Seeing as how I’m old enough to remember the epithet, “card-carrying member of the ACLU,” I was a bit taken aback by this release from erstwhile GOP presidential candidate wannabe Gary Johnson:
GOVERNOR GARY JOHNSON TOPS OBAMA, PAUL ON ACLU CONSTITUTIONAL REPORT CARD
Liberty Watch ScorecardJanuary 3, 2012, Santa Fe, NM — Former New Mexico Governor and presidential candidate Gary Johnson ranks highest of all major presidential candidates in a “Liberty Watch” report card just released by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU report ranked candidates according to their positions on issues of civil liberties and adherence to the Constitution.
Johnson ranked higher than both President Obama and Texas Congressman Ron Paul in the ACLU Liberty Watch ratings. The report card included candidates’ positions on issues ranging from immigration to gay rights to a woman’s right to choose.
On the ACLU Liberty Watch website, ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero said, “Republican-turned-Libertarian Gary Johnson scored even better than Paul, Huntsman and Obama, earning four and three torches on most major issues. They stand in stark contrast to the other major GOP candidates, three of whom — Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum — didn’t earn a single torch in any of the seven major categories.”
The full Liberty Watch Report Card can be viewed at www.aclulibertywatch.org.
There’s an explanation. It seems that over the holidays when I wasn’t paying attention (OK, I admit I never was actually paying attention to Gov. Johnson, but last week I was like in negative Johnson-attention mode), the candidate gave up on running as a Republican, and is now seeking the Libertarian Party nod.
Which explains a lot.
Before, he was a Republican. Now, he’s more down on the two-party system than… well, than an UnPartisan. Dig the fund-raising pitch on his site:
Everybody says they want a viable alternative to America’s two-party chokehold.Everybody — Meet Gary Johnson.The two-party is over.
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The coffee cup is weird.
Since when are civil liberties a partisan issue? Should all Americans support civil liberty?
Oh, wait….never mind.
Civil liberties, of course, are just one of many issues in a presidential race, but it is worth noting how truly awful these Republican candidates — and indeed nearly their whole party — are when it comes to civil liberties. And yet, given that the President himself has been fairly disappointing with respect to many of these issues, there is not much of a reason to believe that civil liberties will come up as a topic in any general election discussions.
This is why I liked Gov. Johnson as a candidate. And though he is obviously kidding himself with a release that says “the two-party system is over”, I am glad that he did not drop out of the race completely when he left the GOP field.
Morning Joe, Up with Chris Hayes and some other MSNBC shows have had Gov. Gary Johnson and Gov. Buddy Roemer(?) on periodically during the fall. They are both real interesting guys and could have made valuable contributions to the GOP debates. They are both something more than Frank Luntz sound bites.
I have particularly liked Buddy Roemer’s emphasis on the need for campaign finance reform post Citizens United. I think a lot of what he says would resonate with some Tea Party and OWS types.
I can understand some criteria for letting people into debates, but allowing in people who are primarily into selling books, like Cain, Gingrich and Bachman and excluding two successful governors is bizarre. It’s just encouraging the evolution of the GOP into a clown show.
But, this is the Fox primary and I guess Rupert and Roger don’t like what they say.
Gary has already proven to me that he is 100% committed to the team. – Spottswoode (Team America: World Police)