April 18, 2026
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Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson appeared on Fox News today (video length: a little under 13 minutes, via American Third Party Report):
Johnson was also interviewed by The Hill today (video length: 36 minutes):
I've been a contributor for IPR since January 2013. I consider myself to be a paleoconservative. I'm also the founder of American Third Party Report. Email me at [email protected].
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TR,
I’d say what GJ is doing is:
– Positioning himself as the little guy’s small government candidate
– Throwing out provocative but not scary ideas to tease people to look more closely at him
– Not tying himself to any one position. He’s saying something like, “Rest assured, I will propose budget cuts and simplifying taxation.”
The thing is: FICA taxes are very simple. It’s a flat tax that’s capped. What if he actually got elected, and the deal he cuts is:
-Exclude the first say $20K for employees
-Remove the cap
-Abolish the income tax, or maybe exclude the first $250K.
We’d have to run the numbers, but something like that might solve a lot of problems in one fell swoop.
My feedback to you is that abolishing FICA is likely to scare a lot of people. Why do that?
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I saw GJ on CNBC this morning, and noticed he was on CNN again.
He’s really coming into his own. I could see how his homespun style could contrast nicely with DJT’s blustering bravado and HRC’s legalistic and corrupt positioning.
This is one fine job. Credit must be given. Certainly A+ for effort.
Good thoughts, Robert.
I wish Gary would bring up his opposition to the payroll tax more often, because I think it’s a seriously winning issue. Ted Cruz wanted to get rid of that tax too, but never really milked it.
The next time someone asks Johnson about raising the minimum wage, he should respond, “I want to raise wages immediately and directly, by abolishing the payroll tax. Take this monstrous, unfair tax on wage earners, and stick a bullet between its eyes, then dump salt in the wound. It’s toast.”
Throw the average Joe some red meat! That’s what Bernie did. We can do the same, with proper positioning.
br: We do need to phase out Social Security, Gary. Although you may want to refer to as it “saving” Social Security by protecting the benefits of those on it now, raising the retirement age to make the program more solvent in the immediate future, we need to change the way we handle retirement security in America, by gradually moving into self-directed accounts that would eventually be voluntarily funded, self-directed, individually managed and allow individuals to pass unused retirement savings to their heirs.
me: “Phase out” will lose a LOT of people, I suspect.
I’d go more for something like:
The hard truth is that this country is in deep fiscal trouble. The Rs and Ds barely talk about it, which is no surprise, since they are both responsible for this mess. When Obama leaves office, the national debt will be a staggering $20 trillion dollars, roughly $__ for every man, woman, and child in America today.
Entitlements like SS, Medicare, and Medicaid are PART of the reason we’re in such dire straits. Young people are especially resentful and skeptical that the government can and will solve this massive problem. It’s simply not right that we’re letting them hold the bag.
If elected, I will push for reforms that get us back on a glide path toward fiscal sanity. But I will always first ask the question: Will this reform protect those on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder? The second question I will ask is: Is this reform pro-growth and pro-freedom? Growing the economy has to be a primary focus, and I believe that the people — vs the government — are far better in creating real, sustainable growth.
I believe we can do both. And I believe that a L, third-party president, with fresh eyes, can shake up the special interests and R and D cronies to get this mission-critical job done.
His campaign needs to monitor what issues Trump and Clinton are running on and develop answers for those issues, not crap about polygamy or private lighthouses. If gay marriage comes out, remind viewers that the LP was way out in front of Obama and Clinton. As another poster pointed out, turn the asinine questions back on the interviewer: ” ask Trump and Clinton that question and I’ll be happy to come back on the show and discuss their answers.”
We really need to get a media campaign off the ground in the 11 states I have listed elsewhere. We need to run the positive message that I breifly mentioned in these blue states and keep the L conversation going. The media will see this serious message and keep Gary Johnson, and hopefully Governor Weld on occasion as well, before the public. Major Netswork Broadcast TV spots in these states is essential to boost Gary beyond 15% to make the debates.
Trump is self destructing. We don’t need to run TV spots right away in the Red states. They will come into play naturally as Trump self-destructs.
Gary Johnson did very well in his fun, casual interview. He’s fairly comfortable and well positioned on personal liberties. In the serious formats, he needs a bit more preparation to stay on the Libertarian message of a free market: eventual replacement of Social Security, a consumption tax but NOT the Fair Tax (it’s an example of one idea, sure), abolish the income tax and the IRS, we need sound money and steady long-term economic growth.
But, Gary needs more prep so he can pivot into the Presidential sounding seriousness in the area of foreign policy while still strongly advocating non-intervention.
With the ads and improved performance, Johnson should rise well above 15% and make the debates.
IF we run the ads, keep up the improving performance of Gary in his public appearances and make the debates … then I can see Trump self-destrucing to the point of pulling less than 19% of the vote in November. But, only if we’ve given the voters the choice they need and deserve.
FYI, to avoid confusing anyone, the comments and quotes above are not those of Gary Johnson, but my comments to Gary.
PBS Newshour 6/6/2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG5QytjZxiE
Not so good on the issues of Social Security and a hypothetical Russian attack on the Baltic Nations (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania).
We do need to phase out Social Security, Gary. Although you may want to refer to as it “saving” Social Security by protecting the benefits of those on it now, raising the retirement age to make the program more solvent in the immediate future, we need to change the way we handle retirement security in America, by gradually moving into self-directed accounts that would eventually be voluntarily funded, self-directed, individually managed and allow individuals to pass unused retirement savings to their heirs.
As far as a Russian attack on the Baltics:
“Libertarians believe in a non-interventionist foreign policy. We do not believe that it is American’s obligation to be policeman of the world. We can’t afford it, it doesn’t work, and it makes enemies for the US around the globe.”
(The part about not drawing lines in the sand, and not making commitments to specific actions you might take as President in answer to hypotheticals, is a good Presidental partial answer.)
“Russia is still a powerful nation despite being stretched thin. It would be very disturbing to the people of the United States, Eurpoe and the countries neighboring the free nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to see Russia attempt to bully, coerce or invade these or any of their free neighbors.”
“It would be unwise, as President Obama has done, to draw lines in the sand and later fail to defend them. It would be unwise to make a commitment to any specific action I might take as President of the United States in such a hypothetical situation. ”
“Being a non-interventionist does not mean that as President I would stand by and do nothing in specific situations when some action is necessary.”
Compared with his pre-convention clips, this IS an A+, IMO.
One of the things that attracted people to DJT is his sense of joy. While the rest of the Rs were grim, DJT seemed to be enjoying himself.
GJ has the joy factor. We have to dig a bit to find it, but this Bee interview showed it to us in spades!
(My apologies to the deontologists among us. Mr. Spock never gets elected.)
br, I could also imagine DJT saying, “Fuck it. I’m out.”
Part of him has to know that he’s made a COMPLETE ass of himself. Maybe he just rides off into the sunset…
Going way out on a limb, but then Rubio would emerge from the smoke-filled room.
This Johnson, uh, can we really call it an interview … This Johnson appearance was just amazing. Outstanding performance. Definitely an “A” and only missing an “A+” because that’s too perfect to contemplate.
I especially enjoyed the ending.
http://theweek.com/speedreads/628460/samantha-bee-insane-interview-libertarian-candidate-gary-johnson
Now, can the Johnson campaign make any campaign ads that good and get them on the air?
T Rex, thanks for the Samantha Bee interview.
It’s actually quite edgy, humanizing, and quite funny! I can’t think of a better interview ever!
Yes, RC, I have this gut feeling that the plan to derail him at the Republican convention is still in the works. I’m not sure if it will succeed, but I don’t expect the convetion to proceed without some effort to stop Trump and replace him.
As Ls, we may not realize it or not, but many of these questions he’s being asked are to expose Ls as wackos.
In this sense, he’s doing a pretty-good-to-good job of not giving wacko answers, and at the same time not alienating the cult challenging Ls too much, who’d want him to say something REALLY outrageous. Let’s be clear that walking this fine line is no easy task.
Asking about polygamy is a theoretical question. It’s not an issue that many care about. It’s a gotcha.
He’s doing a pretty good job of staying on message, but maybe he’s just a bit too willing to entertain this wacko-baiting. Maybe he should push back a bit more when they do this.
Meanwhile, Trump is reminding everyone what a reptile he is. The opportunity — if things line up the way they are — in 2016 for the lessarchist candidate has gone from decent to good.
My only concern here is that the Rs decide to do something really drastic to block DJT’s nomination. My Inner AJ even wonders whether they might try to take him out.
I also noticed that Gary was careful to avoid the repeated use of “at the end of the day” and subsitituted several other expressions in its place.
Well done.
Johnson on the Daily Show
http://theweek.com/speedreads/628460/samantha-bee-insane-interview-libertarian-candidate-gary-johnson
I have to say that I’m proud of Gary Johnson – he has notably improved his performance every time out.
Please don’t endorse the “Fair Tax.” It would be better to refer to the Fair Tax as:
“one example of a consumption tax, that was designed to be revenue neutral. Of course, as a Libertarian, it’s my goal to reduce the size of government so that we wouldn’t spend anywhere near as much as we spend now, allowing for a much lower level of total taxation. There are other forms that a consumption tax can take, so we would work with congress to eliminate taxes on income, eliminate the IRS and replace them with a consumption tax. I believe that this would be much simpler – the vast majority of Americans would no longer have any tax returns to file or tax records to maintain; it would be pro-growth allowing business to expand rationally without expensive tax lawyers and tax accountants running everything; and it would be fairer for the average working American.”
The last 60 seconds…he failed the “libertarian test” they gave him. Horrible answers.
Be Rational For President!!!
Johnson choked on the polygamy question and how the right for polygamists to marry differs from gay marriage, falling back on the State’s decision canaard.
Come on Gary, you need to get focused on your Libertarianism in order to sound like you know what you’re talking about.
Personal choice, you said it.
Try this Gary: ”I think that should be a matter of personal choice,. Marriage should up to the free voluntary choices of free adults in America. However, marriage is generally a state issue, so it may not be up to me as President to deal with this issue. Change will come step by step. Americans have taken a long time to finally come to support the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry. We should continue to move forward as quickly as possible to accept all Americans as they are and to end restrictions on free, voluntary, personal choices that harm no one.”
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IPR: Teach Gary Here.