Yet with the Republican Party facing the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency, Libertarian presidential hopeful Gary Johnson could be a factor in 2016. “Well, with regard to Syria, I do think that it’s a mess and that the only way that we deal with Syria is to join hands with Russian Federation to diplomatically bring that at an end”.
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Though he has yet to offer an endorsement this election cycle, 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is calling for the Libertarian ticket to be included in the presidential debates this fall.
Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is now polling below 15 percent, the benchmark to appear on the debate stage. In his campaign, Johnson has pledged to cut spending, stick to conservative fiscal policies and legalize marijuana.
Johnson pivoted to arguing against military interventions in foreign countries, and said that the refugee crisis “is the result of regime change that we end up supporting, and, inevitably, these regimes have led to a less safe world”.
“And done that”, adds Johnson’s running mate, former Republican Gov. Bill Weld of MA. “You know, we’re fiscally responsible, we’re socially inclusive, that doesn’t describe either of the other parties”. “If Bill Weld were at the top of the ticket, it would be very easy for me to vote for Bill Weld for president”, Romney said.
“OK, got it. Got it”, Johnson said.
“It’s a labor force issue”, Weld added. “But, if I could wave a magic wand, I would eliminate income tax, I would eliminate corporate tax, and replace it with one federal consumption tax”.
“You can count on us to support any initiative out of Congress that’s going to lower taxes, that’s going to simplify taxes”, said Johnson.
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The two said they’re enjoying the campaign while trying to reach that 15 percent cutoff-especially Weld.
