Gary Johnson on Stossel
My favorite reporter interviews my favorite Presidential candidate
Update: Awesome
“The fact is, I can unequivocally say that I did not create a single job while I was governor.”...
“Don’t get me wrong....We are proud of this distinction. We had a 11.6 percent job growth that occurred during our two terms in office. But the headlines that accompanied that report—referring to governors, including me, as ‘job creators’—were just wrong.”
Matt:
Does it say anything that, while watching the recorded show shortly after it aired, I kept wanting to feed him lines? (In response to his philosophically-inconsistent policy on drug legalization, for example, how about "If I'm elected, and then Congress passes a law decriminalizing all drugs, I'll sign it. But I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for that day to come, and in the meantime, I plan to push for specific reforms that I might actually be able to make happen."?)
I want somebody like this to be president so badly that I already know it'll never happen.
(I know...Ron Paul's been running for president for years. I happen to think the country would be just about perfect with 200 clones of Ron Paul in the House, 40 more clones of him in the Senate, and none of him in the White House. Gary Johnson, however, seems to be the kind of libertarian who'd make a decent president.)
June 23, 2011, 12:24 pmBob Smith:
Johnson is interesting, but I'm unclear on how he helped improved New Mexico's tax and business climate. It's fairly low rated by the Tax Foundation, and has a reputation as a plaintiff's lawyer's paradise.
June 23, 2011, 4:01 pmEric Hammer:
For me, she "Social Conservative" they had one to talk at him really demonstrated that the Republicans don't seem to know what people really care about. How many people are really serious about their politicians going to church more than anything else? Has abortion really been an issue for the past 10 years? Are those two points really a bigger issue than the economy and the role of government in the economy and our over all lives?
I might well be wrong myself, but it seems to me that many more people are concerned with taxes, the economy and the roll of government (and wars etc.) than whether or not their candidates go to church on a regular basis.
June 24, 2011, 7:21 amBrian Dunbar:
My take, Eric, listening to the social conservative talking about how I like to vote was similar to when I hear pundits on NPR tell me how I'm likely to vote.
"Yes, you're talking _about_ me, and people I know, but you don't actually _understand_ me and people I know. Maybe you need to get out of the Starbucks, toots, and spend some time in Drivepast City, Flyover State, amongst the rest of us."
I don't care if a politician shows up at Mass. I'm not hiring the guy based on his beliefs in the all-mighty.
People I know, who actually vote, don't give a rip about a guy's politics, his race, creed or color. Is he a decent guy? Is he competent? Can he make the right choices under pressure?
Perhaps I'm choosy about my friends.
June 24, 2011, 7:28 amEric Hammer:
Yea, that was my feeling. I can imagine a time and situation where things like religion and general cultural issues like that are the most relevant, but it seems that right now the burning questions are more along the lines of "How much of a serf shall we be?"
I hope someday we get to the point where things like church attendance becomes most important, but I fear it will only come after the serf question has been answered "Completely."
June 25, 2011, 1:34 pm