Thread: Gary Johnson wins Libertarian presidential nomination at party convention

Gary Johnson wins Libertarian presidential nomination at party convention

By Eli Watkins, CNN
Updated 3:09 PM ET, Sun May 29, 2016

Orlando, Florida (CNN)Libertarians on Sunday selected former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson as their party's presidential nominee, at their party convention in Orlando, Florida.

Johnson was the party's nominee in 2012 and once again won the position despite backlash from the party's more radical Libertarian wing.

In the first round of voting, Johnson reached 49.5 percent of the vote, according to the official party total, just shy of the majority needed for victory. His nearest opponents, Austin Petersen and John McAfee, reached 21 and 14 percent respectively. On the second round of voting, Johnson clinched the nomination with 55.8 percent of the vote.

Thanking the Libertarian delegates after his victory, Johnson played up his general election chances.

"At a minimum, I think we're in the presidential debates," Johnson said to cheers.

Libertarian National Committee chair Nicholas Sarwark spoke to press following the nomination process, discussing the Libertarian Party's outreach and fundraising efforts. Sarwark said the party had established a "back channel" to the Koch brothers, in the hopes the wealthy libertarian-leaning funders donate to the Libertarian Party. Sarwark also said he had been speaking to Matt Kibbe, former president of conservative advocacy group Freedomworks, about supporting the party's nominee.

Johnson blasted the "rigged nature" of the general election debate process and repeatedly called for inclusion in more national polling surveys. Strong showings there would increase his chances of inclusion in the official presidential debates.

"This is another voice at the table," Johnson said.

"How about some skeptic at the table when it comes to these military interventions?"

What is Libertarianism?

Johnson received almost 1 percent of the general election vote in 2012, but said that in a year of unpopular offerings from the Democratic and Republican parties, he stands a chance of breaking through.

A recent national poll had Johnson receiving 10 percent of support from registered voters, drawing his strongest support from respondents under 35. Another national poll showed 44 percent of registered voters would want a third party to run against Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, and Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee.

The Libertarian Party is the only third party with ballot access in 50 states. This means Johnson will be the only alternative to Trump and Clinton available to all voters in this election.

When it came to Trump, Johnson got fired up and said the presumptive Republican nominee's immigration policies are "just racist."

Just before the nomination vote, Johnson said if he were to win the nomination, he would head to New York on Monday for media opportunities.

Johnson, who served as New Mexico governor as a Republican from 1995-2003, said too few people knew what a Libertarian is, and that his job is to change that.

In his acceptance speech, and speaking with reporters after, Johnson repeatedly urged delegates to vote for his preferred running mate, former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld. Many Libertarian activists are skeptical of Weld, arguing his 1991-97 tenure saw too much growth in government and new gun control measures. But Johnson argued that Weld is the most plausible running mate in appealing to a national electorate, and could help build momentum and fundraising power for the ticket.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/29/politi...-nominee-vote/

Gary Johnson wins Libertarian presidential nomination, Weld chosen for VP

CNN

- ‎31 minutes ago‎

Orlando, Florida (CNN) Libertarians on Sunday selected former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson as their party's presidential nominee and ex-Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld as the vice presidential nominee, at their party convention in Orlando, Florida ...

This might be a little off topic, but this article reminded me of a discussion I had with a female business owner who was very pro-libertarian party several years ago. From talking to her, she seemed to have no loyalty to the U.S. or to her fellow U.S. citizens. She seemed very greedy, selfish and uncaring and full of anger for having to hire U.S. citizens. She said she was sick of having to hire U.S. workers and pay them minimum wage. She said she should be able to import poor Chinese workers and pay them one dollar an hour(instead of having to pay 7 dollars an hour minimum wage, and believe it or not, 1 dollar an hour would be a significant pay increase for them compared to the pay they make in the Chinese sweatshops). Her attitude was so reprehensible, I couldn't help feel nothing but contempt for her views and a desire to get away from her. The fact that the libertarian party seems fine with that dream of hers, is disturbing.

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According to the Libertarian Party’s presidential nominee Donald Trump’s immigration policies are “…just racists.” I can not stand libertarians because they are always saying really stupid things like this. Even though I believe in free enterprise and limited government, libertarians are jerks.

The libertarian party calls for the end of all restrictions on immigration. Thus they are fully in support of national suicide. A nation can not exists unless it controls whom and under what rules foreigners are allowed within its jurisdiction, otherwise it is just a geographical location on the map like the ”international waters” of the oceans. Unrestricted immigration will inevitably result in chaos. Who will be considered citizens and who will be allowed to vote to decide who will weld government power? The rejection of restrictions on immigration is a rejection of the concept of borders and the rejection of borders is the rejection of the nation state, and the rejection of a nation state is the rejection of the very idea of a government --unless one thinks of a one world government that will inevitably be a one world despotism. Why? Because of the 7 billion people on this planet the great majority are ignorant, illiterate in their own language with an average IQ of around 87 (the average Caucasian IQ is 100) 87 is really stupid. The great majority of humanity does not understand and is incapable of comprehending the concepts upon which a free society is made possible. That is what is happening now in Europe that has implemented the libertarian idea of unrestricted immigration. The Third World is destroying the First World. And a GENOCIDE of the Caucasian people and their superior culture is now occurring.

The libertarian concept of no immigration restrictions is a utopian, intellectual suicide and as dangerous as the most hardcore Marxists despot. The greatest human suffering has been caused by well meaning utopians.