Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root
File:Wayneallynroot.gif
Born	(1961-07-20) July 20, 1961 Mt. Vernon, New York
Occupation(s)	TV celebrity, producer, author, CEO, politician
Spouse	Debra
Children	Dakota, Hudson, Remington Reagan, Contessa
Website	Root for America

Wayne Allyn Root (born July 20, 1961 in Mount Vernon, New York) is a business mogul, television celebrity, TV producer, best-selling author, professional sports handicapper, and was a prospective Libertarian Party presidential candidate based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Career

Root is Founder and Chairman of Winning Edge International Inc. Since 2000, he has hosted Wayne Allyn Root's Winning Edge, a television show which promotes Root's sports handicapping operation. The show aired during the 2007 season on Discovery Channel on Saturday mornings, and featured analysis by Root, former NFL and College Football coach Ron Meyer, Big Al McMordie, and Chet Coppock. It has been aired in the past on Fox Sports Net, Comcast Sports, Spike TV, and Superstation WGN.

Root was also the creator, executive producer and co-host (along with HBO's Max Kellerman) of King of Vegas on Spike TV, which was won by Alan Borman. King of Vegas attracted over one million viewers in one episode. His TV production company "Cool Hand Root" is based in Las Vegas.

Root was awarded a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars on August 15, 2006.

Root's TV handicapping career began in New York City 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 '90s on Financial News Network (FNN) now known as CNBC. Root hosted five shows on FNN, including Who Beat the Spread and FNN Zone with Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder (of CBS NFL Today fame). Root has also appeared on hundreds of TV and radio talk shows.

Root is also the author of several books, including The Zen of Gambling , The Joy of Failure!, "The King of Vegas' Guide to Gambling", and Millionaire Republican, a #1 personal finance bestseller at Amazon.com.

Root has been profiled or featured by CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Equities, Millionaire, The Robb Report, and The New York Times.

Politics

Although a longtime staunch Republican who had been a big contributor to Republican candidates throughout the country, Root was often described as a libertarian Republican. He is currently writing a book on his libertarian views, with the working title The Conscience of a Libertarian.

2008 presidential campaign

On May 4, 2007, Root declared his candidacy for the Libertarian Party's 2008 presidential nomination.

On February 5, 2008, he won the Missouri Libertarian primary. He came in second in Arizona and third in California, despite the fact that he did not campaign in any of these states.

Political positions

Root supports smaller government, reduced spending, reduced entitlements, reduced bureaucracy, dramatically lower taxes and more freedom for the individual. 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 believes that the 2 major parties both bribe the electorate to achieve power- thereby spending America and our children and grandchildren into bankruptcy. He is a fiscal conservative in the mode of his heroes Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater. He is socially tolerant, believing that most social issues should be determined on the state and local level.

Root's blue collar roots include a conservative political foundation. He is the son of David Root, a butcher from Brownsville, Brooklyn, who dabbled in third party politics as one of the original founders of the New York State Conservative Party. Root believes he can transfer his political roots to a national scale in his run for President of the United States. "I'm certainly not the usual Presidential candidate as a small businessman and son of a butcher. I'm not a member of the 'lucky sperm club' or the skull and crossbones society. I will govern with common sense, not fancy college degrees. I have no interest in running government, or growing government. My only goal is cutting government. I will lead America back to prosperity by restoring fiscal discipline, personal responsibility, rugged individualism, and individual rights and freedoms. Just as our Founding Fathers intended."

Education and personal life

Root graduated Valedictorian from his high school, then attended Columbia University as a Political Science major (graduating in 1983 in the same class as Barack Obama). Root has been married to a former Miss Oklahoma, Debra Root, for over 16 years. The couple have four children: Dakota, Hudson, Remington, and Contessa.

Books

• Betting to Win on Sports (with Wilbur Cross). Bantam. ISBN 978-0553347890. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

• The Joy of Failure!: How to Turn Failure, Rejection, and Pain into Extraordinary Success. Summit Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1565302068. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

• The Zen of Gambling: The Ultimate Guide to Risking It All and Winning at Life (with Paul Pease). Tarcher. ISBN 978-1585424023. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

• The King of Vegas' Guide to Gambling: How to Win Big at Poker, Casino Gambling & Life!The Zen of Gambling updated. Tarcher. ISBN 978-1585425297. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

• Millionaire Republican. Tarcher. ISBN 978-1585425129. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links

• Root for America! Presidential Campaign website
• Official website
• Interview on Wikinews
• Interview on RawVegas.tv
• YouTube page
• Candidate profile at Project Vote Smart
• Presidential campaign FEC disclosure report
• Interview with the Progressive Student Voice