I listened to the entire Johnson town hall meeting. All policy issues aside (though there were some important things addressed), I would like to give an update on the status of the effort to draft Paul into the Vice Presidential slot on the Libertarian Party’s Presidential ticket. Before I do that let me state a few things: I do not think Johnson can get elected unless he gets into the debates. I do not think he can get into the debates unless he gets 15% in three nation wide polls. I do not think he can reach 15% for a long enough period of time to span three separate polls unless he includes Paul on his team or Paul powerfully endorses him. I do not think either of these things will happen unless we continue to lobby Doctor Paul, Gary Johnson, Jim Gray, the Libertarian Party, and our friends who support Ron Paul or Gary Johnson, even if it means convincing them to change their minds. Without much further ado, the news I promised:
First of all, nobody asked Johnson about the possibility of a GJ/RP ticket. There was one question about whether Ron Paul would endorse Johnson and one about the possibility of Ron Paul being appointed to a cabinet level position in a JohnsonGray administration.
To the first he said it wasn’t likely and that he understood that Ron Paul was between a rock and a hard place in regard to Rand Paul (who might run in the GOP in 2016).
And to the second he said it was a possibility and something he would seriously consider. This is good, but for some of us it won’t be enough. If he were to say he absolutely would appoint Paul to some high post, even if he qualified it by saying he would wait for a request from Doctor Paul, things would be different.
Don’t let any of this discourage you. Gary’s answers may simply reflect the fact that the effort to draft Paul is still up in the air. On the other hand, let’s not get our hopes too high, so that if or when our bubble is burst we don’t lose all hope. If there is one thing Ron Paul supporters know about, it is that the good that happened as a result of an artificial Boom can be completely wiped out by the Bust that inevitably follows. If one effort doesn’t work out, we should reorganize and attempt something else. So far, the Liberty movement has faced setbacks in 2008, and August of 2012. It may yet experience another between now and the end of the year. It may keep experiencing them for a long time to come. But two things are certain. The first thing is that nothing lasts forever (including things like our setbacks and the status quo). The second is that nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.
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