GARY JOHNSON FOR PRESIDENT

The Juggler

Surprised to not see a thread for the Libertarian candidate...

If you'd prefer not have either a corrupt politician or an ego-maniacal racist bigot become our next president, there is another option. At the bare minimum, I'd love to see him poll at 15% so he can call Trump and Hillary out on their bullshit in the debates.

AMERICA. FUCK YEAH!

jeffbr

Thanks! This is who I'll be voting for. I voted for him last time around as well.

Gern Blansten

I'm glad that he'll suck votes away from Trump.

Personally I like him. He's been on Bill Maher a number of times. I just don't agree with the libertarian platform.

josevolution

Yeah I'm casting my vote for him no doubt ...

jeffbr

Gern Blansten said:

I'm glad that he'll suck votes away from Trump.

Personally I like him. He's been on Bill Maher a number of times. I just don't agree with the libertarian platform.

I think he'll take some of Bernie's supporters as well. So he'll "suck" votes from Trump, from Clinton, from Independents who don't like either major party candidate, and from Libertarians and libertarians. He obviously isn't going to win, but as Juggler said, I hope he gets 15% polling so that both of the major party candidates can have their feet held to the fire. They won't be able to just get away with back and forth soundbites.

PJ_Soul

I actually think that a Bernie supporter who turns to Gary Johnson probably didn't know why they supported Bernie in the first place and vice versa. Bernie is farther away from being a libertarian than anyone else.

jeffbr

PJ_Soul said:

I actually think that a Bernie supporter who turns to Gary Johnson probably didn't know why they supported Bernie in the first place and vice versa. Bernie is farther away from being a libertarian than anyone else.

It depends on what their most important issues are. Non-interventionists will be best served by Johnson. Anti-corporate welfare types will be best served by Johnson. And many Sanders supporters feel so disenfranchised by the Dems and Hillary, that they won't be lending support to her campaign.

http://reason.com/blog/2016/06/22/sanders-voters-for-gary-johnson

Degeneratefk

I voted for him in the last election. I wasn't necessarily voting for him, but for a third party. I'm not even a huge fan of a lot of what libertarians preach, but part of the problem with politics is only having 2 parties. And they're essentially the same.

InHiding80

I like Johnson and I'm a Green Party Bernie supporter. He's not a neo type like Rand Paul. If no write in or Stein is on the vote sheet, he'll have my vote. Anti Monsanto, pro marijuana and against overspending on wars. Can't complain there.

He may be in a Koch party but Id rather have a Koch than the two big assclowns.

Jason P

His voice is too sing-songy to be POTUS but I agree with him more then the other two option ... a LOT more.

Go Beavers

I just read he's CEO of Cannabis Sativa Inc., so there's a bump.

PJPOWER

Yes! Libertarian is the way to go!!!

rgambs

PJPOWER said:

Yes! Libertarian is the way to go!!!

Yeah!
Taxation is theft lol

The dumbest political quote ever to gain traction.

PJPOWER

rgambs said:

PJPOWER said:

Yes! Libertarian is the way to go!!!

Yeah!
Taxation is theft lol

The dumbest political quote ever to gain traction.

Taxation without representation is most definitely theft! Our taxes (not all, but a large portion) go towards some of the dumbest shit these days. The government overall is pretty terrible at handling finances and in serious need of an overhaul.

rgambs

PJPOWER said:

rgambs said:

PJPOWER said:

Yes! Libertarian is the way to go!!!

Yeah!
Taxation is theft lol

The dumbest political quote ever to gain traction.

Taxation without representation is most definitely theft! Our taxes (not all, but a large portion) go towards some of the dumbest shit these days. The government overall is pretty terrible at handling finances and in serious need of an overhaul.

What's hilarious about libertarians is the notion that private enterprise operating in the free market is better at handling finances! The history of free market capitalism in the US is a story of periodic collapse and epic failures that make the government look pretty good.
There will always be mistakes, foolishness, and waste, but that's why we have the opportunity to elect officials from the bottom up. Unfortunately, we don't, we elect from the top down.

Gern Blansten

PJ_Soul said:

I actually think that a Bernie supporter who turns to Gary Johnson probably didn't know why they supported Bernie in the first place and vice versa. Bernie is farther away from being a libertarian than anyone else.

agreed....there is so much chatter over Bernie supporters going to Trump, to Johnson, etc.

A true Bernie supporter will either vote Clinton or write in Bernie.

hedonist

Hi, The Juggler.

I need to do some research on Gary Johnson...just so sick of politics these days.

It's like when you were forced to eat your vegetables as a kid.

InHiding80

Gern Blansten said:

PJ_Soul said:

I actually think that a Bernie supporter who turns to Gary Johnson probably didn't know why they supported Bernie in the first place and vice versa. Bernie is farther away from being a libertarian than anyone else.

agreed....there is so much chatter over Bernie supporters going to Trump, to Johnson, etc.

A true Bernie supporter will either vote Jill Stein or write in Bernie.

Fixed.

my2hands

Gern Blansten said:

PJ_Soul said:

I actually think that a Bernie supporter who turns to Gary Johnson probably didn't know why they supported Bernie in the first place and vice versa. Bernie is farther away from being a libertarian than anyone else.

agreed....there is so much chatter over Bernie supporters going to Trump, to Johnson, etc.

A true Bernie supporter will either vote Clinton or write in Bernie.

Not so fast...

The Juggler

hedonist said:

Hi, The Juggler.

I need to do some research on Gary Johnson...just so sick of politics these days.

It's like when you were forced to eat your vegetables as a kid.

Hi

Gern Blansten

InHiding80 said:

Gern Blansten said:

PJ_Soul said:

I actually think that a Bernie supporter who turns to Gary Johnson probably didn't know why they supported Bernie in the first place and vice versa. Bernie is farther away from being a libertarian than anyone else.

agreed....there is so much chatter over Bernie supporters going to Trump, to Johnson, etc.

A true Bernie supporter will either vote Jill Stein or write in Bernie.

Fixed.

Bernie is voting for Hillary.

PJ_Soul

Gern Blansten said:

InHiding80 said:

Gern Blansten said:

PJ_Soul said:

I actually think that a Bernie supporter who turns to Gary Johnson probably didn't know why they supported Bernie in the first place and vice versa. Bernie is farther away from being a libertarian than anyone else.

agreed....there is so much chatter over Bernie supporters going to Trump, to Johnson, etc.

A true Bernie supporter will either vote Jill Stein or write in Bernie.

Fixed.

Bernie is voting for Hillary.

Indeed (and I think that's definitely the smartest and most logical thing to do). I am interested to see what Bernie supporters who are saying they refuse to vote for Hillary have to say about this statement from Bernie.

Gern Blansten

PJ_Soul said:

Gern Blansten said:

InHiding80 said:

Gern Blansten said:

PJ_Soul said:

I actually think that a Bernie supporter who turns to Gary Johnson probably didn't know why they supported Bernie in the first place and vice versa. Bernie is farther away from being a libertarian than anyone else.

agreed....there is so much chatter over Bernie supporters going to Trump, to Johnson, etc.

A true Bernie supporter will either vote Jill Stein or write in Bernie.

Fixed.

Bernie is voting for Hillary.

Indeed (and I think that's definitely the smartest and most logical thing to do). I am interested to see what Bernie supporters who are saying they refuse to vote for Hillary have to say about this statement from Bernie.

Same thing happened 8 years ago...Clinton supporters said they wouldn't vote for Obama then they did in droves.

PJPOWER

I know it's not really a scientific analysis, but several of my Facebook friends that used to support Bernie are now pushing Gary Johnson... I think this movement is about not supporting corrupt politicians and the vast majority of Bernie supporters that I have had discussions with think Hillary fits that bill. Many of them do not identify with Democrats even though Bernie chose that as his platform. Libertarian candidates appeal to liberals and conservatives in several ways. For example, legalization of marijuana is very libertarian. While it and socialism are definitely in conflict, Bernie aligned himself with the philosophy that corrupt politicians are a huge problem and need to have their power taken away. I think most libertarians align with that philosophy as well. I do not see many Bernie supporters aligning with Hillary's personality if nothing else, voters are finicky.

PJ_Soul

I think that anyone who supported Bernie and then would turn around and vote for Johnson are at best very indifferent voters at the end of the day, frankly. It tells me that they don't really care about specific issues and are simply voting because of some vague impression they have about what politics and politicians should and shouldn't be.

jeffbr

PJ_Soul said:

I think that anyone who supported Bernie and then would turn around and vote for Johnson are at best very indifferent voters at the end of the day, frankly. It tells me that they don't really care about specific issues and are simply voting because of some vague impression they have about what politics and politicians should and shouldn't be.

If you are an anti-interventionist and supported Bernie for that reason, then it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. If you are pro-legalization and supported Bernie for that reason, it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. If you are against corporate welfare and supported Bernie for that reason, it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. The two differ on many economic issues, but are most closely aligned on social issues. It comes down to what issues are most important to the individual voter.

PJ_Soul

jeffbr said:

PJ_Soul said:

I think that anyone who supported Bernie and then would turn around and vote for Johnson are at best very indifferent voters at the end of the day, frankly. It tells me that they don't really care about specific issues and are simply voting because of some vague impression they have about what politics and politicians should and shouldn't be.

If you are an anti-interventionist and supported Bernie for that reason, then it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. If you are pro-legalization and supported Bernie for that reason, it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. If you are against corporate welfare and supported Bernie for that reason, it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. The two differ on many economic issues, but are most closely aligned on social issues. It comes down to what issues are most important to the individual voter.

An anti-interventionist? Bernie is not that. You can't be a democratic socialist and an anti-interventionist at the same time. The two lines of thinking also actually differ very much in terms of social issues. A few happen to overlap, but dear god, I hope there aren't too many people who are that narrow minded when they vote.

Degeneratefk

True libertarian values scare me. True libertarians want literally no government intervention in anything. I don't see how people that supported a self proclaimed socialist, could possibly turn their support towards a party that wants government intervention to be at its bare minimun.

jeffbr

PJ_Soul said:

jeffbr said:

PJ_Soul said:

I think that anyone who supported Bernie and then would turn around and vote for Johnson are at best very indifferent voters at the end of the day, frankly. It tells me that they don't really care about specific issues and are simply voting because of some vague impression they have about what politics and politicians should and shouldn't be.

If you are an anti-interventionist and supported Bernie for that reason, then it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. If you are pro-legalization and supported Bernie for that reason, it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. If you are against corporate welfare and supported Bernie for that reason, it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. The two differ on many economic issues, but are most closely aligned on social issues. It comes down to what issues are most important to the individual voter.

An anti-interventionist? Bernie is not that. You can't be a democratic socialist and an anti-interventionist at the same time. The two lines of thinking also actually differ very much in terms of social issues. A few happen to overlap, but dear god, I hope there aren't too many people who are that narrow minded when they vote.

I don't know exactly how your defining anti-interventionist. When I said that I'm talking about someone who isn't going to rush to commit troops to fighting on foreign soil. Clinton is a hawk. Trump is bluster, but probably also a hawk. Sanders and Johnson not so much. I'm not sure how you can say that one can't be an anti-interventionist and a social democrat at the same time. I guess I don't understand how you're defining that.

PJ_Soul

jeffbr said:

PJ_Soul said:

jeffbr said:

PJ_Soul said:

I think that anyone who supported Bernie and then would turn around and vote for Johnson are at best very indifferent voters at the end of the day, frankly. It tells me that they don't really care about specific issues and are simply voting because of some vague impression they have about what politics and politicians should and shouldn't be.

If you are an anti-interventionist and supported Bernie for that reason, then it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. If you are pro-legalization and supported Bernie for that reason, it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. If you are against corporate welfare and supported Bernie for that reason, it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. The two differ on many economic issues, but are most closely aligned on social issues. It comes down to what issues are most important to the individual voter.

An anti-interventionist? Bernie is not that. You can't be a democratic socialist and an anti-interventionist at the same time. The two lines of thinking also actually differ very much in terms of social issues. A few happen to overlap, but dear god, I hope there aren't too many people who are that narrow minded when they vote.

I don't know exactly how your defining anti-interventionist. When I said that I'm talking about someone who isn't going to rush to commit troops to fighting on foreign soil. Clinton is a hawk. Trump is bluster, but probably also a hawk. Sanders and Johnson not so much. I'm not sure how you can say that one can't be an anti-interventionist and a social democrat at the same time. I guess I don't understand how you're defining that.

Socialism is really heavy on regulation and government intervention. If you mean "anti-interventionist" as not running into countries and intervening, I think you're using the wrong term. That would probably be better defined as being isolationist (which I seriously doubt ANY of the candidates would be, including Johnson. The US is too far gone as far as that goes already. It would take 2 terms for a POTUS to even begin turning that around IMO).

jeffbr

PJ_Soul said:

jeffbr said:

PJ_Soul said:

jeffbr said:

PJ_Soul said:

I think that anyone who supported Bernie and then would turn around and vote for Johnson are at best very indifferent voters at the end of the day, frankly. It tells me that they don't really care about specific issues and are simply voting because of some vague impression they have about what politics and politicians should and shouldn't be.

If you are an anti-interventionist and supported Bernie for that reason, then it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. If you are pro-legalization and supported Bernie for that reason, it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. If you are against corporate welfare and supported Bernie for that reason, it would make perfect sense to support Johnson. The two differ on many economic issues, but are most closely aligned on social issues. It comes down to what issues are most important to the individual voter.

An anti-interventionist? Bernie is not that. You can't be a democratic socialist and an anti-interventionist at the same time. The two lines of thinking also actually differ very much in terms of social issues. A few happen to overlap, but dear god, I hope there aren't too many people who are that narrow minded when they vote.

I don't know exactly how your defining anti-interventionist. When I said that I'm talking about someone who isn't going to rush to commit troops to fighting on foreign soil. Clinton is a hawk. Trump is bluster, but probably also a hawk. Sanders and Johnson not so much. I'm not sure how you can say that one can't be an anti-interventionist and a social democrat at the same time. I guess I don't understand how you're defining that.

Socialism is really heavy on regulation and government intervention. If you mean "anit-interventionist" as not running into countries and intervening when it comes to other countries, I think you're using the wrong term. That would probably be better defined as being isolationist (which I seriously doubt ANY of the candidates would be, including Johnson. The US is too far gone as far as that goes already. It would take 2 terms for a POTUS to even begin turning that around IMO.

Disagree with your use of the word interventionist. It is certainly frequently used in foreign policy discussions. An isolationist might want nothing to do with other countries. A non-interventionist will certainly have dealings with other countries but doesn't believe in intervening in their affairs to try and affect change (ofen through use of force).