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"FacebookPinterest\n\nI never really thought about this day, even though it was, from the very beginning, inevitable: the indefatigable, irrepressible Buddy Roemer has ended his quixotic quest for the White House. It wasn't that Buddy was so outside of the mainstream as to be unelectable\u2014his views were mostly those of a mainstream, moderate Republican, but with a fierce populist streak that would appeal to young and independent voters\u2014as that he tied his own hands from the beginning, refusing to accept anything more than $100 per person in individual contributions. Buddy always tilted at windmills with such energy and enthusiasm, and, after Newt left, he really was the last fun guy in this race. So we'll miss him. In an exit interview, he talks the future of campaign finance reform, his favorite moment from the campaign, and who was on his vice presidential short list.\n\nThis interview has been edited for length, and clarity, and because Buddy sometimes finishes answers the way Jean Ralphio from Parks and Recreations finishes raps\u2014by going on just a bit longer than necessary\n\nMarin Cogan: So, it's over. How are you feeling about the campaign you ran?\n\nBuddy Roemer: I'm doing fine. I'm really pleased with our seventeen month run. It was so ignored by mainstream media for so long. We appeared in none of the 23 national televised debates. We paid all of our bills, we had more individual contributors than any other campaign, more than 100,000. We got 7 percent in the last poll [by Democracy Corps, as the Americans Elect candidate in a face off with Obama and Romney]. We were building a movement\u2014but the key to our campaign was ballot access that's why we went after the GOP nomination because the two parties do have 50 state ballot accesses. And that's what Americans Elect gave us a chance to do when we were shut out of Republican primary. Americans Elect was a real opportunity to achieve that. When that disappeared two weeks ago we had to rethink our strategy because I never ran as protest candidate. I'm enough of a politician at heart, hell I wanted to win!\n\nMarin Cogan: What are you going to do now?\n\nBuddy Roemer: I'll go back to Louisiana and do what I really like to do, building businesses. I enjoy creating jobs, it's fun! It's what I'm good at. But I will spend a good portion of my time on the road across America talking about reform, building an organization. We're not sure how to do this yet, but we will highlight corruption and its effect on policy, we will suggest solutions, we will build coalitions, we will advocate those who run for office and stand for reform. We will help them with information and publicity. It's not going to be easy. I'm glad we ran. I'm sorry we didn't win the election. But maybe we can win the issue. That's what we're going to try to do.\n\nMarin Cogan: Anything you wish you would have done differently?\n\nBuddy Roemer: Yes, some tactical things. I like the fact that we ran like we would serve. I have won a lot of campaigns in my life for Congress, for Governor, and at times after I won I felt that I had to change my strategy to serve, and I didn't like that feeling ... I would change a few tactics if I could run this race over again but I wouldn't change the strategy. I believe these principles, it's who I am. Free to lead is still the right way to run the nation, and the nation is at risk.\n\nI don't care who president is, Democrat or Republican, they're just the same, they're bought by the special interests. We won't be the nation we can be until a president is free to build this nation without owing the party or a company or a street or a special interest. He has to owe it to the people. Some would call it populism, I don't. I call it being a Republican. And it's my belief that the only way to reenergize this Republican party is to make it accountable to the people, with a president free to lead.\n\nMarin Cogan: You realize the paradox, though, right? The thing that cost you your campaign is the thing you say made the campaign.\n\nBuddy Roemer: Absolutely. I thought about it a long time. I decided on December 20th 2010 to do it this way. And I didn't know if it would last three months. I walked the fields and sat on the planes and drove the cars for my business and I thought about it. Really I had two thoughts. One was to run traditionally but build a case for reform. I'm a fairly articulate campaigner. I like campaigning, I'm good in debate, and to keep my reform priority\u2014hidden isn't right term, but to run traditional campaign and then if I were to become the nominee, turn to debate the president and center the argument on reform.\n\nThe trouble with that strategy is that it's hypocritical. If you run one way and serve another, you're dishonest in one of those two steps. Let's hide reform and talk about changing tax policy, budget policy, bank policy, health care policy. Well that's not what the campaign is about in my mind. But my first thought was to run that way, and try to out-policy them. Show what we did on tax reform, on budget reform, on job creation in Louisiana. Just be traditional. But at my heart I knew if I were elected that way I couldn't get anything done, because the special interests own the system ... The second alternative was more important to me. Run like you'll serve, talk like you're at the White House, list your priorities now, warn the special interests here I am, and there's a place for you in America as a lobbyist, but you can't bring a check\u2014bring an idea, bring a better way, but you can't buy this system, by God this system is owned by Americans, it's a republic. And so I decided to take the second. I knew the danger was relevance, and credibility. I've been out of politics for 18 years, and I lost my last race. By the way, I lost my first race and my last race, and I won all of them in between.\n\nMarin Cogan: Any idea who you'll vote for in November?\n\nBuddy Roemer: I don't know, I'm not excited about any of these guys. Nobody's addressed the issue yet. I'm looking at anybody still in the race\u2014Gary Johnson I know him and like him. The Reform party might have somebody. If you run, Marin, I'll be with you. It's time for a woman. I have 3 sisters and they're my strongest campaigners they called last night from Texas and Louisiana and said, 'Buddy, it's time to get behind a woman now. That's your next mission.' I'm willing!\n\nMarin Cogan: I'm not going to run because I'm not crazy enough. What about Veeps? Who was on your short list?\n\nBuddy Roemer: There are four or five, most of whom I did not talk to, but Bill Bradley of New Jersey would be high on my list if he were willing. I like Dylan Ratigan, a different kind of approach. I like Rachel Maddow, again a different kind of approach. I liked one other...tell me who the guy was Marin that was on the Americans Elect advisory board, the former comptroller general...\n\nMarin Cogan: David Walker?\n\nBuddy Roemer: Yes I like him, David Walker. The only two I spoke with in passing was Dylan Ratigan and Walker.\n\nMarin Cogan: What'd they say?\n\nBuddy Roemer: Well I didn't ask either one of them, will you be my vice president? We talked about the issue of reform, and they didn't know what the call was about and their answers were just really strong and really good and I told them both in separate conversations that I was in the process of winnowing my vice presidential list to a manageable level and might end up with him on the list and wanted to know what their reaction would be. In both cases I think they were pleased but noncommittal. I didn't call you because I didn't have your number and I didn't know if you'd want to fool with an old man like me.\n\nMarin Cogan: What were your favorite moments from the campaign?\n\nBuddy Roemer: The day I enjoyed more than any other was the time I gave a speech about smart trade in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington DC. That was a great day, the diplomats were peering out the windows and we had a big crowd of press there, and I spoke for 40 minutes about what I would do to get our jobs back from China, and how I would honor smart trade, but not free trade, because it took two countries that were free and China was anything but free.\n\nI also liked being the first candidate to go to Occupy Wall Street. That was a great day too, to listen to and walk among those who smelled what I smelled\u2014corruption\u2014and corruption has its own odor. It's the odor of being last in line, it's the odor of not counting at all, it's the odor of injustice. It's the odor of favoritism, cronyism and Occupy smelled it.\n\nI came close to getting the endorsement of the tea party organizations in New Hampshire and I worked very closely with them, and when I'd go to Occupy Wall Street I would lose them, and then I would get them back because I'd say 'Hey, they're us.' I enjoyed working with them, they were free spirited and passionate, the whole tea party phenomenon, which is not understood anywhere in America. But I understand it. I'm a tea partier and I'm an occupier. They smell corruption too.\n\nMarin Cogan: Any chance you'll run again?\n\nBuddy Roemer: Oh lord Marin, don't even bring that up. You're out of time woman! I don't think so, I'm 68. It's funny, as you gain wisdom and the ability to serve you just run out of patience and time. But I'm healthy, I'm active, so let's see how the next few years go. I'm not designing to run for anything again. I'm to have a system where my kids and grandkids can run. You won't get rid of me long Marin. I tell you that, woman.\n\nRead more on Death Race 2012:\n\n[Buddy Roemer for President: Pro-Life, Anti-Big Money, Pro-Awesome\n\n](http://www.gq.com/news-politics/blogs/death-race/2012/01/buddy-roemer-for-president.html#ixzz1wUIQCjHf)\n\n[Checking in With Our Favorite Presidential Candidates Who Won't Be Elected President\n\n](http://www.gq.com/news-politics/blogs/death-race/2012/05/checking-in-with-our-favorite-presidential-candidates-who-wont-be-elected-president.html#ixzz1wUIad7Z1)\n\n[You Know What's A Pretty Good Way of Vetting Candidates? Elections.\n\n](http://www.gq.com/news-politics/blogs/death-race#ixzz1wUIi5Q8P)\n\nClusterf*ck To The White House, Or That Time I Almost Saw Obama and George W. Bush Together\n\nFollow Marin Cogan on Twitter for more updates from the campaign trail."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.gq.com/story/buddy-roemers-exit-interview-maddow-ratigan-for-vp>