Gary Johnson Makes It Official

[KLB]

Who was the last president that actually lowered the national debt? We didn't get to $15,000,000,000,000 over night...

Kennedy lowered it in 1961. That was the last year it actually went down.

 

[ZombieApocolypse]

After doin some Wiki on Perot i can see how he stole so many votes from the repubs....

"On February 20, 1992, he appeared on CNN's Larry King Live and announced his intention to run as an independent if his supporters could get his name on the ballot in all fifty states. With such declared policies as balancing the federal budget, a firm pro-choice stance on abortion, expansion of the war on drugs, ending outsourcing of jobs, support for gun control, belief in protectionism on trade, advocating the Environmental Protection Agency and enacting electronic direct democracy via "electronic town halls," he became a potential candidate and soon polled roughly even with the two major party candidates.[18]"

 

[ArmedProgrammer]

Yeah its a crying shame that George NewWorldOrder Bush got replaced by Bill NewWorldOrder Clinton. Imagine how different America could've been today if it weren't for those selfish spoilers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a9Syi12RJo

Consider the makeup of the Supreme Court, and you will see where the damage was done...

Look - I agree with many of the Libertarian principles. And yeah, GHW Bush can fairly be accused of being a NWO sort of guy. But if you look at the makeup of the Court, you see the lasting damage of Clinton.

It is for this same reason that IF Romney is the R nominee, that protest voting will harm the country. greatly. I'm not a Romney fan. And I intend to cast my vote in the Primary to get the Constitution as far into the game as possible. Once that's done - and WHOMEVER the candidate turns out to be, I'm 100% behind them. The damage that could be inflicted in an Obama 2nd term is too horrific to merit going there....

 

[ZombieApocolypse]

The damage that could be inflicted in an Obama 2nd term is too horrific to merit going there....

So you dont think its possible for this damage to be done by Romney?

 

[IndyBeerman]

So you dont think its possible for this damage to be done by Romney?

Could there be damage by Romney, yes it's possible, but....

I think Obama has a agenda for his second term that would be everlasting.

Gun and Ammo control by proxy through the EPA, DHS or any other alphabet agency that he can by pass the normal congressional/senate votes. Finishing the complete breakdown and rebuilt it his way with socialistic controls.

He wants to skewer us all on a red hot poker but not until we're all numbed so he can insert it then attach a 220 line to it and light us all up.

 

[Cerberus]

Could there be damage by Romney, yes it's possible, but....

I think Obama has a agenda for his second term that would be everlasting.

Gun and Ammo control by proxy through the EPA, DHS or any other alphabet agency that he can by pass the normal congressional/senate votes. Finishing the complete breakdown and rebuilt it his way with socialistic controls.

He wants to skewer us all on a red hot poker but not until we're all numbed so he can insert it then attach a 220 line to it and light us all up.

Both parties are doing that to us now, how would it be any better with both houses and the executive branch being 1 teeny weeny baby step to the right of exteme left in complete control? This ship is taking on water too fast, and everyone is screeming to not return it back to port.

I don't have much in life, but I will be able to go to my grave knowing I stuck to my principals and never sold out.

 

[RyanV]

I like Gary better as a VP for Paul. I really like them both, Johnson maybe more so than Paul but I see Paul as the more electable candidate.

 

[Lex Concord]

A point of order that is being conveniently ignored: Republican =/= conservative. And self-labeling doesn't make it true.

Words have meanings. It would seem that the L/libertarians are just like their leftist friends in mastering the tactic of co-opting language for manipulating opinion.

Actually, it would appear not so much.

Using the handy search feature in my browser, I've only found one instance where the word "conservative" was (and this implicitly) equated with the "R" word.

While the word hasn't been defined for the purpose of this discussion, it has, generally been used in a manner consistent with what I believe you understand it to mean.

While it is true that words have meanings, many words have multiple meanings, depending on context.

The words "conservative" and "liberal" are so widely used with so many different meanings that, in my opinion, it would behoove speakers and writers to set out a definition of terms...this almost never happens, however, because many such speakers/writers rarely find it in the interest of their argument or its appeal to have such a fence around their use of the term; it necessarily narrows the segment of the audience that will side with them.

 

[Garb]

A point of order that is being conveniently ignored: Republican =/= conservative. And self-labeling doesn't make it true.

Words have meanings. It would seem that the L/libertarians are just like their leftist friends in mastering the tactic of co-opting language for manipulating opinion.

This is true. Which is why I don't understand why conservatives continue to vote for Republicans... There are a few of the Republican nominees (besides Paul and Johnson even) that someone could have made a case for them doing better than Obama... Romney and Newt aren't those nominees. Their track records speak for themselves. So I find myself wondering, why are all these conservatives voting for progressive Republicans? Do they really believe these guys would even attempt to slow the car down before they drive us off this cliff?

 

[KG1]

Both parties are doing that to us now, how would it be any better with both houses and the executive branch being 1 teeny weeny baby step to the right of exteme left in complete control? This ship is taking on water too fast, and everyone is screeming to not return it back to port.

I don't have much in life, but I will be able to go to my grave knowing I stuck to my principals and never sold out.

You mean not selling out as in Ron Paul not selling out the LP by running GOP? If he's such a principled Libertarian and his roots are with the LP then why did'nt he stick with them and keep running as their candidate?

I'll tell you why it's because even he realized that for better or worse it's a two party system and he recognized that you have to be able to participate in that system. If he felt the GOP was no better than the Democrats then why does'nt he ever run as a Democrat? Seems to me like even he is participating in the lesser of two evils between the GOP and the Democrats by not running as a Libertarian.

From what I understand of the LP party they started out under liberal principles. Would'nt Ron Paul be considered to be more of an Libertarian leaning Republican? Is he not then compromising the liberal root's of the LP and because of that does he not alienate some of the bleeding heart libertarians?

Alot of potential voters on both sides have a hard time with being able to fully support him. On the one hand conservatives and some independents have a problem with his blame America/ naive views on foreign policy and the perception that he panders to the conspiracy theory kooks and the white nationalist/ militia elements. Then you have the liberals that don't care for him on social issues and his positions like eliminating entitlements and calling for the abolishment of their beloved institutions such as the Dept. of Ed.

 

[rambone]

GOP has no chance without libertarians

Alienating the liberty-oriented crowd will not be a recipe for a Republican victory. As I see it, Republicans' ONLY chance of defeating Obama is to nominate Ron Paul. Putting up another socialist fraud, will fracture and scatter their own base.

Does Johnson defection doom the GOP?

Scenario 1 – Mitt Romney wins the GOP nomination
The preordained outcome of the Republican primary is supposed to find Mitt Romney as the GOP Presidential nominee. Even if any other candidate out-votes the former Massachusetts Governor, there are enough mysterious ‘super delegates’ waiting to counter the voters’ delegates and insure Mr. Romney is the nominee. If and when that happens, something will occur that hasn’t happened in American politics in generations – A credible third-party candidate with a proven fundraising machine and a nationwide army of battle-hardened and experienced precinct workers will be on the ballot in November.
Unlike past credible independent runs for the White House like Ross Perot’s failed bid or John Anderson’s before him, Gary Johnson will have something that all Presidential candidates this cycle wish they had – Ron Paul’s campaign machine.
Since the news media likes to black-out both men’s campaigns, most election watchers aren’t aware that Ron Paul’s supporters and Gary Johnson’s supporters are one and the same. With Johnson running as a Libertarian in November instead of against Ron Paul and the rest of the GOP field in the primary, it creates a one-two punch for independents, libertarians and independent Republicans. If Ron Paul’s campaign for the Republican nomination fails, his entire election apparatus will walk directly to the Gary Johnson campaign and the Libertarian party for a second chance. You can bet on it. For those who don't remember, Ron Paul ran for President on the Libertarian Party ticket in 1988. With one-third of the Republican base jumping to the Libertarian Party’s Gary Johnson, the Republican Mitt Romney doesn’t stand a chance against President Obama in November.


Scenario 2 – Ron Paul wins the GOP nomination
This scenario, as explained by Whiteout Press today, creates an unimaginable realignment of the entire American political landscape. As anyone who’s been following the election coverage can attest, the establishment Wall Street wing of the GOP hates Ron Paul. A populist defender of average Americans and an advocate for the elimination of the Federal Reserve, a Ron Paul Presidency would jeopardize the cozy and profitable business relationship the Wall Street banks and multinational corporations have with our Federal government.
If Ron Paul wins the GOP nomination for President, expect a grand and orchestrated exodus from the Republican Party broadcast on all networks during primetime, every day for a month. The media and Fortune 500 will attempt to punish the Republican voter base for daring to nominate a candidate that isn’t approved of by the elite establishment. Where would the rich and powerful Republicans go? With a field full of populists and libertarians, their only choice would be to side with the man that has protected their interests for the previous four years – President Obama.
With the Democrat’s Obama enjoying the Republicans’ big money and corporate backing, the Republican nominee, Ron Paul, would also see an influx of new support. A Ron Paul nomination would bring in more new and young voters than the Obama campaign four years before. It would also bring in every independent and third party voter under the Republican Party banner, at least for this one, incredibly important, final battle. Think of it as an alliance between the populist Occupy Wall Street movement and the populist Tea Party movement. And it doesn’t end there.
There is no way that the Libertarian Gary Johnson would campaign against a Republican Ron Paul for the White House. More likely, knowing that a Republican-Libertarian coalition would be necessary to overcome the alliance of Republican and Democratic millionaires, some kind of arrangement might be negotiated where the two men campaign together as a President and Vice Presidential ticket. As crazy as that scenario sounds, the idea of a first-term, Chicago Machine-linked, black man becoming the next President was just as crazy at this exact stage of the Presidential election four years ago.
The fact is, 42 percent of American voters identify themselves as independents. And as the Independent Voters Association repeatedly points out for us, out of 435 Congressmen in the US House of Representatives, there are ZERO independents. Between the unfair ballot access laws, the media’s blatant bias against independents and third parties, a Congressional approval rating of 12 percent, and the treatment candidates like Ron Paul and Gary Johnson have been subjected to this election cycle - the political damn may be about to burst. And when it does, the tidal wave will flood directly into the Ron Paul and Gary Johnson campaigns.

 

[KG1]

Alienating the liberty-oriented crowd will not be a recipe for a Republican victory. As I see it, Republicans' ONLY chance of defeating Obama is to nominate Ron Paul. Putting up another socialist fraud, will fracture and scatter their own base.

Seems like they're predicating alot of this on the assumption that Independents won't go back to voting for another Republican to try and defeat Obama or any of the Democrats won't return to voting Democrat and they'll all just flock to the 3rd party candidate if Ron Paul doesn't get the nomination.

I don't think very highly of Gary Johnson's defection and I would feel the same way if Ron Paul decided to run 3rd party if he did'nt get the nomination.

Johnson is doing it for spite because he felt he was being ignored so now he want's to be the one to play the spoiler role and teach the GOP a lesson if Ron Paul comes up short.

It's just to bad the Democrat party does'nt go through this kind of process and the kicker is they seem to be the ones that profit the most from it without actually having to pay any price.

 

[Cerberus]

You mean not selling out as in Ron Paul not selling out the LP by running GOP? If he's such a principled Libertarian and his roots are with the LP then why did'nt he stick with them and keep running as their candidate?

I'll tell you why it's because even he realized that for better or worse it's a two party system and he recognized that you have to be able to participate in that system. If he felt the GOP was no better than the Democrats then why does'nt he ever run as a Democrat? Seems to me like even he is participating in the lesser of two evils between the GOP and the Democrats by not running as a Libertarian.

I'll address the above with this little known tidbit. The Libertarians have for many years advocated usurping one or more of the major parties. Consider this, many of us GenXers are not very happy with the war on drugs, never ending wars of aggression, the contiuous eroding of our remaining liberties in the name of ill advised wars, the never ending intitlements. Ron Paul is merely the vanguard.

From what I understand of the LP party they started out under liberal principles.

Classic liberalism ie, Jeffersonian-yes, Neo Liberalism ie statist-no

Would'nt Ron Paul be considered to be more of an Libertarian leaning Republican? Is he not then compromising the liberal root's of the LP and because of that does he not alienate some of the bleeding heart libertarians?

News flash!!!!! The majority of Libertarians lean more to Pauls line of thinking. He was nominated to run on their ticket in '88, and he hasn't changed his beliefs yet. Should tell you something.

.

 

[IndyBeerman]

News flash!!!!! The majority of Libertarians lean more to Pauls line of thinking. He was nominated to run on their ticket in '88, and he hasn't changed his beliefs yet. Should tell you something.

News FLASH!!!

There's not enough Libertarians to vote a 3rd party president even with a fair amount people dropping party affiliation.

Until people realize this, 3rd party candidates in a presidential election do nothing but hand the election to the dems. Something neither Republicans or Libertarians want.

When are people going to wake up and have a V-8 moment.

We're going to have to vote the best one we have to defeat Obama and work towards viable candidates, but this is something that will not happen overnight, people will need to be deprogrammed.

Even the casual observer here should be able to see this, if not, they're blinded by they're own brilliance

We can keep this up till the cows come home with this, while we need a fiscal president in office, it all falls to 535 people.

Get the right 535 people in office, and even a liberal president can't veto the right changes because they can override it, otherwise we end up with crap like we have right now that Harry Reid is handing us from the Senate.

I think I just had a Guinness moment, BRILLIANT!!

 

[ZombieApocolypse]

News FLASH!!!

There's not enough Libertarians to vote a 3rd party president even with a fair amount people dropping party affiliation.

Until people realize this, 3rd party candidates in a presidential election do nothing but hand the election to the dems. Something neither Republicans or Libertarians want.

Assuming of course that the majority of the 3rd party voters would have in fact voted Repub and not dem.

As stated earlier, Ross Perot seemed to have more dem issues he was running under than republican issues. i find it hard to believe righties would have voted for him at all with a few of his stances, and think he took more votes from Dems than he did from Repubs

 

[Jake46184]

Damn....there goes all 16 people who were supporting him.

 

[mrjarrell]

Johnson is encouraging Paul's supporters to vote for Paul in the primary and, if Paul fails to gain the nomination (as is likely) to vote for him in the general. Looks like a decent enough strategy and it gives the Paul supporters a good candidate to vote for in the general election, if they don't want to waste their vote on a big government progressive.

Gary Johnson Encourages Supporters To Vote for Ron Paul in GOP Primary | Independent Political Report

 

[KG1]

Johnson is encouraging Paul's supporters to vote for Paul in the primary and, if Paul fails to gain the nomination (as is likely) to vote for him in the general. Looks like a decent enough strategy and it gives the Paul supporters a good candidate to vote for in the general election, if they don't want to waste their vote on a big government progressive.

Gary Johnson Encourages Supporters To Vote for Ron Paul in GOP Primary | Independent Political Report

What good would voting for an obvious third place finish do? Is it to give people the outlet to vote just for the sake of voting so that it would make them feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Sort of like a consolation prize for comming in third place?

 

[ZombieApocolypse]

What good would voting for an obvious third place finish do? Is it to give people the outlet to vote just for the sake of voting so that it would make them feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Sort of like a consolation prize for comming in third place?

Thats like me saying, "What good is it to vote D or R, you'll get the same thing." You couldnt pay me enough to vote for Mitt or Obama. You want to vote for someone thats pro gun control, obamacare etc etc. Go right ahead but my name will not be tied into that again

 

[CulpeperMM]

Mitt Romney on gun control -- 2002

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk1bJOpYUqE