Chuck Muth’s “Silver State Confidential” Newsletter, in it’s most recent issue, says:
“The odds-on favorite to land the Libertarian Party’s vice-presidential nomination – should former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson win the presidential nomination – is Las Vegan Wayne Allyn Root, who was the LP’s veep candidate in 2008.”
He continues: “However, there is also talk of former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford – of “hiking the Appalachian Trail” fame – possibly joining the ticket. Now THAT would make things REALLY interesting.”
The LP national convention will be held in Las Vegas on May 4-6.
“This person should become the runaway favorite.”
It’s Forrest Gump!
Here is a rack card with space for candidate/affiliate info:
@62 I am referring to the pseudocandidate in @49 “but won’t announce until a month or two before the national convention”.
Johnson’s announced a pretty long while ahead of the convention. I think there’s vetting time enough.
@53 LibertyForAmerica.com has handout literature on some issues. It includes .pub files so that you can put in your own state material and local issues.
@49 Here he comes, Barr II. Another totally unvetted candidate.
I agree… Johnson with Kubby for vice would be fabulous!
@57,
jcj FTW.
@46
It’s Usher and Anthony Kiedis- not Anthony Weiner. Easy to confuse, but Kiedis is the one who wears a sock on his.
‘Nuff said!
@ 49 can you at least tell us why you think this mystery candidate would be popular?
Is it because of his or her…
1. Celebrity status among ordinary Americans, and/or…
2. Respect among Libertarians, and/or…
3. Deep pocket$.
re Dan @ 49 does that mean that the web site will up dated and some decent literature produced between now and then so that the people on the ticket are not embarrassed when those of us on the street start handing literature out?
I missed that clue.
is it Casey Anthony?
“This person should become the runaway favorite.”
Carl Lewis? He can run!
I heard it’s Dondero
I am aware of a major, enormously impressive individual who intends to become a candidate for the LP’s Vice-Presidential nomination, but won’t announce until a month or two before the national convention. This person should become the runaway favorite. Sorry that this is the only tease I can give you at this time — just be patient, it’ll be worth the wait.
Baaaaaaad idea
Only because the bylaws don’t allow it. As Aaron Starr pointed out on the other thread:
ARTICLE 14.2: No candidate may be nominated for President or Vice-President who is ineligible under the United States Constitution, who has not expressed a willingness to accept the nomination of the Party, who served as a stand-in candidate during the current election cycle, or who is not a member of the Party. A stand-in is an individual who has agreed to be placed on a state affiliate’s nomination petition prior to the selection of nominees by the Libertarian Party at Convention.
I suspected it might be. Thanks to Mr. Starr for confirming my suspicion was correct.
#34, where do you get such outlandish rumors?
I heard the LP is cultivating Chaz Bono and Chelsea Clinton for the ticket. If not them, then
Kim Kardashian and Pippi Middleton. The all male ticket is Usher and Anthony Wiener.
Johnson-Person 2012!!!!!
@41,
A draft is initiation of coercion.
This is a load of crap. No one is coercing anyone.
It’s an insult to the people actually working to get the nomination.
Between the bestiality freaks and Israel-firsters, a lot of them deserve some insulting.
It may have problems in terms of ballot access and/or bylaws…that needs to be explored more fully as well.
I think this is all covered in the bylaws. As for ballot rules, they might mean Paul can’t be removed after x date in some states… that would probably help the LP vote total anyway.
Harry Browne managed to do both; no reason why Johnson can’t as well.
paulie, I remember he’s my friend on Google Plus, which I haven’t checked into lately, and he had a picture of us right on his wall! I left a comment, anyway.
I agree that I’d like him to do outside media. He needs to work for the nomination, like everyone else.
To hell with that.
A draft is initiation of coercion.
It’s an insult to the people actually working to get the nomination.
And, if it fails, it cuts down the time the eventual ticket has to campaign.
It may have problems in terms of ballot access and/or bylaws…that needs to be explored more fully as well.
The convention should draft Paul / Ventura in absentia. If after Labor Day, Paul still refuses; the ExComm can change the ticket to Ventura/Johnson. (Or worst case scenario, change it to Johnson/Root.)
Jill,
He may be reading already.
Either way, I think he has better things to do.
For one thing, I’d like to see LP prez candidate(s) do outside media on a regular basis…before the nomination.
Methinks Mr. Johnson needs to be invited to read our third-party blog. I’ll see if I can find an email address for him and send him a link.
Since this is from a right-wing newsletter in Nevada, I’m not inclined to give it much credence. Chuck Muth could just be trying to help out a buddy from in state. He doesn’t seem to realize that the LP Presidential nominee doesn’t get to name his own running mate.
Gary Johnson probably has enough sense to test the waters before aligning his star too closely with WAR’s.
If the convention does nominate Johnson, it could mean one of two things: Either the right wing of the party controls the convention (again) and WAR would indeed be a good bet, or it will try to balance the ticket and nominate somebody more radical for VP.
Well I’m sure that Gary Johnson is going to get the nomination. Personally, I want to see someone with executive experience to work with him. Who knows? With Paul getting 3rd in Iowa and if people pounce on him enough, maybe Paul will do a 3rd Party run.
The LP should get together and push for a Paul/Johnson 2012 ticket ASAP and try to get him to covert if Paul is serious about spreading a libertarian message.
Though, he may not want to hurt his son Rand Paul if he wants to run in 2016. I personally think if you can’t get a Paul/Johnson ticket then you go with a Johnson/Ventura ticket.
You just tell Jesse Ventura to clean-up like he did to become Minnesota Governor and work actively to get the endorsement of Ron Paul since the Constitution Party looks like their going into a different direction.
Johnson/Ventura ’12 with a Ron Paul endorsement would get the exposure they need and could get a million votes. I think a Paul/Johnson ’12 ticket could actually get over a couple million votes and a lot more exposure on television.
Just no Wayne Root, the dude is a bad salesman and Barr/Root ’08 should teach us a lot of things. Do Johnson/Ventura ’12 and you’re at least sticking to a lot of Libertarian ideals. This also sets Ventura up nicely if he’s interested in a 2016 run.
I just don’t see Obama losing re-election, the campaign is going to smear the hell out of Romney and the evangelical vote will probably sit this one out or vote 3rd party, maybe even Buddy Roemar gets a nice boost from this. Santorum winning was the last thing Romney needed.
As far as the big money VP scenarios go, couldn’t the money men just form PACs and throw unlimited cash or donate to the LP directly? I don’t think there would be any need to be on the ticket to support it beyond $2500.
Based on all the talk and rumors I’ve observed, it looks like the LP races might shape up as follows:
Pres- G. Johnson, Wrights, Clint Eastwood, Vince Vaughn, Joe Perry from Aerosmith
VP- Root, Cuban, Kubby, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, and Kurt Russell
Personally I’m hoping for a few high profile female candidates. A few insiders have been in touch with Mel Gibson and Russell Crowe, trying to convince them to talk Jodie Foster into running. I would also like to see actress Tichina Arnold and Sheneneh Jenkins make a run at it.
Clint is reaching out to Hillary Swank.
I always knew that a Johnson/Root ticket would be considered. I would like to see that ticket in 2012.
Last I heard the man who owns Lumber Liquidators is or was a Libertarian. Maybe we could nail it down with him as VP.
14 ns: The other absurdity of trying to pick a favorite in the LP VP race …
15 tk: But I don’t think it’s wild-eyed to suspect that some of them might reconsider if it was the veep spot with a former two-term governor in the driver’s seat.
me: Counselor, my throwing out names like Thiel and Mackey is not my “picking” them, certainly not predicting it. Think of it as a thought experiment, just as Paul/Johnson is one, too.
Thanks, TK, I think yer getting my point. Affluent, prominent businesspeople like those two are probably approached with political and charitable schemes all the time. As known Ls, they’ve thus far averred from doing anything substantial with the LP. But, who knows, with GJ, they might think, Hey, now that’s interesting. Wonder if I can do something with that? They might just write a $2500 check, but I like to dream bigger. Maybe they might want to play David Koch, perhaps on a smaller scale. Thiel might even have Koch circa 1980 type money. I see that he’s not native born, though.
Yes.
The two most recent examples
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2011/12/pickens-welcomes-johnson-to-the-lp/
and
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2011/12/jj-myers-if-timothy-mcveigh-succeeded/
Root will always do what’s best for Root.
With that principle in mind, some things he’ll likely consider:
1. Root is wary of offending his conservative customer base, and will not want the LP to siphon off votes from the GOP. This election will be “too important to lose.”
2. Yet Root is loathe to let anyone claim the “Mr. Libertarian” title in the media. Since his claim to attention is “LP leader,” if others are nominated for the LP national ticket, Root risks losing much of the media spotlight for the next four years.
3. Root would look poor in the media if he ran as second banana to Lee Wrights, but not so much if he ran second to Gary Johnson (or Bob Barr).
This being so, Root’s acceptable options are that 1. he be the presidential nominee (in which case he’d urge that only people in states that don’t matter vote for him), or 2. that he be VP to a more famous person (ditto #1.), or 3. that no one be nominated for president.
=================
BTW, does Bruce Cohen ever post anything that isn’t a Root promotion?
Paulie,
Reported on air, then reported as a Hoax on air..
Just sent Moderator an e-mail requesting that those comments be deleted (Here and in Open thread)
Sorry, MSNBC is one of the good ones, they got got.. What can ya do.. Sorry.
Mark Sanford would be treated as a joke as a VP candidate, if anyone even noticed he was running. Whatever his views and credentials, I am stunned that anyone would think he would be a helpful candidate for the ticket.
FORGET 23, MSNBC Just reported it was a Hoax,
They got got, Sorry,..
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/?id=11881780&q=%22gary+johnson%22&search=&p=1&st=1&sm=user
I can’t find that on MSNBC
MAJOR NEWS:
MSNBC: Gary Johnson to Endorse Ron Paul, and WITHDRAW FROM LP Nomination Contest
Naturally, no one else could possibly have imagined running a libertine as a libertarian.
Perhaps it will be some LNC member, one of the people who recruited him and/or Barr.
The suggestion of Sanford as a possible GJ VP is not exactly new news. When did you first mention it to any of these five “suspects”?
There are five people.
The suspects are:
Mr Green in the living room with a candlestick
Dr Yellow in the kitchen with a rope
Mr Blue in the den with a toothpick
The Hon. J.P. Orange in the bathroom with a tea kettle
Mr Purple in the hall with an old newspaper
The names have been changed from the original game of Clue to protect the innocent.
So you think that it was Mr Blue?
SF @ 17: Gee, it couldn’t possibly have been Mr. Root himself, could it?
@16 – Kubby could (possibly) be the “favorite son” of the MO BTP ticket.
Very interesting…I could blow the lid on who made up this story and fed it to Mr Muth, but I’ll save that for later.
I find it interesting that my “off the cuff” suggestion of Mark Sanford, who was bashed endlessly in the press and by republicans for being “too libertarian” (vetoed 155 republican spending bills, 151 vetoes overturned) would somehow end up being “also talk”. I don’t talk to Mr Muth, and I don’t email him either.
As far as I am aware, no one has contacted Mark Sanford. My comment about him ended with “unfortunately, he says he’s done with politics”, which, considering that he’s in South America a lot these days is probably true.
The interesting thing is this: which one of the FIVE people I made that comment to fed this to Muth? It would be a good guess to say that it is the same one who told him that Root is the “odds-on” favorite.
As someone who knows Mark personally, I would love to see him in our party. I doubt that he would join us, but it was interesting to see where my “off the cuff” remark ended up.
So is the person who fed this to Muth going to confess, or should I tell? (let’s let the suspense build on this one)
@3,
Any ticket with Kubby on it would be almost enough to get me to vote again. Almost.
Nick@9,
Yes, a lot of those guys have disclaimed interest before, particularly in running for the presidential nomination.
But I don’t think it’s wild-eyed to suspect that some of them might reconsider if it was the veep spot with a former two-term governor in the driver’s seat.
Six months ago, probably. Four months ago, no. Writing hit the wall pretty fast on his GOP bid.
The other absurdity of trying to pick a favorite in the LP VP race is that who’s running is highly dependent on who doesn’t win the Presidential nomination, a fact unknown until an hour or two before voting begins.
Dan @ #8… am I to assume you liked “your former governor” as a Republican but not as a Libertarian? Would you share why that is the case? If his views have not changed but only his party has changed is that the deal breaker for you? I am not trying to question your position but only trying to understand your reasoning. Thanks! BTW, he was my former governor as well!
9 ns, hmm, OK, thanks for the feedback. I’d of said that GJ going for the LP’s nomination was a “pipe dream” 6 months ago. You?
Rand Paul yesterday said y’day that his dad’s going 3rd party was “premature.”
It’s 2012, Counselor, things are in flux. Stranger things can and do happen, in my experience.
Ayn R Key @ 10: …or lack of credibilty, as the case might be.
Johnson doesn’t know LP internal politics very well, and doesn’t know how controversial Root is.
It’s like on some forums I see where progressives are attacking Ron Paul with anything they can find, and they use quotes from Dondero to do so, not knowing Dondero’s credibility.
@ Robert: I’ve seen nothing to suggest that either Thiel or Mackey have the slightest interest in participating in partisan politics. Ditto Jillette, Cuban, Penney, or any of the other pipe dream candidates you’d (or I’d) like to see.
That goes double for Paul, who has positive feelings toward the Party, but is highly unlikely to run under the LP banner due to his son.
Tapping root as his VP would just validate the hard decision I had to make to NOT support my former governor Gary Johnson for President as a LP candidate. It’s like Gary is now surrounding himself with fruit cakes. 🙁
Short of Paul/Johnson, I’m liking Johnson/Thiel or Johnson/Mackey.
Seriously, Root being on the ticket could sink Johnson. GJ will hopefully do some homework, but he wouldn’t decide who his VP is, does he? It’s much too early for such a broad assumption to be made. Mr. Wrights and Mr, Harris, plus a few others, are running serious campaigns. It’s possible one of those gentlemen would be voted in as president or vp.
However, you should DEFINITELY go to the Silver State Confidential newsletter link and look at the free sample.
Mr. Muth is a Republican. The possibility arises that he disapproved of Johnson and that some of the things he says are computed to reduce the likelihood that Johnson will get our nomination.
Sanford? How about Santorum? Gingrich? Trump?
Ugh, please no Root. Better idea would be to double-down on the cannabis issue and go Johnson/Kubby.
hmm, Mark Sanford? Really?
Does anyone know if Root would WANT to be the vice-presidetnial candidate again? I personally don’t see this as a certain result. A possibility, perhaps, but far from certain.