The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

Scott interviews Branko Marcetic about his new book, Yesterday's Man: The Case Against Joe Biden, which explores the arc of Biden's decades-long political career. Marcetic explains that Biden has never really had serious ideological commitments, and instead has simply wanted power and prestige since he was a kid. This has led to a life of switching positions on major issues when he perceived that it would be to his benefit, as he has done on the wars in the Middle East, the drug wars at home, welfare-state economic policies, and "humanitarian" interventions abroad. All of this, Marcetic asserts, makes Biden the wrong candidate for today's Democratic party. He has already faced some scrutiny from his more progressive colleagues, but Scott and Marcetic know this will only intensify if he has to face President Trump in the general election.

Discussed on the show:

"Yesterday's Man: The Case Against Joe Biden" (Jacobin)

Glass-Steagall Act

"Law enforcement took more stuff from people than burglars did last year" (Washington Post)

"Mike Bloomberg Exploited Prison Labor to Make 2020 Presidential Campaign Phone Calls" (The Intercept)

Plan Colombia

"'Bully' Remark Earns Biden a Lesson in Wartime Rhetoric" (The Washington Post)

"Karl Rove says Biden is only 2020 Democrat who can defeat Trump" (Washington Examiner)

Branko Marcetic is a writer for Jacobin Magazine, a fellow at In These Times, and host of the 1/200 podcast. He is the author of Yesterday's Man: The Case Against Joe Biden. Follow him on Twitter @BMarchetich.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8pBuUlmZhI

Dan McKnight of BringOurTroopsHome.us talks about the "Defend the Guard" movement popping up in state legislatures around the country. The legislation on which the movement is based calls for an end to the calling up of states' national guard troops to federal service without an explicit declaration by congress. McKnight also explains the way conservatives of all stripes are starting to unite around the idea that America cannot keep fighting these endless wars, a growing consensus which is forcing the conversation into mainstream political discourse.

Discussed on the show:

"Veterans Group Praises Trump Peace Agreement, Chides 'Chicken Hawk Cheney'" (Antiwar.com Blog)

"Stop forcing U.S. troops to prop up pedophile culture" (Idaho State Journal)

Dan McKnight is the founder and Chairman of Idahoans to Bring Our Troops Home. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, three years active duty with the U.S. Army, and ten years with the Idaho Army National Guard, including a one-year deployment to Afghanistan in 2006.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkAKmd5Rf8U

Trita Parsi comes back on the show to recap the Quincy Institute's recent conference in Washington D.C., which put pro-restraint and pro-interventionist figures on panels together to debate the merits of America's foreign policy status quo. Some from the antiwar movement have been critical of Parsi's organization for not being radical enough, but Parsi reiterates that an "inside game" is going to look different from an "outside game", and that while the absolutely pure antiwar position is valuable to the movement, it's also important to engage with those on the inside of American policymaking in a way that actually allows the ideas from both sides to be openly debated. Parsi and Scott consider the conference a success, and look forward to more events of the same type in the future.

Discussed on the show:

"2¾ Cheers for the New Quincy Institute" (The Libertarian Institute)

"David Petraeus And The Art Of Staying The Same" (The American Conservative)

"Anti-Interventionist Think Tank’s Debut is a Dud" (Consortium News)

"After 'Advocating Killing Iranians' for Years, Neocon Bill Kristol Called Out for Faux Concern" (Common Dreams)

Trita Parsi is the president of the National Iranian American Council and the author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Parsi is the recipient of the 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Follow him on Twitter @tparsi.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKQacLGraT4

Danny Sjursen discusses the recent deal to withdraw most of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan. He begins by describing the reactions of his military friends to the idea that this deal represents "surrender" to the Taliban, which some on the right would have you believe. On the contrary, says Sjursen, most veterans, including all of his friends, support ending the war, and many say that we should do so as soon as possible. If anything, Sjursen is critical of this deal because it doesn't go far enough, since it allows some "non-combat" troops (a notoriously fuzzy definition) to stay behind, along with CIA-backed militias and intelligence and bombing capabilities. All in all, Sjursen is skeptical that this deal really spells the end of America's involvement in Afghanistan, and instead may be nothing more than an election stunt that could fall apart at the slightest hiccup, giving the U.S. government an excuse to stay even longer.

Discussed on the show:

"Happy Afghanistan Surrender Day!" (Antiwar.com Original)

"Majorities of US veterans say Iraq, Afghanistan wars weren’t worth fighting" (Pew Research Center)

"Opinion | On Afghanistan, Trump Gets Taken" (The New York Times)

"Distant lives come together on 9/11's front lines" (Reuters)

An Enemy We Created: The Myth of the Taliban-Al Qaeda Merger in Afghanistan

Danny Sjursen is a retired U.S. army major and former history instructor at West Point. He writes regularly for TomDispatch.com and he’s the author of “Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge.” Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

Scott talks to Baltimore lawyer Steven Silverman about a 2009 case involving the alleged illegal cavity search of his client by Baltimore police. Silverman's client claimed that Officer Shakil Moss stopped him without cause and conducted the cavity search in public in the middle of the day, which was later confirmed through DNA analysis by the department's internal affairs unit. It was later discovered that a group of officers conducted many such unconstitutional stops, and some of them have faced federal prison for their actions.

Discussed on the show:

"Police State Keynesianism: Stimulating Tyranny" (The Libertarian Institute)

"$210 million suit filed over police team's strip search" (Baltimore Sun)

"Nurse says traffic stop led to strip search" (Baltimore Sun)

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-DcZMqqVtA

Scott talks to Peter Van Buren about the resurgence of the narrative that Russia is interfering in American elections, this time in the form of apparent support both for Trump's reelection and for Bernie Sanders to get the Democratic nomination. Van Buren notes that fortunately voters don't seem to be buying it this time around—both Trump and Sanders' approval ratings improved in the days following the stories about supposed Russian interference. But he warns that we should always be wary of deep state interference in electoral politics, since they do have tremendous power to disrupt things behind the scenes. He also gives his thoughts on the coronavirus, and its effect on the global economy in particular, which he says is mostly due to unfounded and irrational fear, but could be the spark that lights the fuse on the coming recession.

Discussed on the show:

Russiagate II: Return Of The Low Intelligence Zombies" (The American Conservative)

"There’s Still Little Evidence That Russia’s 2016 Social Media Efforts Did Much of Anything" (Washington Post)

"Ukraine crisis: Transcript of leaked Nuland-Pyatt call" (BBC News)

"Russia Isn’t Dividing Us — Our Leaders Are " (Rolling Stone)

"What Mike Pence’s past says about his ability to lead on coronavirus" (Vox)

"The Democrats’ Narrative Of Gloom Won’t Fly In 2020" (The American Conservative)

Peter Van Buren worked for 24 years at the Department of State including a year in Iraq. He is the author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People and the novel Hooper’s War. He is now a contributing editor at The American Conservative magazine.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0JLiBMKOsc

Scott has Bob Murphy on the show to explain the Austrian School's view of the boom and bust cycle in the American economy. Murphy explains why the Keynesians are wrong to assert that booms and busts are simply an inherent feature of capitalism. In fact, it is intervention in the free market by central banks—in particular the fact that they control the interest rate, which should be the free-floating price of borrowing money—that contribute to years of misallocation of resources. Eventually, there are too many investments that never should have been financed, with not enough real savings to carry them across the finish line, and business ventures start to fail en masse. Murphy and Scott explore some of the political dangers to having such a system. Notably, people who suppose that America is a laissez-faire capitalist paradise find it easy to blame the institution of capitalism when things go wrong, instead of recognizing that we already have a hugely socialized economy. Murphy works hard to persuade people of all the problems with our current system, even while things are good, so that they'll be in a better position to understand why things really go wrong.

Discussed on the show:

"Inside Job (2010)" (IMDb)

"The Big Short (2015)" (IMDb)

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Bob Murphy is an economist with the Institute for Energy Research, a research fellow with the Independent Institute, and a senior fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute. He is the author of Contra Krugman: Smashing the Errors of America's Most Famous Keynesian, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism, and Choice: Cooperation, Enterprise, and Human Action, among others. Find him on Twitter @BobMurphyEcon and listen to his podcasts, Contra Krugman and The Bob Murphy Show.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ4KJ3HY8nk

Marjorie Cohn discusses the attempted extradition of Julian Assange from Britain to the United States so that he can stand trial for alleged violations of America's Espionage Act. Cohn outlines the two main grounds on which she believes the British judge should refuse to go along with the extradition: that Assange is being charged with a political crime, and that he is likely to face torture at the hands of the American authorities, much like he has been facing for years now in the form of solitary confinement and the refusal of medical care. Scott and Cohn also talk about Chelsea Manning, who is likewise being held in solitary confinement for heroically refusing to testify against Assange.

Discussed on the show:

"ASSANGE EXTRADITION: Indictment on Political Offense Runs Counter to Extradition Treaty" (Consortium News)

"Baghdad War Diary" (Wikileaks)

"The Guantanamo Files" (Wikileaks)

Collateral Murder

"«A murderous system is being created before our very eyes» – Republik" (Republik)

The United States and Torture: Interrogation, Incarceration, and Abuse

Marjorie Cohn is a professor emerita at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and the author of numerous books including Drones and Targeted Killing: Legal, Moral, and Geopolitical Issues. Find all of her work at her website marjoriecohn.com.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QsYZGhdLqA

Scott interviews Nasser Arrabyee about the latest on the war in Yemen. The humanitarian situation there is still desperate, with the UN finally updating its estimates to over 200,000 dead—many of these women and young children. But Arrabyee sees reasons for hope. For one thing, the war is very unpopular, both among Americans and for Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, so neither country looks very good for their participation. Arrabyee says that airports may also start to be opened to humanitarian aid soon, helping to alleviate the thousands of deaths from deprivation and preventable disease.

Nasser Arrabyee is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen. He is the owner and director of yemen-now.com. You can follow him on Twitter @narrabyee.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAVUau004Hk

Scott talks to Dave DeCamp about the OPCW's efforts to discredit a pair of whistleblowers, both of whom are former employees who claim their findings were expunged from the organization's official reports on the alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma in 2018. The OPCW concluded that there was clear evidence of the Assad government attacking its own civilians with chemical weapons, which was used as justification for the U.S. to launch a retaliatory strike. But these two former employees are adamant that the evidence did not point to such a conclusion—evidence that the OPCW intentionally ignored. Of course the mainstream media has covered basically none of this.

Discussed on the show:

"OPCW Tries To Discredit Whistleblowers in Response to Douma Leaks" (Antiwar.com Original)

"The OPCW and Douma: Chemical Weapons Watchdog Accused of Evidence-Tampering by Its Own Inspectors" (Counterpunch)

"Exclusive: New leaks shatter OPCW's attacks on Douma whistleblowers" (The Grayzone)

"How John Bolton Once Threatened an International Official" (The Intercept)

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDo__uHWe7g