What I would do is quit institutionalizing failure. — John Wolfe
In a poll of Arkansas Democrats released earlier this week [added: in Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District], a relatively unknown attorney named John Wolfe, who is on the ballot in that state, was found to be only 7 points behind President Obama (38-45%). After the President lost almost 42% of the West Virginia vote to a prison inmate, he could be in for an even more humiliating evening come May 22.
The media, of course, is ignoring the remarkable story of an incumbent president having some real problems consolidating his base in parts of the country, including the swing state of North Carolina, where the Democrat convention will be held and where Obama lost 1 in 5 votes to “no preference.”
Obviously, if this were 2004 and George W. Bush’s unknown primary opposition was putting up numbers like these, it would be turned into a “defeat” narrative and inspire hundreds of stories about an incumbent in real trouble. If there was an “R” after John Wolfe’s name, the media would’ve made him a folk hero by now and done everything in their power to ensure he embarrassed Bush on primary night.
Thankfully, it’s not 2004 anymore, and New Media is now able to deliver the news the mainstream media won’t. Here at Breitbart News, we consider a candidate polling within seven points of a sitting President news, and after we reached out, Mr. Wolfe was gracious enough to agree to an in-depth interview.
Whether you agree with John Wolfe’s politics or not, and however things might shake out come May 22, this is an extraordinary and uniquely American story of a serious man who put himself out there for what he believes in.
And John Wolf is a serious man. As you’ll see below, this is a thoughtful candidate who has thought through the issues and knows what he believes in. I personally found his frustration with the President’s cozy relationship with Wall Street spot on.
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1. What motivated you to run against President Obama?
He campaigned one way and governed another.
2. How much money have you raised and have you paid for any advertising whatsoever?
Very little raised, and we have paid for no television or radio advertising at all. We mostly do fliers and make telephone calls.
3. Why do you think you’re within striking distance of upsetting President Obama?
Because he has failed to lead on key issues and seems remote from the problems that people face daily in their lives.
4. If President Obama wins the nomination will you endorse him?
I hope and expect to be able to do so; however, we need to see what happens between now and September 5, 2012.
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5. If you’re able to, will you try to get on the ballot in more states?
Yes.
6. What is your platform? What would you do different than the President?
What I would do is quit institutionalizing failure. The President has enshrined the health care industry by forcing millions of Americans to be its customers; yet this industry has made US healthcare costs the highest in the world, taking up a world record 16% GDP.
The President has compounded failure in the Middle East by committing more troops and billions more dollars to a Civil War that we cannot win, in a country that will never understand democracy the way we do. Although only a 100 or so Al Quaida members remain in Afghanistan, Obama continues to commit about one million dollars per soldier, or 90 billion dollars a year, to a failed war.
As to the financial industry, he has turned traditional notions of American meritocracy on their head by letting business failures from Citi Bank, JP Morgan, and GE be his closest advisers or chiefs of staff. Their banks failed us and the entire American economy by engaging in casino capitalism, but Obama continues to let them engage in these practices and fails to erect a wall between traditional commercial banking and the speculative trading that made it necessary for tax-payers to bail out these banks in the first place.
In short, Obama stepped into three major crises and failed to cure their root; instead he perpetuated the crises and ensured future problems by rewarding failure.
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7. What are you hearing on the ground from everyday Democrats about Obama; are they happy or unhappy with him?
Many are unhappy because they feel he is a creature of Wall Street. They see him as a pantomime populist because during the day he is talking about economic and market reform but when night comes, he attends evening events hosted by the hedge fund managers and gross speculators who dutifully raise tens of millions of dollars for his campaign. People simply feel that he doesn’t understand their problems or doesn’t seem to care about them.
8. In West Virginia an inmate took over 40% of the primary vote away from President Obama. Some responded by declaring those voters as motivated by racism. Do you think racism has anything to do with your poll numbers or will have anything to do with your showing on the 22nd?
I don’t want the vote of haters. I haven’t met many in Arkansas. If people hate on account of someone else’s race or sexual orientation, they should write-in their own candidate, maybe even selecting themselves.
9. If asked to replace Joe Biden as VP on the ticket, would you do so?
Yes.
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10. Do you believe that Barack Obama deserves a second term?
No, though I do admire the President for his enormous intelligence, energy, charisma, and eloquence. However, the car with the highest horsepower is useless when it runs in the wrong direction.
11. What has Barack Obama done to the state of Arkansas that prompted your run?
He has institutionalized the failure of bankers and the health care industry. Arkansas is not his particular target, but his national policies have had negative affects here.
12. What do you feel makes you more qualified to be President than President Obama?
I think I have a deeper appreciation of what life is really like in America. For example, I have been a dishwasher, grass cutter, grocery sacker, merchandiser, food broker, substitute teacher, recreation director, investor, and finally an attorney. When I was 15, I lost part of my thumb doing agricultural work. I even had to hitchhike from Chattanooga to Knoxville and back to go to school.
Also, I am not beholden to any special interest group and have made what political progress I have solely on my own limited funds. I also can talk to average voters on their level because really, I am on their level, no better or worse than they are. I have talked to thousands of people in Arkansas and Texas by phone and put my number out there so that they can contact me.
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Breitbart News thanks Mr. Wolfe for his time and urges you to visit his campaign website, where you can learn more about his positions on the issues and find his contact information.