OPINION: Vote for Gary Johnson
October 24, 2016
The majority of registered voters in the U.S. do not belong to a political party. Read that again: The majority of registered voters do not belong to a political party. There are several ways we can look at this.
We can say, perhaps, they have investigated both of the old parties and have come to the conclusion that both do not represent them ideologically. We can also speculate that a fair amount of these independents are either apathetic or not knowledgeable enough at the time of registering to choose a party, or perhaps they simply choose not to be pinned in a corner with a label.
Within the context of the 2016 presidential election, we can start to see why this makes sense. Not only are the majority of registered American voters independent, but they disapprove of both the old party candidates in record numbers. Enter Gary Johnson: presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party, the third-largest political party in the country, and the candidate most in a position to pose a credible threat to the establishment parties.
But who is he? Gary Johnson was a successful handyman entrepreneur in college who started his own business and eventually sold it, a two-term governor of New Mexico — a Republican in a two-thirds Democratic state — and a triathlete who has climbed Mt. Everest. Intent on scaling back the intrusions of big government, Johnson makes a good candidate for these independent voters, amongst whose chief concerns include the egregious national debt and ending the failed drug war, starting by reclassifying marijuana off Schedule I. Watch any interview of him and he exudes a down-to-earth, personable demeanor with sincere conviction to get this country onto a more libertarian direction, commonly described as “fiscally responsible, socially tolerant.”
A common concern among those otherwise sympathetic is “yeah, but he’s never going to win.” Johnson is polling at above 15 percent in over ten states. Strategically, he need only win his home state, New Mexico, and the electoral college vote be split between the old party candidates for the election to be thrown to the House of Representatives where, in a vote of no confidence of the other two, could swing in Johnson’s favor. Gary Johnson is the best chance independents have of toppling the old party candidates.
Chris Brown • Oct 24, 2016 at 9:36 pm
I voted for Gary today. Not Against Trump or against Clinton, but FOR Gary.
For smaller government, For a balanced budget, For legal pot, For gay rights, For pro-choice.
Basically FOR choices…For being able to make up our own minds without the government micro-managing every decision we make during our lives. Abortion or life- I want to make my own decision. Legalize pot…let ME decide. Gay people- let them marry whom they want to marry…I did, why can’t they marry who they fall in love with. I did. Stop sending kids into battle because we want to take the easy way out and continue with fossil fuel. Lets use our own oil. If we stop sticking our nose in everybody else’s business, maybe other people will take care of their own problems, we stop being controllers and enablers and MAYBE earn some respect back from other countries. Gary is one of US, and he wants to truly make America better.
Robert B Winn • Oct 24, 2016 at 6:59 pm
My opinion is that this election is going to end up in the House of Representatives. I think it is going to be the end of the two-party system in the United States. The two major parties have been shrinking in numbers for decades, while independent voters have been increasing until they now outnumber all political party members.
The problem independent voters have is that political party politicians have had two hundred years to re-write state election laws in favor of major party candidates. The problem the two major parties have is that they have proven themselves incapable of providing good government. All they have done in my lifetime is borrow money on public credit and pass it out to party members. At the same time, they prevent independent voters from voting in elections they pay for and exclude them from candidacy for public office by means of nomination petition signature requirements that exclude all but the extremely wealthy from being independent candidates. The extremely wealthy represent themselves, not independent voters.
So, as soon as there is a federal court decision stating that independent voters are not slaves and that the provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 apply to them as well as to political party members, the two party system is done in the United States.
atiboy15 • Oct 24, 2016 at 6:17 pm
I never thought I would live to see another chaotic election like 2000 Bush vs. Gore. This election just might be thrown into the House if Gary can somehow win just one State’s electoral votes and possibly three or four. He could easily win his home state NM and possibly Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Alaska and either of the Dakota’s; North Dakota being his birth State. Things would get really interesting in Congress then. Gary and Bill would present a pretty dramatic argument that they are in the middle of the road! Let’s pray!