Gary Johnson is, according to this article, expected to be named the Libertarian Party Presidential nominee for 2012. However, there is an interview at the end of the article in which Johnson answers some interesting questions.
Q: Are you now a Libertarian for life, or could you go back to being a Republican?
A: I am a Libertarian. That isn’t going to change. If I get 5 percent of the vote in the general election, that would mean $90 million in federal campaign funds for the party in 2016.
Q: What is the message you want to send to voters?
A: The majority of Americans are fiscally conservative and socially tolerant. I don’t think either major party represents those views, but Libertarians do.
Q: How so?
A: It’s no secret that we’re spending too much. Look at who has the better record for fiscal conservatism, me or Mitt Romney? Me or Barack Obama?
Then look at Obama on social issues and civil-rights issues.
Q: Can you cite some examples of where you differ from the president on civil rights?
A: Marriage equality (for gays). I’m for it. I want to repeal the Patriot Act. I would get us out of Afghanistan as soon I took office. Same day. Drug reform is another example.
Q: Are you prepared now to call for legalization of all drugs, in addition to marijuana?
A: No. When we legalize marijuana and people realize the world doesn’t end, we start talking as a nation about drugs as a health issue instead of one of criminality. We’re at a tipping point on that now.
This is just an excerpt, there are more questions and answers in the rest of the article.
Yep, that too.
On the other hand, stop subsidizing petroleum with military adventures overseas.
I think other forms of energy will have real market incentive to be developed then.
Also–remove gas taxes. At least lower them.
Make hemp legal, including for fuel, and watch prices plummet.
Mr.Berson, it is a very well known “secret” that there is more oil under the AK northern slope than is under Saudia Arabia. Pastor Lyndsay Williams wrote a book about it years ago. In the world of Super-Rich elite politics the common man has little influence and even less say, they just pay the freight ! Gas should be UNDER $1 a gallon if LIES would cease and the value of our money wasn’t being destroyed more each day by the R and D whores running the show !!!
SEVEN {7} Reasons Why Mitt Romney’s Electability Is A Myth – http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2011/12/27/7_reasons_why_mitt_romneys_electability_is_a_myth/page/full/
We cannot sustain the world emPire – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urrKRRKDPBI&feature=youtu.be
Anti Marijuana Lawmaker BUSTED For Pot!- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iWpB2pJl90&feature=related
How To Freeway Blog (or how to reach 100,000 people for less than $1): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgX5tbRhJLA&NR=1
CATO, Mises, etc. can not come up with a plan to keep gasoline prices under $2 a gallon unless they wanted to completely betray their free market principles.
If Von Mises, Cato or some other L group came up with a surefire plan to get gas under $2 a gal and keep it there, Johnson/Gray could latch on to that and I would bet anyone they break 5% if not get up into possible WINNING figures of 34 to 40% in a 4 to 6 way race.
Gary Johnson Rocks the Tax Day Tea Party! (4-15-10): http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=yI3dkUfD6Fg
Gary Johnson 2012: The People’s President – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54PLUhpL8Y4&feature=related
Gary “IRONMAN” Johnson 2012: The Athlete’s Guide to Good Government – http://www.youtube.com/user/govgaryjohnson?feature=BF#p/u/15/FmDLD4h7Ydg
Going slightly off-topic – anyone with the slightest clue about actual outlook for global petroleum extraction rates knows there is no reason whatsoever for the gasoline prices to go down in overall trends if the economy does anything but go more stagnant or into recession – and if attempts at controlling it via political means is made then it will mean spot shortages will happen. Imho political solutions for gasoline pricing should be strictly avoided.
It’s the ECONOMY and $100 gas fillups STUPID ! (present company excluded)
LIVE FREE JOHNSON/GRAY 2012 !
You must agree I hope – beats the hell out of a “I strongly support beastiality / WAR ticket. BE THANKFUL for small favors friends !!!!!!!!!
13 ab, mostly agree. However, crises are probably NOT good for GJ’s prospects. When people are very afraid, they play it safe.
I’ll be honest. I just have a good feeling about Johnson. Sure he isn’t a perfect candidate. And he definitely is under performing right now. But I believe there are many Paul supporters (the ones who aren’t super pro-life) who will get on board with Johnson after Paul is no longer in the race. And like Paulie mentioned I think that he will stay a Libertarian for life and will help grow the party, he definitely does get support from left-leaning individuals. As for 5%? Probably not, but he could surprise us if Ron Paul supporters get involved and the economy begins to tank or we go to war with Iran or another country.
It’s not impossible, but I’d say the odds are against it.
I can IMAGINE that AE could make the election a jump ball. That is, perhaps counter-intuitively, the entry of a 3rd “real” candidate opens up possibilities for a 4th. This would require very skillful image-making and messaging, and some things breaking right. But AE is potentially a blessing.
I hope GJ2012 has a REALLY good Internet marketer on staff. Leverage the Paulistas. Target L-leaners in lopsided states. Do awesome TV, replete with crisp one-liners. Viral-worthy campaign ads. Execute just that, and who knows…..
We’ll see if he suffers from burnout. Just because he is pushing the pipe dream line on expectations to pump up supporters does not necessarily mean he is naive enough to believe it himself. Maybe he is, maybe he’s not. I’m at least somewhat optimistic that he may have the realism for the long haul.
I suspect you are right about Americans Elect.
He would suffer burnout like the rest in my opinion. His expectations are raised because of this early polling, but the polling means nothing now. Polling in October is important, but I would suspect the media will disperse those stories of Nader and Perot around that time to get people to vote hard one way or the other.
I don’t see “vote you conscious” or Vote from the Heart this time around. The anti-establishment movements are beginning but I don’t feel they can finish the race.
I suspect Americans Elect will exceed our vote total and then some.
5% is a pipe dream. If the multimillionaire VP thing had been true then maybe. As far as I know though, Judge Gray’s wealth is not such that he can just spend millions of dollars on a quixotic political run and his fame is not such that he can bring in that kind of donor base.
At this point I highly doubt that Johnson will beat Ed Clark’s numbers, and would be more than a little surprised to see anything close to 5%, not that it would actually get us $90m.
It doesn’t offend me. He’s not saying he’s against ending prohibition, he’s saying the time is not right for that yet and we need to focus on what we may be able to achieve in the relatively near term.
Kind of like “boiling the frog” in reverse.
@2 Also, since the D and R are not taking the pre or post nomination matching funds, the campaign funding repeal may pass, perhaps quite soon. Or perhaps not as we are considering the opposite of PROgress, namely CONgress, here.
3 sw: there is one thing missing in his business plan for the LP.
me: Odds are high he doesn’t have one. He’s too Zen for such things!
I do think this answer is an A+” “No. When we legalize marijuana and people realize the world doesn’t end, we start talking as a nation about drugs as a health issue instead of one of criminality. We’re at a tipping point on that now.”
I’m curious if it offends some Ls, and why…
FWIW I actually do think he will stick with the LP, unlike previous crossovers Paul and Barr. His strong emphasis on social/civil liberties issues is just too far outside the Republican mainstream. The abortion issue alone marks him as a pariah in today’s NSGOP.
He is experienced in two state wide governor races in a state where he was the underdog. When you ask him how long he will remain a Libertarian, do you think he would say “Just for the moment, I needed to pay off some debt and get myself some national exposure for a …”
His ability to run a campaign is the advantage others have failed at.
If the economy improves, his differential on social issues won’t mean anything. He will get the 1 percent if lucky. Will he remain in the LP if he is treated like other LP presidential candidates?
Out of his entire resume, there is one thing missing in his business plan for the LP.
No one knows how Johnson handles loss?
If he gets 5% he gets about 1/10 of that.
Then the percentages increase, 90 MM is only when you get the same number of votes as the Ds and Rs.
He doesn’t say what he will do if he gets 0.5%, which would be the more pointed question.
Could someone explain to me where he gets the $90MM figure? Not up on this matching funds stuff.