Gov. Gary Johnson Endorses Judge Jim Gray For LP VP Nomination

Gary Johnson 2012

April 30, 2012, Newport Beach, CA – Former Judge of the California Superior Court of Orange County Jim Gray has announced he is seeking the Libertarian Party’s nomination for Vice-President of the United States. The Libertarian Party will nominate its candidates for President and Vice-President at its national convention this week (May 2-6) in Las Vegas, NV. Former New Mexico Governor and Libertarian Party candidate for President Gary Johnson has strongly encouraged Gray to seek the nomination for Vice-President.

The Libertarian Party nominees for President and Vice-President will be on the ballot in all 50 states in the November election, the only party other than the Republicans and Democrats expected to appear on all 50 states’ ballots.

Judge Gray, who was appointed to the California Superior Court bench by Gov. George Deukmejian and served from 1989 to 2010, is a nationally known and respected author and speaker who has long advocated the reform of both California’s and the nation’s drug laws. Gray was the 2004 Libertarian candidate for the US Senate from California. He is the author of three books, including Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed: A Judicial Indictment Of War On Drugs, a critique of the failed war on drugs.

Prior to his tenure on the bench, Gray served both as a federal prosecutor and as a staff judge advocate for the U.S. Navy’s JAG Corps in Guam and California. For his Navy service, he was awarded National Defense, Vietnam Service and Combat Action Ribbons.

Endorsing Judge Gray’s candidacy, Governor Johnson said, “Jim Gray is not only a highly-respected jurist, but he is also a proven leader on issues of concern to Americans – from drug policy to civil liberties to ethics. I am proud he is joining me to offer America a real choice in this election, and excited that his forceful and extremely credible voice will be a vital part of our campaign. Judge Gray is a reformer with the track record and credentials to prove it, and I urge the Libertarian Party to nominate him for Vice-President of the United States.”

Announcing his intention to seek the LP vice-presidential nomination, Judge Gray said, “Virtually my entire career – as an attorney, prosecutor, judge, writer, speaker and public policy advocate – has been devoted to the cause of putting government, through its laws and policies, in its proper role as a defender of individual liberty and rights. From drug policy reform to competition and choice in education, I believe and have worked to advance the idea that smaller government, living within its means, is key to not only freedom, but opportunity and prosperity.

“Especially with the candidacy of former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, the 2012 election offers an historic opportunity for libertarian ideals and policies to be a very real part of the national debate. I am committed to that debate, and excited to join Governor Johnson in providing the voters with a credible, proven alternative to the business-as-usual that will be offered by the two ‘major’ parties in November. Gary Johnson is an experienced Chief Executive with an eight-year record of putting libertarian principles into practice, cutting the size and cost of government while creating a record number of jobs.

“As the only candidates for President and Vice President who will be on the ballot in all 50 states who will cut Federal Spending by 43%, oppose the war in Afghanistan and the failed and expensive war on drugs, repeal the Patriot Act, support gay marriage equality and the legalization of marijuana, we will offer voters a choice voters crave.

“Millions of Americans are looking for leaders who will reject the wrong-headed direction the country is being taken by the Republicans and Democrats. They realize both parties have become ‘big government’ parties. They are looking for leaders who will not only stop government from spending too much, but from doing too much when it comes to our personal lives, our families, and our businesses. Our task is to offer the voters that choice, and I am proud to join Gary Johnson in taking on that task.”

Video - MSNBC 4/22 Gary Johnson: The Libertarian Leading Man

H/T RedStateEclectic

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Gary Johnson - Legalize Marijuana To Reduce Violence

There is only one candidate for President who will put an end to the War on Cannabis; former New Mexico Governor and Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson.

Raw Story 

Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson (R) knows what it’s like to wade out to the fringes of an issue and wait for everyone else to catch up with him.

Back in 1999, he was onto flaking ”harm reduction” policies before the whole political establishment, including President Barack Obama’s own people, adopted the meme. Today, he’s ahead of the curve again, this time on pinpointing a clear strategy for reducing violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Right now, 75 percent of the cartels’ activities revolve around marijuana,” the Libertarian Party presidential candidate told Raw Story recently. “I think as a nation, when we legalize marijuana, we’re going to take giant steps toward drug reform, which will start off with looking at drugs as a public health issue, rather then a criminal justice issue. I just think legalizing marijuana [will cause] at least a 75 percent reduction in border violence due to the drugs [trade].”

It has been a long time since Johnson gave drug reformers a bear hug while he was in office. To this day, he says no other currently serving public official in the U.S. with a higher rank has followed in his footsteps. Even so, Johnson believes he wasn’t really that far away from the conclusion many are reaching today.

“What I wanted to lay on the table was, I’m going to sign off on legalization of marijuana, but I’m also going to sign off on any legislative initiatives that are harm reduction strategies,” he explained.

Gary Johnson At 6% Against Obama/Romney In Latest PPP Poll

Gary Johnson may be down a point from last month but his favorability rating has jumped 2 points to 6% and his unfavorability has dropped 3 points to 19%, with 75% still unsure.

Romney may be seeing a bump now that he has basically sown up the GOP nomination but as Reagan biographer Craig Shirley puts it, "conservatives will seriously consider walking away and looking at the candidacy of Gary Johnson."

I would also expect to Ron Paul supporters get over their sour grapes and come to their senses to back a Johnson candidacy once the GOP race is officially over. Paul's backers need to come to the realization that it is about the message, not the messenger, and that Gary Johnson best represents the limited-government, individual-liberty ideals that Dr Paul espouses.

Ron Paul's supporters need to remember that prior to his running, the Texas Congressman went as far as saying that he’d “most likely” throw his weight behind Johnson, stating “I can’t imagine endorsing anybody else” if he didn't enter the race.

I urge those of you in the Paul camp to get behind Gary Johnson. With your help we can push the former two-term New Mexico Governor over the FEC's arbitrary 15% bar to get on the debate stage against Barry and Mitt.

There is a choice this time around if we have any hopes of stopping Leviathan.

If you are a conservative, libertarian or independent who is considering voting for Romney solely because he is the lesser of two evils; just remember, you are still voting for an evil.

Via Memeorandum

Gary Johnson "Best Of Both Worlds"

Leader-Telegram

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson said he believes a majority of Americans would classify themselves as both fiscally conservative — a trait historically associated with Republicans — and socially tolerant — a characteristic traditionally linked with Democrats — and that’s why he describes his views as the “best of both worlds.”

The primary goal of his candidacy, Johnson said, is to spread the Libertarian message of less government and more individual freedoms, including support for gay marriage and legalizing marijuana.

Johnson’s fiscal philosophy is grounded in the belief that the United States is in bad financial shape and faces a monetary collapse if it doesn’t balance its budget.

“We’re in deep, deep trouble, and we need to fix it,” Johnson said. “And there’s nothing about Obama or Romney that suggests any of this will get fixed if they’re elected.”

Johnson, 59 a former construction company owner, is proud of the reputation he developed while leading New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as the most fiscally conservative governor in the country and the “Gov. Veto” nickname he earned for issuing more than 750 vetoes during his time in office.

Vetoing bills is a good thing when it means stopping wasteful spending on laws that don’t really make a difference in people’s lives, said Johnson, who described himself as a Libertarian governor “under the guise of being a Republican.”

The Obama-Romney-Johnson Three Way Race

Examiner.com

The three most likely candidates to be on the ballot in all 50 states for the office of President are current President Obama, Republican Mitt Romney and Libertarian Gary Johnson. Many American voters have been asking where exactly do they stand on the major issues affecting Americans.

The mainstream media has its focus on side issues rather than the hardcore issues. We do our best to inform the public here.

Marrige Equality: Obama and Romney are against it, Gary Johnson is for it.

Legalization of Medicinal Marijuana: Obama and Romney are against it. Gary Johnson is for it.

Staunch Advocate for Gun Rights: Obama and Romney have voted for gun control, Johnson supports more adherence to the 2nd Amendment.

War: Obama and Romney either have or have voiced support of engaging in unconstitutional wars. Johnson is not for war except in cases of true defense of the U.S.A. and potentially where innocent civilians are being killed by their oppressive governments or “warlords”.

Best on Civil Liberties: the ACLU rated Gary Johnson best in their Liberty Watch Report with Obama a distant third and Romney coming in last – tied with Rick Santorum.

Committed to slashing the federal budget: Obama and Romney have not offered a plan to do so and have plans to do the opposite. Gary Johnson has committed to presenting a balanced budget slashing the federal budget by 43% in his first year as President.

Increasing taxes: Romney and Obama both voted or signed legislation to increase government spending and increase taxes while in office. Gary Johnson while Governor of New Mexico vetoed such legislation and decreased government spending and taxes in the state.

Did Wayne Allyn Root Snub Gary Johnson And Endorse Romney?

Sure sounds like it to me

Bill Cunningham podcast

I think the important thing now is to make sure Obama is not elected, and that means in my mind, listen I would love for a libertarian like Gary Johnson the two term governor of New Mexico would actually get elected President, but I think we all know that’s not going to happen so therefore it’s got to be Romney there is no choice.

Root, the 2008 Libertarian Party Vice Presidential nominee and current Chairman of the Libertarian National Campaign Committee tries to backpedal, claiming his words were taken out of context in the comment section of an Independent Political Report post on the subject.

Wow I just saw this. Seems certain LP people are as bad as the two parties in grabbing a sentence out of context. And leaving out the meat of the interview. That is not what I said. And you know that's not what I said.

I said in a perfect world I’d like to see Gary Johnson elected President, he’d be the best choice out there…I also said several times on the call that Mitt Romney is a big spending, big government Northeast liberal…that he will make very little difference because of this…

That’s what I said. It’s on tape. Sorry folks but you can’t take things out of context.

Root can deny this all he wants but his words in the audio are as plain as day, "it’s got to be Romney there is no choice.", that's what he said.

It's time for Root to step down as LP Campaign Committee Chairman as a party cannot have one of it's most influential members even tacitly endorsing a candidate from another party. This does nothing but undermine Governor Johnson's campaign as Root's words will be undoubtedly used by the Romney camp later on to sway Libertarians and others to vote for the GOP nominee.

The fact remains that Romney is nothing more than an Obama-lite candidate who will do little to stop Leviathan's encroachment of our liberties and debasement of our economy.

What difference does it make if you drive the car off the cliff at 100 mph or 80 mph; you've still driven off the cliff.

Gary Johnson is the last hope for our Republic in 2012 and has the proven track record to make the changes needed to turn this nation around for the better.

UPDATE: Wayne Allyn Root attempts to clarify his comment even further -Independent Political Report

Gary Johnson The Anti-War 2012 Candidate

If you are one of the 60% who believe that the war in Afghanistan is no longer worth fighting, you have only one candidate that will be on the Presidential ballot in November who will put an immediate end to the hostilities; Gary Johnson.

The choice is yours; are you going to vote your conscience or vote for a candidate who will continue the killing of American soldiers?

Politico

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is branding himself as the anti-war candidate of the 2012 campaign, dismissing both President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney as standard-bearers for “interventionism.”

Johnson, who dropped out of the GOP primary and is now seeking the Libertarian Party’s nomination, said opposition to the war in Afghanistan represents a potent force in presidential politics — one that neither major-party candidate is in a position to channel.

“Get out tomorrow,” Johnson said in an interview with POLITICO. “We should have gotten out of Afghanistan 11 years ago. Eleven years ago! Romney is saying we should stay in Afghanistan until the mission is accomplished. What does that mean?”

Obama, on the other hand, has “doubled down” on an unpopular and directionless war, Johnson said. What’s more, he warned that the White House could try to gain electoral points with a strike on Iran before the November election out of a “political calculation … that bombing Iran shows strength.”

If Johnson wins the Libertarian nomination next month, he would become the only general-election candidate with a down-the-line stance against the unpopular war. For a long-shot third-party candidate, who will essentially be campaigning for a place in the fall debates, Afghanistan is conceivably the kind of issue that could draw national attention to an underdog effort.

Asked if he believed the country was more secure now than it was when Obama took office, Johnson argued that intervention in Afghanistan — which he initially supported — and the war in Iraq have had a strongly negative effect on national security.

“Is it safer today, as opposed to after 9-11? No. I think we’ve made more enemies,” he said. “What we do, I think, is create 100 million enemies that we wouldn’t have.”

Citing the alleged massacre of Afghan civilians by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, Johnson asked: “What does that do to that village and to Afghanistan and what they think about America?”

Gov. Gary Johnson: Fed Raid On CA Legalization Advocate An Outrage

Gary Johnson 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GOV. GARY JOHNSON CALLS FEDERAL RAID ON MARIJUANA ADVOCATE’S HOME AN “OUTRAGE”

Calls Obama Crack-Down Harrassment

April 3, 2012, Washington, DC – Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, seeking the Libertarian Presidential nomination, today assailed the Obama Administration for ” a systematic crack-down on medical marijuana as allowed by state law”. Johnson said the Obama Administration’s action was contrary to the President’s assurances on the issue in 2008 and a memo released by his Justice Department two years ago.

Responding to searches conducted Monday by federal agents of the home and business of a long-time Oakland, CA, marijuana legalization advocate, Johnson called on the Obama Administration to “find better things to do with our tax dollars than raiding Richard Lee’s home in a selective enforcement of bad law.”

Monday morning, federal agents executed search warrants at the home of Richard Lee, a well-known advocate for marijuana legalization in California, and at an Oakland cannabis industry trade school Lee founded. The school, as well as Lee’s other medical marijuana businesses, are operated in accordance with California law and local ordinances. Monday’s searches appear to be part of an on-going effort by the government to assert federal enforcement against California’s medical marijuana laws.

Johnson, a vocal advocate for drug law reform, said, “It defies belief that, at the very same time that President Obama is standing in the Rose Garden with the President of Mexico talking about efforts to reduce drug-related violence, his federal agents are harassing a respected advocate for sensible drug law reform by raiding his home and business and ‘detaining’ him for questioning. Richard Lee isn’t the problem. Failed marijuana prohibition is the problem, and making an ‘example’ of a citizen who is operating within state and local law is not only offensive, but a massive waste of law enforcement time and money.

“It wasn’t enough to send in the DEA and the U.S. Marshals. They felt compelled to send the Internal Revenue Service in as well. The voters of California have made it clear that they regard medical marijuana, regulated and dispensed in a safe manner, to be acceptable in their communities. Do the Feds not have more pressing responsibilities than to persecute those, like Richard Lee, who are simply trying to provide a service those communities have clearly said they want?

“I would like to think America is not a place where the federal police come knocking on the doors of legitimate businesses and private homes just to ‘enforce’ laws that make no sense and to shut down private enterprises that are, in fact, reducing harm and offering an alternative to the dangers of the illegal drug trade.”