous not waste of time.

Of course there are lots of other options as well, including infinitely many ways to better your own life and others' lives so as to do the best you can to live free in an unfree world. But just comparing the two options of spending time and money propagating ideas online with spending time and money supporting an Adam Kokesh Libertarian presidential campaign, then yes, the former is many times more of an effective use of time and money.

This is not to say that it's the best use of time and money, just that it's far less wasteful than the given alternative.

[oyarde]

These things seem like wishful thinking . Nut job Weld will not be raising money , and a Libertarian will not be at debates.

[Superfluous Man]

Nut job Weld will not be raising money

Why do you think this?

[Anti Globalist]

Oh wow. Trump must be shaking in his boots right now.

[PAF]

Of course there are lots of other options as well, including infinitely many ways to better your own life and others' lives so as to do the best you can to live free in an unfree world. But just comparing the two options of spending time and money propagating ideas online with spending time and money supporting an Adam Kokesh Libertarian presidential campaign, then yes, the former is many times more of an effective use of time and money.

This is not to say that it's the best use of time and money, just that it's far less wasteful than the given alternative.

Being on the campaign trail picked up a few supporters here and there along the way that I would not have had opportunity to do on forums. Since this Christmas alone we picked up 2 more members of our group.

I won’t rain on your parade, we each must do what we feel is right.

[oyarde]

Why do you think this?

Ya because anyone giving him money know it is thrown away and that list is going to get shorter .

[RonZeplin]

Bill Weld is Better Than Trump, but fails to meet the minimum threshold of Better Than Hillary. Reject.

[acptulsa]

Bill Weld is Better Than Trump, but fails to meet the minimum threshold of Better Than Hillary. Reject.

Oh. Well. Charles Manson it is.

But I'm surprised to learn Weld left more bodies behind than Clinton. That's not easy.

[timosman]

Nobody mentioned Weld being a CFR member.

[timosman]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaig...-embarrassment

03/19/19

Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld (R), who last month announced a committee to explore a GOP primary challenge to President Trump, slammed the president Tuesday as a “national embarrassment” over his recent criticism of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

“@realDonaldTrump's continued attacks on John McCain are contemptible and beneath the dignity of our American democracy,” Weld tweeted Tuesday. “While @realDonaldTrump's senseless attacks on allies have become all too common, his defamation of a deceased American hero has reached a new low and raises serious concerns about his mental stability and moral integrity.”

The president turned to Twitter over the weekend to slam McCain over his 2017 vote to sink a Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act and his alleged role in giving the FBI a dossier compiled by Christopher Steele detailing compromising material the Kremlin may have on Trump.

“I was never a fan of John McCain, and I never will be,” Trump added Monday in the Oval Office when asked about his attacks on the Republican senator seven months after his death.

McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, 2008 GOP presidential nominee and Arizona lawmaker for over 30 years, was widely respected on both sides of the aisle.

Weld hammered Trump’s character during his presidential announcement in New Hampshire.

“[O]ur President is simply too unstable to carry out the duties of the highest executive office — which include the specific duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed — in a competent and professional matter,” Weld said. “He is simply in the wrong place.”

“It upsets me that our energies as a society are being sapped by the president's culture of divisiveness,” he added.

Weld is angling his campaign’s appeal to “never-Trump” Republicans and independents who are irked by the president’s personal invectives against his perceived enemies.

[Swordsmyth]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaig...-embarrassment

Weld is an embarrassment.

[Anti Globalist]

If Welds trying to make himself be hated, hes doing a pretty good job.

[enhanced_deficit]

“We need the opposite of socialism,” he said. “In the federal budget, the two most important tasks are to cut spending and to cut taxes — and spending comes first.”

Talk is cheap, did he offer any concrete steps on how he will cut spending and bring down debt from current $22T?

With all that is going on in Syria, Iraq, Iran and other global hot spots that matter to our closest allies, this might not be the best time to cut MIC military spending from $750B that MAGA just asked for.

It's getting fashionable again to talk about exploding national debt and grand childrens future, left wingy Starbucks guy and JPM's Dimon were also talking about spending problem. But seem short on concerete steps.

[Pauls' Revere]

Heard him on NPR today.

[dannno]

I am really ashamed to have voted for this guy for VP... I don't have any regrets about voting for Gary Johnson, but wow I don't know if he could have picked a worse VP.. Not that Pence is any better, but at least he pretends to be on Trump's side some of the time.