It is rumored that Governor Gary Johnson might consider a third party run as the Libertarian candidate. Given that a center right GOP electorate will not be nominating Ron Paul, and Ron Paul seems to have enough sense not to split the party himself, a Johnson third party run presents some interesting possibilities, including the likely reelection of Barack Obama and the knock out punch to the America the Libertarians swear they are defending.
Even if Johnson is right to argue that he has been ignored by the media is having a hissy fit really the answer? There is no third party electoral victory in America and only an arrogant fool would think otherwise. The Best hope we have is to continue taking over the GOP and replacing its moderate leadership from below.
But I think the elites in the liberty movement are too impatient for incremental change. Many of the "principled" libertarians are so possessed of their own agenda that they would split the vote giving Obama and the czars four more years of liberty destroying power, rather than elect any other Republican as a stop gap until they can make further in-roads into the party establishment.
A Johnson third party run could be the best thing to happen to Obama since the Media.
Libertarians like Johnson, who lack a broad enough national electoral appeal, would be more effective plying their expertise for a shot at a cabinet or high ranking post from which they could have significant and meaningful federal influence. I have often said Ron Paul would be much more useful heading Treasury, and Mr. Johnson likely has similar skills he could apply to streamline entire federal agencies.
A Johnson third party challenge is the easiest financial investment for people who want Obama to win, more so than donating to Obama himself. No one in history has shoveled more coal into the corporatist fires than Obama so the big players would not only encourage Johnson to run third party but keep that train rolling. Johnson has no chance in hell of winning (none) so tossing him the million needed to keep the legs moving on a libertarian party campaign until November is the surest path to an Obama victory.
Note: Johnson would also get the media attention he seems to desire. The left leaning media would lionize him just enough to make sure he steals enough votes in key states for an Obama victory.
The core of Libertarian and Ron Paul voters would flock to Johnson, just because he is there, (after kicking his ass to the curb when RP announced) without giving a damn about the consequences of an Obama re-election or the destruction to life and liberty it would cause. I’m confident of that because these are the same folks who encourage Democrats to register as Republicans (to vote in the GOP primaries) on the basis that Ron Paul shares some ideological ground with the left. Not only would they cut off their own nose to spite their pro-liberty face, they would happily ignore the center lefts support of a third party run (as a way to help Obama) and even argue it as proof of a wider appeal for their candidates agenda.
For the record, I like Governor Johnson. I think he brings something to the table. But at this time in history it is not the prime time table. He can do significantly more good from inside the GOP than he can without. And not for nothing, but about 100 years ago a different third party–run on different principles but a principled run no the less–split the right and gave us Woodrow Wilson.
Who want’s to be responsible for the Obama version of that?
