Libertarian candidate generate most sharing of iSideWith results

Interestingly, when people find out they side with the Libertarian candidate in the Presidential Race based on the issues (on www.iSideWith.com) they are more likely to share their results than supporters of any of the other candidates.

Could it be that the two million plus quiz takers are finding out about a candidate for the first time and are excited they have a real choice so they are sharing it?

Also, note the small print - if you take the iSideWith quiz on a Wednesday and you share your results with your Facebook friends, then even more of  your friends are most likely to take the quiz, too.

Gary Johnson on Paul Ryan: "He Is Anything But A Libertarian"

Reason

Gary Johnson is not happy that some in the media call Republican vice presidential candidate and Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan a libertarian.

“He voted for the Patriot Act, he voted for the National Defense Appropriation Act, he voted to ban online poker, he’s proposing a budget that gets balanced in thirty years. He is anything but a libertarian, anything but,” said Johnson after a packed campaign dinner at Hill’s Café.

Johnson, the Libertarian Party nominee for president, noted that Ryan was a strict social conservative that voted to restrict abortion rights and against marriage equality.

“Paul Ryan submitted personhood legislation that is anything but libertarian,” he said. Johnson's eyes widened and his volume increased as he went into detail about Ryan’s support for a national version of Virginia’s controversial transvaginal ultrasound law.

Johnson suggested that all the talk of Ryan as a libertarian and follower of Ayn Rand may help him because people will see pretty quickly that former New Mexico governor is the only real libertarian running.

Jack Hunter Furthers The Case For Gary Johnson, He Just Doesn't Know It

Jack Hunter is continuing his campaign to justify Rand Paul's endorsement of Romney by dredging up Murray Rothbard's endorsement of Poppy Bush in 1992 to further his argument that Rand was right to back Mittens.

Now Jack does make some good points as to why Rand had to endorse Romney, whether you accept them or not, but this got me to thinking, who would Rothbard endorse this time around and would he think that Gary Johnson is "libertarian enough"?

As we all know, Robert Wenzel called out Gov Johnson for his failure to be versed in libertarian authors and writing. Johnson's libertarianism has also been called into question by various hardcore Libertarians, Austrian School adherents and Ron Paul supporters for a multitude of reasons, chiefly that he is not a by the book libertarian, that his pragmatic view of governing based on a cost/benefit analysis has no root in libertarianism and finally that he is a statist because he supports the fair tax, taxation of marijuana, limited military intervention only with Congressional approval and did not pardon drug offenders during his two terms as New Mexico's Governor.

Okay, so Gary Johnson is an 8 on a scale of 1-10 but does that disqualify him from consideration especially given that the only other candidates on the ballot in all 50 states rate about a 1 or 2? At least a Gary Johnson Presidency would be a step in the right direction and as he says, if we don't like it we can always go back

I'm no Rothbard scholar by a long shot but I think in this cycle, he would be supporting Gary Johnson given that he is by far the most libertarian candidate we have a choice of, especially when you look at the fact that there is little daylight between the positions of Mittens or Barry on the major issues. Yes both candidates differ on some social issues, but where the rubber hits the road both men are pro-big government, pro-war, pro-police state and anti-liberty.

If you take a long, hard look at the three candidates' records and beliefs, to use Rothbard's own words, "there is only one rational answer for the conservative, the libertarian, or indeed any sensible American".

That answer should be Gary Johnson.

Is Gary Johnson "Libertarian Enough"?

Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson's libertarian cred has been called into question from almost the moment he threw his hat in the ring as a GOP hopeful last year. Conventional wisdom among the dyed-in-the-wool, hardcore purists is a very short answer; no. Gary Johnson is not a dogmatic libertarian, he strays off the reservation on some issues and is not doctrinaire on others, so hence he is not a satisfactory candidate.

The latest kerfuffle in libertarian circles regarding the former New Mexico Governor is his recent interview on the Robert Wenzel Show where Johnson was at a loss to name his favorite libertarian books and authors other than Milton Friedman. Labeled by some as his "Sarah Palin Moment", Johnson admitted that he is not very well read when it comes to libertarianism or Austrian Economics, not having read Rothbard, von Mises or Hazlitt to name a few.

So Gary Johnson is not Ron Paul but does this mean that he is not a libertarian?

Of course not.

There is no true definition of what makes a libertarian other than the belief in the non-aggression principle, or as Rothbard puts it in For a New Liberty, "The libertarian creed rests upon one central axiom: that no man or group of men may aggress against the person or property of anyone else." Even the LP's website offers a simple explanation for what the party is about; "Our vision is for a world in which all individuals can freely exercise the natural right of sole dominion over their own lives, liberty and property by building a political party that elects Libertarians to public office, and moving public policy in a libertarian direction."

If you look at it through that simple lens, Gary Johnson is a libertarian and has the record to prove it. He is fiscally responsible and socially tolerant, both tenants of libertarian philosophy; showing that he is the far superior choice out of the candidates who will be on the Presidential ballot in November.

Gary Johnson may not be perfect, but who is? The purists can hem and haw all they want but they are only "true libertarians" within their own slice to the movement. They are free to believe as they choose and provide any litmus test they like but libertarianism is a big tent and as long as the non-aggression principle remains intact, all are welcome; left, right and center.

So let's stop the circular firing squad and put our efforts into getting the best man for the job elected. Our moment is now, let's not allow it to slip away.

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 "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.”