Talk:Wikinews interviews Don Blankenship, U.S. Constitution Party presidential nominee

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Notes[edit]

Interview conducted via email:

Per your request…


Howie Morgan, Campaign Manager

Don Blankenship for President

PO Box 1757

Williamson, WV 25661

www.DonBlankenship.com

info@donblankenship2020.com

(623) 428-9619





From: William Saturn [1] Sent: Sunday, October 11, 2020 1:23 AM To: Don Blankenship for President <info@donblankenship2020.com> Subject: Re: Wikinews questions


1. Which past U.S. president(s) do you most admire and why?


 George Washington.   Put his life where his mouth was.



2. How have your past experiences prepared you for the job of President?


 I have dealt with the government and know its flaws.  I have been poor.  Rich. In federal prison. Defamed. And i have beat the evil of the establishment  over and  over.   I know what we need to do if we are the save America from the politicians.



3. How would you describe your style of leadership? How does it compare to the leadership styles of President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama?


   My leadership is based on truth and conviction.  I set the example by standing for what is right when what is right is not popular 


   Trump nor Obama are leaders.  They are misleaders. 



4. If you were president, how would you have handled the coronavirus pandemic differently than President Trump?


     I would have insisted that those with symptoms be quarantined.  I would have protected the elderly and allowed the youthful strong to work. 



5. How has the pandemic affected your campaign and your ability to reach out to voters?


   The pandemic greatly limited our opportunity to gain ballot access.  It is hard to get petition signatures when you cannot get within six feet of someone. 



6. In 2016, Constitution Party presidential nominee Darrell Castle received 203,091 votes, a record for the party. Based on your general feeling on the ground, about how many votes do you expect to receive in the 2020 election?


     We should do some better.   But were we on the ballot in WV, Va, Ohio, and Pa we would have gotten twice the votes we will now get.



7. What would a Blankenship administration look like? Which specific individuals would you ask to be in your cabinet?


     It would look smaller as we would have fewer cabinet positions.  The cabinet would be made up of individuals who have not worked in government before but rather individuals  from outside DC who have had to reckon with the government. 



8. Who would you nominate to the Supreme Court? Would you apply any litmus tests? Should the number of justices remain at nine?


      Constitutional loyal judges.   The only litmus test would be whether their prior decisions were based in law or politics.  



9. As president, how would you work with Congress to avoid gridlock and pass your agenda?


  Common sense pressure.   No drama allowed.  No hyperbole allowed.   Facts not fantasy.   



10. What should be done, from the government's perspective, to combat global climate change?


       Nothing.   Our country has much more pressing and certain challenges than climate change.   We need to save America before we engage in preventing a half degree increase in temperature in the next century.  



11. What are your views on the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan? What would you do as president to help resolve the conflict and how does that comport with your overarching philosophy on foreign affairs?


       We need to stop policing the world and allow other countries to manage their own affairs.  We need to withdraw our troops from all but a very few foreign countries.  Armenia and Azerbaijan should be given the freedom to solve their own issues, 



12. Are you concerned about the deplatforming and social media censorship of notable conservatives and libertarians? How would you address this issue as president?


    Free speech has to be fully protected unless it endangers others or is clearly defamatory.    Social media platforms should be just that.  They provide electronic assembly of the people.  They enable what the Constitution calls freedom of assembly.

There should be no censoring other than profane and similar talk.



13. What can you do, as president, to improve race relations in the United States?


       Stop granting “privileges” to one race which impede on the “rights” of another race. Equalize education but by neighborhood not by race.  Recognize that there are more poor white people than black people.   Accept that the problem is mostly a black  issue not a race issue.  Use facts, not drama and rhetoric, as the basis for action.  End illegal immigration.




14. Election Day is quickly approaching and early voting has already started in some states. What is your final plea to voters?


      My final plea to voters is to understand that all your rights, your American way of life, your medical care, and your kids future depend on America’s survival.   Kennedy’s words are critical if we are to remain a bastion of freedom.   Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country,—The preceding unsigned comment was added by William S. Saturn (talkcontribs) 

Status[edit]

I have reviewed the interview from the email sent to scoop. However, I am yet to verify the ballot map and the figure of "203,091 votes". And I think the portrait of Darrell Castle should be added.
•–• 07:44, 16 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Picking up from acagastya, I find the map puzzling, with New Mexico shown as no-access and Wyoming as write-in whilst the party site claims on-ballot for both, all the more puzzling since various earlier versions of the Commons show on-ballot for those states. Also note, if we choose one version of this map and freeze it by local upload, we should specify in the caption as-of-when it's valid. I'm foggy on whether the Commons credit only to Jon698 is quite reasonable, given that user was only responsible for the earliest version on Commons, and not sure whom we ought to be crediting with a locally frozen version. --Pi zero (talk) 14:25, 19 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, I do follow the sourced info about loss of on-ballot status in Wyoming and New Mexico. It makes sense, given the circumstances, that there would likely be write-in status in Wyoming and not in New Mexico. But Commons claims write-in status in Alabama, which the party's web site does not, and all this is also making me very uncomfortable with the volatility of the thing on Commons. --Pi zero (talk) 16:35, 19 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Review of revision 4588568 [Passed][edit]