# Could Gary Johnson appeal to broader GOP? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 3, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609 "2011-05-03T19:50:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/21 "2011-05-09T13:03:21Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > “President Johnson” Hmmm… it does have a rather familiar sound… So…just one term then? ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/22 "2011-05-09T15:25:38Z")
> [@CyclopticXander](#): > > And also he got the dumbest question in the history of presidential debates, so obviously Fox News doesn’t take him too seriously. > > If you saw the debate you know exactly which question I’m talking about. For those of us who didn’t watch the debate, what was the question? And what was his response? ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/23 "2011-05-09T15:36:09Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Kind of impressive he’s managed to generate so little buzz. I mean, apparently he was a governor for eight years, so its not like he isn’t a legitimate candidate. But even amongst our more politically aware Dopers, it appears that his campaign for President is completely unknown. People who don’t fit neatly into Donkey/Elephant categories get ignored by mainstream media. Johnson is well-known and well-regarded in libertarian circles: e.g. [http://reason.com/topics/gary-johnson](http://reason.com/topics/gary-johnson) He has a good record to run on, and I’d give him a fighting shot as a general election candidate from either party – but he’s not got a snowball’s chance of getting any such nomination in either party. Take immigration, which someone asked about: his position (make legal immigration easier, while taking measures to reduce illegal immigration) would make a lot of sense to people in the middle, but is anathema to the hard right or left. I had high hopes of him having a good showing in New Hampshire and getting a hearing after that, but now I suspect Ron Paul is going to suck up all his oxygen. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/24 "2011-05-09T15:38:54Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > For those of us who didn’t watch the debate, what was the question? And what was his response? [http://watchdog.org/9293/gary-johnson’s-first-gop-debate-“hey-what-about-me”/](http://watchdog.org/9293/gary-johnson%E2%80%99s-first-gop-debate-%E2%80%9Chey-what-about-me%E2%80%9D/) ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/25 "2011-05-09T15:52:51Z")
> [@furt](#): > > People who don’t fit neatly into Donkey/Elephant categories get ignored by mainstream media. I don’t think thats true. Ron Paul seems to do OK. I think he’s getting ignored because a) he isn’t well funded and b) he’s trying to move into a niche that Ron Paul already has pretty much filled. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/26 "2011-05-09T15:59:34Z")
> [@furt](#): > > I had high hopes of him having a good showing in New Hampshire and getting a hearing after that, but now I suspect Ron Paul is going to suck up all his oxygen. I absolutely agree. Registered Republicans who lean more Libertarian will vote for Ron Paul, and more staunch/traditional ones won’t like Johnson. What I hope will happen, however, is that Johnson will use the Republican primaries to get media exposure. He will then go on to run, not as a Republican, but as a Libertarian. My understanding is because he is a former governor and not a current one, he can switch his part affiliation with little consequence. (Paul, on the other hand, would have to relinquish his seat in Congress if he were to leave the Republican party.) Then, running as a Libertarian who has hopefully achieved a certain degree of popularity, he will have a better chance at seizing a sizable portion of the votes in the general election. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/27 "2011-05-09T16:19:46Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > (Paul, on the other hand, would have to relinquish his seat in Congress if he were to leave the Republican party.) Cite? There have been a number of congresscritters who’ve switched parties in the middle of their term. Now whether or not Paul would be able to win re-election in his district if he had a different letter by his name is a matter of debate, but he wouldn’t automatically lose his seat because he decided to abandon the GOP. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/28 "2011-05-09T16:27:09Z")
> [@furt](#): > > He has a good record to run on, and I’d give him a fighting shot as a general election candidate from either party – but he’s not got a snowball’s chance of getting any such nomination in either party. Take immigration, which someone asked about: his position (make legal immigration easier, while taking measures to reduce illegal immigration) would make a lot of sense to people in the middle, but is anathema to the hard right or left. Uh… what? That _is_ the hard left’s position on illegal immigration. > [@Simplicio](#): > > I don’t think thats true. Ron Paul seems to do OK. I think he’s getting ignored because a) he isn’t well funded and b) he’s trying to move into a niche that Ron Paul already has pretty much filled. Not really. Paul is a libertarian in name only; he’s a social conservative and a fiscal conservative who is distinct from mainstream Republicans only in that he’s okay with pot and anti-war. Johnson is an _actual_ libertarian, which means he fits into a separate, but more problematic niche. There are lots of people (especially here) whose own policy positions he reflects much more accurately than the “mainstream” candidates, but those people are also (1) practical enough to know he’s basically a wasted vote, and (2) split between the two major parties. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/29 "2011-05-09T16:35:31Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t think thats true. Ron Paul seems to do OK. And Ron Paul, despite his rhetoric, fits neatly into the elephant category. I’m continually baffled by how he managed to get a reputation as a libertarian. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/30 "2011-05-09T17:01:41Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Cite? There have been a number of congresscritters who’ve switched parties in the middle of their term. Now whether or not Paul would be able to win re-election in his district if he had a different letter by his name is a matter of debate, but he wouldn’t automatically lose his seat because he decided to abandon the GOP. Honestly, this is just hearsay. I thought that was the reason why he didn’t run as a Libertarian candidate in the 2008 election. Am I wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/31 "2011-05-09T17:11:31Z")
Yes. He could theoretically have been kicked out of the Republican Party for running as an independent or on a third party ticket, but they don’t control his Congressional seat; he does. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/32 "2011-05-09T17:13:22Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Cite? There have been a number of congresscritters who’ve switched parties in the middle of their term. Now whether or not Paul would be able to win re-election in his district if he had a different letter by his name is a matter of debate, but he wouldn’t automatically lose his seat because he decided to abandon the GOP. Ok it looks like I was misinformed. The best information I could find indicates that "In order to be on the GOP Primary Ballot in at least 11 states, including Texas, Ron had to pledge that he would not seek the presidency on another ticket if he failed to secure the GOP nomination. " (This quote is attributed to Jesse Benton, Paul’s campaign communications manager in the 2008 election.) So if this rule is still in place, Johnson may be ineligible for a Libertarian run as well. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/33 "2011-05-09T17:15:40Z")
The pledge probably isn’t actually enforceable. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/34 "2011-05-09T17:33:08Z")
It certainly isn’t enforceable, given that he showed up in the Montana general election under a third party. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/35 "2011-05-09T17:42:04Z")
He was nominated by a third party, but they didn’t actually ask him before putting his name on the ballot. [See here](http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/ron_paul_wants_off_montana_ballot/5514/). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609/36 "2011-05-09T19:36:16Z")
Huh, I didn’t even realize a party could do that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gary-johnson-appeal-to-broader-gop/580609.md?page=1)