From Ed Krayewski at Reason magazine:
Libertarian presidential front-runner and 2012 nominee Gary Johnson, who was the Republican governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003, appeared on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos to make a pitch to Americans dissatisfied with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Republican and Democratic presidential nominees.
Asked whether he saw conservative talk about a potential third-party candidacy to repudiate Trump as a threat or opportunity, Johnson insisted it was a “real opportunity” because “Clinton and Trump are the two most polarizing figures in politics today.”
Johnson noted that more than 50 percent of Americans identified as independent. “I happen to think they’re libertarian but don’t know it,” Johnson said. Many Americans, according to Johnson, were looking for “fiscally responsible, fiscally conservative, small government and then individual choices—freedom, liberty.” People believe they “should be making choices in their own lives, not the government.”
ATBAFT: “OK, who can explain the context in which GJ supposedly advocated that” Jewish bakers had to make cakes for Nazis.”
It started at the LP Oregon debate, about a week before the Stossel taping. The candidates were asked about the religious baker who refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding and was fined under a state anti-discrimination ordinance. Here’s Petersen’s Peterspin on the topic, plus a link to the video: https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2016/03/petersen-campaign-petersen-johnson-duke-it-out-in-oregon/
After the debate, Petersen came up with the further Peterspin about forcing a Jewish baker to bake a cake for a Nazi; which played so well on his Facebook groups that he brought both the original incident and the Nazi spin up at the Stossel debate; which prompted Stossel to ask Johnson point blank about the (spinned) question. Johnson, for whatever reason, agreed that was the logic of his position.
There’s been further Peterspin, of course: now the Facebook story is that Johnson wants to force Jews to bake cakes with Nazi symbols and propaganda.
I can only imagine the next bit of Peterspin: no doubt, that Johnson has a plan to reopen Auschwitz and fill it with Jews, but only use the ovens to force them to bake Nazi cakes.
I see on Facebook that one of Ron Paul’s grandsons posted “Gary Johnson 2016” as a FB comment.
I’m not surprised.
I agree this interview was better than his performance in the Stossel debate.
The nazi cakes, I mean.
It was not a good answer. He should retract it.
Around, he probably was caught off guard and made an inappropriate off the cuff response.
OK, who can explain the context in which GJ supposedly advocated that” Jewish bakers had to make cakes for Nazis.” AFAIK, current laws don’t require any baker – Jewish, Christian, Muslim, atheist – to bake cakes for Nazis. Nazis aren’t a “protected group.” So why, instead of promoting freedom of association would GJ seek to expand the number of protected groups who must be served?
more…
on the last question, GJ’s answer was sub-optimal. Here’s an opportunity to say something far more compelling and engaging.
How about:
My strong suggestion is that voting for Clinton or Trump is a WASTED VOTE. These are both candidates who will both take this country in the wrong direction. America has gone off the rails BECA– USE our politicians have taken away our freedoms. Freedom is the right direction, and that’s what my campaign offers…more freedom, more prosperity, more peace for all Americans.
If you agree with that, vote Libertarian. Don’t waste your vote on people who don’t even get the basic idea of what America is all about.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/gary-johnson-2016-race-real-opportunity-libertarian-party/story?id=38956151
ok, now this was a MUCH better performance. Much crisper and on point.
Gary did well, but he didn’t seem to know that Perot got into the 1992 general election debates only because both Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush TOLD the Commission on Presidential Debates to invite Perot. Both major party nominees thought having Perot in the debates would be good for them. Perot re-entered the race on October 1, 1992, and the first poll taken with him back in showed him at 7%. So Perot was nowhere near having 15% but he still got invited.