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June 13, 2026
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Jill Pyeatt is a small-business owner and jewelry designer from Southern California. She currently serves on the Judicial Committee of the Libertarian Party of CA. She can be found on Facebook and Twitter.
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I agree with all of the specific criticisms of the video. But, you know, in total, it is a positive and effective presentation. Because it introduces Gary Johnson in a positive way to people who don’t follow this stuff in minute detail like we regular commenters do. It conveys who Gary Johnson is as a real person and how different he is from Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. I think it will resonate with many people who are seeking an alternative candidate they can feel good about supporting. I like it and will be eager to share it with relatives, friends and acquaintances. And I note that it seems to be popular as it has received over 103,000 views on Facebook in a very short time.
“only a week or so earlier reached out to the supporters of Bernie Sanders — an insurgency galvanized by the country’s growing income equality and steadfastly opposed to the kinds of harsh austerity measures advocated by Gary Johnson in 2012 — and then turns around and makes a direct appeal to the right-wing social conservatives who fueled the creepy Ted Cruz candidacy.”
Makes sense to me. Some libertarian-leaning progressives are stronger in their convictions and find the issues to be more important on social and foreign policy issues where they tend to agree with libertarians. Those may consider the LP in the fall. Some libertarian-leaning conservatives know and care more about economic issues, where they may lean libertarian, than about social or foreign policy issues. They might also consider voting LP. Some people are fairly consistent libertarians, but vote D or R because they don’t believe the LP has a chance; if the LP polls better, a few of them will vote that way.
On the other hand, some progressives are most heavily focused on issues where they disagree with libertarians, such as economic issues and gun rights. Some conservatives are most heavily focused on social and foreign policy issues where they tend to disagree with the LP. Some people are pretty much anti-libertarian across the board. These people will not vote for the LP no matter what it does.
What’s so good about good government?
It’s good, not great. Would be miles better without the piped-in applause.
The debate is included in most, if not all, of the ticket packages. The a la carte debate ticket is there to offset the cost of AV in that room for the debate.
The delegates have had more opportunities to see the candidates debate this cycle than any other in Libertarian Party history. If they don’t want to shell out $20 to see the last debate before the vote, that’s their option. They may still vote for the nominee and do so without being required to pay any fee.
Excellent
“The Libertarian Party can certainly do better.” – Darcy G. Richardson
Let’s hope so! At this late date I don’t know who would step up but this is too great an opportunity to louse up.
tk: Johnson’s flagging campaign. At the moment, his best bet seems to be hoping that lots of delegates don’t pop an extra $20 to attend the presidential debate in Orlando. Speaking of which, as the extra $20 fee for delegates to actually see the candidates they’re voting on some kind of idiotic convention committee revenue-raising idea, or was it created as a “save Gary Johnson from his own weakness in debate” tax?
me: This has an agitprop feel to it.
Any interest in a wager that GJ secures the nomination?
An extra $20? I assume this does not apply to those who bought the “gold” package and were told it gets you into everything? I won’t pay extra to go to a debate.
Pretty nicely done. Not in the frenetic Millennial cell-phone sales style of the McAfee-Weiss videos; tracks better with old fogies like me.
I’m somewhat unsure what the appeal of constantly pounding the athletic/mountain-climbing angle is. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but it doesn’t seem like the kind of thing one would expect to basically carry every ad, every interview, every question answer, etc. But I could be wrong on that. Maybe there’s a large jock demographic whose interests/obsessions my brain just doesn’t scan.
I’m not sure if the ad release, the “commitment” of money the campaign doesn’t have to ballot access, etc. can really save Johnson’s flagging campaign. At the moment, his best bet seems to be hoping that lots of delegates don’t pop an extra $20 to attend the presidential debate in Orlando. Speaking of which, as the extra $20 fee for delegates to actually see the candidates they’re voting on some kind of idiotic convention committee revenue-raising idea, or was it created as a “save Gary Johnson from his own weakness in debate” tax?
dgr: …why would the Libertarian Party even want them?
me: I’d think you always want someone’s vote, yes? You don’t want David Duke’s endorsement, you’ll take his (anonymous) vote.
This seems like it should get its own story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/06/us/mary-matalin-republican-strategist-and-pundit-changes-political-parties.html?_r=0
Steve,
Few, if any, of Bernie’s supporters will rally to Johnson’s “catch-as-catch-can” candidacy once they’re made aware of his record as governor of New Mexico, not to mention the kinds of severe austerity measures that he’s been advocating for the past four or five years.
Most Sanders supporters who can’t bring themselves to vote for Hillary in November will likely support the Green Party’s Jill Stein, who is poised to make an unexpectedly strong showing in November. For the record, she’s already outpacing Johnson in terms of fundraising.
As for Cruz’s cultural conservative backers, the vast majority of whom will probably end up voting for Trump, why would the Libertarian Party even want them?
Good government is easy.
There is another choice.
Live free.
Those don’t track for me.
I really love, btw, Make America SANE Again. I’d like to see this vid re-cut.
Outline might be:
– Few are pleased with Trump v Clinton.
– Isn’t there another choice? Yes.
– Establish who GJ is
– Called Sanest Pol in America (NOT most dangerous)
– What he’d do.
– Let’s tell the corrupt R/D cronies enough is enough
– Make America Sane Again the tagline. Live Free was 2012, lose it.
Perhaps I’m too harsh, but I’d hate to see an opportunity lost. This ad feels phoned in and hastily put together.
This had its moments, but it also had its “Huh?” moments.
Too many visual nonsequiturs. All the athletic stuff is great, except the audio doesn’t confirm that GJ is a mountain climber. It says “I know how to put one foot in front of the other.” Then we see a scary person with a mask on. GJ? Dunno.
His running style near the end looks awkward as well…he’s not holding his head up.
The audio says he’s labeled the most dangerous politician in America, but there’s no bridge. He’s dangerous? Because he then says government is too big? We don’t know. It sounds like the producer is splicing existing audio somewhat carelessly.
And I dunno the “my money” passage seems like extremely greedy, almost childish. Why not YOUR money? If one is running for office, make it about the voter, not the pol.
I could not make out what the video was around 1:50. Who are these people and what are they protesting?
Wasting your vote and burning…what are those pieces of paper?
Love the balloons and skydivers, but what are they telling us?
Darcy,
We Libertarians are anti foreign imperialism and anti drug war which funny enough aligns with Bernie Sanders and We Libertarians are pro private sector economic growth which we believe happens best when government regulation happens least which the Cruz forces agree with.
Which of these do you disagree with?
Not a bad online ad, but it’s difficult to imagine how one can “Make America Sane Again” by electing a candidate who only a week or so earlier reached out to the supporters of Bernie Sanders — an insurgency galvanized by the country’s growing income equality and steadfastly opposed to the kinds of harsh austerity measures advocated by Gary Johnson in 2012 — and then turns around and makes a direct appeal to the right-wing social conservatives who fueled the creepy Ted Cruz candidacy.
Talk about insanity.
Gary Johnson. A candidate desperately in search of a constituency.
The Libertarian Party can certainly do better.
This is a good. Nice play on Donald Trump’s. “Make America great again” slogan.