Koch backing Johnson? Conflicting reports and explanation of why it's a good idea.
There are conflicting reports on whether one of the Koch brothers has decided to endorse a candidate…NOT named Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. Via The Daily Caller:
Billionaire businessman and philanthropist David Koch has pledged “tens of millions of dollars” to help bankroll the campaign of Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson, according to a source within Johnson’s campaign.
Koch’s money will be made available should Johnson, a former two-term Republican governor of New Mexico, secure his second consecutive Libertarian Party presidential nomination, the source said…
While David Koch, and his brother Charles, are frequently associated with Republican and conservative causes, David was the Libertarian Party’s vice-presidential candidate in 1980. He also sits on the board of the Cato Institute, the nation’s most prominent libertarian-oriented think tank.
Both sides are dismissing the story. Via CBS News:
Johnson told CBS News when asked about the report, which first appeared on The Daily Caller, a conservative news site. “None whatsoever.”
“You just got to laugh,” Johnson added, chuckling.
A spokesman for the Kochs was likewise dismissive.
“Reports that we are supporting or considering supporting any third party presidential candidate are false,” Philip Ellender told CBS News.
If the story isn’t true (The DC is sticking by it) it’s disappointing because it could have been a real opportunity for the Libertarian Party to make inroads in the election. Neither presumptive nominee is likable except outside their own circle of fans and some world leaders. The Kochs are definitely more libertarian than conservative, but have been trying to work through the GOP because of its greater organization. If David Koch does decide to go back to the Libertarian Party it shows he really thinks Donald Trump might doom the GOP in November.
Will it work? No one knows, because third parties don’t normally end up winning. But it doesn’t mean this isn’t a battle worth fighting. The 2016 election has been one for the ages at just now splintered the electorate is. You have Donald Trump courting Bernie Sanders supporters, while several neoconservatives are vowing to vote for Hillary Clinton. Other conservatives and Republicans are making no endorsement of a candidate. This could end up being “the libertarian moment” or at least a chance for no candidate to win the electoral votes needed to secure the White House, but it depends on what Koch goes for.
Gary Johnson’s team up with Bill Weld already gives the Libertarian Party a pretty solid ticket (should they win the nomination). If Koch gives seven figures to the Johnson/Weld ticket can be a big boost. We’ll just have to see if any other major donations roll in and if donors who tend to give to conservatives decide to help out Johnson.
Needless to say, I like this move a lot and am hopeful it means we’ll see “Vote for Johnson” ads on TV, radio, and online. One of the biggest issues for libertarians (and other third parties) is the inability to get air time because of how expensive those ads can be. Koch’s money towards Johnson will help, and could also help bring poll numbers up. This could keep Johnson on the debate stage in the fall if poll numbers stay above 10%. That means there could actually be a true alternative to the “Big Two” parties.
There’s a lot of “ifs” here, (not including whether Koch is actually going to give cash). For all we know, Johnson’s star will start plummeting faster than Asteroid M. If Koch does put money into Johnson’s campaign he could decide to pull it out if Johnsom doesn’t make a good impression in the debates (given his performance in the first Libertarian one on Fox Business it’s always possible). Libertarians could throw people for a loop and pick Austin Petersen or John McAfee as their nominee on Memorial Day. Hillary Clinton could get indicted, forcing Democrats to scramble and the Republicans could end up having a brokered convention. There’s a lot of variables, but it certainly be a good thing for libertarians if Johnson gets Koch cash.
Billionaire businessman and philanthropist David Koch has pledged “tens of millions of dollars” to help bankroll the campaign of Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson, according to a source within Johnson’s campaign.
Koch’s money will be made available should Johnson, a former two-term Republican governor of New Mexico, secure his second consecutive Libertarian Party presidential nomination, the source said…
While David Koch, and his brother Charles, are frequently associated with Republican and conservative causes, David was the Libertarian Party’s vice-presidential candidate in 1980. He also sits on the board of the Cato Institute, the nation’s most prominent libertarian-oriented think tank.
Both sides are dismissing the story. Via CBS News:
Johnson told CBS News when asked about the report, which first appeared on The Daily Caller, a conservative news site. “None whatsoever.”
“You just got to laugh,” Johnson added, chuckling.
A spokesman for the Kochs was likewise dismissive.
“Reports that we are supporting or considering supporting any third party presidential candidate are false,” Philip Ellender told CBS News.
If the story isn’t true (The DC is sticking by it) it’s disappointing because it could have been a real opportunity for the Libertarian Party to make inroads in the election. Neither presumptive nominee is likable except outside their own circle of fans and some world leaders. The Kochs are definitely more libertarian than conservative, but have been trying to work through the GOP because of its greater organization. If David Koch does decide to go back to the Libertarian Party it shows he really thinks Donald Trump might doom the GOP in November.
Will it work? No one knows, because third parties don’t normally end up winning. But it doesn’t mean this isn’t a battle worth fighting. The 2016 election has been one for the ages at just now splintered the electorate is. You have Donald Trump courting Bernie Sanders supporters, while several neoconservatives are vowing to vote for Hillary Clinton. Other conservatives and Republicans are making no endorsement of a candidate. This could end up being “the libertarian moment” or at least a chance for no candidate to win the electoral votes needed to secure the White House, but it depends on what Koch goes for.
Gary Johnson’s team up with Bill Weld already gives the Libertarian Party a pretty solid ticket (should they win the nomination). If Koch gives seven figures to the Johnson/Weld ticket can be a big boost. We’ll just have to see if any other major donations roll in and if donors who tend to give to conservatives decide to help out Johnson.
Needless to say, I like this move a lot and am hopeful it means we’ll see “Vote for Johnson” ads on TV, radio, and online. One of the biggest issues for libertarians (and other third parties) is the inability to get air time because of how expensive those ads can be. Koch’s money towards Johnson will help, and could also help bring poll numbers up. This could keep Johnson on the debate stage in the fall if poll numbers stay above 10%. That means there could actually be a true alternative to the “Big Two” parties.
There’s a lot of “ifs” here, (not including whether Koch is actually going to give cash). For all we know, Johnson’s star will start plummeting faster than Asteroid M. If Koch does put money into Johnson’s campaign he could decide to pull it out if Johnsom doesn’t make a good impression in the debates (given his performance in the first Libertarian one on Fox Business it’s always possible). Libertarians could throw people for a loop and pick Austin Petersen or John McAfee as their nominee on Memorial Day. Hillary Clinton could get indicted, forcing Democrats to scramble and the Republicans could end up having a brokered convention. There’s a lot of variables, but it certainly be a good thing for libertarians if Johnson gets Koch cash.
That and the circus of distractions to confuse voters into consenting to their own enslavement.
Trumps only use is to temporarily break up the cabal until he's also co-opted
Quit Enabling
Take Power
Make Changes
Federal Reserve Act
Sixteenth Amendment (Income Taxation)
Without these the empire would not be funded and the state would contract to less than 1% of its current size. Of course, 40% of the people are brainwashed to believe this would be unacceptable.
Oh, too bad he wasn't born in the US.
I don't entirely agree with Johnson on everything but he is a much better alternative to the lamestream anticandidates...now, if he'd bring Arthur Laffer on board as Chairman of the Fed...we just might get out of this mess.
And the eventual expansion into a coalition with numbers and teeth.
Down side? If Bernie and Hillary make up it splits the right wing of the left vote away from Trump.
I know this will garner much passionate disagreement from Gulch members, but the charisma quotient of Gary Johnson isn't sufficient to overcome the Libertarian baggage. He had his chance when he competed in the Republican primaries in 2000, and failed dramatically. His debate performance was uninspiring and sadly comical to me, and I was a supporter!
The Koch brothers might not be Trump supporters, but they don't want to make Hillary's path to the White House easy.
We've gotten to the point where gov't not imprisoning people for it equals legitimacy. We need to get back to the idea that something could be really bad w/o the gov't trying to stop it or really good without the gov't trying to fund it.
This situation is more nuisance than a serious problem with respect to marijuana, but many of the other drugs are health threatening and potentially lethal. The Federal government is actually acting as the Founders intended in the case of legal marijuana sales, letting state decisions act as a laboratory that may or may not be adopted by others, after observing the results. The risk is too high for most other drugs.
But at this point Johnson cannot win the presidency. Even trump has spent 50 million only to get close to GOP nomination
Sanders spent a lot more than that and got nowhere
With all the negative publicity against trump, I think it's president hildebeast in November. Too bad
Perhaps the upset with the establishment will become strong enough to elect an anti establishment president in 2020
But you are ignoring the political realities of the USA culture at this point in time. I view sanders/Hillary as a terrible evil and am looking for some defense against them in 2016. The only possibility to keep them OUT is trump. I know you think trump is worse than Hillary/sanders, but there is NO evidence of that
Trump will crack open the establishment and give YOU an opportunity to help re educate the people here to understand the importance of freedom