Gary Johnson, Libertarian candidate for president- photo by Larry Blucher
An article appeared earlier this month on Gather.com entitled “Could Gary Johnson be Our Next President?” An addendum to the title should be, “Sure, if he could only get into the televised debates.”
Third party candidates do not have the luxury of competing on a level playing field with the two establishment parties. That is because Democrats and Republicans have been in power long enough to have established rules that set the bar high for ballot access and prevent third party candidates from participating in televised debates.
Gary Johnson needs nights on stage in the televised debates, but may have to settle for knights on stage when he speaks to small groups on his campaign tour- photo by Larry Blucher
Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson has overcome ballot access hurdles and will likely defy the odds by being on the ballot in every state. However, gaining inclusion in the debates is another matter.
To get an idea of what kind of obstacles prevent third party inclusion in the debates, check out my documentary, “The Snitker Paradox: The Media Muzzling of Alexander Snitker,” which exposes some of the dirty tricks used by the mainstream media and the pollsters to silence the 2010 Libertarian candidate in his bid for the Florida Senate.
Debate inclusion is likely a make or break for Johnson. It’s a mountain he must scale to get his voice heard. Johnson knows a lot about climbing mountains, but this might be a tougher challenge than Mount Everest (which he scaled in 2003).
This is the second part of a multi-part story based on my recent interview with Gary Johnson. Part One, which can be found at this link, explores Johnson’s thoughts on health care and our failing economy. Check back here soon at QuestionableThings.com for Part Three, in which we discuss the potential value of a Ron Paul endorsement.