Good news, disgruntled Americans: As you ponder whether to vote for one of the two most-disliked, dishonest, and morally corrupt politicians ever to run for president Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton you just might have a third option. His name is Gary Johnson. Hes a popular two-term former governor of New Mexico. Hes the likely Libertarian party nominee. And hes set to be on the ballot in the vast majority of states. <\/p>\n
Moreover, the short case for him is pretty compelling. Johnson is a self-made man, starting a handyman business in college that grew into a 1,000-employee construction firm. He ran for governor as a fiscal conservative in a blue state, won handily, and can now boast that he cut taxes, vetoed hundreds of bills, presided over significant job growth, balanced the state budget, and created a substantial reserve fund. He won reelection in a rout. <\/p>\n
Johnson is an extraordinarily strong gun-rights advocate, and he favors free trade, but hes far too committed to relatively open borders advocating a simpler and more efficient process for entering the country. <\/p>\n
He calls himself pro-choice, but hes well to the right of Hillary Clinton supporting late-term abortion bans, parental-notification laws, and opposing public funding for abortion and hes indicated that hed appoint judges who will interpret the Constitution according to its original meaning. He also believes Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided because it expanded the reach of the Federal government into areas of society never envisioned in the Constitution. In the past, Johnson has indicated that hed rather leave abortion policy to the states. <\/p>\n
Being generous, one could even call him a sort of peaceful Teddy Roosevelt: an adventurer politician. Hes run dozens of triathlons, hes climbed the highest mountain on all seven continents (including Mount Everest), and he built his house with his own hands. So, on balance, Gary Johnson for president, right? <\/p>\n
Not so fast. This being 2016, the world has gone mad, and there are no easy choices left. Johnson is a Libertarian, and that means hes for drug legalization. Thats not necessarily disqualifying. After all, his views are similar to those of the founder of National Review, William F. Buckley Jr., and are shared by a number of conservatives. Johnson, however, is an actual drug user boasting recently that hed just consumed Cheeba Chews, a form of marijuana-infused taffy. (To be fair, he claims that he does not drink alcohol.) But thats not all, not by a long shot. <\/p>\n
In 2014, Johnson became a pot entrepreneur. He was named the CEO of Cannibas Sativa. The companys intended products included medicinal oils and get this a cough droplike pot candy. Johnson of course tried and endorsed the product, asking, Why would anybody ever smoke marijuana given this as an alternative? <\/p>\n
Oddly, when it comes to religious liberty and the rights of conscience, he may not be libertarian enough. In the Libertarian partys presidential debate, he offered a bizarre and rambling defense of forcing a Jewish baker to bake a Nazi wedding cake in the name of ending religious discrimination. He also briefly endorsed, then walked back, using state power to ban the burqa in the United States. (On the bright side, he did indicate that he understood the political nature of sharia law and its incompatibility with American conceptions of liberty.) <\/p>\n
Regarding national defense, hes not as extreme as some libertarians some go so far as to view the rise of jihad as fundamentally Americas fault but he does believe that American military interventions have made the terrorist problem worse. Ive often wondered how a self-defense oriented libertarian would alter American policy once they received a full and complete national-security briefing. Libertarian purists would likely be surprised at the military aggression of a libertarian president. If Johnson were ever elected, wed get to find out. <\/p>\n
Make your argument, governor. You can make the case for liberty to a nation embracing authoritarianism. You wont win, but you can matter. This is your moment. <\/p>\n
David French is a staff writer at National Review, and an attorney. <\/p>\n
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Gary Johnson -- Libertarian Party Presidential Candidates ...<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Good news, disgruntled Americans: As you ponder whether to vote for one of the two most-disliked, dishonest, and morally corrupt politicians ever to run for president Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton you just might have a third option. His name is Gary Johnson Continue reading