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View Full Version : Former Governor Gary Johnson in Houston last night. Recap.




JoshLowry
11-09-2010, 04:56 PM
Nat and I will be there tonight.

I'd like to see what he says.

Come join us if you are in the area!


Join Former Governor of New Mexico

Gary Johnson, in Houston

November 9th at 6:30 PM

For a Discussion on the Future of Liberty in the U.S.A.

Crowne Plaza (Reliant Stadium)

8686 Kirby Drive
Houston, Texas

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=8686+Kirby+Drive+Houston,+Texas&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=8686+Kirby+Dr,+Houston,+Harris,+Texas+77054&gl=us&ei=oNHZTIiBAdOQnwfSzeCQCg&ved=0CCEQ8gEwAA&t=h&z=16

Free and open to the public

With Special Guests

Debra Medina, We Texans

Dave Nalle, Republican Liberty Caucus

Al Jameson & Bill Tofte - Houston Area Liberty Campaign



For more information: http://on.fb.me/gary-johnson

Thomas
11-09-2010, 06:13 PM
this should be interesting...

JoshLowry
11-09-2010, 06:59 PM
Anything I should ask?

Kotin
11-09-2010, 07:01 PM
Anything I should ask?

ask him whether he would step aside for Ron Paul in 2012..

low preference guy
11-09-2010, 07:03 PM
ask him whether he would step aside for Ron Paul in 2012..

a more subtle way could be "do you see yourself ever running for senate"?

itshappening
11-09-2010, 07:18 PM
please ask Medina about running in 2012 for US Senate.

This is a candidate we can get behind and who has a shot.

Dreamofunity
11-09-2010, 08:21 PM
ask him whether he would step aside for Ron Paul in 2012..

Johnson is coming to my school shortly to speak, and I'm assuming we'll (YAL group) get some more personal (less in the public) time with him. That is a great question to ask.

MikeStanart
11-09-2010, 09:01 PM
I really wanted to go tonight but had to work :mad: . If I wasn't an 1.5 hours away I totally woulda been able to make it.

Telll us how it went, josh!

james1906
11-09-2010, 09:23 PM
Glad I didn't know about it, as I got a flat tire and wouldn't have been able to make it. Please give us a report.

JoshLowry
11-10-2010, 01:22 AM
please ask Medina about running in 2012 for US Senate.

This is a candidate we can get behind and who has a shot.

Wasn't able to corner her as she seemed short on time.


ask him whether he would step aside for Ron Paul in 2012..

Shook hands and took a pic with Johnson. Got to speak with him briefly.

In my opinion, Johnson is putting together momentum for his own run. Just like Ron, he would be running to win. I think he has put together a good schedule and is talking to lots of people. He's going to make some kind of a splash in 2011. However, I don't think it will be a contest in seeing who the liberty supporters rally behind. The Paul train has way too much momentum behind it.

I don't think a few people asking him to step aside will do anything. He's a liberty activist with his own plans. This is the same person that introduced himself to the local Republican party just a few weeks before he announced his Republican run for Governor in a state that at the time was 2 to 1 Democrats - and then he won.

He gave a speech riddled with humor but I wasn't able to record it. Two other people had cameras set up so maybe there will be a tube but I wouldn't count on it. He had some good analogies. He compared health insurance to having a ridiculous grocery insurance. Eventually everyone has it and if it's guaranteed to be paid by the government then the grocery stores can jack up prices because the consumer isn't paying directly.

Questions I still have:

How much of an impact will he have on Ron's fundraising or polling?

How do we react to having multiple liberty candidates in the same race?

What are the important differences between Ron and Gary?

Finally, is Johnson going to put "Our America" first?

Until we have our own house in order, I'm not going to be supportive of Israel's right to exist using America's military. Even if we did...

Israel's defense shouldn't be near the top of a candidates priorities as we work on our own problems. He did not make this a part of his speech, but he does have it on his OurAmerica website. What does this have to do with Our America? It's the only bone that I have to pick with him at the moment. The other 90%+ of him seems to be fantastic. I need to research more material on his foreign policy.

Kotin
11-10-2010, 01:47 AM
does not sound good to me.. this is not the year for this sort of thing..


my fear is that he could derail the real campaign.. and if he did, no matter how minor, it will be bad..


but I don't think most people even know who he is.. so I worry about infighting and splits within the larger movement between Gary Johnson and Ron Paul..

low preference guy
11-10-2010, 02:18 AM
Israel's defense shouldn't be near the top of a candidates priorities as we work on our own problems. He did not make this a part of his speech, but he does have it on his OurAmerica website. What does this have to do with Our America? It's the only bone that I have to pick with him at the moment. The other 90%+ of him seems to be fantastic. I need to research more material on his foreign policy.

what the fuck? gary doesn't have a backbone. that said... he is better than any potential candidate except Ron Paul.

JoshLowry
11-10-2010, 02:27 AM
Johnson vetoed over 750 bills while Governor, and he says his line item vetoes were in the thousands.

He has a hell of a backbone.

The Israel thing throws me for a loop. I want to say it is pandering, but I can't step out on a limb like that for candidates I do not fully know.

Wren
11-10-2010, 08:30 AM
I've said this before, Gary Johnson is a withered down and much more simplistic version of Ron Paul. Did anyone see the interview he recently had with Alex Jones? Gary doesn't even have half of the knowledge that Ron Paul does when it comes to foreign policy and economics. Maybe he does when it comes to the war on drugs, but does he honestly expect to be elected in a REPUBLICAN primary with that as his only strength? I'm not bashing him, just trying to be realistic. It would be great if we could get him into the senate, but for the presidency, he might end up dividing us.

Elwar
11-10-2010, 09:00 AM
Johnson "gets it" as far as libertarian principles go. But yes, he is no Ron Paul. This isn't his life. He left office and went mountain climbing, bike riding, skiing, etc. He wasn't spending his retirement years pouring over Mises and Hayek. He's where most of us were a few months into listening to Ron Paul. Agreeing with him but not understanding everything behind what he's saying.

He seems more pragmatic. He didn't start out supporting marijuana legalization because he believed that the government using force against you because of what you put in your body is wrong, he researched it and came to the conclusion that it's fiscally the wrong choice. He would love to have no income taxes but he understands the practicality of getting that passed, so he's not going to run on that notion.

A lot of Republicans in the middle can relate to him. They may be willing to support the "Fair" tax but would be wary of getting rid of taxes alltogether. They might be willing to phase down troop levels around the world instead of "just bringing them home" right away.

Johnson will pull people from the center that aren't as philosophically grounded. They consider themselves fiscally conservative and socially liberal. There are a lot of those types of people out there.

Johnson could be the bridge for people supporting Ron Paul.

klamath
11-10-2010, 10:19 AM
Wasn't able to corner her as she seemed short on time.



Shook hands and took a pic with Johnson. Got to speak with him briefly.

In my opinion, Johnson is putting together momentum for his own run. Just like Ron, he would be running to win. I think he has put together a good schedule and is talking to lots of people. He's going to make some kind of a splash in 2011. However, I don't think it will be a contest in seeing who the liberty supporters rally behind. The Paul train has way too much momentum behind it.

I don't think a few people asking him to step aside will do anything. He's a liberty activist with his own plans. This is the same person that introduced himself to the local Republican party just a few weeks before he announced his Republican run for Governor in a state that at the time was 2 to 1 Democrats - and then he won.

He gave a speech riddled with humor but I wasn't able to record it. Two other people had cameras set up so maybe there will be a tube but I wouldn't count on it. He had some good analogies. He compared health insurance to having a ridiculous grocery insurance. Eventually everyone has it and if it's guaranteed to be paid by the government then the grocery stores can jack up prices because the consumer isn't paying directly.

Questions I still have:

How much of an impact will he have on Ron's fundraising or polling?

How do we react to having multiple liberty candidates in the same race?

What are the important differences between Ron and Gary?

Finally, is Johnson going to put "Our America" first?

Until we have our own house in order, I'm not going to be supportive of Israel's right to exist using America's military. Even if we did...

Israel's defense shouldn't be near the top of a candidates priorities as we work on our own problems. He did not make this a part of his speech, but he does have it on his OurAmerica website. What does this have to do with Our America? It's the only bone that I have to pick with him at the moment. The other 90%+ of him seems to be fantastic. I need to research more material on his foreign policy.
Seems you answered my question. He is in it for HIS win and will NOT drop out before the NH primary. Even if he is a dud and only draws 4 or 5% in NH and Iowa he will most likely cost RP the nomination. Artsy NM is NOT the same electorate as Iowa and NH. For the people that say GJ can bring new people in, please show me one Republican web site that has people supporting GJ but as a second choice aren't supporting RP? How many GJ voters do you know that would back Palin Romney, Huck as second choice? RP and GJ are competing for the same electoral demographics and therefore will be spliting that demographic.

trey4sports
11-10-2010, 10:28 AM
He's not going to COST Ron Paul the nomination. We are still educating the masses and Gary will be a great spokesperson for Liberty

Wren
11-10-2010, 10:31 AM
Johnson "gets it" as far as libertarian principles go. But yes, he is no Ron Paul. This isn't his life. He left office and went mountain climbing, bike riding, skiing, etc. He wasn't spending his retirement years pouring over Mises and Hayek. He's where most of us were a few months into listening to Ron Paul. Agreeing with him but not understanding everything behind what he's saying.

He seems more pragmatic. He didn't start out supporting marijuana legalization because he believed that the government using force against you because of what you put in your body is wrong, he researched it and came to the conclusion that it's fiscally the wrong choice. He would love to have no income taxes but he understands the practicality of getting that passed, so he's not going to run on that notion.

A lot of Republicans in the middle can relate to him. They may be willing to support the "Fair" tax but would be wary of getting rid of taxes alltogether. They might be willing to phase down troop levels around the world instead of "just bringing them home" right away.

Johnson will pull people from the center that aren't as philosophically grounded. They consider themselves fiscally conservative and socially liberal. There are a lot of those types of people out there.

Johnson could be the bridge for people supporting Ron Paul.

I understand but consider the primaries. Ron Paul will need EVERY vote we can gather for him. Gary Johnson will not help us in that instance

LibertyEagle
11-10-2010, 10:35 AM
He's not going to COST Ron Paul the nomination. We are still educating the masses and Gary will be a great spokesperson for Liberty

Pushing drug legalization? In the REPUBLICAN primary?

I don't think so.

klamath
11-10-2010, 10:35 AM
He's not going to COST Ron Paul the nomination. We are still educating the masses and Gary will be a great spokesperson for Liberty

If RP has no chance to win then yes they are both running educational campaigns. If that is the case I will be rooting for their educational soundbits and debate responses but I will not be wasting money on them. It will take very little money to travel around debating and talking to people. Paying 12 million to educate people with "He's catching on, I'm telling Ya" is not my idea of a good use of educational money.

Elwar
11-10-2010, 10:38 AM
I understand but consider the primaries. Ron Paul will need EVERY vote we can gather for him. Gary Johnson will not help us in that instance

I agree. He would be openly attacking Ron Paul by staying in past Iowa (he could stay in the Iowa primary because of how the caucus works).

Just like what was said...how many Gary Johnson sites out there aren't run by Ron Paul supporters? I know the guys that run all of them and we all support Ron Paul.

He'd have to overcome his own websites going after him for splitting Ron Paul's votes.

I believe there will be a clear indicator next October (about the time when the lower candidates start dropping out).

JoshLowry
11-10-2010, 11:13 AM
Pushing drug legalization? In the REPUBLICAN primary?

I don't think so.

Ron Paul did it in 2007. Part of the reason many supported him.

Alcohol and cigarettes are worse than many of these "drugs" that should be legalized. I think it should be brought up in every single primary.

Tyr
11-10-2010, 08:40 PM
I won't be voting for this clown so bring on Ron Paul!

Brian4Liberty
11-10-2010, 09:33 PM
He compared health insurance to having a ridiculous grocery insurance. Eventually everyone has it and if it's guaranteed to be paid by the government then the grocery stores can jack up prices because the consumer isn't paying directly.

Great! I like that one. Then again I am pretty much against all insurance for the same reasons. It's a huge market distorter, and it's essentially "free-market", voluntary socialism, with the exception of all of the government mandated insurance, which is a socialism/corporatism hybrid.

speciallyblend
11-10-2010, 10:17 PM
if gary and ron run in 2012, then i am expecting another gop disaster!! seems to be a great time in history for a indy run! The idea of having 2 liberty candidates in debates sounds good but i fear it will nominate a typical useless republican instead of a liberty candidate!!!


i give the gop another 5-20 yrs before they actually get it ,i can only hope i am wrong!!

speciallyblend
11-10-2010, 10:18 PM
I won't be voting for this clown so bring on Ron Paul!

gary johnson has more credibility then 99% of the gop minus ron paul;)

what issue to you disagree with gary on to call him a clown? curious?

speciallyblend
11-10-2010, 10:24 PM
Ron Paul did it in 2007. Part of the reason many supported him.

Alcohol and cigarettes are worse than many of these "drugs" that should be legalized. I think it should be brought up in every single primary.

yep drug legalization is smaller government(minus all the regulations on a simple plant)! big drug wars is big government! Marijuana is far safer then alcohol and aspirin and many substances at your grocery store! this is where the gop fails pro-drug war =BIGGER BIGGER GOVERNMENT and a war on american citizens!!
this is why the gop dfails on smaller government! they cannot even practice what they preach, any republican that endorses 75 years of lies deserves to lose and anyone that supports the drug war in any fashion does not believe in smaller government. the drug war is why i do not vote for big gov republicans.

the republican party must fix itself before it can bitch about obamas issues. the problem is the gop and the big government lovers. the gop deserves to lose on the drug war alone and many more reasons!!!!

ron pauls position on the drug war and the undeclared iraq and afgan wars and many other positions was a major reason i joined the slimy gop!!

Tyr
11-11-2010, 12:37 AM
gary johnson has more credibility then 99% of the gop minus ron paul;)

what issue to you disagree with gary on to call him a clown? curious?


Immigration. Mainly the hypocrisy that he on his website claims he wants a 1-strike rule on illegal immigration and acts like he's a hardliner.... Yet hires illegals to work at his company.

Here's a story about Gary Johnson. Once apon a time(2 months ago) there was a large project starting that he needed manpower on. Alot of manpower. There were about 40-60 openings. About 20 people who had worked together and keep in contact with one another applied. Several with more than a decade in the industry, proper training as well as certifications. About 8 of them. The other 12? 10 are illegal aliens, the other two have green cards. The other 12 worked under the other 8 for several years, have no certifications, barely trained on the jobsite and did I mention most of them are illegally in this country? The first 8 are still waiting to be called for at the least a job interview. The other 12? They were hired without job interviews within 2 days of applying and have been working the last two months. As well as several of their friends and family members.

I'm one of the first 8. Needless to say he is a hypocrite as well as a clown in my book and i'll never vote for him. :)

trey4sports
11-11-2010, 12:43 AM
I don't know your situation nor will i pretend to but if i can hire workers for half the cost that will do a good job then i wold certainly do so

Tyr
11-11-2010, 11:24 PM
I don't know your situation nor will i pretend to but if i can hire workers for half the cost that will do a good job then i wold certainly do so


My situation is I busted my ass for years and invested tens of thousands of dollars not to mention hundreds of hours of my time to learn multiple related crafts as well as build a great reputation within the industry. I did so in order to ensure I could find employment and take care of my family as well as an American pride in striving to be the best.


... Only to have guys like Gary Johnson hire illegals at $6 an hour, breaking the law and supporting other criminals all the while claiming to be against it.

As for good jobs i'll let the shoddy work done by illegal aliens speak for itself. As they say you get what you pay for. In this instance you're getting criminals installing substandard work because they have neither the Education to go through four years of classroom and book training learning how to properly do the work nor do they have the desire to. If you want welds that leak, improperly installed plumbing and HVAC units that need service techs to come fix after a few months of service be my guest, go with the illegals. Save a few bucks(although you'll spend that money having the work fixed down the road and redone properly).

Brian4Liberty
11-12-2010, 11:52 AM
Immigration. Mainly the hypocrisy that he on his website claims he wants a 1-strike rule on illegal immigration and acts like he's a hardliner.... Yet hires illegals to work at his company.

Here's a story about Gary Johnson. Once apon a time(2 months ago) there was a large project starting that he needed manpower on. Alot of manpower. There were about 40-60 openings. About 20 people who had worked together and keep in contact with one another applied. Several with more than a decade in the industry, proper training as well as certifications. About 8 of them. The other 12? 10 are illegal aliens, the other two have green cards. The other 12 worked under the other 8 for several years, have no certifications, barely trained on the jobsite and did I mention most of them are illegally in this country? The first 8 are still waiting to be called for at the least a job interview. The other 12? They were hired without job interviews within 2 days of applying and have been working the last two months. As well as several of their friends and family members.

I'm one of the first 8. Needless to say he is a hypocrite as well as a clown in my book and i'll never vote for him. :)

Real life experience tends to shape people's opinions on immigration. Those who lose their jobs and wages to cheaper labor (insourced and outsourced) usually have a certain opinion. Those who make a living (or higher profits) from cheaper labor tend to have a different view. Gary Johnson fits in the latter category...

Tyr
11-12-2010, 01:21 PM
Real life experience tends to shape people's opinions on immigration. Those who lose their jobs and wages to cheaper labor (insourced and outsourced) usually have a certain opinion. Those who make a living (or higher profits) from cheaper labor tend to have a different view. Gary Johnson fits in the latter category...


Indeed. I've seen the full effects of letting anyone and everyone just walk in and it is far from a utopia. Obviously those such as Johnson that are heavily insulted with their CEO title and gated community don't get to witness the aftermath.