Republican Voters have an alternative to Trump. Voters who liked Romney and GW Bush and Reagan have their man.
The Libertarian Candidate Gary Johnson. (Who???)
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| Gary Johnson, Keeping the Faith of Limited Government |
There are three parties with candidates on the ballot of all 50 states. The Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and the Libertarian Party.
The Democrats will nominate Hillary or Bernie, probably Hillary, with the familiar suite of center left identity politics with a lightweight social welfare state.
Republicans rejected candidates in the Reagan-Bush-Romney tradition of free trade, low taxes, greater individual freedom and sell reliance, reflecting the southwestern Texas/California version of Republicanism, focusing on self reliance and small government. Instead, they nominated Donald Trump, who is taking the party in a new direction, toward New York style strong-government -Republicanism, with government management of trade and business for the public good, control of immigration, empowerment of the will of popular majorities in favor of protecting social welfare programs for the average American.
Trump rejected Reaganism, who said government is the problem and should be smaller. No, Trump said. Government should be strong and smart and effective and should strong- arm business and foreigners to get things done for the average American.
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| Former Massachusetts Governor, the VP Candidate |
What about voters who voted for Reagan and Romney because they liked their policies? What about the limited-government voter? What can they do?
They have a candidate: Gary Johnson, former Republican, now on the ballot as a Libertarian in all fifty states. He has preserved the small government Reagan faith.
Johnson likes free trade, just like Reagan-Bush-Dole-Bush-Romney.
Johnson talks small government, just like Reagan-Bush-Dole-Bush-Romney.
Johnson says we need more self-reliance and self control and personal freedom and personal responsibility, just like Reagan-Bush-Dole-Bush-Romney. Examples:
***Pro-2nd Amendment gun freedom
***Opposes Obamacare
***Stop domestic spying
***Term limits
***No cap-and-trade
***Stop foreign aid
***Empower states, not feds, on water issues
***Reform public education with school vouchers
***States, not feds, should make drug policy
See for yourself: Click Here: Gary Johnson on the Issues
Or here, for his website: Click Here: Gary Johnson Website
These policies are the polices that loyal Republicans have supported. This suite of policy planks are not surprising or weird or kooky. They are pretty much what Ronald Reagan had said and I presume would say were he in politics today. These are the policy directions that loyal Republicans voted for from 1980 through the 2014 mid-term elections. They are generally the policies that Republican governors ran on and won with in the past few election. These are the policies that 54 Republican Senators and a big majority of US Congressmen--the Republicans--ran on.
Trump is the diversion from true-blue Republican values. Gary Johnson is the candidate who kept the faith, carrying the torch of small government Republicanism. Trump may be what Republicans want now, but if so they changed their minds.
If this election were an election of policies Gary Johnson might well have a chance. But Gary Johnson is virtually unknown and the media will almost certainly ignore him so he will stay unknown and therefore not a viable choice for Republicans and Independents. This election campaign is a media event, not a clash of policies. Johnson is a serious candidate but he is not a celebrity and he almost certainly lacks the means to become one.
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| Caption not needed |
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| Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson |
Kim Kardashian is a celebrity. Oprah is such a celebrity she only needs one name. As does Cher. Hillary, Bernie, and Trump are such celebrities you can buy Halloween masks of them. Gary Johnson is not a celebrity.
So, he won't be covered, so he won't be a "serious candidate", so he will poll poorly, so conscientious Republican and Independent voters will consider him a "spoiler" rather than a contender, so he won't get the traction he needs to be viable.
Five hundred million dollars of some billionaire's fortune would do it for him, however. He only needs a schtick that gets attention, or one billionaire.
Readers should not think I am promoting a candidate here. I am attempting to be descriptive, not persuasive. But if a voter felt comfortable with Reagan, Bush, Dole, Bush, and Romney and generally considered oneself to be "a Republican" then Gary Johnson is generally a continuation of those policies and Trump is a sharp diversion from them.
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(The easiest and most reliable way to get my blog is to have it sent to you daily, whenever there is something updated. Up there in the upper right put your email address, in the box where it says "Follow". It will send your email a verification, which you then click on. You are done! Hereafter you get an email sent you with the blog update. You can cancel any time you wish.)
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