Wayne Allyn Root
Encyclopedia
Wayne Allyn Root is an American politician
, entrepreneur
, television and radio personality, author
and political commentator. He was the 2008 Libertarian Party
vice-presidential
nominee. In June 2009 Richard Winger
wrote he was the front runner for the 2012 Libertarian Presidential nomination. Root began his career as a professional sports handicapper
, based in Las Vegas
, Nevada
.
His political talk radio
show,W.A.R: The Wayne Allyn Root Showis broadcast in New York City
, Los Angeles
and Chicago
. Root is a frequent guest on several nationally syndicated radio shows such as Savage Nation, The Jerry Doyle Show, and Mancow's Morning Madhouse
. He has also made numerous appearances on various programs on the Fox News Channel
. He is a frequent speaker at Tea Party events across the United States.
Root's political columns appear in the Las Vegas Review Journal and at Newsmax.com.
At the 2008 Libertarian National Convention
, Root was eliminated on the fifth ballot in a bid for the presidential nomination, and subsequently became the vice presidential candidate alongside Libertarian nominee Bob Barr
. Root lost a bid to become National Chair of the Libertarian Party at the party's 2010 Convention.
, the son of the late David and Stella Root. His father was a butcher from Bronxville, New York, who dabbled in third party politics
as one of the original founders of the New York State Conservative Party.
Root graduated as Valedictorian
from his high school, Thornton-Donovan School, then graduated from Columbia University
in 1983 as a Political Science
major
(in the same class as President Barack Obama
).
on WNBC
radio (now WFAN
) in the early 1980s. He moved onto NBC
"Source Radio Network" syndicated around the country in over 100 markets
as a sports talk host
. He later became one of the youngest anchormen and national TV hosts in America from 1989 through the early 1990s on Financial News Network
(FNN), now known as CNBC
.
and Chairman of Winning Edge International Inc. In the 2000s, he hosted Wayne Allyn Root's Winning Edge, a television show which promoted Root's sports handicapping operation.
Root was the creator, executive producer
and co-host (along with HBO's Max Kellerman
) of King of Vegas
on Spike TV.
. Norwegian
authorities have suspended WMI's sales, finding it to be an illegal pyramid scheme
. Root is named in the finding. Root has partnered with Kip Herriage of WMI and Gerald Celente
to create the "Crashproof Prosperity Investment Newsletter".
member and supporter who self-identified as a Libertarian Republican
. In 2007, Root ended his association with the Republican Party and joined the Libertarian Party. He authored a book on his libertarian
views, The Conscience of a Libertarian, which was published in 2009.
on Las Vegas' Fox 5 television station.
On February 5, 2008, he placed second in the Missouri
Libertarian presidential primary with 18% of the vote (47% voted for "Uncommitted"). He came in second in Arizona
and third in California
, without campaigning in any of these states.
before being eliminated and endorsing Bob Barr
, who went on to the party's presidential nomination. Root then became the LP vice presidential
nominee, securing the nod in the third round of voting for that nomination.
In September 2008, Root offered to give up his VP slate on the Libertarian ticket to make room for Ron Paul
, as the LP had received feelers that the former Republican presidential candidate may have been interested in getting on a strong third party
ticket, as there remained a strong following behind him. Paul declined the offer, and denied any intention of running on a third-party presidential ticket.
. He was defeated by Mark Hinkle
by a vote of 228-281 in the third round but subsequently succeeded in being elected to the Libertarian National Committee
as an At-Large Member. In July 2011 Root was elected chair of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee.
, dramatically lower taxes, and greater personal freedom for individuals. In the area of education, he supports more parental control, more emphasis on school choice (moving education to the state and local level), and increased competition through vouchers. Root and his wife choose to home-school their children. He is also a strong supporter of gun rights for the individual. Root is a small businessman who believes the 2-party system is built on corruption, greed and bribery. He is a fiscal conservative in the mode of his heroes Ronald Reagan
, and Barry Goldwater
. He believes most social issues should be determined on the state and local level. Root calls for the repeal of the income tax
and favors replacing it, as well as all other sources of federal tax revenues, with a tax on each state in proportion to its population, with each state deciding for itself how to raise its share of the money
, which is mentioned in Article 1
, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution.
This has been called a "State-Rate Tax".
Root holds that "the Iraq war
is a disaster". He states the answer is to "use the success of the surge
to declare victory and make plans to get out of Iraq as soon as reasonably possible". He also questions Central Intelligence Agency
information on Iran, would use "any diplomatic means", including the United Nations
, in order to "avoid another war".
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, television and radio personality, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and political commentator. He was the 2008 Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
vice-presidential
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
nominee. In June 2009 Richard Winger
Richard Winger
Richard Lee Winger is the publisher and editor of Ballot Access News. He sits on the editorial board of the Election Law Journal and has been accepted as an expert on election law in federal courts in nine states, including California...
wrote he was the front runner for the 2012 Libertarian Presidential nomination. Root began his career as a professional sports handicapper
Handicapping
Handicapping, in sport and games, is the practice of assigning advantage through scoring compensation or other advantage given to different contestants to equalize the chances of winning. The word also applies to the various methods by which the advantage is calculated...
, based in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.
His political talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
show,W.A.R: The Wayne Allyn Root Showis broadcast in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Root is a frequent guest on several nationally syndicated radio shows such as Savage Nation, The Jerry Doyle Show, and Mancow's Morning Madhouse
Mancow's Morning Madhouse
Mancow’s Morning Madhouse is an American radio show hosted by Erich “Mancow” Muller. The show is broadcast to a number of markets of mainly FM radio stations throughout the United States....
. He has also made numerous appearances on various programs on the Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
. He is a frequent speaker at Tea Party events across the United States.
Root's political columns appear in the Las Vegas Review Journal and at Newsmax.com.
At the 2008 Libertarian National Convention
2008 Libertarian National Convention
The 2008 Libertarian National Convention was held from May 22 to May 26, 2008 at the Sheraton Hotel in Denver, Colorado...
, Root was eliminated on the fifth ballot in a bid for the presidential nomination, and subsequently became the vice presidential candidate alongside Libertarian nominee Bob Barr
Bob Barr
Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr. is a former federal prosecutorand a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr attained national prominence as one of the leaders of the impeachment of...
. Root lost a bid to become National Chair of the Libertarian Party at the party's 2010 Convention.
Early life and education
Root was born in Mount Vernon, New YorkMount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It lies on the border of the New York City borough of The Bronx.-Overview:...
, the son of the late David and Stella Root. His father was a butcher from Bronxville, New York, who dabbled in third party politics
Third party (United States)
The term third party is used in the United States for any and all political parties in the United States other than one of the two major parties . The term can also refer to independent politicians not affiliated with any party at all and to write-in candidates.The United States has had a...
as one of the original founders of the New York State Conservative Party.
Root graduated as Valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
from his high school, Thornton-Donovan School, then graduated from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1983 as a Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
(in the same class as President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
).
Personal life
He has been married to Debra Root for over 17 years. The couple have four children: Dakota, Hudson, Remington, and Contessa.Sports handicapper
Root's TV handicapping career began in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on WNBC
WNBC
WNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
radio (now WFAN
WFAN
WFAN , also known as "Sports Radio 66" or "The FAN", is a radio station in New York City. The station broadcasts on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio...
) in the early 1980s. He moved onto NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
"Source Radio Network" syndicated around the country in over 100 markets
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
as a sports talk host
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
. He later became one of the youngest anchormen and national TV hosts in America from 1989 through the early 1990s on Financial News Network
Financial News Network
The Financial News Network was a television network that operated throughout the United States during the 1980s.-Founding:Financial News Network was founded in 1981 by two men: Rodney Buchser, who had been general manager of KWHY, Channel 22 in Los Angeles and Glenn Taylor. The concept originated...
(FNN), now known as CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
.
TV producer and personality
Root is FounderEntrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and Chairman of Winning Edge International Inc. In the 2000s, he hosted Wayne Allyn Root's Winning Edge, a television show which promoted Root's sports handicapping operation.
Root was the creator, executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
and co-host (along with HBO's Max Kellerman
Max Kellerman
Max Kellerman is an American boxing commentator and sports talk radio host based in Los Angeles. He currently appears as a color commentator on HBO World Championship Boxing and HBO Boxing After Dark and as of January 3, 2011, is hosting a midday talk show on 710 ESPN radio in Los Angeles.Prior...
) of King of Vegas
King of Vegas
King of Vegas was a gambling series that first aired on Spike TV in the United States on January 17, 2006. It was hosted by boxing commentator Max Kellerman and co-hosted by handicapper Wayne Allyn Root, who gave color commentary and his odds-on favorites for each game...
on Spike TV.
Author
Root is the author of several books, including The Zen of Gambling,The Joy of Failure!, The King of Vegas' Guide to Gambling, Millionaire Republican, and The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution with God, Guns, Gambling & Tax Cuts.Financial adviser
Root is spokesman, board member and Senior Economic Adviser to Wealth Masters International ("WMI"), a global financial services and education company based in Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
authorities have suspended WMI's sales, finding it to be an illegal pyramid scheme
Pyramid scheme
A pyramid scheme is a non-sustainable business model that involves promising participants payment or services, primarily for enrolling other people into the scheme, rather than supplying any real investment or sale of products or services to the public...
. Root is named in the finding. Root has partnered with Kip Herriage of WMI and Gerald Celente
Gerald Celente
Gerald Celente is an American trend forecaster, publisher of the Trends Journal, business consultant and author who makes predictions about the global financial markets and other events of historical importance. Celente has described himself as a "political atheist" and "citizen of the world"...
to create the "Crashproof Prosperity Investment Newsletter".
Politics
Root was a longtime Republican PartyRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member and supporter who self-identified as a Libertarian Republican
Libertarian Republican
A libertarian Republican is a person who subscribes to libertarian philosophy while typically voting for and being involved with the United States Republican Party.Sometimes the terms republitarian or liberty Republican are used as well...
. In 2007, Root ended his association with the Republican Party and joined the Libertarian Party. He authored a book on his libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
views, The Conscience of a Libertarian, which was published in 2009.
2008 presidential campaign
On May 4, 2007, Root declared his candidacy for the Libertarian Party's 2008 presidential nominationUnited States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
on Las Vegas' Fox 5 television station.
On February 5, 2008, he placed second in the Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
Libertarian presidential primary with 18% of the vote (47% voted for "Uncommitted"). He came in second in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and third in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, without campaigning in any of these states.
2008 vice-presidential candidacy
On May 25, 2008, Root made it to the fifth ballot of the LP presidential nomination vote at the 2008 Libertarian National Convention2008 Libertarian National Convention
The 2008 Libertarian National Convention was held from May 22 to May 26, 2008 at the Sheraton Hotel in Denver, Colorado...
before being eliminated and endorsing Bob Barr
Bob Barr
Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr. is a former federal prosecutorand a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr attained national prominence as one of the leaders of the impeachment of...
, who went on to the party's presidential nomination. Root then became the LP vice presidential
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
nominee, securing the nod in the third round of voting for that nomination.
In September 2008, Root offered to give up his VP slate on the Libertarian ticket to make room for Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
, as the LP had received feelers that the former Republican presidential candidate may have been interested in getting on a strong third party
Third party (United States)
The term third party is used in the United States for any and all political parties in the United States other than one of the two major parties . The term can also refer to independent politicians not affiliated with any party at all and to write-in candidates.The United States has had a...
ticket, as there remained a strong following behind him. Paul declined the offer, and denied any intention of running on a third-party presidential ticket.
Libertarian Party National Chair candidacy
In 2010, Root ran for the position of Libertarian Party National Chair. His candidacy was endorsed by his running mate on the 2008 Libertarian presidential ticket, Bob Barr, and by the Party's first presidential nominee, John HospersJohn Hospers
John Hospers was an American philosopher. In 1972 he was the first presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party, and the only minor party candidate to receive an electoral vote in the 1972 U.S. Presidential election....
. He was defeated by Mark Hinkle
Mark Hinkle
Mark Hinkle is an American libertarian activist and businessman. He is the National Chairman of the United States Libertarian Party. He was elected by the delegates of the 2010 Libertarian National Convention in St...
by a vote of 228-281 in the third round but subsequently succeeded in being elected to the Libertarian National Committee
Libertarian National Committee
The Libertarian National Committee controls and manages the affairs, properties, and funds of the United States Libertarian Party. It is composed of the party officers, five at-large representatives elected every two years at the national convention, and a theoretical maximum of ten regional...
as an At-Large Member. In July 2011 Root was elected chair of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee.
Political positions
Root supports smaller government, reduced spending, reduced entitlements, reduced bureaucracyBureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
, dramatically lower taxes, and greater personal freedom for individuals. In the area of education, he supports more parental control, more emphasis on school choice (moving education to the state and local level), and increased competition through vouchers. Root and his wife choose to home-school their children. He is also a strong supporter of gun rights for the individual. Root is a small businessman who believes the 2-party system is built on corruption, greed and bribery. He is a fiscal conservative in the mode of his heroes Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, and Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
. He believes most social issues should be determined on the state and local level. Root calls for the repeal of the income tax
Income tax in the United States
In the United States, a tax is imposed on income by the Federal, most states, and many local governments. The income tax is determined by applying a tax rate, which may increase as income increases, to taxable income as defined. Individuals and corporations are directly taxable, and estates and...
and favors replacing it, as well as all other sources of federal tax revenues, with a tax on each state in proportion to its population, with each state deciding for itself how to raise its share of the money
, which is mentioned in Article 1
Article One of the United States Constitution
Article One of the United States Constitution describes the powers of Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government. The Article establishes the powers of and limitations on the Congress, consisting of a House of Representatives composed of Representatives, with each state gaining or...
, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution.
This has been called a "State-Rate Tax".
Root holds that "the Iraq war
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
is a disaster". He states the answer is to "use the success of the surge
Iraq War troop surge of 2007
In the context of the Iraq War, the surge refers to United States President George W. Bush's 2007 increase in the number of American troops in order to provide security to Baghdad and Al Anbar Province....
to declare victory and make plans to get out of Iraq as soon as reasonably possible". He also questions Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
information on Iran, would use "any diplomatic means", including the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, in order to "avoid another war".
External links
- Root for America! Vice-Presidential Campaign website
- Official website
- Interview on Wikinews
- Interview on RawVegas.tv
- YouTube page
- Candidate profile at Project Vote SmartProject Vote SmartProject Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
- Presidential campaign FEC disclosure report
- Interview with the Progressive Student Voice
- World peace think tank supports Root
- Wealth Masters International Senior Economic Advisor & Executive Committee
- Root interview on the American spirit