Wikinews interviews Augustus Sol Invictus, Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. Senate
Monday, May 16, 2016
Image: Bryan Rapoza.
Augustus Sol Invictus, an Orlando, Florida attorney currently seeking the Libertarian Party's nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by former Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, took part in a short interview with Wikinews reporter William S. Saturn to discuss his background, political views, and unorthodox campaign for the Senate.
Invictus, whose name was changed from his birth name to the Latin for "majestic unconquered sun", has received media coverage for previously expressing fascistic views and participating in pagan rituals. While in law school, he penned an article advocating a eugenics program, and in 2013, he wrote a "departure memo" renouncing his U.S. citizenship and law license while announcing plans to go into the wilderness until a civil war. He returned after making a pilgrimage from Orlando to the Mojave Desert, where he fasted for a week. Upon his return to Florida, he sacrificed a goat and drank its blood. Former Libertarian Party of Florida chairman Adrian Wyllie resigned his chairmanship in protest of Invictus's candidacy.
Though initially uncontested for the nomination, Invictus has recently received a challenge from information technology specialist Paul Stanton. Political operative Roger Stone opened an exploratory committee to consider running for the nomination but has not shown further interest. The primary election is to be held August 30. To qualify for the ballot, a candidate must either pay a US$10,000 fee or collect 100,000 signatures.
Interview
Background
((William S. Saturn
)) Why did you change your name to Augustus Sol Invictus?
- Augustus Sol Invictus: I was given my name in a religious initiation when I was twenty-one. I usually analogize it to Roman Catholics taking a new name at Confirmation. No one ever changes their name legally after such an initiation, as it is usually reserved for religious pursuits. But I changed my name legally to my religious name so that my mundane and religious lives would be one.
((WSS )) What is your history with electoral politics? Which political candidates have you previously supported or endorsed?
- Invictus: I have no such history, and I have never made an endorsement. I consider myself an outsider. Truth be told, I consider myself a revolutionary more than a politician.
((WSS )) How do you feel about Republican front-runner Donald Trump and his campaign for president?
- Invictus: Donald Trump is a cultural icon, and for that I love him. As for his presidential campaign, I am forced to remain neutral, as I cannot endorse anyone for President without it being thought that I have adopted their platform as my own.
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Image: Gage Skidmore.
((WSS )) What are your thoughts on the job Marco Rubio has done as Senator and what would you have done differently than him?
- Invictus: I think Rubio has done just as good a job as any Senator — and that is exactly the problem. Rubio is a horse-trader, a slimy smiler, the quintessential politician. He believes in nothing, save what his advisers tell him to believe in. I would have stuck to my positions and acted as a Senator, rather than simply setting myself up for a run for the presidency.
Political views
((WSS )) Do you see political correctness as a problem in today's society? If so, what can you do as a Senator to address it?
- Invictus: I see political correctness as a huge problem in today's society. But whether fortunately or unfortunately, there is nothing a Senator can do to address it. I am a firm believer in the separation of powers, and the Senate has a very limited set of responsibilities. Moreover, this PC phenomenon we are witnessing is a cultural problem that must be addressed at a cultural level, not a legal one. That is up to the American people themselves, not the legislature.
((WSS )) Whereas the House of Representatives is the house of the people, the Senate was originally meant to be the house of the States. What are your views on the 10th Amendment and how will you reflect the interests of Florida through your votes?
- Invictus: I am a big believer in States rights, and my modus operandi as Senator will be to repeal as many laws as possible that hinder the ability of the States to govern their own affairs.
((WSS )) What specifically will you do as a Senate candidate and Senator to promote libertarianism?
- Invictus: Simply leading by example is enough to promote libertarianism. I do not believe in shoving political ideology down people's throat anymore than I believe in doing so with religion. Being a Pagan, I do not feel the need to evangelize and convert Christians; neither do I, as a Libertarian, feel the need to evangelize and convert Republicans and Democrats. The proof of a thing is in its fruits. Repealing laws, correcting the balance between the Federal Government and the States, reinforcing the separation of powers, destroying the Federal Reserve: these acts will in themselves promote our political philosophy.
((WSS )) For you, what would constitute a successful term as Senator?
- Invictus: The System is so corrupted that the destruction of even one Department, Bureau, or Administration could be considered a great success.
Campaign
Image: Public domain.
((WSS )) Why do you call your campaign recordings “Fireside Chats,” invoking the name of the recordings [U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt] used to convince Americans to support the New Deal and [Second World] War effort?
- Invictus: Roosevelt used the Fireside Chats to keep the public informed of his actions, and that is what I am doing, as well. It is a proactive way to address criticisms of the campaign and to update everyone about upcoming events, platform issues, and resource problems. I don't have to agree with FDR's ideology to admit that his Fireside Chats were [a] brilliant idea.
((WSS )) Are you going to be able to qualify for the ballot?
- Invictus: I will qualify for the ballot by paying the filing fee, which is roughly $10,000.
((WSS )) What are your thoughts on potential Libertarian Senate candidate Roger Stone?
- Invictus: I don't think Roger Stone is actually a potential candidate. He was being recruited by a certain faction of the Libertarian Party of Florida, and he flirted with the idea in order to publicize his new book; but I don't think he ever actually intended to run. That being said, I like Roger Stone. I respect him as a political operative, and I regret that he will not run, because he would have been a worthy opponent.
((WSS )) What are your thoughts on your new primary opponent Paul Stanton?
- Invictus: Well, there isn't much I can say to that question, as it is difficult to have thoughts on the matter when he refuses to debate me or even to speak to me. I have called him out publicly, made an issue of the fact he refuses to respond, given him my personal cell phone number — and he refuses to reply in any manner or medium whatsoever. Maybe he has a strategy behind his inaction, but from an outsider's perspective it looks like cowardice.
Related news
Sources
- "Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Florida" — Ballotpedia, May 15, 2016 (accessed)
- Jeremy Siple. "Paul Stanton Announces Campaign for Florida U.S. Senate Seat" — Independent Political Report, May 12, 2016
- Kathryn Rubino. "Goat-Sacrificing Lawyer Making Headlines Again" — Above the Law (blog), October 6, 2015
- Brian Doherty. "The Goat-Sacrificing Prospective Libertarian Party Candidate Talks Sorcery, Eugenics, and the Coming Cataclysm" — Reason (magazine), October 5, 2015
- "Senate candidate in Florida admits drinking goat blood" — BBC News Online, October 5, 2015
- Brendan Farrington (AP). "Florida candidate for U.S. Senate admits to sacrificing goat, drinking its blood" — Orlando Sentinel, October 5, 2015
- Elie Mystal. "The Kind Of Unhinged Departure Memo That Would Have Been WAY Funnier Before The Marathon Attack" — Above the Law (blog), April 22, 2013
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