https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78Xcp6dv5QE
Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson is increasingly showing his fangs in the waning days of the 2016 electoral cycle.
Last month, Johnson displayed some righteous fury over how much media attention was paid to his “What is Aleppo?” face-plant compared to how little attention has been paid to Hillary Clinton’s hawkish and largely failed foreign policy. More recently, he got feisty with The Guardian‘s Paul Lewis, who pressed him about his tax policy.
And during a two-part debate he took part in with Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein (Part 1 aired last night, Part 2 airs tonight), Johnson described moderator Tavis Smiley’s characterization that he increased New Mexico’s debt by more than double during his eight years as the state’s governor as “horseshit.”
Thanks, but that’s not a government site. Someone defending Johnson could claim that their data is made up. I think it’s probably accurate but it’s not a slam dunk.
Here’s a chart for New Mexico state debt that focuses on 1995 until 2003, which is more relevant to Johnson’s time as Governor, since he would have assumed office in January of 1995, and left office in January of 2003.
http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/spending_chart_1995_2003NMb_13s1li111mcn_H0s
Matt, here is a link to a chart showing New Mexico state government debt that goes from 1996 to 2016. Note that Gary Johnson was elected Governor in 1994, and the chart starts in 1996, but it does indicate that state government debt in New Mexico grew quite a bit during the time period that Gary Johnson was Governor.
http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/spending_chart_1996_2016NMb_17s6li111mcn_H0t
Laziness. If you happen to have the link handy – something from a government source that Johnson can’t just claim is a false number someone invented – please post it. If not, I said “anyone” and not “Tom Knapp.” And if no one cares enough to post that link, yes, I could look it up myself, if I feel like it.
Matt,
This is something that’s been gone over for months — I published the facts on New Mexico spending and debt under Johnson weeks before the nomination; National Review hit them after the nomination; and so on. If you want the information sourced yet a thousandth time, why not go looking for sources yourself?
Anyone have a handy government source to check?
Matt,
“It sounds to me like Johnson was disputing the fact that this was what happened at all here.”
Yes, it does kind of sound like that, doesn’t it?
“When federal spending and debt more than double under Barack Obama, it’s the White House’s fault.
When state spending and debt more than double under Gary Johnson, it’s the legislature’s fault.”
It sounds to me like Johnson was disputing the fact that this was what happened at all here.
Tom, you also voted to put William Weld a heart beat away from the presidency, which is like saying that you’d want Mitt Romney to be in that position, since Weld is similar to Romney and the two are buddies.
“I take it you voted for him for non-fiscal conservative reasons, then?”
Yep.
tk: The closest thing to a fiscal conservative in this race among the top four candidates is Hillary Clinton. Which is pretty fucking scary.
me: I take it you voted for him for non-fiscal conservative reasons, then?
When federal spending and debt more than double under Barack Obama, it’s the White House’s fault.
When state spending and debt more than double under Gary Johnson, it’s the legislature’s fault.
In point of fact, the major elements of New Mexico’s increased debt were Gary Johnson’s pet highway and prison projects.
The closest thing to a fiscal conservative in this race among the top four candidates is Hillary Clinton. Which is pretty fucking scary.
I’ll try to watch it tonight.
Haven’t had time to watch the debate it. If anyone has, what did you think?
Ah, so there actually was a PBS debate with Jill Stein and Johnson, not just two separate town halls. I’m still leaning Stein, but now I’ll need to watch the debate before I can say whether I have definitely decided not to vote for Johnson. I know a few other people on the fence also so I’ll share the link with them and see what they think as well.