Conservatives & Gary Johnson
Gary Johnson, former two term governor of New Mexico, has been excluded from every primary debate but two. He has been abandoned by the Republican Party. (People who like to think the media play gatekeeper in the political process, take note of Gary Johnson.) Now, word around the campfire is that he’s mulling a run as the Libertarian Party candidate.
Make no mistake, Gary Johnson is a libertarian, and that term scares many people away. But there are plenty of reasons for conservatives to vote for him, considering the alternatives.
Personality
Gary Johnson is a self made man. He started a one man business, turned it into a big business and sold it for millions of dollars. (Frankly, that’s my own personal life goal, and he’s done it.) But isn’t that someone you want? A man who knows how business works?
The other thing worth mentioning is that he summited Everest six weeks after breaking his leg. I suggest watching the show Everest: Beyond the Limit, it gives a very vivid portrayal of the physical and mental challenges involved in summiting Everest. With all due respect to Newt, Romney and Obama, we all know they’d have no interest in trying.
Looking at this, it looks to me like a man who sees public service as that: service, not a permanent profession. He has his own life and history and personality, he’s not a pure political animal, but rather a businessman and an athlete. He made his fortune not by birth, not on the public dime, but by his own hand, Again: Isn’t that what we should be looking for?
Executive Record
Newt Gingrich is not an executive, neither is Ron Paul, Rick Santorum or Michelle Bachmann. Gary Johnson served two terms (he was term limited) as governor of New Mexico (a blue state) and is considered very successful.
When he was governor in the 1990s, New Mexico boomed. Any politician would and could claim credit for this. How many times did we hear Rick Perry talk about how he created jobs in Texas.
What does Gary Johnson say about the jobs he created?
“Don’t get me wrong. We are proud of this distinction. We had a 11.6 percent job growth that occurred during our two terms in office. But the headlines that accompanied that report – referring to governors, including me, as ‘job creators’ – were just wrong.” ...
“The fact is, I can unequivocally say that I did not create a single job while I was governor. We kept government in check, the budget balanced, and the path to growth clear of unnecessary regulatory obstacles.”
That should really be enough to make the case for the man, because, isn’t that exactly what he should say? Don’t we all wanna scream at the radio every time some blowhard politician lays claim to the jobs he created?
But let me go further. I live in New York, where no matter now asinine the law, it seems like nothing ever seems to get vetoed. The thing that hooked me about Gary Johnson was his veto record. He claims to have vetoed more laws when he was governor than his 49 colleagues combined.
A perfect example of this is the dog walking bill. The legislature passed a bill requiring dogs in pet shops to be walked regularly before they’re sold, for the health of the animal. It seems reasonable. Dogs in pet shops should be walked, Johnson agreed, but realized that if he signed the law he’d have to fund the dog walking police, to ensure the law was enforced. So he vetoed the law.
At this point, you’re sold on Gary Johnson. You’re ready to ring doorbells on his behalf. But let me point to some positions, which perhaps seem too liberal to swallow, that conservatives might have problems with.
1. Gay Rights
For a Republican, Gary Johnson is progressive on gay rights. He takes a libertarian view on gay marriage. He supports civil unions for gay couples, getting government out of the business of marriage. If that’s a complete deal breaker for you, you want to modify the US Constitution, so be it, but for many conservatives, it’s a perfectly acceptable solution.
And he supported the end of Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell. That puts him along side liberal lion Barry Goldwater. If you claim to be a Goldwater conservative and take your cues from him, be aware that’s where AuH20 was at.
2. Marijuana Legalization
Half the public supports it. So does Gary Johnson. There’s a very liberal magazine called National Review that does too.
3. Abortion
Gary Johnson is pro-choice. And I know that’s a complete deal breaker for some people. If that fact by itself is not, then read on. As governor he supported parental notification and a ban on late term abortion.
Gary Johnson opposes government funding of abortion. Short of prohibition, which is not currently feasible politically or legally, that is the best way to reduce the number of abortions. Politicians can claim they want prohibition, but we all know that it is just not going to happen. If anyone claims otherwise, they are lying to you.
There it is. Ask yourself, if the choice is Mitt Romney, who thinks that it’s right, proper and prudent for the state to compel someone to buy something, and Gary Johnson, who do you vote for?
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Comments:
May '11
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
I was a registered Libertarian from 1980 until 2010, only partly out of conviction. I had heard that being registered Libertarian prevented you from being called for jury duty. I don't know if that is true but I have never been called for jury duty. That said, I think Johnson compares very favorably with anyone still in the primary but the election of Barack Obama and his presidency has convinced me that voting for the lesser of two evils is not always wrong.
Mar '11
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
The GOP's lack of ability or desire to restrain the entitlement state is so clear by now that I would say Libertarian candidates are certainly on the table. If Romney is the eventual nominee then until small government, fiscal conservatives abandon the GOP all together and form a real Tea Party the Libertarians may very well be the best alternative, Johnson's worth considering.
Aug '10
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
We are registered Libertarians and we've both been called for jury duty multiple times.
Gary Johnson is our first choice, but, alas, not to be.
Jul '10
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
Gary Johnson couldn't beat an egg. Shelled. In a bowl. With a whisk.
Principles aside, that is a deal breaker for me, as it is for all the other adults in the room.
Mar '11
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
Palaeologus: Gary Johnson couldn't beat an egg. Shelled. In a bowl. With a whisk.
Principles aside, that is a deal breaker for me, as it is for all the other adults in the room.
· Nov 30 at 8:34pm
So how does a guy like that win two gubenatorial elections?
Not trying to challenge what you said. I simply have never seen the man on television and on paper he sure sounds appealing.
Aug '10
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
Elena
Gary Johnson is our first choice, but, alas, not to be.
Exactly. If wishes were fishes...
...really Hoovers sometimes to do the grownup thing and settle for a guy who stands a shot at winning. But there's no help for it.
Dec '10
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
Elena
Gary Johnson is our first choice, but, alas, not to be.
Exactly. If wishes were fishes...
...really Hoovers sometimes to do the grownup thing and settle for a guy who stands a shot at winning. But there's no help for it. · Dec 1 at 6:32am
On the other hand...if having either a D or an R in the WH only changes the speed at which we go over the cliff and have to break out Obama's magical reset button for the entire nation, why not keep the [explitive] D in place and get it over with? Is not a quick death preferable to a slow painful one even for a nation? (note: getting up at 3AM tends to make me quarrelsome, snarky, etc., heavy on the etc.)
Nov '11
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
I will never understand why Rick Santorum is included in debates, while Gary Johnson is not.
Dec '10
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
I have friends who vote for all Constitution Party candidates that are on the ballot. They agree entirely with the party platform, and as we live in Washington State, any vote not for a dem is just a protest vote anyway. I've voted for a few myself when I knew it was the most representative action of my vote and that I would have no effect on the outcome regardless of who I voted for.
Aug '10
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
The King Prawn
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
Elena
Gary Johnson is our first choice, but, alas, not to be.
Exactly. If wishes were fishes...
...really Hoovers sometimes to do the grownup thing and settle for a guy who stands a shot at winning. But there's no help for it. · Dec 1 at 6:32am
On the other hand...if having either a D or an R in the WH only changes the speed at which we go over the cliff and have to break out Obama's magical reset button for the entire nation, why not keep the [explitive] D in place and get it over with?
Yeah. I know. That's the dilemma. And choosing what to do in these cases is unfortunately a matter of prudential judgment, not principle.
Any way we choose is gambling with our future, and there ain't a blasted thing we can do about it but get as much info as we can, then hold our breath, make our choice, and hope we happened on the right one.
It's a game of odds as well as ideals.
Jun '10
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
The D or R doesn't change speed, much less avert the inevitable. The two sides have been complicit in creating a Frankenstein monster, an administrative super-state with a life of its own. There is no stopping this creature now short of ruin.
Even our best political philosophers failed to anticipate one important characteristic of our current condition. Government builds by accretion to a critical mass at which point no human effort is enough to undo it (witness the budget super-committee). We now have a government by the government, of the government, and for the government. Essentially, our experiment in small "r" republican rule has run its course. Dr. Rahe's comment in the podcast that both Romney and Gingrich are managerial progressives pretty much sums up the situation. So go ahead and vote for Johnson if you like; it won't make one jot of difference in the end.
Edited on December 1, 2011 at 4:19pmMay '11
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
Is there a groupthink with Gary Johnson that says he can't get elected so let's not bother with him? It seems like nobody took him seriously from the beginning but he has an impressive resume and has been elected twice. Is it his views on marijuana legalization? The media treats him more like a curiosity than a serious candidate. He appeals to me but I also like John Huntsman and Ornette Coleman.
Jul '10
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
3. Abortion
Short of prohibition, which is not currently feasible politically or legally, that is the best way to reduce the number of abortions. Politicians can claim they want prohibition, but we all know that it is just not going to happen. If anyone claims otherwise, they are lying to you.
Really? Let's vote on the legality of abortion. It's better than the edict from Mount Olympus.
Edited on December 1, 2011 at 4:41pmDec '10
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
We talk about making Ricochet a thought leader for the right, maybe we should try and flex some muscle (or, see how much muscle we have to flex) and use Johnson as a test case. Seriously, why not? I'm for Newt, but I have no problem giving everyone a chance to step forward and show us their stuff. Despite accusations of flip-flopping, the "candidate number 1, please step forward" system seems to be working reasonably well, considering our dearth of high-quality options.
If enough people on Ricochet (and, especially, enough contributors) are intrigued by Johnson and willing to give him a shot as ABROG, let's go for it and start making some noise. Anything from talking to friends and putting a bug in their ear to dropping hints in more public forums (for the more well-connected Ricochet members)...that's how movements start, right?
It's a win-win - we find out how far this site has come in becoming the central hangout for center-right America, and at the same time we get a good look at a guy who has been relegated to the corner for the last several months.
Edited on December 1, 2011 at 4:49pmJun '11
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
I assume this was before you moved to Charleston since South Carolina election law doesn't allow for registration by party.
Dec '10
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
What is so frustrating about Gary Johnson is that we are so close to the primaries now, he really doesn't have a chance. If he had been in the debates and given a shot, he might have had an opportunity. I'd vote for him in a heartbeat and I do believe that a guy like him could win if his candidacy had seen the light of day.
Apr '11
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
I know, Gary Johnson won't be the nominee, especially since the press is absolutely ignoring him. But if he were, I'd be thrilled to vote for him. If he were the Libertarian candidate, I'd probably vote for him, since the Republican candidate has zero chance of carrying Minnesota, anyway.
Jun '11
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
The notion that both Gary Johnson and Ron Paul will just decide to step back and support Newt or Mitt in the general election out of some loyalty to the Republican Party seems increasingly absurd as we get closer to the first votes. If Newt is the best answer to the question, "Mitt? Seriously?" that the R's can come up with... well, expect a ballot with more than two candidates receiving substantial vote totals.
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
You left out what may be the crucial concern: foreign policy and national defense. Governors do not have to bother with either. It is the prime responsibility of the President. Many of the items on your list Presidents only have marginal influence over. In matters of foreign policy and national defense, they have far, far greater leverage. Where does he stand?
Apr '11
Re: Conservatives & Gary Johnson
Gary Johnson is anathema to all that is Big Government. Nobody who has any intention of influence peddling would even talk about him. He's bad for (D.C.) business!