Former New Mexico Governor and Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson hosted yet another online town hall courtesy of Yowie.com Thursday night along with Michael Strong, innovative charter school founder and CEO of FLOW (co-founded by Strong and another libertarian heavyweight, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey).
Johnson and Strong took questions for ninety minutes from their online audience of about nine hundred. Johnson’s key remarks are included below.
Education:
I favor abolishing the Federal Dept of Education. I think its important to point out that each state receives about eleven cents out of every dollar they spend from the federal government. Of course that’s money that we send, we as states, to the federal government in the first place that comes back [as] a little bit less money. But that eleven cents comes with sixteen cents worth of strings attached.
So I think we give education back to the states, fifty laboratories of innovation and best practice. And I think that’s exactly what we’ll have. I think we’ll have some fabulous success that will get emulated because we’re so competitive. I also think we’ll have some really bad failure, which of course, we’re going to avoid for the same reasons.
Technology:
I am very very skeptical about the government and the role that government plays, and I am really free market. I think [the] free market is very exciting. There is nothing that I want to see government fix when it comes to the Internet. There is nothing that I really want government to step in the way of when it comes to technology.
[…]
You can’t discount that there might be a role for government, but I’m the skeptical one.
[…]
Look at NASA. I think that right now we’re on the verge of seeing a lot of private enterprise doing the same or better than NASA for a lot less money. I’m going to try and always air on the free market side.
Republic vs. Democracy:
It’s always good to point out … that we don’t live in a democracy. We live in a republic, and the difference is in a democracy, one [extra] vote [over fifty percent allows you] to vote yourself a raise. Our country is governed by laws, and at the basis of those laws is the constitution.
Freedom and liberty thrive in a republic, which is what we live in. And yet, I think we’re a confused society these days and believe that we can vote ourselves a raise. And it’s really important to distinguish between those two.
It’s important to point out … that Germany was a democracy before Hitler came on the scene. In a constitutional republic, that’s just not possible because of the fact that we are a country of laws.
Gov. Johnson offered up some serious, yet funny moments when the running mate question arrived. The Libertarian Party actually chooses the vice presidential candidate while considering the recommendations of their presidential nominee. Unfortunately, Johnson’s would-be pie in the sky recommendation of Whole Foods* CEO John Mackey is unlikely:
I have no idea why he would want to do it, but what a great human being – very successful. Obviously [he’s] been [a] terrific libertarian, articulating and writing about libertarian beliefs and ideals.
Apparently, Jennifer Anniston is also a big Johnson supporter and potential VP recommendation, along with Drew Carrey.
Any popular, high profile libertarian with full command of the issues can help boost Gov. Johnson to fifteen percent and beyond in national polls, potentially landing him on the debate stage for the general election.
National recognition remains the only hurdle for the former governor; however, one debate with Obama and (presumptively) Mitt Romney may exponentially grow his message-reach, donor base, and popularity.
Gary Johnson should be able to peel off disgruntled, principled liberals and progressives – that largely (and correctly) view President Obama as a third term of George W. Bush – from the Democrats with his ACLU cred and pro-choice, pro-marriage equality, pro-immigration, anti-foreign war, anti-drug war, anti-bailout positions.
Moreover, Republicans who still believe in limited government and fiscal sanity can look to Gov. Johnson to respect the Second and Tenth Amendments, submit a balanced budget (a forty-three percent reduction in spending), veto legislation when expenditures exceed revenue, and advocate on behalf of throwing out the entire federal tax system and replacing it with the Fair Tax.
Fiscally conservative, socially liberal views are without a home on Teams Red and Blue. Ron Paul aside, the message of freedom, peace, and free markets is nonexistent in the two-party system. These are not radical ideas, they’re American ideals. Since Jefferson and Madison are founding fathers, hopefully Gary Johnson and Ron Paul can be the restoration fathers in 2012 (with Rand Paul as a modern day John Quincy Adams?).
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*My name is Craig, and I’m a Whole Foods-aholic.
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