Who is the best Libertarian Party Candidate for 2016 POTUS?

[presence]

Who do you like and WHY? Electability is not a good answer. Please do some research before you poll.

2016 Presidential Candidates

The 2016 Presidential candidates listed here are currently recognized by the Libertarian Party based on minimal criteria. No candidates are endorsed by the party, nor will be, until delegates select the party's nominee at the LP national convention on May 26-30, 2016 in Orlando, Florida.
[TABLE="width: 600"]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCCCCC"]
Marc Allan
Feldman
Ohio
[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFCC"]
Cecil Ince
Missouri
[/TD]
[TD="class: rtecenter, bgcolor: #CCCCCC"]
Gary Johnson
New Mexico
[/TD]
[TD="class: rtecenter, bgcolor: #FFFFCC"]Steve Kerbel
Colorado

[/TD]
[TD="class: rtecenter, bgcolor: #CCCCCC"]
John McAfee
Tennessee[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFCC"]
Darryl Perry
New Hampshire
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: rtecenter, bgcolor: #CCCCCC"]VotesNot
ForSale.com[/TD]
[TD="class: rtecenter, bgcolor: #FFFFCC"]Restore-Liberty
.Weebly.com[/TD]
[TD="class: rtecenter, bgcolor: #CCCCCC, align: center"]GaryJohnson
2016.com[/TD]
[TD="class: rtecenter, bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center"] SteveKerbel
2016.com[/TD]
[TD="class: rtecenter, bgcolor: #CCCCCC, align: center"] McAfee16.com [/TD]
[TD="class: rtecenter, bgcolor: #FFFFCC"]DarrylWPerry.com[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

[TABLE="width: 600"]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCCCCC"]
Austin Petersen
Missouri
[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFCC"]
Derrick Michael
Reid
California
[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCCCCC"]Jack
Robinson, Jr.
South Carolina

[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFCC"] Rhett Smith
Texas[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #CCCCCC, align: center"] Shawna Joy Sterling
Kentucky
[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center"]
Joy Waymire
California
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: rtecenter, bgcolor: #CCCCCC"]AustinPetersen
2016.com[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFCC, align: center"]www.Totalitarian
Democracy.com[/TD]
[TD="class: rtecenter, bgcolor: #CCCCCC"]www.RobinsonFor
President.com[/TD]
[TD="class: rtecenter, bgcolor: #FFFFCC"]RhettFor
President.com[/TD]
[TD="class: rtecenter, bgcolor: #CCCCCC, align: center"] Shawna
Sterling.org[/TD]
[TD="class: rtecenter, bgcolor: #FFFFCC"]www.Joy4the
PeoplesVoice.com [/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
The Libertarian Party recognizes 2016 Presidential candidates who have campaign websites, are dues-paying members of the LP, have met all U.S. Constitutional requirements to serve in office as president, and are not running for the nomination of any other political party. They have also filed with the FEC, with the exception of Darryl Perry, who has chosen not to file, as a protest against the FEC, claiming that it lacks constitutional authority.

 

[presence]

Robinson and Kerbel photos (only 10 images per post) no preference toward kerbel meant... lol he just had the biggest image file on the lp party webpage.

 

[Mr Stealth]

Well I don't think we'll be winning any beauty pageants but I'll be taking a closer look at these folks later this evening. I like Mr. Perry's FEC decision.
Thank you for compiling this info.

 

[erowe1]

Since it's just for the LP I voted for Shawna Sterling based on looks.

 

[mczerone]

Perry and Ince seem to be the only ones really comfortable with the philosophy of liberty.

McAfee seems willing to learn.

Shawna seems like someone's straw-person candidate who really isn't running her own campaign. Joy is more connected to her spiritual world than the real world. Kerbal has some communication issues. Johnson is more of a "populist libertarian from the right" than someone who really understands libertarianism. Peterson is... Peterson.

Of the rest, is there anyone looking into further?

 

[65fastback2+2]

Austin Peterson has the best platform and stances on the issues and is my choice.

 

[brandon]

I don't know most of the names. I like that McAffee was a successful engineer and business owner. He sounds like he's lived life a bit too far on the fringe though.

Probably best to just let Gary Johnson continue building the brand. He's an okay speaker and palatable to both left and right libertarians.

 

[brandon]

DOn't know much about Petersen. He might be okay... but will he even be old enough to legally be president? Wiki says he's only 34. (Nevermind he turns 35 in a couple weeks)

 

[69360]

It should be Johnson of course. I've never even heard of the rest of them.

The LP needs somebody with name recognition, a former governor like Johnson, to get as many votes as possible so they move toward having the necessary percentage to get in the debates.

 

[CPUd]

The LP brand under Gary Johnson:

 

[Mr Stealth]

Who remembers that hilarious Gary Johnson campaign video with the awkward over-aged hipster doing a weird dance? Anyone have a link?

 

[adam220891]

McAfee.

But who cares? LP will not break 1%.

 

[r3volution 3.0]

First, LOL at the LP's astonishing inability to find competent candidates.

Second, it really doesn't matter who the nominee is.

We know he has 0% chance of winning.

The LP is good for protest votes only (such as I'll probably be throwing their way in November).

In other words, you're not voting for the nominee, or even really for the party, as much as against the GOP/Dems.

The nominee only matters insofar as you want someone to who can maximize the LP vote.

So, name recognition. So, Gary Johnson.

...I'm a politics junkie and I have no clue who most of the other people are.

 

[presence]

The LP is good for protest votes only

[]

So, name recognition. So, Gary Johnson.

This is exactly what I didn't want from you.


On a debate club level.... which candidate has the best platform? WHY?

 

[Krugminator2]

The nominee matters to the extent that being the nominee gets you on television. Gary Johnson is most likely to get interviews because he is a former governor. The trade off is he is probably the most inarticulate politician alive and he also doesn't actually understand the philosophy. He doesn't help on the education front which is the only purpose to the party. I have seen Austin Peterson on Stossel and find him impressive. MacAfee is entertaining, though he almost certainly was involved in killing his neighbor.

 

[r3volution 3.0]

This is exactly what I didn't want from you.

On a debate club level.... which candidate has the best platform? WHY?

I have no idea, and it doesn't matter, for the aforementioned reasons.

 

[francisco]

FWIW, when I went to Petersen's website a couple of days ago, I got a malware blocking alert from my Kaspersky anti-virus program.

 

[r3volution 3.0]

FWIW, when I went to Petersen's website a couple of days ago, I got a malware blocking alert from my Kaspersky anti-virus program.

...probably some inept attempt at gathering potential voter information.

 

[Feeding the Abscess]

I'm only familiar with Petersen, Johnson, and McAfee, and of those three, Petersen is the one who best understands the philosophy. That said, I don't think he's a great representative of libertarianism.

 

[brandon]

FWIW, when I went to Petersen's website a couple of days ago, I got a malware blocking alert from my Kaspersky anti-virus program.

Maybe McAfee got him added to the virus database??