Strange things are brewing here … the state chair of the NM Libertarian Party has been very active in the campaign and formally endorsed [independent-libertarian leaning
candidate]Jon [Barrie]. Other key NM Libertarians have been on board right from the start. For several weeks the Barrie campaign has been told he would be endorsed by Gary Johnson. The exact the wording came through with no caveats – just a news release on Johnson campaign stationary. That good news was spread far and wide by the Barrie campaign. Then, oops, a clerical error (I thought those were typos and misspellings). How lame is that?
Let the record be clear: Gary Johnson nixed it.
GOP nominee Heather Wilson was his Cabinet Secretary for Children Youth & Families and Johnson’s ties to the Republican Party trumped Libertarian politics and principles. Will Johnson follow Bob Barr back to his roots? Far fetched? Given the choices for US Senate in NM, he backpedaled and is now claiming neutrality. That’s a typo??
There will be much more to this story before and after the election...
[Wilson] invented the word RINO, shown zero loyalty to [Johnson] (Wilson endorsed Romney), and hasn’t even nodded toward anything that smells like libertarianism in her career. The Democrat may be worse in many ways, but at least he signed-on to Ron Paul’s audit the fed bill.Here's the "clerical error" release:
If Johnson had some personal ties to her, then a simple phone call as a heads-up would do the trick. That often happens when a politico jumps into a primary race and endorses one candidate over the other even though he knows both.
The Johnson campaign says Barrie met the criteria and even put their endorsement in writing, without caveat. What’s a “clerical error” – “Johnson backs Barrie” vs. “Johnson is Neutral” – where’s the typo in that? That’s not a clerical error, it’s a complete reversal.
Johnson can’t possibly be saying “well gosh, back in ’94 she was a great gal. Great family too. Um, I’m not sure about this Barrie fellow – what does he stand for anyway?” C’mon, that’s not what happened. And it’s certainly not what principled politics is about.
Gary Johnson has a clear cut choice in the NM Senate race – his staff knew by instinct Barrie was the right choice. That’s why they wrote the press release. When given the opportunity to do the right thing – in terms of consistency and the Libertarian Party – Gary Johnson turned his back on Jon Barrie. Shame on him.
The question which should haunt Johnson on the campaign trail is why.
Dear Friend of Liberty:
We’re coming down to the wire, and my campaign as the Independent for US Senate still has a few miracles up our sleeves.
First, Governor Gary Johnson endorsed me. What a thrill it is to have the Libertarian Party candidate for President as part of the Barrie Brigade. Governor Johnson sent me this note … to send to you:
“Jon is committed to lowering and eliminating taxes, minimizing the size of our federal government, restoring our Liberty and Freedoms, and the limits placed on Government as explicated in our Constitution. His commitment to Liberty and demonstrated conservative economic principles make him the best-qualified candidate for the US Senate in New Mexico. Be Libertarian with me! Vote for Jon Ross Barrie for the United States Senate.”
(ht Felix Bronstein)
It is strange that Johnson praised the "conservative" economic principles of Barrie. Some conservatives may be good on economics but the idea that market principles are in and of themselves conservative is a strange utterance from a supposed libertarian.
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