United Liberty

The Independent Political Report is saying that Gary Johnson will announce his decision to jump to the Libertarian Party today, but then backtracks with an update that says no, he didn’t actually say it, he’s just hinting at it. As I’m writing this, it’s flopping around all over Twitter, but I’m not sure it actually means anything as of yet. Obviously, that may change.

I certainly hope that Johnson runs for the Libertarian Party. The RNC and the GOP have done nothing but ignore him and all but spit in his face. For a party that purports to be about cutting back government, they don’t seem to tolerate candidates who, you know, actually cut back government.

If Johnson runs on the Libertarian line, and even gets just, say, 2% of the vote, he’ll give the Libertarian Party badly needed publicity. (Could you imagine all the headlines from the Post and the New York Times? “Libertarian Party Candidate Breaks 1% Mark—OH NOES!”) And, hopefully, he can restore the smudge on their reputation after their last nominee, former Republican congresscritter Bob Barr (who just recently endorsed Newt Gingrich, of all people.)

If Ron Paul doesn’t win the GOP nomination—and, chances are, he probably won’t—then voting Johnson will really be the only acceptable alternative left. Writing in Paul in the general would, unfortunately, be counterproductive, as he’s retiring from Congress, and it could take away valuable votes for the Libertarians. I’ve said before that the GOP is blowing itself apart, and if more people jump ship and discover “America’s largest third party,” they can step in and replace the GOP as it goes under.

One thing’s for sure—this is going to be a wild election campaign.