Mike Church Interviews Gary Johnson 6/12

Mike Church Show

Mandeville, LA - Exclusive Interview - Governor Gary Johnson on the Dude Maker Hotline with us. Governor, does it concern you that it seems both of the major parties seem not to care about how our wars are waged, how they are declared, and how we continue fighting them? Even up to this moment right now, there are people that don’t have a decision to make when it comes to sending troops to Syria or Iran, but they sure as heck are out there advocating for that proposition. Does that bother you? What would you do as president to stop that? Check out today's transcript for Mr. Johnson's answer...

Begin Mike Church Show Transcript

Mike: Governor Johnson, former governor of the great State of New Mexico, now a candidate for the Libertarian Party for the Office of the Presidency of the United States. Governor, it’s been way too long. How are you, my friend?

Gary Johnson: I’m fine. Headed off to Las Vegas this morning for Freedom Fest.

Mike: Oh, you’re at Freedom Fest? Tom Woods will be there, a bunch of dignitaries.

Gary Johnson: I’m about to head off to Las Vegas.

Mike: Governor Johnson, it’s been a while, so let’s catch up really quick. You’re making some press here lately. I wanted to ask you if you’ve read your press on Politico, Washington Post, Fox News, Wall Street Journal saying that Johnson could be Buchanan and Nader in 2000, that you could play the role of spoiler. You’re not running for president to play the role of spoiler, are you, my friend?

Gary Johnson: No, I’m not. The idea here is to win. The only way that happens, Mike, is if I poll 15 percent and get to be on the national debate stage with Romney and Obama. I am going to be one of three candidates on the ballot in all 50 states, which I think also gives some impetus to getting on stage, when people realize that. I am the only candidate that’s talking about slashing spending. I’m the only candidate that’s really talking about maintaining civil liberties. I’m the only candidate that wants to get out of Afghanistan tomorrow, bring the troops home, so end our military conflicts.

Mike: Last time I spoke with you, you had just articulated a plan, I believe, and maybe I got my numbers reversed, it was either cut 34 percent or 43 percent of next year’s budget. Are you still with that and what is the number?

Gary Johnson: Yeah, good job. It’s 43 percent. That would be the amount of money that we’re printing and borrowing to maintain this deficit, so $1.4 trillion reduction in federal spending, believing that unless we slash spending, we’re going to find ourselves in the midst of a monetary collapse where the money that we have doesn’t buy anything because of the accompanying inflation that goes along with what it is we’re doing. I don’t think we’re immune from the mathematics of continuing to borrow and print 43 cents out of every dollar we’re spending.

Mike: Governor Gary Johnson on the Dude Maker Hotline with us. Governor, does it concern you that it seems both of the major parties seem not to care about how our wars are waged, how they are declared, and how we continue fighting them? Even up to this moment right now, there are people that don’t have a decision to make when it comes to sending troops to Syria or Iran, but they sure as heck are out there advocating for that proposition. Does that bother you? What would you do as president to stop that?

Gary Johnson: It infuriates me. For starters, as president, if you were going to engage the U.S. military in a conflict, Congress would have to buy off on that. It infuriates me that politicians beat on their chest and they’re going to save you and I from terrorism at a cost of what? Men and servicewomen losing their lives, men and servicewomen coming back to the country with their limbs blown off. That infuriates me and it’s politicians with a basis in really reelecting as opposed to national security, as opposed to genuine defense of this country.

Mike: So you would be the -- George Bush, Sr. was called the education president. You would be the common defense president.

Gary Johnson: I would be the peace candidate. Elected president, I would declare peace and bring our troops home from the conflicts that we are involved in. These conflicts come at a gigantic cost: men and servicewomen losing their lives, and the treasure that we are spending building roads, schools, bridges, highways and hospitals in other countries as opposed to here. Don’t we have those same needs here?

Read the rest of the interview here