Take a look at Gary Johnson
After all, the two major-party candidates aren’t exactly catching fire
Gary Johnson knows he’s unknown. Here’s what he thinks of known candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
“If Mickey Mouse was on the ballot (with them), Mickey’d be at 30 percent because Mickey’s a known commodity.”
The suggestion is clear: If voters knew the Libertarian Johnson, who is on the ballot for president, he’d be at 30 percent, eligible for the first debate Sept. 26 and in contention for the White House.
As it stands, Mr. Johnson isn’t eligible. The Commission on Presidential Debates says you need 15 percent in five big polls by right about now in order to take part.
Mr. Johnson’s Real Clear Politics polling average is 9 percent.
But maybe he'll make the second and/or third debates: Oct. 9 and 19. I hope he does. I hope so because he and running mate Bill Weld are former two-term GOP governors of very different states, New Mexico and Massachusetts, respectively, who balanced budgets, cut taxes and created jobs.
I hope so because they profess a “fiscally conservative and socially inclusive” ideology they believe 60 percent of Americans agree with.
In a session with the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News editorial boards, Mr. Johnson said, “If you think either Hillary or Trump is going to bring everybody together ... it’ll be worse than ever.” Mr. Weld said, “Hope is not a plan. Our plan is to file a balanced budget every year.”
And, yeah, OK, dealing with states ain’t dealing with Congress. And, yeah, Mr. Johnson’s a little laidback and loopy, residuals perhaps from his marijuana use, recently curtailed for his presidential run. And Mr. Weld is smoother, more polished.
And Pennsylvania isn’t exactly a Libertarian hotbed, though state Libertarian chairman Shawn Patrick House says registration is “certainly higher” than in the past.
Of 8.2 million registered voters, just 47,149 are Libertarian. The most are in Allegheny County (4,917), Montgomery County (3,363) and Philly (3,210), according to state data.
But all that and even Mr. Johnson’s recent Aleppo gaffe, in which he didn’t know the place central to the Syrian refugee crisis, shouldn’t stop you from taking a look. Why? Because a presidential campaign should have more to it than a series of controversies and crazy talk. Because Ms. Clinton’s controversies (no need to list them) and Mr. Trump’s crazy talk (too long to list) won’t end or even ebb.
Ms. Clinton just tried to turn negative reaction to her covering-up a pneumonia diagnosis into a doublestandard attack since Mr. Trump hasn’t released tax returns – as if nobody in media goes after Mr. Trump on his taxes.
And Mr. Trump just said in a speech that Ms. Clinton has no policies, despite the indisputable fact that policies are one thing Ms. Clinton does have.
It’s a head-shaking campaign marked by images of Mr. Trump saying he knows more about ISIS than “the generals” and Ms. Clinton stumbling into a van.
An NBC News survey released Tuesday says Ms. Clinton leads Mr. Trump by just 2 points, 42-40, in a fourway contest with the Green Party’s Jill Stein and Mr. Johnson (Mr. Johnson is at 11 percent, Ms. Stein at 4 percent).
So at least take a look. The Libertarian website is johnsonweld.com. Or try the politically unaffiliated website iSideWith.com for a short survey matching you with the candidate closest to your beliefs.
And if you’re thinking, wait, a third-party vote is a wasted vote, a spoiler that can elect a president without a majority mandate, here’s what Mr. Johnson’s said: “I think a wasted vote is a vote for Trump or Clinton.” Here’s Mr. Weld: “What’s to spoil?”
By the way, the White House was won 15 times without a majority vote, including by Presidents Lincoln, Kennedy, Clinton (twice) and George W. Bush.