bobbyw24
08-09-2010, 08:58 AM
By Peter Wallsten
Libertarianism is enjoying a recent renaissance in the Republican Party.
Texas GOP Rep. Ron Paul won the presidential straw poll earlier this year at the Conservative Political Action Conference, then his son Rand, running on a largely libertarian platform, ousted a more traditional Republican to become the GOP’s Senate nominee in Kentucky.
Now, it appears that former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, known mostly as a vocal advocate for the legalization of marijuana, is positioning himself to test that momentum in the 2012 Republican presidential primaries.
Johnson, 57-years-old, has formed a political committee, the Our America Initiative, to pay for his travels across the country, including to key political hot spots such as New Hampshire and, last week, Florida. Is the GOP ready for a pro-legalized pot, anti-war candidate?
Washington Wire spoke with Johnson about drugs, spending, gay marriage, war, and some new self-reflection on how pure his libertarianism really is. Here’s an excerpt:
Q: What did you think of Rand Paul’s initial statements about the Civil Rights Act, that the government should not tell private businesses they can’t discriminate? That’s consistent with libertarian views, right?
A: When he made those statements, I thought to myself, “This is probably why I’m a Republican, because maybe I would not toe the (libertarian) line.” I’d like to think I would have signed the civil rights bill and wouldn’t have had any issues with it.
Q: You thought about this because of what Paul said?
A: Yes. As a result of his statements, I found myself engaged in discussions over just that notion. I was trying to think of examples where I would have sided with the notion that government does have a role in that capacity. Something analogous is smoking in restaurants. I was opposed to the government mandating that restaurants not allow people to smoke, believing it becomes the customer’s choice whether they go in or not. But then, I thought, what about the employees? Aren’t they hostage to a smoking environment, even if they don’t smoke?
Q: Is this the start of a presidential campaign?
A: I’m a political activist right now. That’s my gig. I have a 501 c (4) committee, so I can’t comment on running for political office because of the legal status of the committee. … But I’ve been to 23 states. I’ve talked to hundreds of groups. I’ve been on the radio once a day since the first of December trying to put a voice to the outrage that I think Americans are feeling right now.
Q: What are they outraged about?
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/08/09/washington-wire-q-a-gary-johnson/
Libertarianism is enjoying a recent renaissance in the Republican Party.
Texas GOP Rep. Ron Paul won the presidential straw poll earlier this year at the Conservative Political Action Conference, then his son Rand, running on a largely libertarian platform, ousted a more traditional Republican to become the GOP’s Senate nominee in Kentucky.
Now, it appears that former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, known mostly as a vocal advocate for the legalization of marijuana, is positioning himself to test that momentum in the 2012 Republican presidential primaries.
Johnson, 57-years-old, has formed a political committee, the Our America Initiative, to pay for his travels across the country, including to key political hot spots such as New Hampshire and, last week, Florida. Is the GOP ready for a pro-legalized pot, anti-war candidate?
Washington Wire spoke with Johnson about drugs, spending, gay marriage, war, and some new self-reflection on how pure his libertarianism really is. Here’s an excerpt:
Q: What did you think of Rand Paul’s initial statements about the Civil Rights Act, that the government should not tell private businesses they can’t discriminate? That’s consistent with libertarian views, right?
A: When he made those statements, I thought to myself, “This is probably why I’m a Republican, because maybe I would not toe the (libertarian) line.” I’d like to think I would have signed the civil rights bill and wouldn’t have had any issues with it.
Q: You thought about this because of what Paul said?
A: Yes. As a result of his statements, I found myself engaged in discussions over just that notion. I was trying to think of examples where I would have sided with the notion that government does have a role in that capacity. Something analogous is smoking in restaurants. I was opposed to the government mandating that restaurants not allow people to smoke, believing it becomes the customer’s choice whether they go in or not. But then, I thought, what about the employees? Aren’t they hostage to a smoking environment, even if they don’t smoke?
Q: Is this the start of a presidential campaign?
A: I’m a political activist right now. That’s my gig. I have a 501 c (4) committee, so I can’t comment on running for political office because of the legal status of the committee. … But I’ve been to 23 states. I’ve talked to hundreds of groups. I’ve been on the radio once a day since the first of December trying to put a voice to the outrage that I think Americans are feeling right now.
Q: What are they outraged about?
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/08/09/washington-wire-q-a-gary-johnson/