United Liberty

The Politico wonders whether Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico and Honory Chairman of the Our America Initiative, could be the next Ron Paul:

He said he’s uncertain about what exactly they stand for out of fear that he “may not get that right.” But without prompting, the former governor brings up the hot-button issue of immigration — an issue on which he takes a far less restrictive view than many on the populist right.

Word about Johnson is already circulating among grass-roots activists. A handful of draft-style websites have popped up to urge him to consider a presidential bid. And some tea party leaders say they like what they see.

Citing the five limited-government principles that adorn the side of the Tea Party Express buses, Joe Wierzbicki, a national coordinator for the Tea Party Express group, noted that Johnson is in agreement with the group on those issues and had a record to back it up.

“He championed personal liberty and a smaller, less intrusive government, and we applaud both his record and his efforts to continue his fight at the national level,” said Wierzbicki, adding that Johnson has “generated a lot of excitement in the Ron Paul constitutionalist and libertarian sect, which is furious about the policies of both Bush and Obama and the Congress of the last three sessions.”

I’ve said it before, Gary Johnson would be my pick for president in 2012. The Cato Institute wrote about him in their bi-annual Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors just before his final term ended:

[S]tate Democrats made defeating Johnson their top priority in 1998, but he won anyway. The feuding continued and his veto total is now up to 750. Only a handful have been overridden—unfortunately one of those overrides was of the 2003 budget. He said he would operate the state agencies at last year’s budget levels. Through determination and wearing down the opposition, he has had legislative successes. He has cut the state income tax, the gasoline tax, the state capital gains tax, and the unemployment tax. In 2001, he wanted a further 7 percent reduction in income tax rates. The legislature cut the tax less than he wanted, so he vetoed the bill. In 1999, he vetoed a 12 cent per pack cigarette tax hike because he opposes all tax hikes.

Johnson’s thirst for liberty doesn’t end at economics like so many conservatives. He believes strongly in the concepts of federalism, personal liberty and privacy. Such a breath of fresh air from today’s Republican establishment.