Gary Johnson for President?

By David Weigel 4/21/09 11:36 AM

Bill Kauffman reports that Gary Johnson, the former Republican governor of New Mexico, is thinking about a run for the presidency in 2012. Kauffman compares him to Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), two libertarian heroes.

Yes, as a congressman Sanford opposed the U.S. intervention in Kosovo under a Democratic president; Gary Johnson opposed a Republican president’s war upon Iraq. Sanford reluctantly endorsed McCain in 2008; Johnson emphatically endorsed Ron Paul. Sanford has potential on civil liberties; Johnson, like Paul, has the guts to call for the legalization of marijuana and an end to the drug war.

As this issue went to press, Governor Johnson told me that he was keeping his options open for 2012. Keep an eye out for him, will you?

Objectively speaking, Johnson has a more engaging, TV-friendly personality than Ron Paul, and he’s not as dour as Bob Barr, the 2008 Libertarian Party candidate.

His avowed pot smoking would probably rule him out with the GOP base, but I see a potential problem for Mark Sanford in bringing Ron Paul voters over to his side. Just a potential problem, though. For most Paul supporters, hanging tough on the stimulus in 2009 will be more meaningful than hanging tough on legal marijuana in 2003, as Johnson did.

Pressure Washing Virginia

Potential problems very often become real ones.

I agree though that "hanging tough on the stimulus in 2009 will be more meaningful than hanging tough on legal marijuana in 2003" especially in these economic times.

Caulking Virginia

Thank you for your comments, guys.

Elwar

http://www.garyjohnson2012.com

tj

More libertarian minded or real conservatives the GOP has running the better. If Johnson does better than expected and he then drops out maybe he endorses Sanford, or vice versa.

Rick Sincere

My dream ticket for 2012 would be Gary Johnson for President and Mark Sanford for Vice President.

My second choice would be Mark Sanford for President and Gary Johnson for Vice President.

Heads we win, tails we win.

Dave Redick

Gary and Ron are tops, but I will announce a run for US Pres-2012 on July 4, 09 as a Reform Repub. to be a 'rallying point to keep the grass roots growing' . If either of them run, I will help, so long as Ron keeps his religion out of govt.

See my site www.forward-usa.org

Best, Dave Redick

Jeffrey

So far he is front-runner for my vote, should he run.

Stefan

"His avowed pot smoking would probably rule him out with the GOP base".
David: if this would be true, then the conservative base in the GOP should have rejected Sarah Palin, who has als used marjuana during a time when it was legal in AK. And as far as I know the conservatives in the GOP were the strongest supporters of Palin. Common man, be a true journalist and use your head a bit.

If Paul does run in 2012 Johnson would be a perfect VP candidate and fellow campaigner. If Paul does not run, then Johnson would not only for Ron Paul supporters, but also for the GOP as a whole be a much more interesting and stronger candidate than Sanford. SC is safe GOP, so Sanford does not bring any state and being from a conservative Southern state, which is seen as the base of the GOP, Sanford's appeal to other states is limited. Johnson brings NM into play for the GOP, he is a much more interesting story than Sanford, who worked for GS before and would also make a much stonger appeal to Independents and "soft Democrats" and has a high degree of trustworthiness (like Sanford also has). IMHO Johnson also looks more handsome than Sanford, a "less rational" factor of course, but one that could play a stronger role with attracting more female voters to the GOP. Johnson was governor for two terms already, while Sanford is busy with his second term. Johnson has brought NM into black during his time as "Gary veto" and has thus achieved much more than Sanford, who is also battling his own GOP in SC at times.
Sanford's one-sided Israel defense in the beginning of the year along with Corzine on CNN as well as his more recent North-Korea military intervention on Fox with Newt Gingrich lets one question his foreign policy insight. He demonstrated that he is fully dependent on Ginrich regarding foreign policy. Also: Bush will probably be just as unpopular among not only Democrats and Independents, but also many Republicans in 2011, 2012 etc. so that the GOP can only win with someone who was not associated with Bush at all as governor and Johnson most definitely qualifies as the only governor not endorsing Bush and against the Iraq invasion and quagmire.
Also: Johnson probably knows some Spanish as well and can much better appeal to Hispanics than Sanford, and NM has a substantial Spanish population.
While Sanford is I think about exactly the same age as Obama, Johnson is about 10 years older and wiser and looks perhaps even younger than both of them.

Vlad

I would take Gary Johnson over Sanford anyday of the week and twice on Sundays.

I would also like Rand Paul to make a run at Senate and then eventually the presidency.

58robbo

rand paul has the personality of a door! unfortunately we live in a time where integrity, honesty, intelligence and common sense play second fiddle to pr, image coaches, slick tailors, speech writers and charisma. rand paul has his work cut out!

James Hines

The Legalization of Marijuana is an issue for "Fiscal Conservatives" which is to say - for Classical Liberals ...e.g. those who favor Liberty from Government. That was Gary Johnson's point.
Even if you disapprove of the use of marijuana ...do you really think we shoud be putting people in jail for smoking marijuana? Do you really hate people smoking marijuana so much that you actually want to pay taxes to keep them in jail for that and to continue putting more and more people in jail for that? Geeze: when was the last time you heard someone say "Go ahead: its a free country!" If you miss those days and wonder who we have to blame for that ...but you support laws against marijuana ...take a look in the mirror!
With all of the money our government spends (which there is little if any hope of persuading them to give up) ...couldn't we all agree to stop putting people in jail for smoking marijuana?
By the way: Do you know why there was an 18th and 21st amendment to the Constitution? To prohibit - and then to repeal the prohibition of - alchohol. In what article or amendment does the Constitution give Congress authority to prohibit the growth or distribution of marijuana? If the "Interstate Commerce" clause is good enough to prohibit marijuana, why wasn't it good enough for alchohol? Or can we be completely honest and admit that the I.C. clause does NOT give Congress any such authority ..but that they not only don't care about the Constitution but that they are absolutely bald-faced LYING when they take their Oaths of Office?!

58robbo

the choice is simple for conservatives. either they want freedom of choice, to smoke what they want, eat, drink and snort what they want or they want the nanny state. before they choose the nanny state they must think hard about what they're encouraging. i won't mince words, a vote for the nanny state is just another nail in the coffin of the 2nd ammendment!!!!!!
if you want consistency, ron paul, gary johnson and bj lawson are where we should look. i favor johnson because he is a better public speaker than paul, his age is on his side, he's already tried, tested and very succesful in the executive branch, he's more marketable and he doesn't take any nonsense from reporters!
apart from a few issues, sanford is just your run of the mill, flip flopping, partisan republican/neocon!!!

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