While Libertarians have been looking elsewhere, Jo Jorgensen has been kicking ass
I have been a Libertarian for more than 10 years. I have voted for the Libertarian presidential candidate every election since I joined the party. This year I struggled with my decision on who to vote for, and I am not the only one. I have watched Libertarians all over social media voice their support for one of the major candidates. I have seen quite a few articles like this shared by Libertarian friends.
I have always voted Libertarian, but this year is different. Sound familiar?
We preach about not picking the lesser of two evils. Yet in this election, this is exactly what we are doing. Libertarians are abandoning our presidential candidate and opting to vote for Joe Biden or Donald Trump. But why?
We chose a no-name candidate.
If I had to pick the biggest reason Libertarians started looking elsewhere, this is why. We chose a presidential candidate with no name-recognition. An ordinary lady from South Carolina is supposed to be our president?
Who is Jo Jorgensen?
Jo Jorgensen is a Clemson University psychology lecturer that nobody had ever heard of. What makes her qualified to be president? Even within the Libertarian party, people were scratching their heads and saying who is she?
I admit I had no idea who Jo Jorgensen was. She has been part of the Libertarian party longer than me. She ran as our vice-presidential candidate in 1996 alongside Harry Browne. She is what Libertarians would describe as a “real Libertarian.” She represents our party and our message well, perhaps better than the Republican-hop-overs that we’ve had to pick from in the past. Still, I’d never heard of her and wasn’t impressed with her or what she had to say.
At first…
My thoughts, like many in the party, were that she didn’t have the name-recognition or experience to win over voters. She was a good Libertarian, but not the right person to run for president. I listened to her talk and while she might be the most Libertarian presidential candidate we’ve picked since I joined the party, I didn’t think she had what it took to bring in voters outside the Libertarian party.
Libertarians have grown tired of the disappointment election after election.
Our Libertarian National Convention was a disaster. This election had so much promise for Libertarians. I was thrilled about the possibility of Justin Amash being our presidential nominee and couldn’t wait to go to the Convention. Then Covid hit, and the Libertarian party had to figure out how to have our Convention.
Our convention was supposed to be held in Austin, Texas. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was impossible to be held in person. Everything on the news became all about Covid. Any Libertarian enthusiasm for Justin Amash was lost in the chaos. Because of Covid and the uncertainty about how our convention would be held, Justin Amash decided not to run. If Justin Amash had run, the Libertarian party would have had a candidate that could get the kind of attention Gary Johnson got, or
so I thought…
Instead, we were left dealing with the aftermath of a chaotic National Convention. Jo Jorgensen was selected, not so much because she was our best choice, but because she was the only person we had left to pick from. There were a lot of Libertarians, myself included, disappointed that we didn’t have a better option.
Jo Jorgensen is no Gary Johnson
Gary Johson did so much for the Libertarian party. He drew in voters who were tired of the two-party system by giving them a viable option. He delivered a compelling message and attracted independent voters, not just Libertarians. Instead of setting an unrealistic goal of winning the election, his goal was to get 5 percent of the vote.
5% of the vote ends the two-party abuse & allows #Libertarian candidates equal ballot access & federal funding. pic.twitter.com/rQUyjo7Z
— Gov. Gary Johnson (@GovGaryJohnson) October 26, 2012
Gary Johsnon was an excellent spokesperson for the Libertarian party. He motivated people to vote for him even though they knew he probably wouldn’t win. Because of his efforts, the Libertarian party made huge strides in party growth, ballot access, and credibility.
In 2020, we had the chance to build on that momentum. Instead, we were left disappointed again. Our 2020 candidates have gotten very little media coverage or the kind of attention we grow weary of. We are tired of being seen as a joke. Because of this frustration, some Libertarians decided this was just not the year to vote Libertarian. Let’s just get through this election and prepare for the next one.
But, but, but… This is not a normal year.
This is what we all keep hearing! I’ll be honest with you. This year, I fell into this line of thinking. I wasn’t impressed with Jo Jorgensen at first and didn’t feel compelled to vote for her. I read her interviews and thought she should have been able to answer questions better. But, having run for office myself, I understand what it’s like to learn as you go. She’s not a seasoned politician like Gary Johnson, Bill Weld, or Justin Amash. She honestly didn’t have the experience to handle interviews as well as they would have. I’ve watched her grow as a candidate and I am extremely proud of what this ordinary lady has done.
While some Libertarians have been moving to the Trump or Biden camp, non-Libertarians have been discovering our party for the first time because of Jo Jorgensen. Jo Jorgensen has done something that other Libertarian presidential candidates haven’t. She has drawn in voters without a big-brand former Republican or Democrat name behind her. And that impresses me.
Last week during the presidential election debate, Jo Jorgensen’s website crashed. People watching the debate started googling. Searches for “third party candidates” and “Jo Jorgensen” brought tons of visitors to her website causing it to go down. Libertarians seem to have forgotten why they joined the party. While we have been frustrated with our party, the rest of the world is frustrated with their choices.
The Libertarian message is much more powerful than name-recognition. What I saw this week reminded me of exactly what brought me into the Libertarian party in the first place. I had nobody to represent me. The choices I had to pick from were terrible. This is what caused me to start looking for alternatives. This is what made me become a Libertarian.
My message to Libertarians: Stop giving Trump so much credit
Trump is not the “tail-risk” president. As much as he goes on and on about how great he is. He is just one person. Some Libertarians are so preoccupied with getting him out of office, that they are making emotional decisions. Yes, I am concerned about the direction he is taking our country in, but I also have faith in Americans. What’s the worst that will happen if Trump is re-elected? He will continue to destroy the Republican party. I am okay with that. Voting for Joe Biden is not going to move our country in a better direction.
Ironically, for every Libertarian voting for Joe Biden to be the anti-Trump vote, other Libertarians are voting for Trump this year to help cancel out the Never-Trump voters.
Trump is not Libertarian and Biden is not Our Savior!
Joe Biden’s record on criminal justice, the war on drugs, civil asset forfeiture, supporting wars is not remotely Libertarian. Is this really who you want leading our country? I have decided no matter how much I don’t like Trump, Joe Biden is not a better choice.
We are not going to be better off with either of these two in office.
Shout out to Libertarians!
Maybe you are a Libertarian like me, on the fence. Jo Jorgensen has reminded me of what one little person can do. Jo Jorgensen may not have been my first choice, but she has done an amazing job with the resources she’s had to work with. If you haven’t made up your mind, check out Jo20.com to find out more about Jo Jorgensen.
If you are on the fence or have decided to vote for Joe Biden or Donald Trump, I encourage you to watch this video. It literally made me cry. This lady rocks and deserves our vote!
