This House calls on Californians to vote for Gary Johnson as president

Gary Johnson is running for president as the Libertarian Party candidate. Johnson could be called a moderate Libertarian – he believes in limited government but also supports the Environmental Protection Agency. His platform mixes a strong free market position with a rejection of both social conservatism and aggressive foreign policy. He favors a balanced budget, raising the retirement age for Social Security, and limiting Social Security benefits for the wealthy. He is pro-choice, anti-death penalty, and in favor of legalizing marijuana. He is against the Patriot Act and for marriage equality. Johnson also wants to eliminate all income and payroll taxes with a single consumption tax, structured to insure that no one’s tax burden for the purchase of basic family necessities would be increased.

Before switching to the Libertarian party, Johnson had been a popular two-term Republican governor of New Mexico. While in office, he embarked on a major road building program, expanded an ambitious school voucher program, reduced taxes, and slashed the size of state government. He termed out of office with a one billion dollar budget surplus.

One reason to vote for Gary Johnson is his fiscally responsible/social liberal platform and years of effective leadership in government. A substantial showing for Johnson would change the political landscape in the country by signaling widespread popular support for his policy positions. Even if a Gary Johnson presidency is unlikely, a large turnout for the Johnson-Weld ticket would send a clear message to the two dominant parties that they shouldn’t take their duopoly for granted and will need better ideas and better candidates in the future if they want to survive.

Although polls so far show Johnson taking more votes from Clinton than from Trump, the difference is small and polls in California have Clinton leading Trump by at least 25 percentage points. So it is highly unlikely that a vote for Johnson would increase the chances of Trump winning in California.

Arguments against voting for Johnson come from across the political spectrum. Some Libertarians are against the Johnson candidacy because they do not consider him a true Libertarian. For instance, a true Libertarian would not support continued funding for Planned Parenthood, as Johnson does. Social conservatives are unhappy with Johnson’s lack of support for religious liberty, such as the right to discriminate and deny goods and services based on religious beliefs.

Many on the left don’t like Johnson’s economic policies, which would be a boon to the wealthy and hurt everyone else. Johnson wants to cut safety net programs and eliminate Obamacare. He would reduce taxes on the rich, when they need to be raised. He would cut regulations, when we need more regulations to protect workers and the environment.

In addition, although right now Clinton looks like a sure thing in California, a lot can change over the next few months. The gap between Clinton and Trump in California could get smaller and if there is any chance whatsoever that a large turnout for Johnson could swing the election in either direction, that would be a disaster for whatever side lost, given the out-sized importance of California in the Electoral College system. The stakes are just too high in this particular election to waste one’s vote “sending a message” rather than voting for a candidate that has a real chance of being elected.

So what do you think? Should Californians vote for Gary Johnson because he has the best platform, or at least to send a message to the dominant parties? Or not vote for Johnson because there is too much wrong with his platform and/or it would be a wasted and possibly dangerous vote. ? Join us at the next SFDebate to explore and debate this question. Note that there is a $5 fee charged by the Commonwealth Club for non-members to the Club.

To get a better idea of how well (or badly) Johnson’s positions match your own, take the quiz at https://www.isidewith.com/elections/2016-presidential-quiz

Read more:

https://www.johnsonweld.com/issues

http://redalertpolitics.com/2016/08/08/ibd-poll-gary-johnson-rises-1st-place-young-voters/

http://www.alternet.org/dont-be-fooled-pot-loving-libertarian-gary-johnson-he-works-1

https://www.quora.com/Why-should-or-shouldnt-I-vote-Gary-Johnson-in-2016

http://libertyhangout.org/2016/07/there-is-no-logic-in-voting-for-gary-johnson/

http://2016election.procon.org/view.source.election.php?sourceID=13898