cannabisnews.com: Draft Johnson Movement Charges Ahead 





Draft Johnson Movement Charges Ahead 
Posted by FoM on October 05, 1999 at 17:33:36 PT
By Jeff Simons 
Source: ABQ Journal
A multipartisan group announced it was filing papers Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission to establish a Libertarian Draft Gary Johnson for President Committee. Johnson politely refused.
"Governor Johnson is the only figure in public life today who can lead the revolution brewing across America," said Albuquerque attorney Ashley Gauthier, an ex-Republican who recently joined the Libertarian Party. She said the movement includes "the revolution of taxpayers angry about the escalating cost of government; the revolution of health care and education consumers demanding more decision-making power; the revolution of ranchers being thrown off their land by federal bureaucrats; the revolution of Native Americans deprived of their tribal autonomy for far too long; and the revolution of American citizens who have arrived at the conclusion that our drug war is far too costly, far too racist, far too violating of our basic rights and far too much of a failure." Johnson, reached in Washington, D.C., said he has no plans to pursue a Libertarian candidacy. "I'm very flattered, but I'm a Republican governor and I kind of dismiss it," he said of the draft initiative. "I have a job and I've got the job I wanted." About half the 25-member draft-Johnson committee is Libertarian with the balance made up of Republicans, Democrats and independents, the group said at a news conference here Tuesday. The group emphasized it does not formally represent the Libertarian Party. Gauthier said if Johnson flatly refused a draft, she doubted the Libertarians would push it. But Maurice McDonald, a member of the draft-Johnson committee, said he didn't expect a final decision from Johnson until after next winter's legislative session. Johnson, 46, has subscribed to Libertarian literature over the years but has been a registered Republican since 1975. "We ask Governor Johnson to run for president," said Gauthier, "because he alone understands our anger toward government's size, cost and intrusiveness -- and he alone in public life today stands for our principles of autonomy and responsibility." Joseph Knight, chairman of the Libertarian Party of New Mexico, said he wrote a letter to Johnson asking the governor to "join the only political party in America that agrees with your philosophy." "You believe in less government, and so do we; you believe in school choice, so do we; you believe in privatization, so do we; you believe in private property rights, so do we; you believe (drug) decriminalization is a viable alternative to prohibition, so do we; you believe in individual responsibility, so do we."October 5, 1999Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999 Albuquerque JournalRelated Articles and Web Sites:Libertarians Court Johnson As Candidate - 10/03/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3119.shtmlLibertarians Say Governor Is Their Guy - 10/02/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3118.shtmlThe Libertarian Partyhttp://www.lp.org/Governor Gary Johnson's Home Pagehttp://www.governor.state.nm.us/ 
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