Libertarian Party presidential nominee and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is currently polling at 11 percent in Wisconsin, according to the most recent Marquette University Law School poll. What are Wisconsinites thinking?
I will admit that at first glance Johnson seems very appealing. As someone who finds a lot of the Libertarian agenda appealing, he seems like the perfect choice in this upcoming election. He allows me to not have to decide between the lesser of two evils.
As much as the old adage of “wasting a vote” pisses off third party supporters, Johnson has an infinitely small chance of winning. A political election of this weight — where there is a sizable chance a bumbling bigot covered in a cheap spray tan will be the next leader of the free world —means all votes matter.
Moreover, looking at Johnson as a candidate overall paints a picture of a man with glaring holes in his political knowledge, most glaringly on the issue of foreign policy.
His famous “Aleppo Moment” was the first time his ineptitude in the arena of global affairs reared its ugly head. Aleppo, which is a major city in Syria, has been destroyed by the Syrian Civil War. Yet when asked what he would do about Aleppo, Johnson had no idea what it was.
The crisis in Syria has dominated this presidential election. Remember when Donald Trump Jr. tweeted the genius Skittles analogy? This is a central issue, yet somehow we have candidates who either know nothing about it, or compare these people’s lives to candy.
Maybe equating human lives with candy is not the best way to analyze political crises
Johnson has continued to dig himself into an even deeper hole during a recent interview on MSNBC. When the host, Chris Matthews, asked Johnson to name a foreign leader he looked up to, he had a complete brain fart. He eventually said “the former President of Mexico,” after prodding.
This man clearly knows nothing about the world outside of the United States. He is utterly unfit to be the next President of the United States. If there was ever an election for a third-party candidate to make a run, this would be the one. But unfortunately for Johnson and his supporters, he is not the one.
Eric Hilkert ([email protected]) is a sophomore with an undecided major.
