Will Gary Johnson's Libertarian switch hurt Ron Paul?

[FreeTraveler]

Gah! Does nobody here play poker? GJ just slipped two Aces to RP, in full view of the political establishment. There are diapers being changed all over DC at this very moment. Suddenly RP's "disenchanted 10%" that's grown to 25% or more has a place to register a protest vote if RP doesn't get the nomination. TPTB are having to face the fact that it's RP or nothing; they can allow RP to get nominated, or hand the presidency back to BO for 4 more years. Good on Gary.

 

[niklarin]

Gah! Does nobody here play poker? GJ just slipped two Aces to RP, in full view of the political establishment. There are diapers being changed all over DC at this very moment

I'm new here and still don't get it how the +rep thing works, but you sure have +many internets from me sir!

 

[jmdrake]

I'm new here and still don't get it how the +rep thing works, but you sure have +many internets from me sir!

Click on the star to the right of "Blog this post" on the post you want to +rep.

 

[jmdrake]

What can he do as an LP candidate?

Prevent someone like Bob Barr from being the libertarian candidate and squelch all of the stupid "Will you promise not to run third party Dr. Paul" questions.

He won't be in the debates and will get in the single digits nationally.

And your point is?

We are at a point in history where we can take back control of the GOP from the establishment. Paul has a far better chance of winning the GOP nomination than Johnson has getting higher than 3% in the general election. All efforts should be focused on the realistic goal - to win the nomination for Paul. Anything else is an exercise in futility.

And Gary Johnson dropping out of the GOP nomination race, which helps Ron Paul, hurts our efforts to take control of the GOP how exactly? Quit trying to control every liberty person on the freaking planet. Gary Johnson made the right move. This only helps us. Those who think otherwise are not thinking this all the way through.

 

[jmdrake]

Gah! Does nobody here play poker? GJ just slipped two Aces to RP, in full view of the political establishment. There are diapers being changed all over DC at this very moment. Suddenly RP's "disenchanted 10%" that's grown to 25% or more has a place to register a protest vote if RP doesn't get the nomination. TPTB are having to face the fact that it's RP or nothing; they can allow RP to get nominated, or hand the presidency back to BO for 4 more years. Good on Gary.

I'm glad some people hear get it! This only helps us folks! The LP party already made it clear they're hedging their bets and I don't blame them. Yes we need to be focused on winning the nomination. And hand-wringing and complaining about what Gary Johnson does is not how we win the nomination. Some folks need to go read Aesop's fable about the dog with the bone who crossed the river, barked at his reflection and lost the bone he already had. GJ's support is merely a reflection of the Ron Paul movement. Keep barking and we'll lose the bone we've got.

 

[Nathan Hale]

What can he do as an LP candidate? He won't be in the debates and will get in the single digits nationally.

That's not a foregone conclusion. Traditionally, LP candidates haven't been able to attract votes, but Gary is different. He's above the credibility threshold, he's running from a swing state, and he's already polling 9% in a three way matchup. If RP fails and doesn't try an indy bid himself, our momentum will float Gary to the 15% threshold for access into the debates.

 

[Feeding the Abscess]

Fails to meet Ron's criteria for VP.

Federal reserve - Nope.
Foreign policy - Nope.

Just for kicks..

Abortion - Nope.

In the Des Moines Register interview, Ron said that he would select a judge on how they view the Constitution, not how they personally feel about abortion or other issues. ie, Gary would fit Ron's criteria on the abortion issue, since they both believe in overturning Roe vs. Wade and having states make their own policies.

 

[Gravik]

I wish Gary would have run for senate, won, then endorse Paul.

Edit: Gary said he is all for abolishing the Fed

 

[bluesc]

In the Des Moines Register interview, Ron said that he would select a judge on how they view the Constitution, not how they personally feel about abortion or other issues. ie, Gary would fit Ron's criteria on the abortion issue, since they both believe in overturning Roe vs. Wade and having states make their own policies.

I said VP. I'm pretty sure he has said he wouldn't accept a pro-choice VP.

Regardless, he fails the test when it comes to foreign policy and the federal reserve, so it wouldn't even get to the abortion question.

 

[Nathan Hale]

I said VP. I'm pretty sure he has said he wouldn't accept a pro-choice VP.

Regardless, he fails the test when it comes to foreign policy and the federal reserve, so it wouldn't even get to the abortion question.

How does he fail the test? Because he's not as non-interventionist and not as anti-FED as Ron Paul? Gary still advocates against foreign intervention and against central banking, he's just more moderate in those positions. Gary is for the most part a more moderate Ron Paul (except on balancing the budget, where he's actually more extreme than Paul).

As for abortion, they advocate the exact same policy so its a non-starter of a difference.

No, I don't intend to get into a policy debate on any of these policies, by the way, I just needed to point out that Ron Paul and Gary Johnson are both aware of political reality, have a long history of friendship, and would more likely than not happily share a ticket. Some people just seem intent on manufacturing this pseudo-wedge between them.