My take on the last Libertarian Party debate

Three candidates: Johnson, McAfee, and Petersen.

McAfee is a hard line libertarian but comes across as the guy you really wish you hadn't started talking to at a party. Asserts the government of Belize wants to kill him.

Petersen is the youngest. I can see him appealing to evangelicals (he's pro-life, in contrast to the party-platform). He and Johnson had the only heated moment in the debate (vis-a-vis anti-discrimination laws).

Johnson is not as hard-line as McAfee. Likes to say that he has a libertarian philosophy but would sign any bill that he thinks is a good one (though he vetoed a lot of bills as Governor of New Mexico). He referenced the fact that he had polled at 11% against Trump/Clinton, and implied that he was the candidate who could actually get on the debate stage.

IMO, Johnson did the best, but he was also debating from a position of relative power, which would not be the case if he got on the stage with Trump/Clinton. Personally, I'd love to see a libertarian on stage as there would be some pretty significant clashes in ideas about things like immigration, the war on drugs, and the government's role in industry (both in protections and regulation).

(In response to this post by JohnHoo2)

Posted: 05/27/2016 at 11:16AM

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Anyone knows how good Gary Johnson is at debates? -- JohnHoo2 05/27/2016 09:03AM

My take on the last Libertarian Party debate -- CavMan1 05/27/2016 11:16AM

He would make Clinton and Trump look like the jokes they are. ** -- Hokie5150 05/27/2016 09:34AM

Right nobody bests Gary Johnson in a debate. Nobody. ** -- Seattle .Hoo 05/27/2016 4:00PM

Nobody suggested that either. Nobody. The bar, however, is pretty low if -- Hokie5150 05/27/2016 6:45PM

As if Gary Johnson would raise the bar somehow. Particularly with some of -- Seattle .Hoo 05/27/2016 8:27PM

Getting real issues discussed would be raising the bar...that's the point. ** -- Hokie5150 05/27/2016 9:56PM

Wishful thinking. What would Gary Johnson bring to the table? ** -- Seattle .Hoo 05/27/2016 10:37PM

You said it yourself... -- Hokie5150 05/27/2016 10:48PM

I don't really believe that. Sometimes a third person can help it happen. -- Seattle .Hoo 05/27/2016 11:13PM

Johnson isn't a savior...he's simply superior to the poor options provided -- Hokie5150 05/28/2016 05:29AM

Actually it is. Libertarianism, while I sympathize with a few of it's -- Seattle .Hoo 05/28/2016 2:31PM

I think Bill Krystal may back him FWIW. Just as a stop trump candidate. ** -- KCHoo 05/29/2016 10:27PM

Trump, yes. Clinton not so much. She's pretty effective in debate ** -- WaxHoo 05/27/2016 12:46PM

If one overlooks her half-truths and outright lies... ** -- Hokie5150 05/27/2016 1:17PM

I said "effective." ** -- WaxHoo 05/27/2016 2:58PM

Well if Candy Crowley is half as hard on her as she was on Romney, maybe -- CharlestonSC 05/27/2016 7:35PM

Nobody wants the Libertarians, least of all the corporate lobbyists ** -- hokeyhokie 05/27/2016 09:28AM

Then why do big monied interests fund Libertarians? ** -- Seattle .Hoo 05/27/2016 6:44PM

Has to be at 15% of the polls I believe. And I'm not sure that will happen. -- Hoodafan 05/27/2016 09:10AM

In my view anybody that can get on 50 state ballots should be deemed a -- 81_Hokie 05/27/2016 09:39AM

Exactly - Bernie started from the bottom and now he's here because people -- CharlestonSC 05/27/2016 7:37PM

That's a much more meaningful threshhold imo ... ** -- WaxHoo 05/27/2016 2:32PM

The 15% is a particularly high bar when many of the polling orgs don't -- Hokie5150 05/27/2016 1:38PM

That's a much more meaningful threshhold imo ... ** -- WaxHoo 05/27/2016 12:48PM

Except some states have exclusionary rules ** -- Faz d. Hoo 05/27/2016 1:07PM

Meaning ...? ** -- WaxHoo 05/27/2016 2:59PM

Meaning getting onto the ballot is nearly impossible ** -- Faz d. Hoo 05/27/2016 4:40PM

Does the hosting network set up their own rule or is there some official -- JohnHoo2 05/27/2016 09:19AM

From the Commission on Presidential Debates... -- Hokie5150 05/27/2016 11:45AM

That's the figure I've seen quoted anyway, and like 81 says, it's probably -- Hoodafan 05/27/2016 11:03AM

If Libertarian gets over 10% and DNC or RNC threaten to pull out, it would -- JohnHoo2 05/27/2016 11:09AM

It'll never have a chance to look bad. Do you honestly think that if Reince -- Hoodafan 05/27/2016 11:25AM