This is an odd election year, one where voters fear Hillary Clinton is lying about what she will do and are afraid Donald Trump is not.
The only third party on the ballot in all 50 states this year will be the Libertarian ticket of former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson. Libertarians are polling at about 10 percent; if we can get to 15 percent, our guys can get into the debates with Hillary and The Donald. That would be a game changer.
Ron HartThe #NeverTrump-eteers and the #NeverHillary folks now have a legitimate third party choice: an appealing Libertarian option occupying the middle of the huge gulf between these two flawed candidates' ideologies. You can now #FeelTheJohnson.
In a year when 40 percent of voters say they are independent, and both Republican and Democrat candidates are at historic unfavorable numbers, it might be time to consider Libertarians.
Johnson is a proven leader who was called "America's boldest governor" by The Economist because he actually tried to do something about school choice. He vetoed more than 700 spending and regulatory bills and left New Mexico with a $1 billion budget surplus. The policies of minimal government, individual responsibility and fiscal responsibility of the Libertarians appealed to me. We have historically been housed uncomfortably within the GOP. Think of Reps. Ron Paul and Justin Amash and Sen. Rand Paul. Sadly, we Libertarians have about as much power in the GOP as the Log Cabin Republicans (but not nearly as fabulous Oscar parties).
With his anti-immigration and protectionist populist leanings, Trump isn't very Libertarian. Actually, the Libertarian Party should appeal more to disenfranchised Bernie Sanders supporters. We have long been pro-gay marriage (we do not care what consenting folks do as long as they don't try to do it to us), pro-choice, against the wars of choice in Iraq and Afghanistan, against Gitmo, and against the failed federal "War on Drugs," which means pro-prison reform. We also did not want to bail out the big banks, another leftist chant.
If you think about it, we have been correct on pretty much everything, but being right in politics gets you nowhere. If disaffected Democrats are true to their main ideals, they should vote Libertarian. But Democrats today seldom vote with intellectual honesty. Most are party operatives who are takers, not makers; they want others to pay their way, and a leftist, nanny-state government is just their means to do so.
We differ from Democrats in other areas: We like lower taxes, balanced budgets and the Second Amendment. We know that government is not the answer to every problem. To explain Libertarianism, I always say, "Smoke all the crack you want, but don't expect us to pay for your rehab or not shoot you if you try to steal our lawn mowers."
The closest thing Democrats had to authenticity was Bernie Sanders, the "revolutionary" who, like every great revolutionary when defeated, immediately endorsed his opponent and told his followers to be quiet and do what Hillary says. Democrats destroy their opponents personally; they do not win on workable or better ideas. They ascribe evil to those who disagree, all under the pretense of being "tolerant."
The place where Republicans get it wrong is that they espouse minimal government and maximal personal freedoms, except in the areas of your personal life, where they like to legislate what you can do. Once elected, Republicans seem like those mayors who want to outlaw dirty dancing in their towns on their first day in office.
We Libertarians believe: Be as socially conservative as you want to be, just don't force it on me. Let's agree that you do not know what is right for me and I don't know what is right for you. Freedom to choose is the key.
The hypocrisy of the GOP astounds me. At the "family values" RNC, you had Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh and Rudi Giuliani, all of whom I like, but they had about a baker's dozen of ex-wives among them.
Libertarians should really appeal to #FeelTheBern liberals who were cheated by the DNC, or to anyone else wronged by Democrats - people like Monica Lewinsky, for example. She's been treated badly by a Democrat, and she might be predisposed to #FeelTheJohnson.
Contact Ron Hart at Ron@RonaldHart.com or @RonaldHart on Twitter.