With the 2016 election around the corner and the two major parties bringing in very unlikeable candidates now is the time for a third party to shine. However the Libertarian primary while getting much deserved national coverage was anything but a smooth transition to the general election. With a very heated contested convention Johnson won by only a small margin and even more controversial his vice presidential candidate Bill Weld also another former republican governor. Bill Weld seems to appear to a more general audience being a calm and decent speaker but are these the candidates best suited to represent the party?
Gary Johnson had many controversial moments over the primary campaign however one that sticks out has to be his argument with Austin Petersen (remembered the e) over whether bakers should be allowed to discriminate gay weddings going even farther into all discrimination among businesses. Austin Petersen took it a step farther asking the governor hypothetically if a Jewish baker should have to bake a cake for a Nazi wedding to which Johnson replied yes. With the recent controversy over Georgia's Religious Freedom Act which allowed business owners to decide whether or whether not to take part in certain ceremonies or medical procedures for LGBT members.
Next on drugs Johnson took a less purist approach to drugs like heroin in the CNN town hall where an addict's mother told the story of her son addiction and asked Johnson about his drug policy. Johnson said he was not looking to legalize any drugs other than marijuana but rather adapt similar treatment for addicts to help them prevent overdosing on drugs like heroin. Many Libertarians were outraged saying this was a missed opportunity to show the public the principles of the Libertarian party.
Finally and perhaps most controversial Bill Weld. His very proposal had major controversy at the LP convention with Libertarian Candidate Darryl Perry shouting "If we nominate two former Republican Governors as our ticket and we compromise what we believe to take a federal handout THIS PARTY WILL DIE..." So it was no surprise having this much controversy among the party at the starting gate would lead to further controversy. On the campaign trail Weld commented upon Obamas recent supreme court pick saying Merrick Garland Was; "a very good pick,". This came as a shock to many never Trump conservatives and Libertarians. In the same interview with Reason magazine he said; "Steven Breyer has been a good justice."
Surely this election is odd to say the least with every party having its own controversy and unpleased voters however with the Libertarian Party moving to a more centrist platform where will this send the AnarcoCapitalists and now newly alienated never Trump conservatives this election season only time will tell.
Resources:
http://dailycaller.com/2016/07/29/libertarian-candidates-unclear-on-supreme-court-picks/
Garry is in my view, more or less unfortunately, by far the most libertarian candidate and generally the best candidate available in the US elections irrespective of ideology. Is he libertarian enough? What is enough?
Well for purists he isn't, hell no one is libertarian enough. But it mostly depends on personal view. If you believe voting can make some sort of difference or other , then he is libertarian enough. If you don't believe in voting, then it is irrelevant who any candidate is. If you believe in voting, but just for the perfect candidate, you will be vastly disappointed.
So basically if for some reason you want to vote, Feel the Johnson.
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