Gary Johnson: The libertarian alternative
With Obama and Romney running neck-and-neck, could Johnson decide who our next president is?
“Spoiler Alert!” said Jim Rutenberg in The New York Times. Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson may still be only “a blip in the polls” heading into next week’s election, but with Barack Obama and Mitt Romney running neck-and-neck, that blip could well decide who’s our next president. In the always-pivotal state of Florida, for instance, Johnson is polling at about 1 percent—a margin far greater than the 537 votes that gave the 2000 election to George W. Bush. He’s also likely to win significant votes in the independent-minded battleground states of New Hampshire, Colorado, and Nevada, and in New Mexico, where Johnson was a two-term governor, some polls show him at 5 percent.
As a small-government former Republican, Johnson is most likely to siphon votes away from Romney, said Mike Rosen in The Denver Post. Any freedom-loving libertarians tempted to “make a statement” by voting for Johnson need to ask themselves whether it’s worth four more years of reckless spending and government expansion under Barack Obama. Johnson could hurt Obama too, said Sean Sullivan in Washington Post.com. He’s an anti-war isolationist, wants to legalize marijuana, and has argued far more vigorously than our current president for the right of same-sex couples to marry. These socially liberal positions have earned him “passionate support” from some young voters who would most likely vote for Obama if Johnson weren’t in the race.
I’ve met Johnson, said Ezra Klein, also in WashingtonPost.com, and unlike his fellow libertarian, the oddball Ron Paul, he comes across as a “nice, sober, sensible guy.” But his policies would be no less extreme or destructive: He wants to peg the value of the dollar to the value of precious metals, and has proposed “massive, rapid spending cuts” of about $1.5 trillion—cuts so radical they could push the country into a deep, Greece-like depression. But for those of us who believe in human rights and civil liberties, said Conor Friedersdorf in TheAtlantic.com, who else are we supposed to vote for? If we go with Romney we’re voting for war with Iran and the reinstitution of torture. If we support Obama, we’re voting for the murder of civilians with illegal drone strikes and the indefinite detention of prisoners without trial. That leaves us no real choice but to vote for Gary Johnson—not because he’s going to win the election, but “because he ought to.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Magazine solutions - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Magazine printables - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
'In a normal country, their activities wouldn't even be crimes'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published