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Johnson presents an opportunity for the tea party
Heath Haussamen
Former NM governor shares the tea party’s ideology but has actually had to balance that ideology with governing in a practical way; his candidacy may present a moment for the tea party to decide its future
Conventional wisdom might suggest that former N.M. Gov. Gary Johnson has no chance of winning the GOP presidential nomination next year, but I believe people would be foolish to dismiss his candidacy at this point.
Remember that many dismissed then-District Attorney Susana Martinez as a “regional candidate” when she entered the gubernatorial race in 2009. As it turned out, she was, in fact, the “game changer” a headline on this site called her.
Why? Because New Mexicans, like Americans, are fed up with their government. They’re willing to take a chance on unknown candidates because they no longer trust most known politicians. They want someone to lead who isn’t afraid to say things are a mess, who can articulate how he will clean it up, and who has a record of actually doing it.
It’s the last point – actually doing it – that makes Johnson’s candidacy interesting. Because he draws much of his support from the tea party that has long supported Ron Paul, Johnson has to distinguish himself from Paul and his son, since one or the other is also likely to run for president. Here’s how Johnson set himself apart in an interview with Politico:
“There was a big difference between Ron Paul and me when it came to the ‘no,’” Johnson recently told Politico. “His ‘no’ was philosophical. It was reasoned. It was right. My ‘no’ actually put a stop to legislation. It cut spending. Mine carried further than just ‘no.’ I had to follow through with the debate, discussion and dialogue on why my ‘no’ wouldn’t result in people starving, schools being shut down and the delivery of services to the poor wasn’t going to be curtailed.”
Johnson has a record, and on the most important issue – the economy – it’s one GOP primary voters will love. Of course, on the flip side, Johnson also takes some very visible positions many GOP voters will hate – such as his support for civil unions and legalizing and marijuana. But the libertarian wing of Johnson’s party that sides with him on such issues has grown more active.
A moment for the tea party
However, the tea party is in danger of becoming, in my view, a stagnant movement. Millions of frustrated voters – most conservative – loosely banded together in 2010 and kicked a lot of politicians, most Democrats, out of power. But to become a more influential force, the movement must mature, and it must stand for something, instead of only standing against things.
That takes a candidate who is articulate. Johnson very genuinely and passionately believes in smaller government, and he’s had to make difficult decisions to accomplish that goal.
In addition, he isn’t just another extremist – education funding actually increased while Johnson was New Mexico’s governor.
Johnson is someone who shares the tea party’s ideology but has actually had to balance that ideology with governing in a practical way. His candidacy may present a moment for the tea party to decide its future.
If the tea party gathers around him
Johnson is intelligent and articulate; he’s athletic and hip (he climbed Mount Everest with a broken leg); he will be viewed as honest (he’s very open about his past drug use). He has potential in most categories that lead to likeability. That’s far different than the situation with Ron Paul and his son.
Johnson has a very simple message for America: We’re bankrupt, we’re on the verge of financial collapse, and we have to balance the budget, no matter what it takes. It’s a message that will resonate with many.
And he has the experience to back up his message: He’s made difficult choices, cut government waste and vetoed hundreds of bills, all while, he will argue, articulating “why my ‘no’ wouldn’t result in people starving, schools being shut down and the delivery of services to the poor wasn’t going to be curtailed.”
I have my doubts about whether the tea party movement is prepared to follow someone like Johnson. And even if the movement is ready, Johnson’s positions on social issues will make the road ahead difficult for him.
Perhaps it’s likely that Johnson’s presidential campaign will go nowhere. But I think there’s also a chance, if the tea party gathers around him, that he will become a significant candidate – and the tea party will become a lasting force.
A prior version of this posting incorrectly stated that Johnson supports gay marriage.
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Mr. Molitor:
We have addressed this before; without historical context, your reading of the Constitution always seems to be paradoxically contrary to what it actually means. Specifically, on what Constitutional authority do you claim perpetration of “legal plunder against the American taxpayer”?
As for the Tea Party, the movement is usually less about the corruption of elected officials and more about their own corruption of history.
The Tea Party was and is about the corruption of American Politics and the blatant and outrageous theft from all Americans that has resulted. It is about personal responsibility and enforcement of the Constitutional law against those who have perpetrated legal plunder against the American taxpayer.
Yet today we hear literally nothing about these issues among the so-called “Tea Party” candidates and their backers. Sarah Palin has not said one word about locking up the banksters that brought up on the housing bubble and economic collapse. Not one word about Bernanke’s out-of-control Fed and the arguably unlawful monetization of Fannie and Freddie paper, not to mention the monetization of the Federal Debt. Not one word about the unconstitutional wars in the Middle East without congressional consent. The Tea Party should be anti-state, anti-war, and pro-liberty.
This is why Gary Johnson should run as an independent or create a third-party that plays against the other two parties such as Ross Perot did in 1992 – only Gary will not melt-down like Perot did.
Well, it was meant to be a joke, but…
But no more of a joke than when Bill Mahar called Sarah Palin a ****. There was a negative dismissive intent. ha ha ha
On the topic of gay marriage – Why even try to legalize it? A better approach would be to have state free marriage. So rather than legalize gay marriage, get rid of legal marriage alltogether. There is no reason the government should be involved in your personal, intimate, lifelong relationship.
Back in the 90′s the left used to harp on the republicans for wanting to legislate what you do in the bedroom. Well, state sanctioned marriage is the ultimate in legislating bedroom activity.
I used to support gay marriage until I realized the statism involved in such a position. If gay people want to get married, great. They can. It won’t be legal, but if I could do it again, my straight marriage would not be a legal marriage either. It is meant to be a celebration of a lifelong commitment between you and your partner(s), not a legally binding document the changes your status in the eyes of government.
And therein lies the largest of literally dozens of problems with the bizarrely-misnamed movement; we live in the United States, Mr. Pruitt, a country that was very specifically founded to be governed by law, and not by religion. Also, as has been previously stated, you are hardly in a position to critique the honesty of others.
Gary Johnson is a true Libertarian. While I don’t agree with everything Libertarian, it would be a change for the better to have it mainstreamed more. A true Libertarian would not give just the big businesses any advantage. Gary may be the one to further the cause of finally weaning the big boys off the corporate welfare/loan guarantee tit. He has his work before him because both parties are so paid off. I am probably just blinded by HOPE.
There is an old cliche that says, “Never count your chickens before they hatch) so I wouldn’t say Gary Johnson doesn’t have a chance. He was a Governor who stood behind what he believed in and didn’t back down. He could see far enough to realize that if you want to win the war on drugs, you have to legalize the product that supplies 70% of the money for the cartels, and that would be marijuana.
As far as Tea Party values, there is room in the tea party for resenting voices, but not voices that try to downplay the laws of Christianity. The Tea Party bashers would be better off looking at the truth of what is real. They stand for the return of the government to the people and lower taxes. I have never heard of anyone who could spend their way out of debt, as the present administration would have us do.
I think Johnson would make a good choice for a contender, but that would be up to the collective voters to decide. I will only say that Obama sure hasn’t shown me any signs of leadership, nor has he done anything but lie to the people and cater to the Muslims.
Well, it was meant to be a joke, but…
Prop 8, backed by several right-wing groups, did indeed ban gay marriage in California, but it has been challenged in the courts by a group led by two lawyers, David Boies and Ted Olson. Prop 8 was struck down as unconstitutional last year, and has now been appealed to the California Supreme Court. It may not be heard BECAUSE former governor Schwarzenneger and present governor Brown refused to support the appeal, and the question now is if the proponents of Prop 8 have the legal standing to lead the appeal. Latest action was on February 23, 2011, see
http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2011/02/23/david-boies-theodore-olson-proposition-8-news-conference/
And on the same day Attorney General Holder announced that the US would no longer defend cases against the federal level DOMA, in particlual Section 3, see
http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/23/attorney-general-declares-doma-unconstitutional/
But here in NM Rep Espinoza continues to introduce her DOMA bill every year, and the Republicans all dutifully fall in line and support it.
I doubt if you are allowed to be a TEA Party member if you support gay marriage. “Can’t let them PRE-verts file joint income tax returns, now can we?”
While the majority of people who align themselves with the Tea Party may not support gay marriage, I would challenge you to find a shred of evidence that its a requirement for membership. It was voted down in California, the same state that elected Jerry Brown and Barbara Boxer so you can’t assign it to a fringe.
Good article Heath. Nothing really enlightening, but honest. I appreciate that you put the Tea Party in the proper light. Despite the portrayal by MSNBC and FoxNews of the Tea Party as supporters of statists like Palin and Gengrich, the Tea Party’s ideology is is much closer to that of the modern Tea Party movement founder, Ron Paul.
I also like Gary Johnson. He is a rather unknown former Governor with a hell of a track record. His concept of government is nearly identical to that of Ron Paul, but his speaking ability and political savvy are light years ahead. The last couple C-PAC presidential straw-polls give me hope that Johnson really does have a chance.
Hell, no one even talked about Obama in March of 2007 as a viable candidate, so Gary is in as good of a position as the most recent mistake.
Nice article Heath. As a disparate group formed out of anger over the policies of Obama and to a lesser extent Bush, the Tea Party has certainly had an impact on the national debate. The question is whether they have enough unity and focus to push a forward-looking agenda. I too have my doubts, but Gary Johnson (and Ron and Rand Paul) have their appeal.
The good news is that so few of the other potential GOP candidates have any real understanding of limited government: Gingrich, Romney, Huckabee, Palin, Bachmann, and the cast of others (aside from Mitch Daniels and possibly Tim Pawlenty) runs in direct opposition to the vision of limited government and individual liberty that is supposed to define the Tea Party.
The 2012 election is rife with opportunity and peril for the Tea Party and America!
I doubt if you are allowed to be a TEA Party member if you support gay marriage. “Can’t let them PRE-verts file joint income tax returns, now can we?”