Gary Johnson: Video: MSNBC's Alex Witt Interviews Gary Johnson in 2012

This post was originally posted at FRS Daily Times on Blogger, January, 2012

I don’t believe Gary Johnson is running for President, especially with the Libertarian Party because he believes he’ll be elected President of the United States in 2012. Or even have a good shot of being elected President. The LP simply doesn’t have the ballot access needed to win enough votes for their presidential candidate to be elected President. But that hopefully Gary Johnson is running for President especially for the LP, because he wants to get more attention and publicity for the Libertarian Party.  

And the broader Libertarian movement and put them on the map. And to tell voters especially Independent and Libertarian voters, that there are other choices out there, than just the Democratic and Republican parties. And that they don’t have to settle for Democrats or Republicans. Or left to vote for a third-party candidate that has no shot of winning. And feel left to wonder if you threw your vote away. But to encourage Independents and Libertarians that are anti-big government and believe in individual liberty, to "check out the Libertarian Party and make their political home there.

The Libertarian Party is the largest third-party in American politics. But thats not saying much, considering they still lack the political access to be a major threat to Democrats and Republicans. But if you look at the libertarian movement in the Republican Party with Ron Paul and the liberal movement in the Democratic Party, that are against things like the War on Drugs, Patriot Act, indefinite detention, Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, invading Iran, support legalizing marijuana, gambling, same-sex marriage and other things, there's a real movement for Libertarians.  

There’s enough voters out there for the LP, especially as young people tend to get more liberal and libertarian and tolerant as we move along as a society, that not this year and probably not by 2014, but within 10-20 years if the LP brings in these voters and recruits them to run for public office and recruits credible political candidates people that are actually qualified for the public offices that they are running for, something that the LP hasn’t always done, that the LP could become the official third party in America.

Gary Johnson’s Presidential Campaign is not about winning in 2012. But promoting the LP and broader Libertarian movement in American politics. And if they can get Ron Paul to drop the GOP and join the LP, they would have another credible candidate to join the cause. And build the LP to the point that it could take on Democrats and Republicans and actually win.