I’m here, I’m a Libertarian, get used to it
Gee whiz. I mean, gosh all golly. You think you know somebody, and whammo! You find out you don’t. You find out the person you thought you knew is a stranger.
In this particular case, I’m actually talking about myself. Seems like I’m a Libertarian and I didn’t even know it. All these years, I’ve been living as some weird mash-up of Democrat and Republican, floating this way and that depending on what’s important to me at the time.
Well, as it turns out, I need not float. I’m on rock-solid ground. I’m a Libertarian. Who knew?
Apparently, Pew Research did. They have a “political typology” test, which I took, and they’ve labeled me a “young outsider” along with 13 percent of the nation. Apparently, I have “unfavorable opinions of both major parties” and view most of government as “wasteful and inefficient.” And yet, I have “strong support for the environment and many liberal social policies.”
Pretty much describes me. Economically conservative, socially liberal. Same as the Libertarians.
And so … Gary Johnson is my man for president. I might even vote for him. (And he actually has a chance. It’s a Jim Carrey-in-“Dumb and Dumber” -so-you’re-saying-there’s-a-chance type of chance, but it’s there. Bear with me for a few and I’ll lay it out. Anyway ...) Anyway, Johnson, the former New Mexico governor and Libertarian nominee, thinks drugs should be legal, wants to curtail federal spending, is fine with gay marriage and thinks women should the right to choose (and is also OK with legalizing prostitution), thinks public education needs to be reformed, supports nuclear power, is environmentally friendly, wants to pull back a bit in our foreign commitments, wants term limits for politicians … and on and on. I really agree with just about everything he’s putting out there, outside of guns (he’s pro) and health care (he doesn’t seem to think the government should be in the business).
As it turns out, I’m not alone. Latest CBS poll has Johnson at 12 percent of the popular vote against Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. And dig this: Right here in New Jersey, paid memberships to the Libertarian Party are up 56 percent so far already this year.
“We’ve had growth this year like we’ve never experienced before,” said Patrick McKnight, the chairman of the New Jersey arm of the Libertarians. “This year, people feel a responsibility to vote their conscience.” As for Johnson’s chances? “The real x-factor is if he can get into the presidential debates,” McKnight said. “So many people have yet to be exposed to us. It can be a real game-changer.”
For Johnson to get to the debates, he’s going to need to be polling at 15 percent or higher by September. It’s possible.
And while it’s unlikely bordering on laughable he could win 270 electoral votes, it’s certainly possible he could win … three. And that’s when things *could* get interesting. (Get your tin foil hats ready. Here we go.)
Because let’s say Johnson steals one state, and Trump and Clinton split everywhere else. Neither reaches 270 electoral votes. Which would mean it goes to the House of Representatives to decide the presidency. They’re allowed to vote for the top three electoral vote-getters. So let’s say Clinton 269, Trump 266, Johnson 3.
Each state gets one vote. Currently, the Republicans have control of 31 state legislatures. Let’s say anti-Trump backlash costs them a state or three. So let’s say 20 state legislatures go to Clinton no matter what. And let’s further say a handful of GOP legislators in a handful of states make it known they plan on voting for Johnson, which means Clinton would probably gain a few more states.
See where this is headed? If you’re a Republican member of the House, would you rather go “Trump or bust?” or settle out of court and elect Gary Johnson — who was a Republican when he was New Mexico’s governor — as our 45th president? Far-fetched? Well … yeah, but … “That would be the least ridiculous thing that would’ve happened this election season,” said McKnight. “Stranger things have already happened in 2016.”