Gary Johnson wants to continue the Ron Paul Revolution
June 12, 2012 in TOR TV
“This is a message that needs to continue”
On the heels of Ron Paul’s concession, and Rand Paul’s endorsement of Mitt Romney, with spirits low and momentum dissipating within the Ron Paul Revolution, Gary Johnson wants to be there to pick up the pieces.
On Saturday June 9th 2012, Gov. Gary Johnson held a “meet and greet” Q & A session at Fox and Hound in Fort Worth, Texas, just blocks away from the Convention Center. The room was packed with a small, but enthusiastic, group of supporters, many of whom were in Fort Worth as “Ron Paul delegates” to Republican Party of Texas State Convention.
Former Governor of New Mexico and Libertarian Party candidate for President, Gary Johnson, entertained a rapid fire series of questions and comments from the crowd, briefly pausing in between questions for pictures and autographs.
The Governor discussed a host of different issues, including the Federal Reserve, monetary policy, property rights, the 2nd Amendment, the drug war, and abortion.
A topic of particular interest to group in the attendance was the subject of the liberty movement itself, having recently been shaken by Ron Paul’s announcement via email sent to supporters on Wednesday night, June 6th, essentially conceding the nomination, followed by Rand Paul’s endorsement of Mitt Romney on Thursday.
Johnson was asked to explain his personal take on Rand’s endorsement of Romney, to which he replied, “My personal opinion on what he did is that, he’s going to run for President in 2016, and he thinks this is the best way to advance [in that regard].” When pressed with the question, “Was this a sellout [by Rand]?” Gov. Johnson answered point blank, “Yeah, it is.”
He went on to explain that while he is a “Ron Paul fan”, he believes Paul is, with regard to the presidential bid, “in the rear view mirror.” Johnson urged those in attendance to remain, as he is, reality based, asking them to accept that Ron Paul winning the Republican Party nomination is “just not going to happen.”
While acknowledging Ron Paul’s place as the torch bearer of the liberty movement, Johnson would like to be the one on the national stage to pick up wherever Paul leaves off. “The notion that Ron Paul is a messenger, that I’m a messenger, that we’re all messengers—where does the Ron Paul message go when he comes to an end?” Johnson asked the room. “This is a message that needs to continue.”
Gary Johnson clearly wants to continue the Ron Paul Revolution. The question now is, from now until November, how much of that support will follow?
UPDATE (06.13.12): Commentary – There have been some negative comments on the YouTube page in reference to Gary Johnson’s statement regarding the Pauls. I would like to add that I believe Gary Johnson is sincere in his efforts to carry forward the message of liberty, and further believe that he, along with any one else promoting the cause of liberty, deserves our attention and our support.
Please take the time to view the entire (almost 40 mins.) video clip of the Governor speaking in Fort Worth. The link is provided as an annotation in the clips embedded above, and can also be found at http://youtube.com/tracesofrealitytv
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I was there. Almost all of the people that attended that Q&A were still wearing their RPT credentials badges.
The interest in Gary Johnson among Ron Paul supporters (including myself) was very evident. That is because we understand it’s about the freedom philosophy and not the messenger and to a much lesser extent, the political party. And even though Gary Johnson falls short of understanding the entirety of the freedom philosophy, people see to him for his honesty and his great record as Governor of New Mexico.