Gary Johnson: We're Fighting for Fair Debates

FYI - From Gov. Gary Johnson/Our America Initiative.


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-ADY"A Regular Guy On The Issues"

Change The Presidential Debates in 2016!

FYI - From Gov. Gary Johnson and Our America Initiative.


#PushBack


#LibertyRepublican


#ProgressiveLibertarian


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-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"




Our America Initiative

   

THE OUR AMERICA INITIATIVE’S PURPOSE IS SIMPLE, YET VITAL: TO REDEFINE THE LIBERTY MOVEMENT IN AMERICA. WE AIM TO RESTORE LIBERTY, PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ECONOMIC FREEDOM AS THE TRUE AMERICAN VALUES, TO COEXIST AS INDIVIDUALS WHO RESPECT THE RIGHTS AND SANCTITY OF ALL PERSONS, TO FOSTER AN ENVIRONMENT THAT ALLOWS EACH PERSON TO PURSUE HIS OR HER INDIVIDUAL DREAMS AND HAPPINESS WITHOUT THE BURDENS OF UNNEEDED GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS.  

April 21, 2014

Our America’s new video

Just weeks before the 2012 election, the nonpartisan Pew Research Center released a poll showing that only 54% of American voters were satisfied with their “choices” for President.  A full 40% said they were NOT satisfied.

Is it possible that a significant reason for this dissatisfaction was, simply, that a great many Americans didn’t realize who their choices were?  And is that any surprise, given that the Republican and Democrat parties have gone to extraordinary lengths to convince American voters that their candidates are the only real options, despite the fact that more people consider themselves to be independents than Republicans and Democrats combined?


Letting America know that there are more choices begins with the presidential debates.  You can help here: Our America’s Debate Challenge


The most powerful weapon the two “major” parties use to exclude other candidates from serious consideration is their Commission on Presidential Debates.  Yes, that “Commission”, regardless of its official-sounding name, is theirs.  It was created in 1987 by the Republican and Democrat national parties, and is a private organization funded by special interests and run by a board of — you guessed it — Republicans and Democrats.  There is nothing nonpartisan about it, and they have made no secret of their desire to keep anyone other than their own two nominees OFF the debate stage.
As part of our mission to make truly small government and greater individual Liberty part of the nation’s dialogue, the Our America Initiative is mounting an aggressive campaign to break up the Republican-Democrat control of the nationally-televised presidential debates.  Allowing other qualified and credible candidates on the debate stage will dramatically alter the political and policy landscape — and we are committed to making that happen.


Our America has just released an Internet video as part of this campaign. Check it out here: Change the Presidential Debates, and share with your friends.


Our effort is two-fold. First, we are challenging the Commission on Presidential Debates in court, and second, we plan to inform and mobilize people from all over the country to let debate sponsors, the news media and others know that allowing the two “major” parties to control the all-important debates is simply not fair — and not acceptable.


To kick this campaign off, the Our America Initiative must raise $50,000 — soon. Please go to Our America’s Debate Challenge today and help us reach that goal. This is a fight we can win, but only with your help.


P.S.  Don’t forget to share our debate challenge video with your friends, and go to Our America’s Debate Challenge today to help.

Gov. Gary Johnson in the Third Party Presidential Debate.

FYI - Gov. Gary Johnson in the third party presidential debate.

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

Gov. Gary Johnson Files Complaint In Federal Court Against Commission On Presidential Debates.

FYI - From GaryJohnson2012.com.

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

Gov. Gary Johnson Files Complaint In Federal Court Against Commission On Presidential Debates.

 

JOHNSON CAMPAIGN ASKS D.C. FEDERAL COURT TO INTERVENE IN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES, CITING POLLING FALLACY

October 19, 2012, Washington, DC – Citing survey data showing former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson has in fact achieved the narrow criteria required for inclusion in the Monday debate, earning more than 40 percent of the vote in “head-to-head” polls against President Barack Obama, the Libertarian Party nominee’s campaign today filed a complaint in Federal Court in the District of Columbia maintaining that Johnson has, in fact, met the Commission on Presidential Debates’ criteria for inclusion. The complaint asks the Court to compel the CPD to include Johnson.

“The CPD requirements say Johnson ‘must register support of at least 15 percent of the vote in five recent polls,’” Johnson campaign counsel Alicia Dearn said in a statement. “Nowhere does it say those polls must include three candidates. Indeed, the polls used by the CPD to exclude Johnson test only two candidates even though Gov. Johnson is on the ballot in 48 states. We argue that Gov. Johnson has met the specific and narrow criteria laid out by the CPD.

“Included in the two-party ‘deal’ struck by the Republicans and Democrats are the criteria by which candidates are invited to participate. As a two-term governor who is on more than enough states’ ballots to be elected in the Electoral College, the decision to exclude Gov. Johnson can only be based upon the CPD’s self-determined polling criterion — using polls that are ‘head-to-head’ surveys between Romney and Obama. Who decided that? The CPD rules do not specify the number of candidates to be tested in the poll. Using their own methodology, polls that ask voters’ preferences between the President and Gov. Johnson are equally valid, and as we have demonstrated, will show more than enough support for Gov. Johnson to meet the CPD’s arbitrary 15 percent requirement. The same would clearly be the result when Gov. Johnson is surveyed against only Gov. Romney. Nowhere does it say that only the Republican and the Democrat should be pitted against one another,” Dearn said.

“It must be repeated that the official-sounding Commission on Presidential Debates is not official at all. It is a private organization created by the Republican and Democratic Parties for the clear and admitted purpose of controlling the presidential debate process. Everything from the schedule to the participants to the water glasses on stage are determined by way of an MOU between the two parties, to the exclusion of everyone else.

Two debates have already happened, and have excluded Gov. Johnson. We can’t change that — no matter how unfair. However, the CPD has one last opportunity to do the right thing for Monday night’s debate, which we have asked them to do via a letter transmitted Thursday. However, we are not holding our breath for an answer, and have asked the Federal Court to help them do the right thing. Also, we make it clear in our complaint that this issue does not end Monday night, and that it is not just about Gov. Johnson. We are also asking for a permanent injunction to require that the CPD’s criteria be changed for future elections to correct the organization’s fundamental unfairness.

“The American people need to understand that the presidential debates are televised productions of the Republican and Democratic Parties. Nothing more. And those productions are designed to exclude alternative voices and ignore the simple fact that one-third of the electorate does not belong to their exclusive clubs.”

A copy of the Johnson campaign’s complaint and letter to the CPD are available here.

Gov. Gary Johnson's Statement On Last Night's Presidential Debate.

FYI - From GaryJohnson2012.com.

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

Gov. Gary Johnson Releases Statement On Presidential Debate.

 

LIBERTARIAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE GOV. GARY JOHNSON RELEASED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO TUESDAY NIGHT’S DEBATE:

America’s challenges and the crises we face demand a real debate — not dueling Phil Donahue acts carping at one another over who is worse.

I defy anyone who watched the debate to identify a plan from either the Republican or Democrat that will achieve a balanced budget. Behind the fuzzy math and the quibbling, there was nothing more than a commitment to continue the status quo — with at most a few minor adjustments. We don’t need adjustments. We need a fundamental reduction in the role and cost of government, and both Romney and Obama are fundamentally big-government guys.

We watched a blame game over immigration, while the problem festers with no solution in sight. We heard quibbling over whose government plan would have saved GM better, but nothing about why the government should be bailing out any company at all. And we heard cheap shots about government-run health care from two candidates who both support it. Where is the reasonable argument that government shouldn’t be running health care in the first place?

On the attacks in Libya, the debate we must have is not over what we call it or when; we need a debate over why we were there at all.

There are clear choices in this election, but they weren’t on the stage tonight.

Gov. Gary Johnson on MSNBC.

FYI - From GaryJohnson2012.com and NBCNews.com.

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Without Gary Johnson In The Debates, America Is Getting Screwed!

FYI - From GaryJohnson2012.com. and Youtube.com.

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

Andrew Napolitano: Let Gary Johnson Debate!

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

ELECTION 2012

LET GARY JOHNSON DEBATE

Andrew Napolitano: Major party candidates fear impact of Libertarian candidate

by ANDREW NAPOLITANO

Andrew P. Napolitano, a former judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, is the senior judicial analyst at Fox News Channel and Fox Businessk. His most recent book is "It Is Dangerous to Be Right When the Government Is Wrong." To find out more about Judge Napolitano and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com.More ↓

 

President Obama has been a failure. On his watch, the American economy has significantly deteriorated largely because he has stifled free-market forces by over-regulating them and because he has laden taxpayers with debt. Those two factors alone – the federal government increasing the cost of doing business by telling businesses from physicians to major industries how to do their work, and the federal government spending trillions it doesn’t have and pushing the debts onto future generations – are enough to sink any economy.

In this arena, Mitt Romney has it half-right. He does understand that only free-market forces can produce prosperity, but he fails to see that when the government spends what it doesn’t have, the result is inflation and higher taxes for future generations. Why does the federal government now spend half a trillion a year in debt service? Because every president, Republicans as well as Democrats, from FDR to Obama has borrowed money in order to spend more than he collected and has let future generations deal with repaying the debt. Because the feds do not repay (they merely roll over) their debt, the cost of interest payments has skyrocketed. Romney’s ability to articulate the virtues of the free market and to dance around the issue of debt, while the president nearly fell asleep, are the reasons he did so well in the presidential debate last week.

Because Romney and Obama are different only in degree, I wish the cabal of former leaders of the two major political parties that runs the debates would permit former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson to participate. He is the Libertarian Party candidate who is on the ballot in all 50 states and the only current national candidate who if elected would shrink the government and keep it within the confines of the Constitution.In the realm of foreign affairs, the president has unleashed a torrent of violence in the Middle East by supporting some of the people his predecessor was fighting a few years ago. Those folks now run the government in Libya and Egypt, and those places are now unsafe for Americans. What would Romney do? He’d insert the U.S. military to extend American dominance and build a new world order. What has Obama done? He’s bombed and killed innocents with drones. Neither has learned the lessons of 9/11: You cannot kill people or occupy foreign lands without moral and legal justification, lest you suffer deadly consequences.

Don’t hold your breath. The debates are crafted by the folks who run the Romney and Obama campaigns. Romney is afraid of Johnson because he might take the votes of those who are tired of unconstitutional government and deficits and war. Obama is afraid of Johnson because he might take the votes of those who are appalled at the government’s murderous drug wars and its assaults on personal freedom and who also are tired of war. Both sides fear Johnson because he is essentially fearless when it comes to his belief that the Constitution means what it says – meaning if it does not authorize the feds to regulate health care, fight undeclared wars or mortgage the future, then they simply cannot do it.

But the powers that run the means by which we elect presidents have decided that they can ill-afford a frontal assault on the big government they have created, on national television much less, and four weeks before a presidential election. You see, without Johnson in these debates, the argument will remain how much the feds should regulate, rather thanwhether they should do so.

I was disappointed but not surprised when Romney defended the concept of the feds regulating ordinary commercial transactions and borrowing money to spend it on things like federal aid to education, rather than defending the free market and the constitutional restraints on the feds. Obama is either a Marxist who doesn’t believe in personal freedom or private property, or a nihilist who doesn’t believe in anything except his own ability to exercise governmental power. Romney sounds like another big-government Republican who wants to regulate part of the economy, fight wars on a credit card and let your grandchildren pay for it.

If you want a real debate – one that will explore the proper constitutional role of the federal government in our lives before it gets so big that we cannot safely challenge it – you will be disappointed, unless Gary Johnson is let in.

Huffington Post - 5 Reasons To Let Gary Johnson Debate.

FYI - From Brian LaSorsa/The Huffington Post and LP.org.

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

Let Gary Johnson Eat Cake (and Debate)

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama took the stage Wednesday night at the 2012 election cycle's first presidential debate, and they made it clear beforehand: libertarian candidate Gary Johnson ain't invited.

In response, Johnson actually filed an antitrust lawsuit charging the RNC and DNC with conspiring in restraint of trade to exclude the consideration of third-party candidates in these nationally televised exchanges. No one knows what will come of the lawsuit, and I'm still not sure whether to laugh at the Libertarian Party or laugh with them.

The antitrust suit is ... an interesting decision. Either way, here are the top five reasons Gary Johnson should be allowed to participate because of, you know, equality and stuff.

1. George Washington warned us about restrictive political parties in his Farewell Address. "I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State," said Washington. "The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension ... is itself a frightful despotism." In other words, he was afraid that political parties would turn into vengeful monsters seeking to suppress competition rather than welcome new ideas. I'm sure Republicans want to hide Johnson's glowing gubernatorial record, and, likewise, I'm sure Democrats want to stop Johnson from telling liberal voters about Obama's medical marijuana raids, undocumented immigrant deportations, and huge corporate fundraisers.

2. Johnson will be electable when people are given the opportunity to understand his stances. Third-party candidates don't poll well unless they're given a chance to debate. For instance, the Libertarian Party candidate and Independent candidate received a combined total of only 0.96 percent in 2008. In 2004, the number was even lower at 0.70 percent. So, it's really no coincidence that only successful third-party bid in modern times came when the candidate was allowed to participate in the presidential debates. Ross Perot took the stage with Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush and defined his campaign as one that came "from the people." He received 18.9 percent of the popular vote, a record theretofore unheard of (with the exception of Teddy Roosevelt).

3. Johnson has plenty of political leadership experience. He was the sitting governor of New Mexico, a state that covers an area larger than the entire country of Italy. His record includes vetoing 47 percent of legislation introduced throughout his first six months in office and leaving taxpayers a $1 billion surplus. If Romney's four years as governor qualify him for president, why won't Johnson's eight years as governor get him into a debate?

4. Voters are losing faith in the two-party system. Both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee were caught this year rigging the results of voice votes that hadn't yet been taken. It's not a smart time for either party to play off this election as 'the left vs. the right.' We're beginning to feel a little like the election is really about 'the government vs. the people.' Philips Electronics already dropped its sponsorship of the upcoming debates after deciding to distance itself from these "partisan politics." Are voters next?

5. Republicans will isolate its key conservative-libertarian base by ignoring an important figure in the growing liberty movement. Like Senator Jim DeMint told Fox News in January, "The debate in the Republican Party needs to be between libertarians and conservatives. That's what our party needs to be about." And let's not forget another famous Republican's words. "I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism," explainedRonald Reagan. "Libertarianism and conservatism are travelling the same path."

Gov. Gary Johnson’s Reponse to the Presidential Debate.

FYI - From GaryJohnson2012.com.

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

Gov. Gary Johnson’s Reponse to the Presidential Debate

October 4, 2012Posted in Blog, News

 

LIBERTARIAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE GOV. GARY JOHNSON RELEASED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT LAST NIGHT IN RESPONSE TO THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE:

We didn’t see a debate tonight. We saw two slightly differing versions of defending the Republican and Democrat status quo that has given us war after war after war, a $16 trillion debt, and a government that is the answer to everything.

Nowhere was there a real plan for reducing government, balancing the budget any time in the foreseeable future, or a path that will actually put Americans back to work.

We heard two politicians arguing over which of their plans for government-run health care is less bad. We heard fantasies about balancing the budget while not reducing Medicare costs.

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are nibbling around the edges of the nation’s problems. We don’t have time to nibble — we need to devour them.

Americans deserve real debates and a voice who will actually tell the truth about what it will take to put this great nation back on track.

FYI - From U.S. News/Elizabeth Flock.

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

Two Sponsors Pull Out From Debates Over Exclusion Of Gary Johnson

By ELIZABETH FLOCK

October 1, 2012

Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate for president, addresses an audience of students and the public at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.

This post was updated at 11:38 a.m. to include comment from the Gary Johnson campaign.

At least two of the original sponsors of the 2012 presidential debates have pulled their support over the exclusion of Libertarian presidential candidateGary Johnson, arguing that the commission which runs the debates is locked into a two-party outlook.

The first presidential debate will take place in Denver on Wednesday between President Barack Obama and Republican contender Mitt Romney.

[SEE ALSO: Cartoonists Mock 'Birther' Donald Trump's Hair, 'Narcissism'] 

Multinational corporation Philips Electronics and the women's organization the YWCA both dropped their sponsorship after being flooded with E-mails and letters from supporters of former Republican New Mexico Gov. Johnson, as well as two election watchdog groups, Open Debates and Help the Commission.

"I've been trying this since 2004 ... and this is first time any sponsor has peeled off from supporting the commission," says George Farah of Open Debates, who wrote the book No Debate: How the Republican and Democratic Parties Secretly Control the Presidential Debates. "For this to happen on the eve of the first presidential debate is a remarkable act."

The Commission on Presidential Debates, which runs the debate logistics, didn't immediately respond to request for comment from Whispers. But the commission, which is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation and relies heavily on sponsors, is likely to feel the impact of its missing sponsors.

Back in July, the commission's executive directorJanet Brown told Whispers that Johnson could possibly appear in the debates. Over the last month, however, it became clear that Johnson did not have the polled support of at least 15 percent of the national electorate, one of the commission's three debate participation requirements. Last week, Johnson filed a lawsuit over his exclusion from the debates, but that effort is not expected to be successful.

In a letter announcing its sponsorship withdrawal, Philips wrote that it was concerned the commission's work "may appear to support bi-partisan" instead of "non-partisan" politics. YWCA similarly wrote that it was dropping out because it is a "non-partisan" women's organization.

Joe Hunter, spokesman for the Gary Johnson campaign, says of the pulled sponsors: “It appears that they have recognized what we have recognized – that the debate commission is a product of the Democratic and Republican National committees, and that they have structured the rules and their agreements among themselves to exclude third party candidates like Gov. Johnson.”

Open Debate and Johnson supporters have beensounding the alarm for months that they believed the commission was too loyal to the Republican and Democratic parties.

The commission, which was created by the two parties in 1987, was founded on the principle that the debates would be run between candidates, and said from the start that it was unlikely to include third-party candidates in debates. At the 1992 debate, however, third-party candidate Ross Perot appeared on stage with President George H. W. Bush and Gov. Bill Clinton.

An Open Letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates Concerning Gov. Gary Johnson.

FYI - From Lp.org.

-ADY "A Regular Guy On The Issues"

An Open Letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates October 1, 2012 Dear Members of the Commission: On behalf of the 6% of likely voters nationwide who plan to vote for the Libertarian Presidential Ticket of Governor Gary Johnson and Judge Jim Gray this November 6th (Polled 9/21 by Princeton Survey Research International), On behalf of the 2% to 10.6% of likely voters polled in the razor-close Tipping Point States of New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Nevada, and Colorado -- who plan to vote for Libertarian Presidential candidate, 2-Term Governor Gary Johnson, On behalf of the 26,192 individuals (as of 10/1/12) who signed the petitionfor you to include Libertarian Presidential candidate, Governor Gary Johnson in the Presidential Debates with Democratic Presidential candidate, President Barack Obama and Republican Presidential candidate, Governor Mitt Romney,  2-Term Governor Gary Johnson is Qualified to be Included in these Presidential Debates Successful entrepreneur, business executive and leader who created 1,000 private sector jobs. Two-term governor. Re-elected by voters of New Mexico. Neither Mitt Romney nor Barack Obama has been re-elected. Has 8 years chief executive experience in government -- as much as Mitt Romney and Barack Obama combined. As governor, he vetoed over 750 unnecessary bills - more than all other governors combined. Only two vetoes were overridden. This saved taxpayers billions of dollars. Is already on the ballot in 48 states plus D.C. and is challenging the last two states for ballot access in federal court. 25-Year Superior Court Judge Jim Gray is Qualified to be Included in the Vice-Presidential Debate Juris Doctor, USC Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica JAG Defense Attorney in the US Navy 25-year California Superior Court Judge Champions the cause of legalizing marijuana, re-classifying it the same as wine and beer                                                                                                                      Relevant: Libertarian Presidential Candidate Governor Gary Johnson’s votes in one or more of the key Tipping Point States – New Hampshire(4), Virginia(13), North Carolina(15), Florida(29), Ohio(18), Iowa(6), Nevada(6), and Colorado(9) – could shift as many as 100 Electoral Votes this November 6th …and could determine the outcome of the 2012 Presidential Election. Shouldn’t the voters in these 8 Tipping Point states get the opportunity to compare and contrast Libertarian Presidential candidate Governor Gary Johnson against the republican and Democratic Presidential candidates in the nationally-televised Presidential debates – BEFORE they decide who to vote for? Most Americans need an Electron Microscope to find real differences between most actions and policies of President Obama and Governor Romney. Excluding Libertarian Presidential candidate Governor Gary Johnson from the Presidential Debates guarantees that real differences don’t get debated. For example: Federal Spending: Both Obama and Romney will add $1.2 Trillion more to the federal debt in their first year alone. President Gary Johnson will cut spending in Year One by 43% to balance the budget. Bailouts: Obama and Romney supported bailouts for banks, corporations, foreign governments and state governments. President Gary Johnson will veto all bailouts. Medical Insurance: Obama will preserve, protect and expand Obamacare. Romney will replace it with Romneycare. President Gary Johnson will repeal Obamacare completely and return medical choices to families and doctors. Foreign Intervention: Romney and Obama will keep 550,000 U.S. troops stationed in foreign countries and drag on the war in Afghanistan. President Gary Johnson will radically draw down U.S. troops in foreign countries and immediately bring our troops home from Afghanistan. Drug War: Obama and Romney will continue the failed Marijuana Prohibition. President Gary Johnson will end the Prohibition and free the many who suffer from cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, migraines, and other serious disease to seek relief from pain and disability. What if you put on a Presidential Debate and nobody watches? That’s the direction you’re headed by excluding qualified candidates like 2-Term Governor Gary Johnson. 10 million to 20 million fewer Americans will watch your 2012 debates than the 2008 debates – UNLESS you include the other qualified Presidential candidate, Libertarian 2-Term New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. Why? His viewpoint and proposals are dramatically different from Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. He attracts a different segment of American voters. He brings in new viewers to the debates. Do the right thing, the good thing, the smart thing: Invite and include Libertarian Presidential candidate Governor Gary Johnson and Vice-Presidential candidate Judge Jim Gray in the 2012 Debates. Yours for open debates and elections,                                    Geoffrey J. Neale                                             Carla HowellChair, Libertarian Party                                 Executive Director, Libertarian Party SIGN THE PETITION