I first introduced Caffeinated Thoughts readers to the former Republican governor of New Mexico and likely 2012 Republican Presidential primary candidate in June when he announced his first visit to Iowa. To say that his first trip to Iowa was a typical pre-caucus visit would be an understatement as the triathlete spent the entire week riding RAGBRAI. I was unable to break away to attend RAGBRAI, but Steve Hoodjer of The Iowa Freedom Report documented the governor’s visit here here and here.
Governor Johnson must have received a good response from Iowans as he has made plans to return to Iowa on Sept. 1st. He will be hosted by a very active, small “l” libertarian activist group, out of the Quad Cities called Super Liberty. The event will start at 4:30 and will take place at the Thunder Bay Grille in Davenport.
Although Governor Johnson admittedly has some work to do regarding name ID, that work is underway both in Iowa and nationally. In Iowa he has recently been a guest on the biggest political radio show in Iowa, the Jan Mickelson show. He has also written an op-ed in the Des Moines Register about states rights. On the national level, Governor Johnson has been traveling the country with his OUR America Initiative, a 501(c)(4) political advocacy committee to talk about limited government issues.
He is being mentioned by national political news sites more and more frequently. Including today’s article in the Atlantic titled “A Man Who Deserves to be Viable in 2012″. Here is an excerpt from the article:
Imagine a successful two-term Republican governor with a credible small government record, a demonstrated commitment to civil liberties, skepticism about foreign wars, a longstanding determination to right America’s fiscal ship, evidence of competent management skills in the public and private sectors, and an utter lack of ugly populist rhetoric during the whole of his substantial time in public life. You’d think he’d be a God send for tea partiers and civil libertarians, a possibility to win the GOP nomination in 2012, and an appealing alternative for those of us who think that given a sane alternative, Barack Obama doesn’t deserve another term. That attractive, reality-based Republican exists! His name is Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico.
My first article about Johnson mentioned that many regard him as a possible successor to the aging Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning-Republican candidate for President in 2008, who sparked the current liberty movement that was dubbed the “Ron Paul Revolution”. Gary Johnson seems to be embracing the thought that he may be Paul’s successor, the front page of his OUR Initiative website includes an introductory video entitled “You Say You Want a Revolution?” Is an endorsement from Ron Paul only wishful thinking, evidently not. In an interview on the Daily Caller Ron Paul says that if he himself doesn’t run in 2012, Gary Johnson would be the “best candidate” he could support.
Let the Revolution Continue!