Gary Johnson To Announce Jump To Libertarian Party on 12/28

My preference is that he announces a run for Senate in New Mexico but he didn't ask my opinion.

Politico

Gary Johnson will quit the Republican primaries and seek the Libertarian Party nomination instead, POLITICO has learned.

The former two-term New Mexico governor, whose campaign for the GOP nomination never caught fire, will make the announcement at a press conference in Santa Fe on Dec. 28. Johnson state directors will be informed of his plans on a campaign conference call Tuesday night, a Johnson campaign source told POLITICO.

The move has been expected for weeks — Johnson had run a New Hampshire-centric effort that never got him past a blip in the polls. He appeared at only two nationally televised debates, and only one in which other major candidates took part.

Johnson has announced the Dec. 28 event on his Facebook page. Campaign spokesman Joe Hunter said only that it would be “a significant announcement.”

Calling news of the switch “the worst kept secret,” Libertarian Party Chairman Mark Hinkle said the Santa Fe event will include a press conference at which Johnson will switch his voter registration to Libertarian.

Via Memeorandum

Gary Johnson For Senate

With the former Governor of New Mexico being shut out of the GOP Presidential race by the mediots and pollsters, he is seriously weighing a run for the Libertarian Party nomination.

But is this the best course of action?

Gary Johnson's voice is too important to be silenced on the national level but due to factors, some of his own making, he has failed to gain traction with the national electorate. A run on the LP ticket is, in my opinion, a quixotic fantasy for Gov Johnson and while it may influence the Presidential race somewhat and give him an opportunity to be on the same stage as Obama and the GOP nominee during the debates, I don't see his chances of winning in the General Election any better than they were in the GOP primaries.

In the past, Gov Johnson has ruled out a run for retiring NM Senator Jeff Bingaman's seat (much in the same way he ruled out jumping to the LP, it should be mentioned) stating that he does not believe in a Senator's ability to make a difference.

That is all well and good but we have seen that a limited-government, pro-liberty Senator can make a difference and that man, Rand Paul, needs all the allies he can get.

Gary Johnson also has a chance to actually win the NM Senate seat. While the latest PPP poll shows that he would have some ground to make up against current GOP frontrunner and favorite Rep Heather Wilson who leads the former Governor by a 42-31% margin, remember that he is not even campaigning for the seat while Wilson is.

But that's the bad news. Looking deeper at the PPP numbers, Johnson has 45/39 favorable/unfavorable opinion by those polled while Wilson is almost the opposite at 37/46.

Better still, when compared to Democratic frontrunners Rep Martin Heinrich and State Auditor Hector Balderas (Heinrich leads Balderas 47-30), Gov Johnson is tied with Heinrich at 43% and beating Balderas 44-38. Meanwhile, Rep Wilson trails Heinrich 47-40 and is tied with Balderas at 43%.

As you can see, this race is Gary Johnson's for the taking. He's not even campaigning for the spot and is still well positioned to win.

Gov Johnson, I beg you, stop tilting at windmills and take what you are being given. Six years of Gary Johnson in the Senate is far better than nothing.

Johnson Campaign Protests CNN Debate Exclusion

It's inexcusable that Gary Johnson has been excluded from the GOP debates, save 2, and is also persona non grata in any of the major GOP polls. After all, Gary Johnson is a business man who turned a one man handy-man business into a multi-million dollar enterprise and a former two term Republican Governor in a 2-1 Democratic state that vetoed over 750 spending bills and promises to submit a balance budget if he is elected President.

So why can't Governor Johnson get any love from the mediots? Your guess is as good as mine.

Well Gary Johnson is mad as hell and fighting back. Today his campaign filed complaints with the FEC and FCC protesting his exclusion from last week's CBS broadcast of the GOP debate in South Carolina.

It's an abomination and undemocratic for the corporately owned mediots to be anointing themselves kingmakers and making the decision on who the electorate gets to choose from. They need to be put on notice that this type of garbage will not be tolerated.

Read Gov Johnson's complaints below

BEFORE THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

COMPLAINT Gary Johnson, an American adult citizen of the State of New Mexico, files this Complaint with the Federal Election Commission in accordance with the provisions of 2 U.S.C. §437 (g ) (a) (1) in the belief that Respondents violated provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended, 2 U.S.C. §§431, et seq. (hereinafter, “The Act”).

RESPONDENTS CBS, INC (hereinafter “CBS”) is a corporation with principal offices at 51 West 52nd Street, New York, New York 10019 engaged in the business of television broadcasting.

FACTS Complainant is the former two-term Governor of the State of New Mexico, and a nationally-recognized candidate for the nomination of the Republican Party for President of the United States. Complainant has participated, along with the other leading candidates (including Governor Mitt Romney, Congresswoman Michelle Bachman, Governor Rick Perry, Mr. Herman Cain and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, to name a few) in debates televised on television networks other than Respondent.

On Saturday, November 12, 2011 Respondent CBS televised on its national network another debate, but instead of including all leading candidates has elected to arbitrarily and capriciously exclude some candidates and include others. In so doing, CBS is, without any other explanation, choosing to support certain candidates. By excluding viable candidates like Complainant, who has been included by cable networks in their debates CBS is directly and significantly supporting those candidates it favors, and advocating the nomination of one of their favorites and opposing the nomination of Complainant, whom CBS evidently disfavors. In so doing, CBS is making an illegal corporate in-kind contribution to those favored candidates. The value of this contribution vastly exceeds the contribution limit that applies to any category of lawful donor.

2 U.S.C. §431 (8) (A) (i) defines a “contribution” as “any gift, subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money or anything of value made by any person for the purpose of influencing any election for Federal office.” No rational person could possibly argue that exposure during an hour-long debate televised in prime time on the CBS network is NOT something of value. Indeed, CBS sells advertising spots during prime time for huge sums, and makes and reaps signifigant revenues in doing so. By any standard, this airtime is a thing of value within the ambit of that phrase in this statute. If all viable candidates were being included in the debate that might lead to a different conclusion, but by excluding candidates CBS disfavors –opposes—and including those it favors –supports—Respondent is violating the Act.


Complaint by Governor Gary E. Johnson to Federal Communication Communications  The Federal Communications Commission has the authority to regulate fair access to the airwaves of broadcast by network television networks.

Complainant is the former two- term Governor of the State of New Mexico, and a nationally-recognized candidate for the nomination of the Republican Party for President of the United States. Complainant has participated, along with the other leading candidates (including Governor Mitt Romney, Congresswoman Michelle Bachman, Governor Rick Perry, Mr. Herman Cain and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, to name a few) in debates televised on cable broadcast networks .

On Saturday, November 12, 2011 Respondent CBS- who’s broadcasts are regulated by the FCC- televised on its national network another debate, but instead of including all leading candidates has elected to arbitrarily and capriciously exclude some candidates and include others. In so doing, CBS is, without any other explanation, choosing to favor certain candidates. By excluding viable candidates like Complainant, who has been included by other cable networks in their debates.

CBS is directly and significantly supporting those candidates it favors, and advocating the nomination of one of they support and opposing the nomination of Complainant. In so doing, CBS is making an illegal corporate in-kind contribution to those favored candidates. The value of this contribution – millions of dollars of publicity and exposure vastly exceeds the contribution limit that applies to any category of lawful donor.

2 U.S.C. §431 (8) (A) (i) defines a “contribution” as “any gift, subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money or anything of value made by any person for the purpose of influencing any election for Federal office.” No rational person could possibly argue that exposure during an hour-long debate televised in prime time on the CBS network is NOT something of value.

Indeed, CBS sells advertising spots during prime time for huge sums. Advertising—selling airtime (exposure) for money demonstrates this value. By any standard, this airtime is a thing of value within the ambit of that phrase in this statute. If all viable candidates were being included in the debate that might lead to a different conclusion, but by excluding certain candidates in including others, CBS is illegally aiding those it includes by giving them something of value-airtime worth millions of dollars. Corporate contributions in this case in-kind are a violation of the Federal Election law-addressed in a different complaint.CBS is clearly violating federal election law.

The public owns the airways over which CBS broadcasts, and the public deserves to be free from bias- favoring some candidates over others- as well as illegal support of certain presidential candidates on national network television. Unfair access to the airwaves of broadcast by network television is clearly an issue within the FCC’s mandate. The illegal corporate contribution CBS is making in including some candidates and not others is addressed in a separate formal complaint to the Federal Elections Commission. The FCC should take appropriate action against CBS.

Gary Johnson On The Ballot In NH

Gary Johnson 2012
October 28, 2011, Manchester, NH — Presidential candidate Gary Johnson today filed for the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary, arriving at 11:15am to formally add his name to the state’s ballot.

“As the first-in-the-nation primary state New Hampshire is an important focus for our campaign,” Governor Johnson said. “I’ve spent a lot of time in New Hampshire — even biking across it — and look forward to continuing to take my message to the voters of this great State.”

Johnson is the only candidate promising to submit a balance budget to Congress in 2013.

Take my quiz...



Gary Johnson made a series of promises at the Fox News/Google Debate.

“I promise to submit a balanced budget to Congress in the year 2013,” he said. “I promise to veto legislation where expenditures exceed revenue.”



Johnson hasn't released a budget plan yet, and he might not since he doesn't make proposals or promises lightly. My guess is that he would work it like when he was Governor of New Mexico. You bring together your departments and prioritize with the departments to create the balanced budget proposal. Johnson is very much a get involved and look at the numbers man himself. The federal budget proposal is something he'd be very involved in.

I've posted the above image around Facebook and Google Plus and at this point I've gotten quite a bit of feedback that I want to answer now so I'm not answering it in the comments.

What about Newt?

Newt Gingrich has balanced a budget before when he was Speaker of the House under Clinton. He's a very smart man and will be releasing his "Contract With America The 2013 Version" at some point and I hope he includes submitting a balanced budget as part of his new contract, but as of right now he has not on his website nor in the debates made any promises about submitting a balanced budget in 2013 to Congress.


What about Paul?

Paul released his budget/tax plan last week and has made a lot of news with it. It's a good plan, but it doesn't submit a balanced budget until 2015, and even then the debt is still increasing every year.

‎"Paul wants to cut $1T every year"...

Ron Paul's doesn't cut a trillion from the debt every year. Yes, it cuts a trillion form the budget first year, but the debt goes up under Paul's plan every year. Numbers directly from Paul's plan...
2013 - $14.9 T
2014 - $15.5 T
2015 - $16.0 T
2016 - $16.6 T.

Summary

I'm not picking on Paul, but for my question that I'm giving to voters who want a balanced budget now. There is only one candidate making that promise. Gary Johnson doesn't make many promises, doesn't make promises lightly, is very careful about what he promises, promising only those things that he can promise. But what he is promising is big and he's the only candidate promising to submit a balanced budget to Congress in 2013.

Gary Johnson Scores Big Endorsement

Today Gov Johnson scored a big endorsement from GOP heavy Roger Stone.

The STONEzone endorses Gov. Gary Johnson for President

One of the key reasons why Governor Rick Perry faired poorly in the FOX Florida Debate was the gang up of other “conservative” candidates on Perry, the front runner. This, of course, plays into Mitt Romney’s hands but does nothing to enhance the candidacies of Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachmann or even “moderate” Jon Huntsman Jr.

A wiser strategy for both Santorum and Bachmann would be to take on Romney, demonstrating to the conservative and Tea Party base an ability to take on the establishment candidate. Their goal should have been to be more effective on the attack against Romney than Rick Perry was.

Shooting Perry in the back makes little sense. I reject the idea of a “conservative intramural” to weed out who will face Romney. This race is wide open and Mitt Romney is the weakest front runner in recent history.

The most interesting thing in the debate was the national debut of Governor Gary Johnson of New Mexico, a pro-pot, anti-war libertarian with a record of cutting taxes and spending and creating more jobs than Mitt Romney in Massachusetts or Governor Rick Perry in Texas.

The STONEzone formally endorses Governor Gary Johnson for the Republican nomination for president in this very posting. Be sure to read this exceptional profile on Governor Gary Johnson from GQ.

Gary Johnson Makes The Cut - Invited To FOX/Google Debate Thursday

It's about time.

It was quite frustrating to see the mediots exclude a legitimate candidate like Governor Gary Johnson even though he was polling ahead of their darlings Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman.

Daily Beast

Gary Johnson, the Republican presidential candidate who has labored in obscurity, is about to get his moment in the spotlight—for one night, at least.
Click here to find out more!

Johnson will be included in Thursday's Fox News debate in Orlando, the first time he will share a stage with his eight rivals—over the objections of the Florida Republican Party.

The former New Mexico governor won the right to participate, according to Fox sources, by cracking 1 percent in the latest five national polls in which he was included—Fox News, CNN, McClatchy-Marist, ABC, and Quinnipiac—which was the criterion the network had set for inclusion.

Johnson is a quirky character, a libertarian who wants to legalize marijuana and is opposed to a border fence to stop illegal immigration. But he has attracted a passionate if tiny following while mostly flying below the media's radar.

The Florida GOP establishment isn't too pleased about his inclusion however, I guess they want more of the Mitt and Rick show.

Via Memeorandum

Tell PPP To Include Gary Johnson In GOP Polls

Public Policy Polling (PPP) has removed Sarah Palin from their 2012 GOP polls and is asking for suggestions on who, if anyone, should replace her.

Please let them know via Twitter, at @ppppolls, that former NM Governor Gary Johnson deserves to be included in their GOP polls.

Not only is Governor Johnson, a 2 term governor who vetoed 750 spending bills and left the state with a budget surplus, a legitimate candidate for President in 2012 but he has been polling better than Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman in polls that he has been included in and also within 1 percentage point of Herman Cain.

It is not up to the media and polling organizations to determine who should be in the race and by excluding people such as Gov Johnson and Rep McCotter from polls and debates, they are taking on the role of kingmakers and taking the choice away from you and I.

Via Memeorandum

Gary Johnson 2012: Cup of Liberty

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Gary Johnson Gains Ground In Latest CNN/ORC Poll

We've always been told that the race for the White House is a marathon, not a sprint so a fast start is not a good indication of where you will finish. Just ask Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani or Hillary Clinton how their 2007 poll numbers worked for them. It's also easy to forget that among the current crop of GOP hopefuls, Herman Cain was peaking as he was nearing double digits in polls a few short months ago while the spring's front-runner, Tim Pawlenty is sitting on the sidelines, a beaten man.

Now we have a new rising (lone) star in Rick Perry who is nearly doubling up contestant number 2, Mitt Romney, in most polls and pulling away from the former Tea Party flavor of the month Michele Bachmann.

But lost in all the hype and hysteria is the one man who knows a little bit about endurance races; the former 2 term NM Governor Gary Johnson who is an accomplished tri-athlete and was all but written off when he tossed his hat in the NM race in 1994. Gov Johnson, who has been excluded from most national polls and has been persona non grata in the last 2 GOP debates, with a pending snub for the Sept 7 NBC-Politico debate, is slowly gaining ground.

In the newly released CNN/ORC poll Gov Johnson comes in at 2%, ahead of establishment candidates Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman while being tied with Herman Cain. It may not seem like much but you need to crawl before you can walk and with the big names slugging it out, Gary Johnson is building momentum. You also need to realize that most Americans haven't even begun to think about the 2012 race with the Iowa Caucus still 5 months away.

With this in mind, the Johnson campaign understands that in order to win in 2012 you need to still be in the race and their strategy to build grassroots support may, in the end, be the winning formula.

Via Memeorandum

(Video) - Gary Johnson On Adam vs The Man With Adam Kokesh 8/18

The New American - GOP Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson

Usually described as a libertarian, Johnson comes across as more of a pragmatist than an ideologue. Whereas the other Republican candidate he most resembles, Ron Paul, often argues from first principles and invokes the Constitution, Johnson is more likely to discuss a policy in terms of its cost-benefit ratio. Thus, he supports marijuana legalization not so much as a matter of personal liberty but as a matter of putting a stop to wasteful, counterproductive spending. Likewise, his foreign policy, while nearly as noninterventionist as Paul’s, is predicated less on a belief in minding our own business than on the fact that intervention is expensive.

Still, given the chance, Johnson can take stands on principle, such as opposing the Patriot Act and demanding an end to the torture of prisoners. His principles and his record were strong enough to spark a movement within the Libertarian Party to draft him as its candidate for President in 2000; Johnson declined.

Because Johnson tends to view policy decisions through the prism of costs versus benefits, his positions on fiscal and economic issues are among his strongest. Says his website: “The U.S. is borrowing or printing more than 40 cents of every dollar the government spends today. The math is simple: Federal spending must be cut not by millions or billions, but by trillions. And it must be done today.”

Johnson calls for “restrain[ing] spending across the board”: eliminating stimulus programs, earmarks, and subsidies; reforming entitlement programs; repealing ObamaCare and the Medicare prescription drug benefit; ending the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan; and reducing defense spending to what is actually needed to protect the United States.

He also takes a hard line against Federal Reserve monetary manipulation, calling for an audit and congressional oversight of the Fed and for getting the Fed “out of the business of printing money and buying debt through quantitative easing.” However, he stops short of demanding the abolition of the Fed.

On foreign policy Johnson sounds a strong noninterventionist note: “All military activities in Iraq, Afghanistan, and, now, Libya should end, our troops returned home, and the focus of our foreign policy reoriented toward the protection of U.S. citizens and interests.” Here the Constitution even gets a mention as Johnson alludes to its mandate that Congress declare war before the President may deploy troops. He also suggests a rethinking of Cold War-era troop deployments, including NATO, where the United States still shoulders much of the burden for other nations’ defenses. He opposes torture, says “individuals incarcerated unjustly by the U.S. should have the ability to seek compensation through the courts,” and maintains that detainees at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere “must be given due process via the courts or military tribunals, and must not be held indefinitely without regard to those fundamental processes.”

Read the rest here

Meet Gary Johnson, The Most Libertarian Candidate Ever To Seek The US Presidency

The UK Telegraph

I’m tired of hearing about the supposed dearth of talent in the Republican Party. What about Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, Herman Cain, Tim Pawlenty, Ron Paul, Mitch McConnell, Jim DeMint, Chris Christie or Scott Walker?

And here’s someone you might not yet know about, a sea-green incorruptible who is surely the most anti-government candidate ever to have sought the GOP presidential nomination: Gary Johnson, twice governor of New Mexico.

Gary Johnson’s philosophy is easily summarized. He thinks the state is far too big. He wants to balance the federal budget – not 20 years from now, but immediately – and has identified the requisite spending cuts. He understands that an adventurist foreign policy, as well as being expensive, diminishes domestic liberty: that there is a contradiction, in Russell Kirk’s phrase, between an American Republic and an American Empire. Accordingly, he was against the attacks on Iraq and Libya and, though he supported the overthrow of the Taliban, he opposed the elaboration and prolongation of the US mission in Afghanistan.

Gary Johnson is a libertarian on social issues, grasping that the American constitution rests tacitly on tolerance, privacy and equality before the law (see above clip). He was unusual among Republicans in strenuously resisting the various erosions of civil liberties carried out under the guise of anti-terrorism legislation. He sees the “war on drugs” as a misapplication of state power. In short, he believes in personal freedom, states’ rights and the US Constitution.

Alright, you might be saying, so he’s a libertarian. So are thousands of Ayn Rand-reading students around the world. No one holding these views ever gets elected to anything important.

That’s where you’d be wrong. Gary Johnson was elected on precisely such a manifesto in the swing state of New Mexico, and promptly set about putting his beliefs into practice. He took the view that there should be as few laws as possible, and vetoed more legislation during his term than the other 49 state governors put together. He cut taxes 14 times and never raised them once. Result? A budget surplus and an economic boom. During Gary Johnson’s gubernatorial term, 1,200 state jobs were axed, but 20,000 private sector jobs were created. And here’s the best bit: he was handsomely re-elected, despite a two-to-one Democrat majority.

The fragility of the US economy is perhaps the gravest threat to world prosperity. Heaven knows the White House needs someone who can balance the books. Well, my American friends, if you’re looking for a president with the gimcrack charisma of a Blair or a Clinton, stick to the incumbent. But if you’re looking for someone who has shown that he can cut government spending, ecce homo.

Gary Johnson: GOP Candidates Are 'Fluff'

Politico

For all the speculation about Rick Perry’s presidential potential, Gary Johnson feels certain the campaign would fall flat — if only because America isn’t ready to put another Texas governor in the White House.

“Have you ever heard Rick Perry talk? I thought when I listened to him talk, I thought he was doing a parody of George Bush. And I was looking around to see if anyone else saw the humor in that. And it wasn’t. It was just the way that he talked,” said Johnson, the former New Mexico governor who’s running his own long shot campaign.

That’s not Perry’s only problem: he’s another in a long list of “status quo,” politicians focused more on “fluff” than specifics, Johnson said in a conversation with POLITICO on Thursday, explaining why he’s running his own long shot presidential campaign against them.

Johnson also mocked Tim Pawlenty’s latest ad in Iowa for a line touting a decision to send Minnesota National Guard troops to defend the border.

“I live in New Mexico,” Johnson said. “Let me tell you, that was a waste of money.”

Johnson said he never sent his own National Guard troops to the border during his eight years as governor, “And if they would have requested it in Minnesota, I would have said, ‘You know, isn’t that an issue you should be dealing with?’” he said.

Though he’s a libertarian like Ron Paul, Johnson said that his resume and experience dealing with the blowback from signing 750 vetoes gave him more proof than Paul has that he’d be able to act on his ideology.

“Unlike Ron Paul, who registered his principled no vote and woke up the next day to do it again, I registered a no vote that actually stuck,” he said. “So the debate and the discussion was a little hotter.”

Johnson’s drawing single-digit support in early polls, if he registers at all. But all those are measuring so far, he said, is name recognition.

As for Herman Cain, who’s been doing well despite never holding office or running outside of Georgia, Johnson attributes that showing to having a name that sounds similar to one Republican voters already know well.

“I think Herman Cain, I think a lot of that has to do with ‘McCain,’” Johnson said.

Johnson’s fellow candidates aren’t the only ones he’s critical of — he called on Congress to resist raising the debt limit and instead just pass a resolution to pay interest on the debate and prioritize the nation’s obligations.

The candidate said he didn’t want to discount the hardship and market turmoil that would result in voting against the hike, but he said it will be “pale in comparison” to the bond market collapse when no one wants to buy U.S. debt.

“That is the collapse,” he said, predicting that the country’s AAA rating will get downgraded regardless.

As for his own future, Johnson is defiant. Even after failing to land a spot in the last GOP primary debate, the former New Mexico governor is convinced that his libertarian-leaning message will resonate with voters.

Johnson is concentrating on wooing independent-minded voters in New Hampshire, where he has three full-time staffers, one of whom is unpaid. While he’s skipping the Ames Straw Poll and not expecting to compete much in Iowa, Johnson’s hoping to be stage during the next Republican primary debate, right before Ames — though he was kept out of the last debate, in New Hampshire.

“This is the course that I’m plotting out there: at some point this would go viral,” he said.

Though he also acknowledged the reality that he hasn’t gone viral yet.

“It hasn’t even come close to doing that,” he said. “I’m like at zero.”

A "Money Avalanche" instead of "Money Bombs"

Gary Johnson supporters have created "Money Avalanche" for Johnson's presidential campaign.

Ron Paul immortalized the Money Bomb. Since Governor Gary Johnson is an avid skier supporters decided a Money Avalanche was more appropriate.

http://garyjohnsongrassroots.com/moneyavalanche/

The Money Avalanche started on July 22 with a goal of raising $1 (yes one dollar). The goal doubles the next day to $2, then $4 a so on. You might of tried doing this in grade school doubling a penny every day of the month. While it starts slow the momentum builds and you are looking at some pretty real numbers.

The goal is to raise approximately one million dollars for Johnson by the Ames Debate on August 11.

There is Facebook event created and the ability to sign up for daily e-mail status updates on the money avalanche page.

Gary Johnson Slams DOJ, Defends Gun Rights

By Chris W
The Libertarian Patriot

Unlike the current occupant of the White House, the former New Mexico Governor has a spine.

Last week Governor Johnson blasted the FAMiLY LEADER "Marriage Vow" pledge as being offensive and now he is taking President Obama and the Justice Department to task in defense of gun owners after the DOJ tightened gun purchase regulations along the southwest border, in the wake of Operation Fast and Furious.

Gary Johnson 2012

"This is the same Department of Justice that thought it was a good plan to intentionally allow hundreds of firearms to be smuggled into Mexico in a disastrous effort to somehow follow the trail of those guns to the bad guys. Now, the DOJ’s plan to address gun trafficking is to require law-abiding citizens in border states to be reported and entered into a federal database for buying perfectly legal rifles from licensed dealers.

Not only will this requirement do absolutely nothing to curb violence on either side of the border, it is yet another unacceptable infringement on fundamental 2nd Amendment rights. It is an outrage that this Administration is using border violence as an excuse to add the names of more law-abiding gun owners to their database. The President and his Attorney General need to get off the backs of American gun owners, and focus on policies that will actually work to stop border violence – without eroding basic constitutional rights."

Gary Johnson, like many others, realizes that government created the problem and trampling on our Constitutional rights is not the solution. For them to facilitate the sale of 1500 guns to the Mexican drug cartels and then to turn around and point to border violence as the justification for making it harder for law abiding citizens to purchase weapons is hypocrisy in the highest form.

We need more people like Gov Johnson who will fight to prevent Leviathan from stripping us of our freedoms.

Gary Johnson 2012 - Tolerance is American

GaryJohnson2012

Gary Johnson Calls FAMiLY LEADER Pledge “Offensive and Unrepublican”

GaryJohnson2012

July 9, 2011, Las Vegas, Nevada – Presidential candidate and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson charged today in a formal statement through his campaign that the FAMiLY LEADER “pledge” Republican candidates for President are being asked to sign is “offensive to the principles of liberty and freedom on which this country was founded”. Governor Johnson also plans to further state his position against the FAMiLY LEADER pledge this afternoon in Las Vegas, NV at a speech he will deliver at the Conservative Leadership Conference.

Johnson went on to state that “the so-called ‘Marriage Vow” pledge that FAMiLY LEADER is asking Republican candidates for President to sign attacks minority segments of our population and attempts to prevent and eliminate personal freedom. This type of rhetoric is what gives Republicans a bad name.

“Government should not be involved in the bedrooms of consenting adults. I have always been a strong advocate of liberty and freedom from unnecessary government intervention into our lives. The freedoms that our forefathers fought for in this country are sacred and must be preserved. The Republican Party cannot be sidetracked into discussing these morally judgmental issues — such a discussion is simply wrongheaded. We need to maintain our position as the party of efficient government management and the watchdogs of the “public’s pocket book”.

“This ‘pledge’ is nothing short of a promise to discriminate against everyone who makes a personal choice that doesn’t fit into a particular definition of ‘virtue’.

While the FAMiLY LEADER pledge covers just about every other so-called virtue they can think of, the one that is conspicuously missing is tolerance. In one concise document, they manage to condemn gays, single parents, single individuals, divorcees, Muslims, gays in the military, unmarried couples, women who choose to have abortions, and everyone else who doesn’t fit in a Norman Rockwell painting.

The Republican Party cannot afford to have a Presidential candidate who condones intolerance, bigotry and the denial of liberty to the citizens of this country. If we nominate such a candidate, we will never capture the White House in 2012. If candidates who sign this pledge somehow think they are scoring some points with some core constituency of the Republican Party, they are doing so at the peril of writing off the vast majority of Americans who want no part of this ‘pledge’ and its offensive language.

Via Memeorandum

Gary Johnson's 3 Part Plan For Job Growth

So simple it fits on a postcard.

GaryJohnson2012

July 8, 2011, Sante Fe, NM – Presidential candidate Gary Johnson has responded to today’s dismal jobs report by sending the White House and Congress a plan for kick-starting private sector job creation – and the plan fits on a postcard.

Urging three immediate steps: Eliminating the corporate income tax; cutting spending immediately by $300 billion to offset the temporary loss of revenue; and directing that regulations and their implementation meet a standard of creating certainty for employers, Johnson said, “With a June unemployment rate of 9.2% and the fewest new jobs added in nine months, it’s time for Washington to stop fiddling while Rome is burning. We’ve tried government ‘stimulus’ – all it did was bankrupt us. We’ve heard a lot of talk about cutting spending and reducing job-killing debt, but it hasn’t happened. And now we’re watching as our leaders quibble over tax loopholes and long-term spending reductions that may or may not actually happen.

“Americans can’t wait any longer for the hand-wringing to produce results. If Congress would do three simple things, and they could do them next week with straight up –or-down votes, I guarantee that we would see historic job creation almost overnight.

“First, instead of giving lip service to the need to reduce the corporate tax rate, just eliminate the tax altogether. It is double taxation, and the current 35% rate is among the highest of producing nations. Eliminate it, and instead of watching jobs go overseas, we would see the U.S. become the undisputed job magnet of the world.

“Recognizing that eliminating the corporate tax may cause a temporary loss of revenue and increase the deficit – at least on paper, Congress and the President can, next week, mandate immediate spending reductions of $300 billion. If they need help figuring out how to do that, I’m available. One place to start might be the wars and nation-building we don’t need to be fighting or doing. Clearly, more cuts are needed, and as president, I would submit a balanced budget for 2013.

“Finally, one can argue that the greatest obstacle to job creation in the private sector is uncertainty. From the dark cloud of health care reform and its costs to a host of other regulatory machinations coming from Washington, investors and employers have no clue what their costs are going to be or what the competitive landscape will be going forward. The President has tremendous power to adjust or even stop regulatory policies and enforcement that are preventing job creation, and the Administration and Congress need to focus like a laser on doing so.

“The politicians in DC like to make us think these types of actions are complicated and difficult. They aren’t. Certainly, we need comprehensive tax reform, such as a FairTax. And we need to cut trillions, not billions, from spending and balance the budget. And not all regulations are evil. But right now, today, we are in crisis. These simple, straightforward, steps will do more to create millions of jobs in America – quickly – than all the stimulus and budget hand-wringing Washington has ever dreamed of. And yes, if they wanted to, Congress and the President could do these three things next week.”

Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson Signs Cut, Cap And Balance Pledge

GaryJohnson2012

July 7, 2011, Sante Fe, NM – Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson today signed the Cut, Cap and Balance pledge, which opposes raising the debt ceiling unless certain conditions are met including substantial spending cuts, enforceable spending caps and passage of the Balance Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Signing the pledge Governor Johnson said, “With the debt limit deadline approaching quickly, signing this pledge is an easy decision. It’s easy because it represents the minimum Congress and the Administration should do before even considering the approval of more borrowing.

“Frankly, my only hesitation in signing it is that it doesn’t demand enough – quickly enough,” Johnson said. “We can balance the budget now, and if it takes a debt limit hammer to make it happen, then so be it. The alternative is once again postponing our financial reckoning, and we have had enough postponements already.”

The Cut, Cap and Balance pledge originated from a coalition made up of over 60 conservative and 133 tea party groups, including Let Freedom Ring, 60 Plus Association, FreedomWorks, Americans for Prosperity, and the Tea Party Express.

Johnson's Private Prisons

I’ve seen several people spam on Facebook or Twitter how private prisons are evil and by association Johnson must be too since he privatized prisons in New Mexico.

I had the opportunity to speak with Johnson about this. As with most stories, there is more to it than the private prison opponents probably realize themselves.

When Johnson became Governor the state of New Mexico had serious problems with prison over crowding. The courts ordered that the overcrowding issue be addressed and the prisons were being run by the courts or federal government at the time Johnson took office. The court order was a result of the overcrowding which was in part blamed for the “New Mexico Penitentiary Riot”. This riot is listed as one of the top 25 riots of all time resulting in 33 deaths and 200 injuries at the state run prison. The NM legislature would not approve any additional funds to build more prisons so Johnson looked to more innovative solutions.

The solution that Johnson implemented was to use private companies to build and run new prisons. These prisons ran at a much lower cost than the government-run prisons even when amortizing-in the initial construction costs. Johnson was responsible for finally meeting the two-decade-old court order to end the overcrowding New Mexico, and I think rightly should take credit for his accomplishment.

Opponents to the private prisons in NM point out that three inmates were stabbed to death and a guard was killed in a separate incident in the new private prisons. I asked Johnson about the issues in the private prisons were having in 1999 and he said that it did make a lot of news, but it was dealt with and there weren’t any more problems reports in the news that he recalled during the rest of his term. (While all death is a tragedy this pales in comparison to the “New Mexico Penitentiary Riot”.)

What about private prison companies lobbying for more prisoners?
Johnson said he never had seen anything related to this. I tend to believe Johnson when he makes statements like this. He’s not your typical politician, he's honest and straightforward, and he’s really a businessperson who got into politics to make a difference so he has nothing to gain from lying nor lose from telling the truth.

(Follow the Prison Money Trail - http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2797/ Johnson’s successor did receive a large amount of money from the private prison lobby so it is something that shouldn’t be ignored. Johnson’s position on ending the drug war would free up a lot of prison space so the argument that Johnson might be bought off by private prison lobby because they want to arrest more people so they can create more prisons holds no water in relation to Johnson.)

What is the state of the prisons in New Mexico today?

“New Mexico’s prisons are experiencing the lowest population and the lowest incidences of violence in their history. Great progress has been made towards improving housing conditions, inmate safety, and opportunities for treatment, education, and rehabilitation.” -- Attorney General’s Task Force Report on Correctional Facilities Oversight for House Memorial 72 in 2008 (Office of New Mexico).

Summary
The detractors of private prisons do raise serious issues, but there were even more serious issues with the prisons when Johnson took office. With no financial support from the legislature to correct the problems, he had to think entrepreneurially and came up with a solution that solved the problem within the budget he had to work with.

We Need Another Declaration Of Independence

By Gary Johnson

As I’ve traveled the country over the past many months, I have been known on occasion to ask crowds, given what’s going on in Washington, DC, if they want a Revolution. Now that I am a declared candidate for president, I’ve tried to cut down on the references to revolution – with the amount of travel I do, it would be really inconvenient to end up on a government watch list.

But as we celebrate Independence Day, it is entirely appropriate to consider the possibility that we need another Declaration of Independence. There’s nothing wrong with the old one. I just think we perhaps need another one.

While the list of grievances that prompted the original Declaration was quite long, and included much that doesn’t apply — yet — when it comes to our relationship with our own federal government, there are a couple that jump off the page when you look at them today.

Consider this: Much of the motivation behind the Declaration of Independence in 1776 stemmed from repressive taxation. The Tea Act, the Stamp Act…..we all remember the history lesson. What we sometimes forget, though, is what brought those taxes about: Britain was heavily in debt. Much of that debt was the consequence of having engaged in several costly wars in a short period of time – including the French and Indian War.

Lacking financing options, Britain turned to taxing the Colonies to erase the red ink – justifying it in part on the basis that the colonists were made more secure by that war. With a debt ceiling about to be breached and the government’s financing options becoming more limited, and some of the rhetoric we are hearing from the White House and others, does that scenario sound familiar or what?

Also chief among the grievances which prompted the Declaration was the chronic abuse by monarchy in Britain of its right to “Assent to Laws”. Laws passed by the colonies, before they could take effect or be enforced, had to be “assented” to by the Crown – and the Crown used that right to block the colonies from governing themselves and adapting their own laws to their own needs, innovations and best interests.

While the governance structure is a little different, is there any real dispute that our federal government has quite successfully created its own right of “Assent” in far too many areas of our lives and economy? Go to any state in the union, and you will find innovations, ideas and priorities that have the support of the legislature or governor, but which are blocked by the Feds. Health care, Medicaid, highway construction, gun rights, education, drug laws – the list goes on and on of issues in which the states are not even remotely free to act without the permission of an all-knowing federal government. Just this week, the Department of Justice once again reminded the states that implementing medicinal marijuana laws could bring the full weight of the federal government down on them. All across the country, states are having to submit health care and Medicaid plans to Washington for permission to innovate, save money, and fashion programs that might actually work without bankrupting us.

Let there be no mistake; our government in Washington has done a masterful job of reestablishing the right to Assent of Laws. We may not have to wait for the King’s blessing any more, but if you are a governor or state legislature, just try doing something innovative or important with the Assent of Washington.

And of course, there is whole notion of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Washington’s interference in those would require a book.

Yes, perhaps the time has come for a new Declaration of Independence – or at least a refresher course on the old one. The good news: As I travel the land and talk with Americans of all political persuasions and walks of life, it is clear that the same spirit of independence, the same desire for liberty, and the same willingness to push back against over-reaching government that created this great nation is alive and well today.

Americans are once again demanding Independence – and I am confident we will once again prevail.

(Video) - Who Is Gary Johnson?

PPP Poll: Obama's NM Approval at 50%, "Dark Horse" Gary Johnson Fares Best Among GOP Possibles

"New Mexico's former governor Gary Johnson actually does better against Obama than Romney

... one GOP candidate who is an asterisk in national polling actually comes closer to Obama than he [Romney] does- the state's former Governor Gary Johnson who trails by only 3 points at 46-43. Although Obama leads the rest of the Republican candidates by 16-26 points with independents, Johnson actually tops the President with that voter group at 46-37. He also picks up more than 20% of the Democratic vote.

... Johnson's unusually popular for a Republican...with voters who aren't Republicans...his problem is the primary voters who hold the key to the nomination. Numbers we'll release tomorrow show he's not doing terribly well on that front even in his home state.
- http://networkedblogs.com/jOwkv"

What PPP's poll shows is Gary Johnson has the best chance against Obama when voters get to know him, his honesty, his integrity, and his record.

His issue is winning the primary, but if the media starts giving him the coverage he deserves and covers him as the candidate with the best chance to beat Obama, then Republican voters will start paying attention and voting for him.

[Note: PPP conducted a similar poll in early February prior to Johnson declaring his candidacy, and Johnson was trailing Obama by 15 pts (51-36)]

Could Gary Johnson Beat Obama?

Gary Johnson may just be the one GOP candidate who has the best chance of unseating Obama in 2012 if he can make it successfully through the Republican primaries, which in and of itself will be a daunting task.

While the former NM Governor currently suffers from low name recognition and is considered by many to be Ron Paul-lite, when you look at his positions on abortion, immigration, gay rights, drugs and war; all social issues which are important to many Independents and center-left Democrats, Gary Johnson not only has the cross-over appeal that the other GOP candidates lack but he has the current occupant of the White House beat as well.

He is also a fiscal warrior when it comes to spending, as his record during his two terms as Governor bears out. While in office he cut taxes 14 times, vetoed 750 spending bills from the Democrat controlled legislature, balanced the budget, left the state with a budget surplus, cut 1,200 state jobs and created 20,000 private sector jobs. How many of his opponents can boast of that?

As you can see, getting the economy back on track is right in the Governor's wheel-house and that plays particularly well to the Tea Party along with Independents who are concerned about our mounting government debt.

The tough part will be getting through the primaries for Johnson since his social positions may not sit particularly well with conservatives. He too will have a tougher time wooing the libertarian wing of the GOP away from Ron Paul, who has that group firmly in his camp.

But these are challenges that Gary Johnson welcomes and has overcome in the past. As a political neophyte in the Governor's race in 1994 he was told by NM GOP party operatives that he had no chance of winning the Republican nomination, let alone beating the Democratic incumbent. We know how that turned out.

What we have in Gary Johnson is a candidate that does not fit in perfectly with any one particular voting bloc but appeals to a broader group of Americans; whether they are Republicans, Democrats or Independents, who are weary of partisan politics (really politics in general) and want to see real change.

At the end of the day what we need in the POTUS is someone who has the best interest of the American people at heart and will not pander to one particular bloc or party but will return us to the limited government, personal liberty ideals that this republic is founded on. What we need is a candidate that speaks for all of the American people and will not be co-opted or maintain the status quo.

That candidate is Gary Johnson.

(Video) Gary Johnson FOX's On Your World w/Neil Cavuto 6/22/11

GaryJohnson2012

Benzinga Radio: Governor Gary Johnson Talks Reform Platform For Presidential Run

Benzinga Radio

Matthew Boesler of Benzinger Radio had the opportunity this past week to speak with former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson on his decision to run for the Republican nomination in the 2012 presidential election. They talked about some of Governor Johnson's key platforms, such as his plans for fixing the economy and making the country's health care system sustainable. He also decided to throw in some discussion of Dodd-Frank and campaign finance for good measure. Here is what Governor Johnson had to say.

On why he's running for president:

"I find myself outraged over the fact that we are bankrupt. I think the biggest issue facing this country right now is that we are on the verge of a financial collapse. It's going to be the bond market that collapses, because there is no paying $14 trillion in debt given the $1.65 trillion deficit, this year, last year, the year before, and the years going forward. We need to balance the budget, and I'm proposing a balanced budget for the year 2013."

On taxes:

"When it comes to jobs in this country, I am proposing eliminating the federal corporate income tax, believing that would reestablish this country as the only place to start up, grow, and nurture a business."

"It's a double tax. We as individuals own the corporations. When that money gets distributed to you and I, that's when that money gets taxed."

"I would also be advocating eliminating the income tax, eliminating the IRS, and replacing that with a fair tax, which by all accounts free-market economists believe a fair tax would be just that, a fair tax. Everyone would pay their fair share and it would absolutely promote savings by doing that."

"The consumption tax that's being proposed is approximately 20% as a value-added tax that would replace all other taxes--with the exception of property tax--and that would get applied to everything it is that we purchase. By doing that, it would be fair because everybody would pay their share of that. There is also a component built in to the fair tax proposal that would exclude you from paying that tax if you didn't have a certain threshold level of income. For the most part, everyone would pay this tax and it would very much promote savings because that would be the difference between what you earned and consumption."

On spending:

"I would be proposing cutting spending by 43%, that being the amount of money that we are currently printing and borrowing. I would start off by talking about Medicaid, Medicare, and military spending, those being really the big three."

"Social Security would really be reforming Social Security; it wouldn't be about cutting Social Security. Without raising taxes, we could make Social Security solvent into the future by raising the retirement age, having a means testing--there being all sorts of options available in the means testing area--and then changing the escalator built into Social Security from the wage index to the inflation rate, which in and of itself would make Social Security solvent into the future."

On health care:

"For Medicare and Medicaid, the federal government should block-grant the states a fixed amount of money--43% less than what we're currently spending--to give health care to the poor and those over 65 to the state. Fifty laboratories of best practice, fifty laboratories of doing things in a better way. I am believing that there would be best practices. We're all very competitive; we would emulate the best practices. There would be failure. We would do everything we could to avoid the failure."

"The reform to health care needs to be free-market reform. I think that health care in this country is as far removed from the free market as it possibly could be."

"Why should there even be insurance in a health care system that was absolutely free-market driven? I would argue that 40% plus of health care right now is bureaucratic, that it doesn't need to exist. I would suggest that within health care, all sorts of tests and procedures are being mandated from a liability standpoint, not from a cost-benefit standpoint. Really, you're talking about fundamental change in how we purchase insurance, which would be you and I going out and shopping for what it is that we need and want, coupled with the marketplace delivering what we need and want in more cost-effective ways."

"I would hope [to see the health insurance industry marginalized]. The notion that we have insurance to cover ourselves for ongoing medical coverage flies in the face of cost effectiveness. It would be analogous to having grocery insurance. We don't buy grocery insurance because, number one, why would anyone sell us grocery insurance? If we had it, you would go to the grocery store and there wouldn't even be prices advertised because you and I wouldn't pay for groceries--grocery insurance would. Why would we buy ground round when we could by filets, because we don't pay for it, grocery insurance does?"

Read the rest of the interview here

The audio version of the interview can be found here

(Video) Gary Johnson On CNN’s John King USA 6/24/11

GaryJohnson2012

The Daily Caller - Gary Johnson: "I Didn’t Create A Single Job"

The Daily Caller
Presidential candidate Gary Johnson took a slightly unorthodox approach regarding job creation on Thursday. “I didn’t create a single job,” said the former Governor of New Mexico.

His statement came in response to a National Review article that complimented Johnson on his record as governor, saying that when compared to the other governors running for president, the rate of job growth was highest under his watch.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Johnson said in a statement. “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,” Johnson added. Instead, “we kept government in check, the budget balanced, and the path to growth clear of unnecessary regulatory obstacles.”

He went on to stress the positive impact government non-intervention had on job growth in New Mexico.

(Supporters make ‘idiot’s guide’ video proving Johnson’s worth to CNN)

“My priority was to get government out of the way, keep it out of the way, and allow hard-working New Mexicans, entrepreneurs and businesses to fulfill their potential,” he said. “That’s how government can encourage job growth, and that’s what government needs to do today.”

Johnson was one of the first candidates to officially enter the race for president. Considered to be a very libertarian-leaning Republican, Johnson’s platform includes a push for drug legalization in the United States.

Gary Johnson: Overcoming The Odds In New Hampshire

By Gary Johnson

I keep telling people I’m putting my chips on the table in New Hampshire.  Well, the idea of this blog is that I want to show everybody what that actually looks like and feels like.  My last two visits to New Hampshire have been amazing, and they leave me more optimistic than ever that this campaign is about to take off in a big way.

These photos are from the M/S Mount Washington Cruise on Lake Winnepesaukee hosted by the Belknap County Republicans.  It was a beautiful evening, and the conversations I had with voters were fantastic.

Talk Radio Host David Webb introduces me to the crowd aboard the M/S Mount Washington.

Despite being on a cruise, the crowd listened attentively.

As was reported in the New Hampshire Union-Leader, my speech received the loudest applause of the night!

As I’ve said many times, I never thought for a second that I’d be excluded from the debate table, but yes, it actually happened.  It was a tough pill to swallow, but I was back in New Hampshire the day following the debate for meetings with two editorial boards: the Union-Leader and Foster’s Daily Democrat.  Both published articles following the interviews (Union-Leader article, Foster’s article).

After that it was off to the Nesmith Library in Windham where Travis Blais, chair of the Windham Republican Committee, introduced me to a room full of Windham Republicans.

The Windham Town Republicans listened to every word I said and asked great questions at the end.

After a hectic Tuesday, Wednesday offered a much more peaceful venture to the northern New Hampshire town of Franconia, where celebrated author Jack McEnany had invited me to meet with some of his friends and neighbors.  Jack has written a book on north country logging called Brush Cat, and he also co-authored Bode Miller’s autobiography.

It was a beautiful day, so we all sat in the yard and talked.  His friends asked great questions, and it was really just a terrific conversation.

It was a beautiful day to sit and chat about the challenges facing America.

After taking time out for a very pleasant hike with Jack on a nearby portion of the Appalachian Trail, I headed back down to Manchester for my first look at the New Hampshire campaign headquarters.  “Wow,” I thought. “This is going to be great!”

I’ll be returning to New Hampshire again this coming weekend, and I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be competing in Saturday’s White Mountain Cycling Classic to benefit New England Disabled Sports.  My staff also tells me they are planning our Headquarters-Opening Party in Manchester for the following evening at 5 p.m., so it’s a very exciting time for this young, ambitious campaign in New Hampshire.  Thank you all for being part of this adventure and this race to win the first-in-the-nation primary!

Which GOP Candidate Has the Best Job Growth Record?

Who’s the best job creator of them all?

While all the GOP contenders are quick to hit the “jobs, jobs, jobs” mantra...

Gary Johnson has the best record of the official candidates, with a job-growth rate of 11.6 percent during his tenure

- National Review Online

Google Gary Johnson

Abortion Litmus Test Seeks to Divide GOP Primary

How should a president go about choosing the most qualified people to serve in critical Cabinet or Executive Branch positions?

One would hope the President would pick the most qualified position for the job. Unfortunately, several GOP candidates have pledged a different litmus test to weed out their initial choices: they must be pro-life (or what some might call “anti-choice”). (2012 GOP Candidates Sign Susan B. Anthony List Pro-Life Pledge)

The head of the Department of Justice is one of the appointments mentioned in the pledge. The head of the DOJ is the Attorney General of the United States. According to the DOJ's own website, it’s mission is as follows:

To enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans." - DOJ Mission Statement

Abortion is currently legal in the United States, and the U.S. Constitution does not give the Attorney General any power whatsoever to change laws. So why the litmus test? Yes, it’s true that abortion is hardly a celebrated procedure, but polls show that most Americans prefer for it to remain legal rather than banning it and forcing the abortion industry underground. (Poll: Americans Ambivalent on Abortion) Regardless, the days of applying such single-issue litmus-tests ought to be behind us by now. I mean, isn’t the country already divided enough over politics?

Signers of the Susan B. Anthony List Pro-Life Pledge include Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum. This pledge may help these candidates succeed in increasing their appeal to social conservatives, but taking a pledge such as this will seriously hurt their chances if they move on to the general election at a time when voters want to focus on the economy and not social issues.

Candidates who did not sign the litmus test pledge were Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, and Gary Johnson. Of these, only Johnson supports a woman’s right to choose. Fortunately for Johnson, more Republicans are pro-choice than the media seems to realize. Johnson’s moderate position on abortion -- opposing taxpayer funding, supporting parental notification, and having signed a ban on late-term abortions as Governor of New Mexico -- may make him an attractive choice not only to pro-choice Republicans and independents, but to pro-life voters who have decided that this should no longer be considered a litmus test issue.

Gary Johnson On The Issues - Drug Policy Reform

Drug Policy Reform

Despite our best efforts at enforcement, education and interdiction, people continue to use and abuse illegal drugs.

The parallels between drug policy today and Prohibition in the 1920’s are obvious, as are the lessons our nation learned. Prohibition was repealed because it made matters worse. Today, no one is trying to sell our kids bathtub gin in the schoolyard and micro-breweries aren’t protecting their turf with machine guns. It’s time to apply that thinking to marijuana. By making it a legal, regulated product, availability can be restricted, under-age use curtailed, enforcement/court/incarceration costs reduced, and the profit removed from a massive underground and criminal economy.

By managing marijuana like alcohol and tobacco – regulating, taxing and enforcing its lawful use – America will be better off. The billions saved on marijuana interdiction, along with the billions captured as legal revenue, can be redirected against the individuals committing real crimes against society. Harder drugs should not be legalized, but their use should be dealt with as a health issue – not a criminal justice issue.

Getting Smart about Drugs

The History Is Clear
AMERICANS WERE PROMISED IN THE 1970'S AND 1980's that hefty enforcement budgets and tougher sentences would lead to less crime and drug abuse.

* We have all been raised to believe that there are only two camps in the drug policy universe -- "pro-drug" and "anti-drug" -- and that any person who does not support the "War on Drugs" is automatically "pro-drug." This simply isn't the case.
* Since only criminal gangs and cartels are willing to take the risks associated with large-scale black market distribution, the War on Drugs has made a lot of dangerous people and organizations very rich and very powerful.
* The same happened with Alcohol Prohibition (1920-1933). Prohibition had only a minimal effect on the desire of Americans to drink (in some cases, it clearly made drinking more attractive), but pushing alcohol underground had other effects: overdose deaths, gang violence, and other prohibition-related harms increased dramatically during the Prohibition years.

Make Marijuana Legal
OVER A MILLION AND A HALF AMERICANS were arrested last year on drug charges, and nearly 40% of those arrests were for marijuana possession alone. Does this make sense?

* A recent Gallup poll reports that 46% of Americans now agree that marijuana should be legalized, a dramatic increase in support that reflects Americans' increased knowledge and understanding of the issue. Proposals to regulate marijuana similarly to alcohol have been considered in several states, and Governor Johnson has supported those efforts; he believes the federal government should end its prohibition mandate and allow each state to pursue its own desired policy.
* Governor Johnson believes it is insane to arrest roughly 800,000 people a year for choosing to use a natural substance that is, by any reasonable objective standard, less harmful than alcohol, a drug that is advertised at every major sporting event.
* As Governor Johnson often points out to concerned parents, "it will never be legal for a person to smoke marijuana, become impaired, and get behind the wheel of a car or otherwise do harm to others, and it will never be legal for kids to smoke marijuana." But we have to understand that marijuana is our nation's #1 cash crop despite the prohibition; it will always be available to those who really wish to use it.
* When polled, high school kids say marijuana is easier to get than alcohol. Perhaps this is because they buy from black market dealers who do not ask for ID?
* Legalization of marijuana would instantly and dramatically improve conditions on our southern border. Marijuana is Mexico's #1 illegal export, dramatically reducing the power and wealth of the drug lords, and instantly helping to restore stability in a nation whose stability and sustainability is truly vital to our economic and national security interests. If we truly wish to reduce border violence, take the profit out of it.

Harm Reduction
BEFORE WE CAN GET SERIOUS ABOUT REDUCING the harms associated with drugs, we have to accept that there will never be a drug-free society.

* To create a drug-free society, we'd have to build a police apparatus so intrusive that all Americans would have to be under surveillance 24 hours a day... presumably for their own good. Would citizens of the "land of the free" ever stand for that?
* Abuse of hard drugs is a health problem that should be dealt with by health experts, not a problem that should be clogging up our courts, jails, and prisons with addicts. Instead of continuing to arrest and incarcerate drug users, we should seriously consider the examples of countries such as Portugal and the Netherlands, and we should ultimately choose to adopt policies which aim to reduce death, disease, violence, and crime associated with dangerous drugs.
* Honest, effective education will be key to succeeding with this transition. America has cut teen cigarette use in half, not by criminalizing possession and use, but through a combination of honest education and sensible regulation.
* We can never totally eliminate drug addiction and drug abuse. We can, however, minimize these harms and reduce the negative effects they have on society by making sure drug abusers are able to access effective treatment options (jail is not an effective treatment option).

(Audio) Gary Johnson At Strong America Now Event In Iowa

O.Kay Henderson

Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson is the second Republican presidential candidate to speak at today’s Strong America Now event in Des Moines.

He pledged to present a balanced budget to congress for 2013.  “And that means cutting $1.65 trillion from the federal budget,” Johnson said, getting applause.  “We’re on the verge of a financial collapse…This is not a problem for our kids and our grandkids. This is a problem we’ve got right now and it needs to be addressed.”

He got the biggest crowd response of the day (so far) when he laid out his proposals regarding tax policy. ”‘This is what we should be cussing, discussing,” Johnson said, then he told the crowd he’d eliminate the federal income tax and the I.R.S., replacing it with the Fair Tax (a national sales tax).

Johnson talked about foreign policy as well, saying he “initially” thought the U.S. mission in Afghanistan was warranted.  “Let’s get out of Iraq and Afghanistan tomorrow,” he said, getting a smattering of applause. “…A through Z I’m opposed to what we’re doing in Libya.”

Johnson also got a huge burst of applause for his call to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and return the responsibility of education to the states.  “It’s kind of a no-brainer,” he said, drawing more applause.

Johnson got some applause for his proposal on immigration reform.  Work visas would secure the borders, according to Johnson, who added beefing up border security would be a wasted investment.  It was a seque to his call for decriminalizing drugs, as he said 90 percent of the nation’s drug problem is “prohibition related.”

Listen to Johnson’s speech: JohnsonJune18

Download

During the Q&A section, Johnson was quizzed about his call to cut defense spending by 43 percent and pressed hard about his stand on drugs.

The Atlantic: Gary Johnson Crashes The N.H. Republican Debate

The Atlantic

The former governor didn't get an invite, so he sat alone in a room, answered the questions, and posted his answers to YouTube

It used to be that a YouTube presidential debate consisted of citizens uploading questions so that candidates could answer them. After being excluded from the GOP presidential primary debate held in New Hampshire on Tuesday, however, former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson turned that model on its head, taking the questions from the televised event and splicing them together with answers he recorded and uploaded to the video sharing site. Unlike the other candidates, he got to answer every question!

This is interesting in that media organizations that host debates can no longer act as gatekeepers: CNN and the New Hampshire Union Leader thought Johnson didn't merit inclusion, but Will Wilkinson of The Economist disagreed, as did I, and we're free to embed his answers for our audiences.

There are dozens of other lesser known candidates running for president. They aren't successful former two-term governors, and I'd never promise to embed video of their answers to debate questions. But do you know what? If another lesser known produced a 40 minute clip with answers so compelling that I thought they could go viral, or were worthy of wider attention, I'd totally hit the embed button again. And other journalists and indy-bloggers with different taste in candidates might exercise their own judgments and give wider attention to their own pols of choice. It isn't a perfect system, but compared to letting CNN makes the call it strikes me as an improvement. And one day, it might be a viable method for breaking into a race in a way never before seen.

Rolling Stone: Meet Gary Johnson, The GOP's Invisible Candidate

H/T Gary Johnson Grassroots Forum

Meet Gary Johnson, the GOP's Invisible Candidate

Gary Johnson is the Rodney Dangerfield of the GOP’s 2012 field. He gets no respect. Despite being a successful former two-term governor of New Mexico who shrank state government by wielding his veto pen with fervor, an entrepreneur who sold the 1,000 person construction business he built from scratch, and an accomplished athlete (who else in the field has summited Everest?) Johnson has struggled to break through – with voters or the press.

The latest insult? CNN – which saw fit to invite Herman Cain, the former CEO of a third-rate pizza chain who has never held elected office, to its debate in New Hampshire the other night – told Johnson to take a hike because he's polling below 2 percent.

That’s a shame, because in an interview with Rolling Stone, Johnson proved himself to be one of the more honest – and certainly more unorthodox – politicians in the running.

Johnson calls himself a "classical liberal," though others might prefer "libertarian." He favors legalizing marijuana (he says he toked up as recently as 2008) and prostitution and supports a woman’s right to choose, liberal immigration reform and an anti-war foreign policy – even as he’s called for draconian spending cuts and for dropping the corporate tax rate to zero as a means to jumpstart jobs creation.

Get Johnson talking and he’ll prove to you that he’s no joke. Perhaps in the next round the august political tastemakers at CNN will see fit to find him a podium – if only to subject him to John King’s incisive "this or that" questioning.

Read the complete interview here.

Cross posted at The Libertarian Patriot and the Left Coast Rebel

Gary Johnson answers every question from CNN Debate (updated)

The old version of the youtube with the missing answer to the ethanol question is here: http://youtu.be/CD5uctRxDmg, but the campaign will be taking the old version down soon.

(Video) Gary Johnson On Freedom Watch 6/13/11

"The talk of the town is that Governor Johnson is not here [the debate] because CNN wouldn't permit it."

"Climb Mt. CNN" Moneybomb

Despite Gary's exclusion from the CNN debate in NH, we know that Gary is still a viable candidate, that he is not some dark horse, and that he has the resume that qualifies him for the job. He polls nationally at 2-3%, meeting CNN's criteria. Polling shouldn't be an issue, as both former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton polled at 1% at this point in their respective election cycles. Gary also polled at 2% a mere 4 months before the first NM Republican primary and still managed to come out on top.

So we ask all Gary Johnson supporters to donate what ever amount they can on June 11-13, which is the weekend prior and going into the debate. Gary has faced many great obstacles before, whether it is the challenge of running his successful business that he started from literally nothing; running for governor of a state with absolutely zero name recognition and winning the primary and general elections; or climbing Mt. Everest, no obstacle is too great, and we must persevere past setbacks and use them to our advantage. Help Gary climb "Mt. CNN"!

Visit https://donate.GaryJohnson2012.com/ and donate your most generous amount, and remember that there is no such thing as a donation too small. Even a $10 donation goes a long way.

(Facebook users can join the event here: "Climb Mt. CNN" Moneybomb on Facebook)

Gary Johnson On The Issues - Civil Liberties

Civil Liberties

Civil liberties are so foundational to America that the first eight amendments to the Constitution address them directly. These amendments enshrine government’s duty to protect individual liberties, including the rights to free speech and free association.

But today, government has created for itself sweeping powers to monitor the private lives of individuals and otherwise intrude upon our daily activities, our households and our businesses. The extent of the government’s reach today would be unrecognizable to the Founders.

Much of the recent erosion in civil liberties has occurred in the name of national security. But we can – and must -- combat threats to our safety while adhering to due process and the rule of law.

End the assault on privacy
THE FREEDOMS ON WHICH AMERICA WAS FOUNDED are now under attack from the very people charged with protecting and upholding them.

* The PATRIOT Act should be allowed to expire, which would restore proper judicial oversight to federal investigations and again require federal investigators to prove probable cause prior to executing a search.
* Habeus corpus should be respected entirely, requiring the government to either charge incarcerated individuals with a crime or be released.
* The TSA should take a risk-based approach to airport security. Only high-risk individuals should be subjected to invasive pat-downs and full-body scans.
* The TSA should not have a monopoly on airport security. Airports and airlines should be encouraged to seek the most effective methods for screening travelers, including private sector screeners. Screeners outside of government can be held fully accountable for their successes and failures.

Government must be neutral on personal beliefs
WE ARE A NATION OF MANY PEOPLES and beliefs. The only way to respect all citizens is to allow each to make personal decisions themselves.

* Life is precious and must be protected. A woman should be allowed to make her own decisions during pregnancy until the point of viability of a fetus.
* Stem cell research should only be completed by private laboratories that operate without federal funding.
* Government should not impose its values upon marriage. It should protect the rights of couples to engage in civil unions if they wish, as well as the rights of religious organizations to follow their beliefs.

Johnson appears on John Stossel's show for a full hour

YouTube video shows Gary Johnson qualified for NH debate

I put together this video to go along with the post "Governor Gary Johnson has Qualified for the Debate!". It steps through the debate criteria, looking at the polling data, and doing the math.

Gary Johnson On The Issues - The Economy and Taxes

The Economy and Taxes

Americans are more concerned than ever before about the future of our economy, and those concerns are well-founded. As a nation, we simply can't afford to continue borrowing 43 cents out of every dollar we spend. Balancing the budget will mean making some serious changes in Washington, but these will be the corrections America needs to remain a free, prosperous, and secure nation.
The U.S. must adopt 3 approaches:

Cut Spending
THIS RECESSION HAS FORCED FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES across America to make hard choices and limit their expenditures. We must now expect our elected officials to make the tough calls that will keep our government on a sustainable path moving forward. We must restrain spending across the board:

* Revise the terms of entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, which threaten to bankrupt the nation's future.
* Eliminate the costly and ineffective military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan; limit defense spending to actions that truly protect the United States.
* Stop spending on the fiscal stimulus, transportation, energy, housing, and all other special interests. The U.S. must restrain spending across the board.

Cut Taxes
THE U.S. TAX SYSTEM IMPOSES AN ENORMOUS toll on productivity through high marginal rates, absurd complexity, loopholes for the well-connected, and incentives for wasteful decisions. The government must lower the tax burden to stimulate the economy.

* Eliminate punitive taxation of savings and investment.
* Simplify the tax code; stop using it to reward special interests and control behavior.
* Eliminate the corporate income tax so that America will once again be a great place to start a business.

Reduce Federal Involvement in the Economy
MUCH FEDERAL INTERVENTION IS A PAYOUT TO special interests or counterproductive meddling that stifles competition, innovation, and growth.

We should:

* Reject auto and banking bailouts, state bailouts, corporate welfare, cap-and-trade, card check, and the mountain of regulation that protects special interests rather than benefiting consumers or the economy.
* Restrict Federal Reserve policy to maintaining price stability, not bailing out financial firms or propping up the housing sector.
* Eliminate government support of Fannie and Freddie.
* Reduce or eliminate federal involvement in education; let states expand successful reforms such as vouchers and charter schools.
* Legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana, rather than wasting money on an expensive and futile prohibition.
* Eliminate needless barriers to free trade and make it easier for would-be legal immigrants to apply for work visas.