Gary Johnson: The Sane Candidate
Gary Johnson isn’t just the best choice for President of the United States—he’s the only choice. Faced with two of the worst, most unpopular major party nominees in modern US history, there is simply no other option. Donald Trump: an uninformed egomaniac and pathological liar whose authoritarian nature, racially-charged rhetoric, and lack of coherent policy should be enough to make anyone fear his presidency. Hillary Clinton: a corrupt establishment politician involved in repeated scandals, whose lack of transparency, history of cronyism, and overwhelming disingenuousness would only reinforce the tie between money and politics. These aren’t two options; they’re two deplorables. This is the United States of America, where choice thrives. You can pick from over a hundred flavors of ice cream, types of cell phones, and varieties of clothing. Why should your choice for President, one infinitely more consequential, be limited to two options? It simply shouldn’t.
Gary Johnson is running for president on the Libertarian ticket and will be on the ballot in all 50 states and DC. He is not merely a third party; he is a third legitimate candidate for President of the United States. He, along with his running mate Bill Weld, were successful two-term governors. Both were popular Republicans in blue states. Both won re-election by massive margins. Both cut spending, balanced their state budgets, and lowered taxes, all while working with Democratic legislatures. The Libertarian ticket is one of the most experienced ever to be on the ballot. Unlike their opponents, Johnson and Weld aren’t peddling vaporware. They’ve been there and done that. They’ve worked across the aisle. They’ve passed effective legislation. They’ve reformed government.
Johnson is running on a refreshing platform, a far cry from the recycled ideas of his competitors. He holds that people should be free to make personal decisions in their own lives as long as those choices don’t affect others. He wants the government “out of your pocketbook and out of your bedroom.” He’s consistently supported a woman’s right to choose even as a Republican and remains the first (and only) governor to call for the legalization of marijuana in 1999. As president, he wants to cut taxes, balance the budget, and enact congressional term limits. He’s also in favor of immigration, pro-civil liberties, and against NSA spying. He’s the only candidate concerned about our excessive interventions abroad and the only candidate in favor of free trade, a policy lauded by a whopping 83% of economists. Most importantly, he’s the only honest candidate. Unlike Clinton and Trump, Gary Johnson feels like a genuine person. He speaks from his heart, admits when he’s wrong, and owns up to his flubs.
Will everyone agree with 100% of Gary Johnson’s platform? Of course not. But there’s enough sensible policies to appeal to the vast majority of the US electorate. As a result, Johnson is an excellent compromise candidate, something desperately needed in this increasingly polarized and hostile political climate. As a Libertarian, he shares policy positions with both parties, facilitating compromise and collaboration with Congress. As president, he would bring a functioning government back to Washington, reaching out to both sides of the aisle to pass meaningful legislation. A Johnson presidency would certainly serve to ease the tension in Washington and, by extension, the nation as a whole. Alternatively, under either a Clinton or Trump presidency, our nation would be more divided than ever and doomed to four more years of gridlock. Whether you support the Republican or Democratic nominee, you’re voting for a nation divided.
The case for Gary Johnson is a strong one, yet millions of Americans won’t so much as open their ears to a third party, chiefly on the concern of wasting their vote. To the contrary, the millions of Americans who will cast their ballot for the lesser of two evils are wasting their votes. The harsh reality of elections is that you will never break the tie. Ever. The mathematical odds that the election is decided by one vote are so infinitesimally small that they’re hardly worth considering in casting your ballot. The only effective and satisfying approach to voting is to vote your conscience.
Ultimately, when election day is over and the votes are counted, every single voter who cast their ballot for the lesser evil either will have voted for a loser they despised, or added to the margins of a winner they hated. All they will have done is successfully bloat the vote count of a candidate they don’t support. If that’s not a wasted vote, I don’t know what is. Those who vote their conscience will walk away from the ballot box satisfied that they’ve had their input in the political system, regardless of whether their candidate wins. The election isn’t a game. You don’t try to vote for who you think will win. You vote for who you believe in. Your vote is too valuable, too precious to be wasted on the lesser of two evils. Vote your conscience. Vote for liberty. Vote Gary Johnson.