Gary Johnson Considering 2012 Election Bid As Libertarian Candidate

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson says that he's seriously considering running for president in 2012 as a Libertarian.

"I feel abandoned by the Republican Party," Johnson told the Sante Fe New Mexican. "The Republican Party has left me by the wayside."

Johnson announced in April that he would seek the GOP nomination for president, but he has been excluded from almost all of the GOP debates so far, having failed to meet the criteria set up by the debate hosts. Johnson has protested his exclusion, arguing that the media is playing favorites.

"If I'd have been included in 16 of the last debates we wouldn't even be having this conversation," Johnson told the New Mexican

The Wall Street Journal reports that the time may be ripe for a third-party candidate.

According to Gallup, 81 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with how the nation is being governed.

An ABC/Washington Post poll last month found that 60 percent of voters were open to the idea of an independent candidate.

Comments

[pharmmajor]

06:56 PM on 12/02/2011

Another reason Gary Johnson deserves to be president - he supports gay marriage rights:
http://reason.com/blog/2011/12/02/gary-johnson-comes-out-in-favor-of-gay-m

[dontfeelyourpain]

09:22 PM on 11/30/2011

rich07 said: ("You are more of an Anarchist Libertaria­n...do you represent the party? I follow the libertaria­n party VERY CLOSELY, do you don't have to point out the nuances, that being said I think the Anarchist end of the party is actually damaging the party and preventing it from moving forward as a viable 3rd party option").

Of course I'm an "Anarcho-Capitalist"! That's what makes me and other like me a Libertarian! If I wasn't, I'd be a Republican. There are no "nuances" among Libertarians. If you're not an Anarcho-Capitalist, you're NOT an ideological Libertarian, even if one chooses to use the label. It's what separates us from the Republicrats. As for "moving forward", I assume you favor some sort of compromise similar to what's been going on in the Republican Party for the past century? So how has that been working out for you? I've been a card-carrying LP member and activist since 1978
and it gets really frustrating trying to make people understand the concept of PRINCIPLE as it
pertains to Libertarian concepts. If you compromise your principles, you become like the woman in the bar, in the joke about having sex with someone for a $million, and she responds positively but gets irritated when he asks the same question, but for $50. As he said, "It's been established as to what you are, I'm only trying to settle on a price".

[sharingnews]

08:11 AM on 11/28/2011

Gary Johnson, I invited you to join us regular Americans and sign a petition that calls for honesty in reporting on Presidential Candidates. You did not, AND ignored me by not even having your campaign contact me about how Regular Americans can help with this fight. You don't even want to fight for yourself. Newt's Campaign has skyrocketed by doing somethings that I suggest. Too bad, so sad.

[richj45]

07:13 AM on 11/28/2011

Gov. Johnson announce a new 6-7-8 medical plan, hire a couple of women to slander you and use a couple of Perry quotes .. all you need is some exposure in the tabloids and you'll be in the next debate..

[luapmi2]

05:05 AM on 11/28/2011

The little boy throwing a tantrum in the corner.....

[beardown]

03:42 AM on 11/28/2011

He should feel abandoned! hes a loony lib!!

[Grunty1]

12:19 PM on 11/28/2011

Man, you guys are so predictable. Anyone not following the right-wing script 100% must be a liberal. Keep that up at 95% of America will be liberal to you!

[HarryFromMA]

05:19 PM on 11/28/2011

Grunty, when a Libertarian wants to join the GOP, and his social./moral views are consistent with liberalism, it isn't a stretch to see why many would call him liberal.
95% liberal?:

29% fiscal & social conservatives
10% social & fiscal liberals
61% fiscal & social Other

44% fiscal conservatives
40% fiscal moderates
11% fiscal liberals

To use the "right-wing script 100%" line is silly.
Since Johnson consistently polls in the 0%-1% now, it isn't hard to mistake his socially liberal policies, or consistent with liberalism (for Libertarian reasons) for liberalism.
Johnson is a whiner. Poor baby went from 0-2% to 0%-1% & he thinks the GOP should showcase him? A freebie attention time? Etc? He should know, as a Libertarian Repub that he shouldn't want a hand-out, but he needs to earn it.
He hasn't so he wants to cry & threaten to undermine the GOP nominee & essentially help the Democrats usher in Obama Term II.
Oh, I'm sooo impressed!
I'm, not a Dem or GOPer, and voted for Clinton twice.

[PWM]

04:24 PM on 11/28/2011

Go learn what liberalism means. He is a libertarian, in effect a social darwinist. As such he cannot be a liberal.

[HarryFromMA]

05:32 PM on 11/28/2011

PWM,
Social Darwinism is not totally opposite of liberalism. Social Darwinism is also connected to eugenics. Leftist racist Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, wanted abortion as a tool of eugenics. Most in PP today may not like eugenics, but they are still promoting her goal through PP, a leftist organization:
www.Maffa21.com
Also-Quote:
"Ludwig von Mises argued in his book Human Action that social Darwinism contradicts the principles of liberalism, however this conclusion was based on the definition of social Darwinism as "that individuals or groups achieve advantage over others as the result of genetic or biological superiority". He addresses this definition of social Darwinism by stating "Darwinism does NOT in ANY way *invalidate* the liberal creed; on the contrary, the traits conducive to social cooperation (rather than the allegedly "natural" instincts of aggression) are PRECISELY those that maximize one's offspring in the current environment. Far from being unnatural, reason is the foremost biological mark of homo sapiens.""

[HarryFromMA]

05:48 PM on 11/28/2011

CORRECTION:
The correct website link is: www.MAAFA21.com
(2 'A's)

[notakochdealer]

03:21 AM on 11/28/2011

They did abandon you with help from the media. I agree about running on a different party ticket but Libertarian? Really?

[bamacre]

11:05 AM on 11/28/2011

Well, under what other party ticket would he run? He is a libertarian.

[dontfeelyourpain]

08:45 PM on 11/28/2011

He is NOT a Libertarian!

[bamboozled]

02:36 AM on 11/28/2011

Look at It this way, at least you won't be abandoned by the voters when Obama gets re-elected in a landslide. That'll be Romney.

[luapmi2]

05:05 AM on 11/28/2011

Good thing Obama is more Republican than Romney.

That's change you can believe in

[huff reader]

11:02 AM on 11/28/2011

I don't think BO will win in a landslide.

Flipper could beat him. Maybe the Grinch.

[bamboozled]

04:10 PM on 11/28/2011

I guess we'll just have to wait and see. But currently, there isn't a single Republican candidate who has the ability to win the middle.

[PWM]

04:25 PM on 11/28/2011

If you want to beat BO you need a better lineup.

[Mahi vce]

01:46 AM on 11/28/2011

I Hope Both Gary and Huntsman support Ron Paul this time . Since Ron Paul said this will be his last run for the presidency , If Gary and Huntsman drop out this time and one of them becomes VP candidate for Paul then they will have good chance for getting support from Ron Paul supporters in 2016

[HarryFromMA]

05:37 PM on 11/28/2011

Thankfully, this is Ron Paul's last run to lose the nomination!

"What About Ron Paul & Many of His Supporters?"
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=210998655622096

[FreeLibertarian]

01:36 AM on 11/28/2011

If it's going to be Obama vs. Romney (or any other of the neocons) like the mainstream media want, then I'm voting 3rd party. Obama is a warmonger that signed the Patriot Act renewal. The thought of taxing the rich and giving it to useless government dorks that unconstitutionally spy on Americans makes me want to vomit. And the neocons are Obama on steroids.

[HarryFromMA]

06:00 PM on 11/28/2011

Libertarian,
If you don't like an incumbent, help to vote him out. Keep voting them out. To vote third party is a default vote for Obama, whom you call a "warmonger" who signed the Patriot Act renewal.
You can't be ticked off enough about Obama if you don't want to vote against him.
Your default Obama vote just brings him 1 vote closer to continue his reign of error. I've voted for Repubs, Dems, a Green Party guy I knew, 1-2 libertarians in all levels of gov't. Life-long independent.
I don't want the Second Coming of Barack, so I will vote for the Repub. If I don't like him if he gets in, I can work or at least vote against him next time.
Sorry, guy.

[takemycountryback]

01:07 AM on 11/28/2011

Gary Johnson: "I feel abandoned by the Republican Party."
Get in line pal.

[Mikdow]

01:04 AM on 11/28/2011

I am a lifelong democrat, but I do worry that the republican party has made itself irrelevant. Every nation, every town, everybody needs loyal opposition: those who will insist that you to at least stop and think about you're doing.

IMO the loss of the loyal opposition is the most serious damage that is being inflicted upon our nation.

[diveguy99]

02:11 AM on 11/28/2011

The GOP will do in the nation what it's done in CA since it became irrelevant here - gum up the works as much as possible while engaging in endless purges of the impure

[huff reader]

11:04 AM on 11/28/2011

But it is not 'irrelevant', when it CAN gum up the works.

Being destructive is certainly not irrelevant.

[Grunty1]

12:21 PM on 11/28/2011

I don't disagree with the sentiment, but to me, them turning into a traitorous opposition is more damaging.

[wordsalad12]

12:26 AM on 11/28/2011

Gov.Johnson, if you want back into the GOP (for whatever strange reason), all you have to do is stop talking sense, dump any pragmatic ideas you have, and sell your soul to as many lobbyists as you can, as fast as you can. Tada! magical!

[Glory2]

01:13 AM on 11/28/2011

Have'nt you heard? The way to get on the good side of the gopbaggers is to bash the president, you will be rewarded by all including fox and limbaugh...But, if you don't have the stomach for corruption, be happy they abandoned you...

[jafsie]

11:01 AM on 11/28/2011

It'll also help if you have a fake marriage, claim that the President was born in Kenya, and begin making lots of loopy comments like "if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself!" and "If we took away the minimum wage -- if conceivably it was gone -- we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level."

[lizt]

11:04 PM on 11/27/2011

The GOP has abandoned the entire nation. They serve for greed and power not our country.

[Glory2]

01:10 AM on 11/28/2011

Exactly lizt, F&F...

[Glory2]

01:15 AM on 11/28/2011

The gopbaggers have abandoned bauchman also, but she don't realize it yet, some are slow learners....

[Organic-Guy]

10:26 PM on 11/27/2011

I think the republican party has made a fatal mistake by embracing all the extremist and marginalizing anyone who sounds like he/she makes sense. They've gotten so far out there without a map they will lose no matter who wins the primary. Buddy Romer seems like decent guy who knows how to make a deal. John Huntsman has real experience in this era in foreign policy and has views that could capture many people in this middle and now this guy. Any one of these people would be better than the whole lot of the clowns they're fielding now. The republican's inability to support even their own policies of a year ago just because Obama proposes it is an example of a cult like behavior that will marginalize the party for a decade after they lose in 2012. Not that I care. If that's what it takes for them to come back into the real world and govern for the majority instead of the 1% then so be it. Time in the wilderness can be a good thing.

[Glory2]

01:19 AM on 11/28/2011

Organic-Guy

Shhhhhhhhhh, don't tell them, they might change their strategy...I love how the rethugbaggers are self-distructing...

[huff reader]

11:06 AM on 11/28/2011

But don't count on it.

Afterall, why did so many people vote for them in 2010?

Those same people can vote next time, except for the old white men who have died off. Think that many kicked the bucket?

[Grunty1]

12:22 PM on 11/28/2011

Oh no, if reasonable people say it, they will double down on it. So you have to tell them.