The two presumptive nominees for this general election, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, are two of the most polarizing nominees America has ever seen. The popular consensus is that you either love them or hate them, though it seems that there is more of the latter. Clinton and Trump have record-breaking unfavorable ratings, Clinton for the Democratic Party (unfavorable at 60 percent) and Trump for every Presidential candidate ever (unfavorable at 63 percent).
Though I have, in the past, been politically apathetic, I have been very excited about this election since it is the first one I will be able to vote in. This excitement has turned sour, however, because I am among those who see both of these candidates unfavorably. I often ask myself, “How do the most hated candidates out of the entire primaries end up being the two main choices for president?” I am sure many of you are asking yourself this too.
Some blame alleged election fraud and voter purging and others blame an irresponsible media. Whatever the cause is, we cannot change what we have (unless Clinton is indicted or the California Democratic Primary is not certified due to voter fraud but that is a story for later). So, as Americans, we must look forward to November and justify voting for one of these two devastatingly unlikable candidates.
Or do we?
More now than ever there is popular approval for a third party candidate in America. Some say that supporting a third party candidate would spoil the chances for the candidate they are most like by splitting the vote for conservatives or liberals. This is a valid concern, especially for liberals in the case of Jill Stein where almost all support is coming from potential Democrats, but it is not so for Gary Johnson and the Libertarian Party.
In an interview on NBC, Johnson cleared up this concern by referencing polling that showed that he took more votes away from Hillary Clinton. So, if you were thinking of voting Republican, then I would say there is no reason to fear voting for Johnson.
But wait, who is Gary Johnson?
One of the greatest advantages that Johnson has over Clinton and Trump is that he is simply not Clinton or Trump, which could be enough for some people. But his most significant disadvantage is that no one knows who he is. So, I’ll introduce him to you.
Gary Johnson is a two-term New Mexico Governor who served as a Republican in a majorly Democrat state. As Governor, he vetoed the most bills in U.S. history (750) and even balanced the state’s budget. After his governorship, Johnson was the CEO of Cannabis Sativa, Inc., and is an unapologetic user and advocate for the legalization of marijuana. Johnson is all about liberty and often says that he believes that government has no place in your bedroom or your wallet.
Now that you know a little about him (you may benefit from further research or even watching interviews on YouTube), I am going to go into a little more detail about the party platforms.
Libertarians believe in liberty (it’s even in their name). They are socially liberal and fiscally conservative, which is why Johnson believes Libertarians are the middle ground for Americans. He believes that the national debt is the single greatest threat to the country and says that his number one priority is to balance the budget, something he did as Governor. He will do this through several changes to government, but most notably by decreasing military spending by 20 percent.
Some would go about balancing the budget by increasing taxes, but not a Libertarian. For Johnson, this is where government stays out of your wallet. As President, Johnson would cut taxes and fix the federal tax code by making it less punitive.
Johnson knows that Washington, D.C. is systematically corrupt and that the only way this can change is by having new people being involved in our government. This is why Johnson strongly supports term limits for our Congressmen so we do not have the same people governing us indefinitely.
Johnson says that the greatest threat to American freedom is the government itself. After years of an intrusive government, Johnson says that we need to advocate for the personal freedom of Americans. As the founding fathers intended, he believes that government should be limited.
The past decades have been filled with wars, conflicts and interventions that have not really protected Americans and have probably done more to harm is in one way or another. Libertarians recognize that many of our actions in the Middle East have contributed to the rise of the current threats we face today and that to prevent further conflict we should not intervene as much as we do. As President, Johnson would refrain from antagonizing our enemies and giving them more reasons to oppose us and he does his best to keep us out of violent conflicts.
On immigration, Johnson thinks that building higher fences would only result in higher ladders. He says that the safest way to regulate immigration is to make it more efficient for immigrants to come into the country and obtain citizenship. As a border Governor, he understands immigration and approaches the issue with a sense of empathy that would ease the xenophobia in the country.
Johnson believes that preserving and protecting the environment is important but as a Libertarian, he does not support doing so by having the government intervene in the free market. For now, he does not believe it to be cost-effective or justifiable for its intrusion of liberty.
It is arguable (and objectively true) that the federal government has no role in education. Johnson believes that education is constitutionally under the state's’ control and that, as President, he would eliminate the Department of Education and oppose national standards for education like Common Core.
Finally, on abortion, Johnson has never advocated for taxpayer funding and has always believed in the in the sanctity of the lives of the unborn. These are, however, his personal feelings and he knows that one’s personal feelings are not always what is best for the government. Respecting liberty and the law of the land, Johnson recognizes that it is the right of a woman to choose. He loves life and liberty, and believes that government has no right to invade the bodies of women.
These are the basics of the party, but I urge you to look further into it if you are interested. But when you approach the ballot in November, I would hope that you do not simply vote for someone because you don’t like anyone else. There are other options and one is Gary Johnson. It is ultimately your choice, but know that there is a choice.
