Vote Libertarian in this Presidential Election?
Okay. Fifty percent and more of Americans are not happy with their 2016 presidential candidates. There is something wrong with each one, whether it is Sanders (too socialist, zero chance to be nominated), Clinton (more of the same, some say an Obama third term, untrustworthy is an issue), or Trump (so many are sick of his demeanor, unpresidential-like manner, arrogant, probably as untrustworthy as Clinton),
Enter the Libertarian party that may actually do way better than ever thought. Usually, this party provides some real whackos, like one guy called Elvis Presley (not kidding!). But this election cycle has produced candidates that are just bad choices. Is this the best America can do this time? Guess so. Many Americans are looking for a different party to place their vote in November. Many do not like the three main candidates, which will be between Clinton and Trump.
Gary Johnson has been nominated by the Libertarian Party as their presidential candidate. Who is he? He is not some random person, but a successful former governor of New Mexico and former construction company owner that employed over 1000 people. His running mate for VP is William Weld. He was governor for two terms of Massachusetts in the 1990s. Both are Republicans but are way more progressive than most, call them quasi-Republican.
They are social libertarians: pro-choice, anti-government meddling in matters of personal privacy, decriminalization of most drugs, and they oppose United States meddling in foreign adventures and war. Libertarians push for reduced spending and taxes, saying the federal government has gotten too big across the board. Johnson proposes eliminating federal income and corporate taxes and replacing those with a national sales tax. Libertarians generally support abortion rights, gun rights, same-sex marriage and drug legalization, saying people should be allowed to do anything that doesn't hurt others.
They may appeal a large amount of unhappy voters and have already polled 10% and hope to be included in the upcoming presidential debates. They can appeal to many middle of the road Republicans and Democrats that supported Trump or Clinton or Sanders. They hope to get most of the Sander supporters with their many overlapping issues that they agree with. They are, like Trump, outsiders seeking to change Washington. So, they can also appeal to those once Trump supporters also. Because they have some democratic policies like Clinton, they may garner those voters who simply do not trust Clinton or like her.
One can see their appeal, but will it catch on fire this time?
