Tuesday, August 29, 2000 -- New York

Pamela and I are up at 5:30 to catch a plane to New York. This is the first trip in several weeks on which Pamela has accompanied me, and it is a lot more pleasant for me.

To save several hundred dollars on the air fare, we fly into Islip Airport, way out on Long Island. There we meet Steve Willis, who has flown in from Baltimore. A car and driver also are there to take us to Manhattan. The trip takes about 90 minutes.

On the way I have a 30-minute phone interview with Mike Scinto at WDAO in Dayton, Ohio. My cell-phone connection is broken twice as the car goes through tunnels. He asks a lot of good questions, but takes no particular stand on any of the issues.

When we get to Manhattan, we realize that a clerical error has caused us to be booked at the wrong hotel in the wrong part of the city. We are supposed to stay at the Excelsior, a recently remodeled hotel on West 81st Street that is surprisingly inexpensive for such a nice hotel. Instead, we're at Broadway and 27th, in a hotel that costs as much but is far from as nice. In fact, the air conditioning in our room doesn't even work, and it's a very muggy day. So we quickly make arrangements to move to the other hotel.

But first I have four more interviews to do. One is 30 minutes with Paul Harral, Jack Z. Smith, and J.R. Jill Labbe of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. They are very friendly, and one of them is quite happy with my intention as President to disarm the Capitol guards until the Congressmen restore to all Americans the unconditional right to defend themselves. As usual, however, there's no way to know what will come as a result of the interview.

(As it turns out, J.R. Labbe writes a wonderful article, published on August 31, presenting our ideas accurately and saying, ". . . his voice is one that needs to be heard. It would be a loss to the American people not to see and hear him during the presidential debates. Line 'em all up -- Bush, Gore, Nader, Buchanan and Browne -- and let the voters hear what they have to say." The article is reprinted the next day in San Diego's North County Times as an editorial, and apparently also in the Panama City [Florida] News Herald.)

Next is a 20-minute phone conversation with Timothy Pajak of HRWire, a magazine and Internet site (www.HRWire.com). The publication is for Human Resources officers in corporations and others interested in health care and retirement plans. He says he likes that I said on Politically Incorrect last week that we shouldn't look for someone to "lead" us, but instead America should have 250 million leaders -- each responsible for his own life. He seems very friendly toward libertarian ideas.

I then have a 30-minute interview with Ralph Bristol at WSPA in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Before I go on the air, his producer says he happened to be surfing his TV set in July when he came across my acceptance speech at the LP convention. He became engrossed and decided he was pretty much a libertarian. A lot of my interview with Bristol concerns foreign policy and a missile defense. He seems to be quite in sync with a non-interventionist foreign policy. In the last minute of the show, he brings up the Drug War. I say we should schedule another interview and give that subject the time it deserves. He agrees.

The final interview is supposed to be 30 minutes with D.L. Stewart at WHIO in Dayton, Ohio. However, they have a problem with their phones, and we're about 15 minutes late getting started. He begins by saying, "The Democrats want to take our money and give it away; the Republicans want to take our money and keep it. What do Libertarians want?" I tell him that Libertarians want to stop the politicians from taking our money in the first place. He says, "What an extraordinary thought!"

Because of the late start, I stay for an extra 10 minutes or so. We get a number of calls -- almost all from supportive people. One man says he was a Democrat for many years, but he wasn't really for the Democrats, he was simply against the Republicans -- afraid of the Religious Right. But now he has decided to be for freedom and the Libertarians.

After the final interview, we check out of the hotel and move uptown.

Wednesday, August 30, 2000 -- New York

A lot going on today. We have to get up at 5:30 (do some people really do this willingly?), as we have to drive all the way back out to Long Island for a short TV interview. (Don't ask why we didn't do the interview yesterday when we were on Long Island; that's just the way things work out sometimes.)

On the way to Long Island, I have three brief radio interviews on my cell phone. The first is with Jim Thompson a newscaster at WGCH in Greenwich, Connecticut. The interview is only about 5 minutes long, but it goes very well -- covering all the basics.

Then it's Jim Turner at WDBO in Orlando. Before I go on, Kirk Healy, the producer, says, "We're all in your corner. You're our man." And he suggests that I invite Jim Turner to join the LP during the interview. I do so, but Jim doesn't respond. However, he does plug next week's appearance in Orlando.

Then it's "Carmen & Chris in the Morning" on WSSR-FM in Tampa. Carmen says she's a registered Libertarian and she's on my side all the way. We talk mostly about Social Security and she responds to most of my statements like a member of the Amen Corner.

We arrive at the News 12 station in Woodbury. This is a large cable channel covering Long Island. My interview is live at 8:15, and it's only 5 minutes long. But it will be replayed throughout the day. The woman who interviews me asks a question that leads me to talk about repealing the income tax. Without hearing a word I said, she then says, "I understand you also want to repeal the income tax." So much for an involved conversation. Walking down the hall after the interview, I pass a man who says, "I'm voting for you."

On the way back to Manhattan, I have a phone interview with Brian Weiss of George magazine's website (www.georgemag.com). He's a young man who sounds almost like a Libertarian, as he anticipates my answers to many of his questions. He's either libertarian-leaning or a very perceptive reporter. Either way he ought to have a promising future.

Another cell phone interview is 5-7 minutes with the Kevin & Bean Show on KROQ-FM in Burbank, California. They have a morning rock & roll show for young people, which is the kind of show I always enjoy being on. Both hosts are very sympathetic to the ideas I express, and I have the opportunity to say everything I want.

Then we're at the Fox News Channel for a 5-minute interview with Linda Vester. She asks a couple of questions, and then I barrel forward and take over the conversation -- covering everything I want to get into the interview. She seems quite willing to let me do so. On the way out, one of the engineers tells me she'll be voting for me.

Later in the day we go to WABC for a radio hour with Sean Hannity of Hannity & Colmes. He is a staunch Republican, but everytime I talk with him he seems to be more critical of the Republicans than before. He still will vote for George W. Bush, however. Today I keep repeating that voting Republican means you're giving up -- that you don't ever expect to be free -- because it's obvious that Republicans will never allow you to be free to live your life as you want.

In the second half of the hour, as I'm making this point, we suddenly lurch off into a discussion of the military and of foreign interventions -- a discussion that lasts about 20 minutes. This in fact seems to be the only area where Sean actually expects George Bush to do something Sean wants -- use the military to keep the whole world in line. I try to point out that none of the previous foreign adventures have delivered on their promised benefits, but I don't get anywhere with him. I hope I scored more points with the listeners.

In the evening I'm on for 45 minutes with Brent Johnson of The American Sovereign show, an Internet broadcast. He is very good to me -- beginning by saying, "No other candidate is so well spoken." He seems especially happy with my statement to disarm all the guards protecting the Congressmen. The callers are all positive.

The final event of the day is one segment on the Hannity & Colmes TV show on the Fox News Channel. Both Sean and Alan have been very good to me -- with a standing offer to be on the show whenever I'm in New York. Usually Sean uses his time to challenge me on any of my views that might be considered anti-conservative, and then Alan challenges me on my anti-liberal views. Tonight it's different. Sean asks me to elaborate on the views he agrees with, and then Alan asks me to elaborate on the views he agrees with.

At the end of the segment, all three cameramen applaud. Last time I was there, each of them came up to me afterward to say he was voting for me. The Floor Manager of the show (who also works on the O'Reilly Factor) is Jenna Sowards, a staunch libertarian and supporter.

Thursday, August 31, 2000 -- New York

My first interview isn't until 10am, so I get a good night's sleep. I talk with Jeff Kats, an avowed Libertarian on KXNT in Las Vegas. He pushes the Libertarian message throughout our 15-minute conversation, which covers two segments.

Since he's a Libertarian and counting on me to carry the flag, I feel a little embarrassed in the first segment because my words don't seem to flow easily. But everything begins to fall in place in the second segment, and I become very passionate -- saying that you'll never get smaller government in your lifetime if you don't start voting Libertarian.

Then I go down to the hotel lobby for a one-hour interview with Joseph Guinto of Investors Business Daily, the Wall Street Journal's chief competitor. He has taken a train from his Washington office to New York to interview me. He is writing a series of articles, one on each of the principal third parties. We cover the issues, as well as why someone should vote Libertarian, our campaign strategy, and just about everything else under the sun. Of course I have no idea what will show up in his article.

Some time back, Steve and Jennifer Willis heard Catherine Crier make a remark against the Drug War on her Court TV program. They wrote to her, enclosing a press kit and both the video and book of The Great Libertarian Offer. This eventually brought about a scheduled interview. However, the first date was canceled when it became impossible to set up a remote interview.

Today we have a rescheduled interview. So Pamela, Steve, and I head to Court TV. I used to watch her show when she was on the Fox News Channel, and I have always admired her interviewing skill. She never betrayed her own views on any significant matter, so I don't know what to expect when I enter the studio. To my surprise, she makes it clear before the interview begins that she thinks highly of libertarian ideas. She says she hopes I get into the debates because otherwise this year's race is very boring.

The 10-minute interview itself goes beautifully. In the first minute, I say, "I want to set you free to live your life as you want to live it -- not as Al Gore or George Bush thinks is best for you, or best for the Fatherland. After all, you're the one who earns the money, you're the one who gets up every day and goes to work. Why should they be taking your money and deciding how much of it they're going to let you keep for yourself? Why don't you decide how much of it you're going to give to them?"

To this, she says enthusiastically, "Yes! Yes!" We cover repealing the income tax, getting the government out of Social Security, and ending the Drug War. She adds her own comments to explain why each of these steps would be beneficial. At the end she insists that I come back for a longer interview. Happily, we've found a new friend.

On the way back to the hotel, I have an interview on my cell phone with Charles Pappas, who is writing articles on me for Salon and GreenMagazine, both Internet publications. He is a financial reporter for each of them -- and he's interested in how my proposals would affect saving, investing, and retirement. He asks what I would do about Alan Greenspan. I say I'd try to help find him a new job, because there's no place in the Constitution for the Federal Reserve System -- and no reason to think politicians know what the proper interest rate should be.

A technician comes to the hotel to fix my ailing laptop computer. Afterward it seems to work as it should.

The last interview is a 10-minute taping with Randy Ford of the Tennessee Radio Network. He provides news features for 80 stations in Tennessee. He will arrange my comments into soundbites for news items that will be played throughout the day tomorrow. We cover the basics, and he asks whether there's anything we've missed. I say we covered everything, but Pamela calls "The website" from across the room -- and I add that.

We are scheduled to fly home tomorrow keeping this evening available for any last-minute interviews that might arise. But since nothing has come up, Steve obtains flights for us tonight and we make a hurried dash to the Long Island airport and catch a plane home -- giving us an extra night in Nashville.

Friday, September 1, 2000 -- Nashville

Just one interview today. It is with reporter Paul Rasmussen at WOKV in Jacksonville, Florida. We tape some soundbites he can use during newscasts next week, calling attention to my appearance there next week.

Once again my laptop computer won't start. The computer is only about nine months old, but it has given me a world of trouble. I won't mention the brand because the company has tried to treat me well, and people I know have found computers from this company to be quite reliable. I talk again with the computer company, and we agree that it will make one final attempt to get the computer working properly and reliably.

Today we receive an email from Peter Meister of Elk Grove Village, Illinois. He wrote a letter to C-SPAN saying: "You are the most open-minded network on TV, and as a Libertarian, I greatly appreciate your coverage of Libertarian events and candidates. Last week I saw you broadcast campaign speeches by Ralph Nader and John Hagelin. I would like to make you aware of Harry Browne's campaign schedule and to ask you to cover some of his upcoming events. Additional scheduling can be found at his website. Thanks again. You are a great service to democracy, and we really need you."

He says, "This e-mail led to me getting a call from C-SPAN. Anita Siegfried called to ask me if I knew who to contact to get updated information on Harry's schedule, as she is assigned to follow his campaign. I called her and gave her [Press Secretary] Jim Babka's phone number from the web page. I also left Jim a voice mail message with Anita's phone number."

It is amazing what Libertarian volunteers acting on their own initiative can achieve.

Today Jack Dean provided the website statistics for August. We had 198,339 different visitors during the month, compared with 108,861 in July -- with 328,921 total visits, against 191,237 in July. These are very impressive figures, and undoubtedly in the same league with the Democratic and Republican candidates. Geoff Braun has done a wonderful job with our website.

Saturday, September 2, 2000 -- Nashville

Just one interview today. It is with Larry Klayman of Judicial Watch, the organization that initiates court cases to try to keep the federal government in line. Larry has his own weekly radio show. Judicial Watch is sponsoring a presidential debate on October 20. Six candidates have been invited. Al Gore, Pat Buchanan, Howard Phillips, and I have already accepted. George Bush and Ralph Nader have not responded. C-SPAN plans to cover the debate, and other networks probably also will cover it if George Bush agrees to attend.

Larry starts the interview by referring to the debate. The ostensible topic will be rooting out corruption in government. I say that corruption is a natural byproduct of size and power. The problem isn't the abuse of power; it is the power to abuse. Our task isn't to bring about "clean government" or "good government," but to reduce government to the absolute minimum possible. So long as the politicians have the power to reward their friends and punish their enemies, corruption is inevitable. (P.J. O'Rourke once said that when the legislature makes the rules for buying and selling, the first things to be bought and sold will be the legislators.)

Tomorrow Pamela and I will head for Florida for a week of events there.

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