Hornberge Interview

Jacob Hornberger talked with DEMOCRACY IN ACTION on July 3, 1998 after delivering a passionate speech, "Open Minds on Open Borders," at the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, DC.

You're thinking about running for president. What bridges will you have to cross before you actually make a decision?

What would be the cornerstone of your campaign?

Where does the name "Bumper" come from?

Describe how you became a libertarian.

You're thinking about running for president. What bridges will you have to cross before you actually make a decision?

I want to see how many states the Libertarian Party has major party status and is in the presidential primaries because I'd like to run a very active campaign in those states, in the presidential primaries, where the wasted vote syndrome is not so pronounced as it is in the general. And so I want to see the political landscape, how it forms over the next year and see how many states we qualify.
So you'd be making a decision roughly when?
October, November--fall of 1999.

What would be the cornerstone of your campaign?

The restoration of American liberty--ending the socialistic welfare state, ending the war on drugs, dismantling the socialistic educational system and having a free market in education. What we're going to do is raise people's vision to the great ideals that have motivated people throughout history--freedom of trade, freedom of education, freedom of religion. And we're going to ask them to boycott the Democrat and Republican primaries and join us in a political rebellion for the Libertarian Party.

Where does the name "Bumper" come from?

Oh, you've heard. I got it when I was a baby, and my parents both died without telling the real story, and all the theories are bad. The most common one is I was bumping into everything as a kid.

Describe how you became a libertarian.

As a kid I was actively involved in Democratic party politics. I worked very hard for John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. I went to the Johnson ranch, where I met Lyndon Johnson. I went to the White House for Lady Bird's beautification campaign. And when I got back after law school, I was active in Democratic party politics; I helped with campaigns there in the Democratic party. But then I was rummaging through my local public library looking for something political to read and I found some four-volume work on libertarianism that had been published by a foundation in New York called the Foundation for Economic Education, and that just turned my life. I was bowled over; it was a road to Damascus experience. And so I dropped my affiliation with the ACLU, I got of the legal aid board of trustees and I devoted myself to learning about basic libertarianism.
When did that happen?
That was about 1977-78.

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