Advertisement

Gary Johnson On What It Means To Be A Libertarian In 2016

47:27
Download Audio
Resume

Third party candidates see an opening in this election. Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson joins us to talk about his race for the White House.

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson speaks to supporters and delegates at the National Libertarian Party Convention, Friday, May 27, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson speaks to supporters and delegates at the National Libertarian Party Convention on Friday, May 27, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. (John Raoux/AP)

It’s a big year for third party candidates in America’s presidential contest. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and the Green Party’s Jill Stein are still at the margins, but some of those margins are large. Johnson is polling at 9 or 10 percent. He’s with us today. We’ll talk about his Libertarian view of the world and the race, and look at Donald Trump’s comments on gun owners and Hillary Clinton. This hour On Point, Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson. — Tom Ashbrook

Guest

Gary Johnson, Libertarian Party nominee for president of the United States. (@GovGaryJohnson)

From Tom's Reading List

New York Times: Gary Johnson to the Rescue -- "Mr. Johnson is an amalgam of heterodox positions: anti-tax, antiwar, pro-immigration, pro-free trade and, most of all, pro-marijuana legalization. He’s hoping to lure in some anti-Trump Republicans, and maybe even some disaffected Bernie Sanders supporters."

FiveThirtyEight: Gary Johnson Is Here To Tell You You’re A Libertarian -- "For those Libertarians looking at 2016 to be a breakout year for the party, the biggest obstacle might be its image: white guys who love Ron Paul and like to argue about personal liberty at family weddings. (Ninety-four percent of Libertarians are white, and 68 percent are men, according to the 2013 American Values Survey.) Libertarianism may be seen as fringe, possibly even a little freaky, when embraced at its highest decibel of dissent against “the cult of the omnipotent state."

Politico: The GOP Is a Dying Party. That’s Why I’m Running Against Trump -- "Bill Weld and I believe that fiscal responsibility is at the core of what our government needs to do. We believe in a free market that allows entrepreneurs to launch businesses and to trade freely. We reject Trump's efforts to impose a 45 percent tariff on Chinese imports or a 35 percent tariff on Mexican imports. Are these the policies of a man who calls himself a member of the Republican Party?"

This program aired on August 10, 2016.

Advertisement

More from On Point

Listen Live
Close