July 17, 1996: Libertarian presidential candidate Harry Browne
The Art Bell Archive · Arthur William Bell III
July 3, 20232h 55m
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Show Notes
Libertarian presidential nominee Harry Browne joins Art Bell just hours after the catastrophic explosion of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island, an event that shadows the entire broadcast. Browne presents his platform of radically smaller government, proposing the complete elimination of the federal income tax, the dismantling of the IRS, and a six-year program to auction off trillions of dollars in government assets to pay down the national debt and privatize Social Security.
Art presses Browne on the hardest libertarian positions, from legalizing all drugs to abolishing the FDA, the FCC, and federal gun control laws. Browne argues that every government program produces the opposite of its intended effect, pointing to the war on drugs as the primary driver of violent crime in American cities. He advocates bringing all troops home from foreign deployments and building a missile defense system rather than maintaining a global military presence. On social issues, he opposes federal involvement in marriage, rejects the Defense of Marriage Act, and calls the assault weapons ban unconstitutional.
The conversation captures a pivotal political moment, with Browne arguing that widespread disgust with both major parties has created an unprecedented opening for libertarian ideas. His refusal of federal matching funds on principle underscores a candidacy built on ideological consistency over political calculation.
Art presses Browne on the hardest libertarian positions, from legalizing all drugs to abolishing the FDA, the FCC, and federal gun control laws. Browne argues that every government program produces the opposite of its intended effect, pointing to the war on drugs as the primary driver of violent crime in American cities. He advocates bringing all troops home from foreign deployments and building a missile defense system rather than maintaining a global military presence. On social issues, he opposes federal involvement in marriage, rejects the Defense of Marriage Act, and calls the assault weapons ban unconstitutional.
The conversation captures a pivotal political moment, with Browne arguing that widespread disgust with both major parties has created an unprecedented opening for libertarian ideas. His refusal of federal matching funds on principle underscores a candidacy built on ideological consistency over political calculation.