# Johnson/Weld campaign **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 23, 2016, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446 "2016-05-23T07:34:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/61 "2016-05-28T11:50:25Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The other good thing about strong polling is that it signals to the Never Trump guys that maybe the LP ticket is their best play. OK, the more the Republican vote gets split, the better off we all will be. It would be voting productively, although you could use it even more productively. You do realize that your party is now the party of all the shit Trump stands for, don’t you? That’s what the primary results mean. That’s your normal now. The only question is how loyal you, and other traditionalists, are to it as an institution rather than out of principle. Your continued loyalty shows us all the answer, if it in fact continues. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/62 "2016-05-29T17:53:51Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Johnson issued more vetoes than any of those governors, plus New Mexico is a faster growing state than most. > > [New Mexico - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico#Demography) > > 7.29% growth in such a prosperous, high population growth period is not a bad record, actually. Is it the record of fiscal conservative? He also increased total debt, it seems that his claim that he balanced the budget is based on accounting gimmicks as most such claims are. He increased total debt by a higher percentage than Bush and Obama. Johnson will be ignored because he is a highly ignorable person. He only says things that will not get anyone’s attention because he is afraid of attention. That is not an attribute for an effective third party candidate, especially when Trump is controlling the media as he does. The goons of the LP picked Johnson because they think everyone is already a libertarian and doesn’t know it. They are wrong. The masses love all the things government does and wants them to do even more, which is why the people succeeding this cycle are promising, as a father promises his children, to kiss their self-inflicted boo-boos and punish the people they childishly blame for their unhappiness. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/63 "2016-05-29T18:48:55Z")
Johnson was just selected as the Libertarian prez candidate. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/64 "2016-05-29T20:41:08Z")
About as surprising as Gus Hall getting the CPUSA nomination every four years for decades. Who else do they have? Hell, do they even have _him_, or is this just a flag of convenience flying over the Good Ship Ego Trip? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/65 "2016-05-30T01:29:20Z")
I tend to agree with the OP that this could be the Libertarian’s year. Trump may be too daffy for even the nuttiest conservative to stomach. But where could they go? Neurotypical foreign policy hawks would probably do best with Clinton, while those bent on conquest and transnational butthurt would opt for Trump. For the other 99.9% who vote on domestic policy, those favoring experience would go for Clinton. But there are plenty of conservatives who like to drop acid and smoke pot. They have a natural affinity for the Libertarian Party. And there are a rather larger number who think that Trump is a ridiculous buffoon. They might vote Libertarian if they can’t bring themselves to vote for Hillary. Or they could stay home. I could see the Libertarian Party beating 15% in the polls. Which would give them a table at the debate. Which makes the 5% threshold not so impossible. Yes, this could be a powerful year for the Libertarian message. > [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Can the Libertarians ever win a state, or get Electoral Votes? No. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/66 "2016-05-30T01:54:02Z")
Call me optimistic, but I see two things that could help the LP win states: 1. More executive experience than the major party tickets. That’s never happened before and if they are smart they’ll play that up against Mr. Idiot and Mrs. Crooked. 2. While neither Johnson nor Weld are inspiring, that might be a plus this cycle. Ben Carson had quite a run just on being a gentleman. Now imagine Ben Carson actually knowing his business and you’ve got a nice contrast to the two very unlikeable major party candidates. I say if they make the debates anything can happen. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/67 "2016-05-30T03:29:34Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I say if they make the debates anything can happen. I was obeying [Rule of Funny](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfFunny). I don’t think Johnson/Weld can win this. 15% in the polls is unlikely but plausible. Especially if they get a billionaire cash infusion. Which could happen. Or not. Hard to tell because personalities are involved. If they get into the debate, earning 5% of the vote is a rational and reasonable goal. A secondary goal might be to focus efforts in New Hampshire and try to pick up a small number of delegates. Then hope for a GOP breakup down the road, where they could pick up the pieces like the Republicans did after the Whigs blew up. One big problem is that libertarianism is a tightly defined ideology. That makes the rough compromises of politics more difficult to execute. And as noted upthread, it’s much more popular in theory than in practice. The other is that the preceding scenario is _hard_ to carry out. Most likely outcome? Nothingburger. No seat in the debates, less than 5% in the nationwide vote. I can’t bet on this though. Too many moving parts, too many new components. In 2016, we need to adjust our [priors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prior_probability). ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/68 "2016-05-30T03:46:36Z")
Libertarianism doesn’t mean you can’t compromise, it just means you can’t compromise on certain basic rights. On issues like spending and taxes, Gary Johnson has already said he disagrees with Repubilcans who said they wouldn’t take a 10-1 spending cuts/tax increases deal. He’d take that deal in a heartbeat. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/69 "2016-05-30T03:52:34Z")
Has Weld gotten the VP nomination? Last I read, it was going to go to a second ballot. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/70 "2016-05-30T04:06:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Due to Trump’s unexpected nomination, the Libertarians may achieve record new heights in this election. Let’s dream big - they might get five percent. But they’ll still be a fringe party. > > Compare what happened to Bernie Sanders to what happened to Rand Paul. One tapped into a pool of tens of millions of supporters who shared his beliefs. And one did not. > > Libertarians have to accept the fact that there is no wide-spread support for their platform in this country. We are not a libertarian country. I think the problem is the name of the party. The candidates this time (Johnson and Weld) don’t strike me as very Libertarian. Why couldn’t they just run as the “Independent Party” or “Sane Republicans” or some such? I think they’d get a lot more votes. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/71 "2016-05-30T04:18:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > [QUOTE=Boyo Jim] > > Libertarian soccer. Finally, I can use my hands! Only if they’re invisible. [/QUOTE] That’s great! I though **Boyo** ’s post was really funny, and now you’ve topped it with hi-lar-ee-ous!! ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/72 "2016-05-30T04:24:55Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I think the problem is the name of the party. The candidates this time (Johnson and Weld) don’t strike me as very Libertarian. Why couldn’t they just run as the “Independent Party” or “Sane Republicans” or some such? I think they’d get a lot more votes. It’s all about ballot access, and while not hardcore libertarians, they are socially liberal and economically conservative. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/73 "2016-05-30T04:53:22Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > . . . they are socially liberal and economically conservative. If they can just get that message across, they have a chance. There are millions of voters, both Democrats and Republicans, who share that sentiment. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/74 "2016-05-30T06:02:11Z")
Except that they aren’t socially liberal, in many cases: a lot of Libertarians are pro-life, and they also tend to object to Civil Rights laws. Libertarians, for instance (in many cases; there are few universals) don’t believe that business owners should have to serve racial minorities if they don’t want to. A number of Libertarian candidates have come out against any rule that business owners have to serve gays if they don’t want to. That’s a big failure to show a “socially liberal” stance. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/75 "2016-05-30T06:38:52Z")
Johnson and Weld are former governors, I doubt they won their races by opposing civil rights laws. Anyway, we now have three straight polls showing the ticket at 10-11%: [http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/never-trump-2016-elections-libertarians-213917](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/never-trump-2016-elections-libertarians-213917) Just a little media coverage or a key endorsement(Weld is good friends with Romney and Romney won’t support Trump), could get them into the debates. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/76 "2016-05-30T07:13:45Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Libertarians, for instance (in many cases; there are few universals) don’t believe that business owners should have to serve racial minorities if they don’t want to. A number of Libertarian candidates have come out against any rule that business owners have to serve gays if they don’t want to. > > That’s a big failure to show a “socially liberal” stance. For many libertarians, racism and homophobia should be fought through reasoning and boycotting, rather than through violation of property rights . . . exactly the same way we treat racist and homophobic individuals. Just because a libertarian advocates the protection of the rights of racist and homophobic business owners, doesn’t mean he agrees with that person’s racism and homophobia. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/77 "2016-05-30T08:04:05Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > It’s all about ballot access, and while not hardcore libertarians, they are socially liberal and economically conservative. Too bad there’s no real political movement for the reverse. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/78 "2016-05-30T08:23:37Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > For many libertarians, racism and homophobia should be fought through reasoning and boycotting, rather than through violation of property rights . . . exactly the same way we treat racist and homophobic individuals. Just because a libertarian advocates the protection of the rights of racist and homophobic business owners, doesn’t mean he agrees with that person’s racism and homophobia. It’s telling that despite having been a fairly liberal Democrat but a few years ago, you seem to have gone back to full-blown libertarianism now that gay marriage is safely legalized. Of course, you’ve elsewhere repeated the “not a dime’s worth of difference” line despite the immense role the Obama administration in advancing the cause of homosexual rights in this country. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/79 "2016-05-30T08:48:12Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Too bad there’s no real political movement for the reverse. There’s no place in America for across-the-board authoritarianism and paternalism. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446/80 "2016-05-30T08:52:38Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > There’s no place in America for across-the-board authoritarianism and paternalism. Not really, a socon populism would be pro-life but also against nanny state crap like soda taxes, gun control, or even a War on Drugs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnson-weld-campaign/755446.md?page=5)