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Gary Johnson: The Only Decent Option

opinionator

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Many seem to wonder what to do this election. How do we choose between two pretty awful people? There is another option. Vote libertarian. Vote for Gary Johnson. To me, he's just the common sense candidate. Non interventionist. Liberal on social issues. Conservative fiscally. In my experience many people seem to share these ideals. Third party is a legitimate option this time and with this setup. Gary can legitimately expect to pull votes from both sides. Don't let the two party programming cause you to shy away from voting for the best person for the job. There will be a move in his direction. It's just a matter of how far it can go.

Joe Elliott
The Scribbling Sage
 
Many seem to wonder what to do this election. How do we choose between two pretty awful people? There is another option. Vote libertarian. Vote for Gary Johnson. To me, he's just the common sense candidate. Non interventionist. Liberal on social issues. Conservative fiscally. In my experience many people seem to share these ideals. Third party is a legitimate option this time and with this setup. Gary can legitimately expect to pull votes from both sides. Don't let the two party programming cause you to shy away from voting for the best person for the job. There will be a move in his direction. It's just a matter of how far it can go.

Joe Elliott
The Scribbling Sage

Gary Johnson has two chances of winning. Slim, and none. Protest vote, nothing more.
 
Many seem to wonder what to do this election. How do we choose between two pretty awful people? There is another option. Vote libertarian. Vote for Gary Johnson. To me, he's just the common sense candidate. Non interventionist. Liberal on social issues. Conservative fiscally. In my experience many people seem to share these ideals. Third party is a legitimate option this time and with this setup. Gary can legitimately expect to pull votes from both sides. Don't let the two party programming cause you to shy away from voting for the best person for the job. There will be a move in his direction. It's just a matter of how far it can go.

Joe Elliott
The Scribbling Sage

But I'm not a Libertarian. So why would I do this?
 
Many seem to wonder what to do this election. How do we choose between two pretty awful people? There is another option. Vote libertarian. Vote for Gary Johnson. To me, he's just the common sense candidate. Non interventionist. Liberal on social issues. Conservative fiscally. In my experience many people seem to share these ideals. Third party is a legitimate option this time and with this setup. Gary can legitimately expect to pull votes from both sides. Don't let the two party programming cause you to shy away from voting for the best person for the job. There will be a move in his direction. It's just a matter of how far it can go.

Joe Elliott
The Scribbling Sage

Welcome, opinionator. What are the chances you will write in Bernie Sanders? At this point, he has about as good a chance as a third party candidate.
 
Many seem to wonder what to do this election. How do we choose between two pretty awful people? There is another option. Vote libertarian. Vote for Gary Johnson. To me, he's just the common sense candidate. Non interventionist. Liberal on social issues. Conservative fiscally. In my experience many people seem to share these ideals. Third party is a legitimate option this time and with this setup. Gary can legitimately expect to pull votes from both sides. Don't let the two party programming cause you to shy away from voting for the best person for the job. There will be a move in his direction. It's just a matter of how far it can go.

Joe Elliott
The Scribbling Sage

Is there a single member of Congress who was elected on the Libertarian ticket?

Below is a link to all the Libertarian Party members holding elective office in the United States:

Elected Officials | Libertarian Party

I don't see any members of Congress, do you?

Now there may be some few Members of the Republican Party who may lean that way, but none declared. The Dems won't support him (hell, they barely support Presidents from their own Party); and most Republicans know who paid for them to get elected...

So even if Johnson does get elected, how much can he do?

Meanwhile, as a third-party candidate he will get minimal play in the media, few funds from the moneybags behind the two major parties, and unless he can get 15% support in polls he won't be participating in any debates. Likelihood of winning? Slim to none, and slim isn't showing up these days.

STILL, having said all of that...if he can actually generate enough momentum to have a fighting chance to beat Hillary Clinton, I might just vote for him.
 
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I predict that, as usual, not a single electoral vote will go to a third party candidate. In 1992 Ross Perot got nearly 19% (about 19 million votes) of the popular vote and got ZERO electoral votes but, with the Perot draw mostly being from Bush41, Clinton42 was handed the election with 43% of the popular vote. That is simply casting a "protest" vote that might make you feel not so resonsble for the eventual outcome. To escape this rigged two party system we need to have proportional assignment of all electoral votes.
 
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Many seem to wonder what to do this election. How do we choose between two pretty awful people? There is another option. Vote libertarian. Vote for Gary Johnson. To me, he's just the common sense candidate. Non interventionist. Liberal on social issues. Conservative fiscally. In my experience many people seem to share these ideals. Third party is a legitimate option this time and with this setup. Gary can legitimately expect to pull votes from both sides. Don't let the two party programming cause you to shy away from voting for the best person for the job. There will be a move in his direction. It's just a matter of how far it can go.

Joe Elliott
The Scribbling Sage

I agree. Around 60% of all Americans dislike one or the other candidate and 25% of all Americans dislike both. 54% of independents dislike both Trump and Clinton, 24% of all Republicans dislike Trump and Clinton, 20% of all Democrats dislike both Trump and Clinton. Scroll down to the second table.

One in Four Americans Dislike Both Presidential Candidates

I could never vote for Trump and or Hillary. Having to choose between them is like making one pick which poison to take, arsenic Trump or cyanide Clinton. Unlike most I refuse to choose which poison, my vote in November goes to Johnson. Let others take their poison, they better hope they are immune.
 
I predict that, as usual, not a single electoral vote will go to a third party candidate. In 1992 Ross Perot got nearly 19% (about 19 million votes) of the popular vote and got ZERO electoral votes but, with the Perot draw mostly being from Bush41, Clinton42 was handed the election with 43% of the popular vote. That is simply casting a "protest" vote that might make you feel not so resonsble for the eventual outcome. To escape this rigged two party system we need to have proportional assignment of all electoral votes.

Each state controls how their electoral votes are awarded. Perhaps I should say how the electors are chosen. 48 states and D.C. has elected to go with the winner take all method. Maine divides up their electoral votes by congressional districts, they have two and the winner of the district receives its one electoral vote. The remaining two go to the overall winner of the state. Nebraska does the same only they have 3 congressional districts in which the winner of each district gets it electoral vote and winner of the state overall receives an additional 2 electoral votes.

There are other quirks, in Georgia we have a runoff if no candidates receive 50% plus one vote between the top two vote getters. But the winner of the general election or runoff receives all of Georgia’s 16 electoral votes. A few other states have runoff rules also.

The thing is each state controls how their electoral votes are awarded. It doesn’t take an act of congress; it takes an act of each state legislature to achieve proportional or a winner take all. Pennsylvania was discussing the congressional district method a year or two back, but decided against it thinking it would dilute their electoral voting strength.

I’m fine with the winner take all method. That is as long as the winner receives 50% plus one vote. I like our method of having a runoff election if no candidate receives the threshold of 50% plus one. Another way this could be done is if no candidate receives a majority of 50% plus one, then let the state award its electoral votes via congressional district with the plurality winner receiving the remaining two.

Now back in 1968 Wallace running as an independent received 13% of the total vote and 46 electoral votes. His strength was mostly in the south. Strom Thurmond in 1948 only received only a bit over two percent of the vote nationally, but he won four states and 39 electoral votes. Thurmond too was but a regional candidate.

Perot was national. So his 19% had no affect on the electoral college.
 
Many seem to wonder what to do this election. How do we choose between two pretty awful people? There is another option. Vote libertarian. Vote for Gary Johnson. To me, he's just the common sense candidate. Non interventionist. Liberal on social issues. Conservative fiscally. In my experience many people seem to share these ideals. Third party is a legitimate option this time and with this setup. Gary can legitimately expect to pull votes from both sides. Don't let the two party programming cause you to shy away from voting for the best person for the job. There will be a move in his direction. It's just a matter of how far it can go.

Joe Elliott
The Scribbling Sage

#FeeltheJohnson
 
But I'm not a Libertarian. So why would I do this?

Why would you vote for Trump or Clinton? Big drawbacks to that. One of them is going to be President, but at least it will have nothing to do with me.
 
Why would you vote for Trump or Clinton? Big drawbacks to that. One of them is going to be President, but at least it will have nothing to do with me.

Who says I am voting. I don't see a great choice out of any candidates running.
 
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