Amash won't rule out Libertarian challenge to Trump

[mystery-ak]

Amash won't rule out Libertarian challenge to Trump
By Jonathan Easley - 05/21/19 03:07 PM EDT

Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) on Tuesday said he would not rule out a third-party challenge to President Trump in 2020.

The Hill asked Amash if he is thinking about leaving the Republican Party to run for president as the Libertarian Party candidate.

“I’m just focused on defending the Constitution, it’s not something I’ve thought about,” Amash said. “I don’t take things off the table like that, but it’s not something at the forefront of my considerations right now, I’m just focused on my job. I wouldn’t take running for governor off the table or Senate or state house, I don’t take things off the table.”
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Amash this week became the first Republican in the House to support impeachment proceedings against Trump.

The Hill reported Tuesday that prominent libertarians are actively trying to recruit Amash to switch parties and run for president as the Libertarian Party’s nominee.

DEVELOPING

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/444835-amash-wont-rule-out-libertarian-challenge-to-trump

[ABX]

Good.

And Trump should welcome it. If everything is so MAGA wonderful as he claims, he will love the chance to have a big platform to defend it, the bigger the competitive platform, the more he can be in front of everyone.

[skeeter]

@dfwgator

Didn't you predict this yesterday?

[truth_seeker]

I got entirely of from the LP train after 9-11-2001,  Harry Browne blamed America for the attack.


Manged to stay off it, too. Aleppo !!

[dfwgator]

@dfwgator

Didn't you predict this yesterday?

Wasn't much of a stretch, kind of like predicting that the Orioles won't win the World Series this year.

[corbe]

   He'd be a fool to do this.  We need him in the House.

[EdJames]

   He'd be a fool to do this.  We need him in the House.

Levin and Ingraham each had his newly announced Republican primary challenger (named Lower, IIRC) on their shows last night....

[libertybele]

   He'd be a fool to do this.  We need him in the House.

If he's going to 'buck' and challenge this president, then I'd say we don't need him.  The only thing he is going to accomplish running on a 3rd party ticket, is hand the oval office over to the DEMS. At that point in time, if he doesn't join the DEM party, his political career is over.  If his true interest is protecting his assets with China, then the heck with him, we don't need him.

If he truly thinks that he can win, then let him challenge the President one on one.  What other reason would he have running as a Libertarian??  Has he even explored the cost or his odds of winning? 

[dfwgator]

   He'd be a fool to do this.  We need him in the House.

To do what, vote on bills?  Any other Pubbie would vote the exact same way, without being a turncoat.

[Victoria33]

If he wants Trump to lose bad enough, run as a Libertarian which would likely take enough votes from Trump that a Dem would win.  Then, Amash can run for a smaller office in his state at the next election.  He would be forever remembered as the man who took Trump down.

[dfwgator]

If he wants Trump to lose bad enough, run as a Libertarian which would likely take enough votes from Trump that a Dem would win.  Then, Amash can run for a smaller office in his state at the next election.  He would be forever remembered as the man who took Trump down.

Have you already sent in your resume offering to be his campaign manager?

[Victoria33]

Have you already sent in your resume offering to be his campaign manager?

@dfwgator
@mystery-ak
@Cyber Liberty 

I have experience in running elections and predicting outcomes in elections using how groups tend to vote. 
This has happened before: "George H.W. Bush only lost his re-election bid in 1992 because a peculiar Independent candidate from Texas, Ross Perot, drew more voters away from Bush than from Democratic candidate Bill Clinton." 

Amash running as a Libertarian may cause Trump to lose.  Hillary Clinton had more of the popular vote than Trump so he doesn't have a huge amount of Republican voters more than Democrats.  He just had them in certain states that gave him more delegates to make him president.  ONE OF THOSE STATES HE WON IS MICHIGAN.

Amash is from MICHIGAN.  If he runs, he will likely take MICHIGAN. Trump would likely lose MICHIGAN. See how this works?

[Cyber Liberty]

I'm glad he didn't waste time explaining why he suddenly decided to join with the Rats.

[EdJames]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/justin-amash-gop-primary-jim-lower-impeachment

[jmyrlefuller]

If he wants Trump to lose bad enough, run as a Libertarian which would likely take enough votes from Trump that a Dem would win.  Then, Amash can run for a smaller office in his state at the next election.  He would be forever remembered as the man who took Trump down.

The Libertarians are usually non-factors with less than 1% of the vote. The only reason Johnson got more than 4% was because of how truly awful Trump and Clinton were as candidates and how desperate people were for ANYTHING else.

Furthermore, might I add, even with that historic performance, Trump still won. (Most indications were that Johnson drew about equally from both the left and right, plus people who otherwise probably wouldn't have voted or voted some other third party, so he didn't spoil anything, really.)

If Trump loses re-election, chances are, it won't be because of Justin Amash.

[libertybele]

The Libertarians are usually non-factors with less than 1% of the vote. The only reason Johnson got more than 4% was because of how truly awful Trump and Clinton were as candidates and how desperate people were for ANYTHING else.

Furthermore, might I add, even with that historic performance, Trump still won. (Most indications were that Johnson drew about equally from both the left and right, plus people who otherwise probably wouldn't have voted or voted some other third party, so he didn't spoil anything, really.)

If Trump loses re-election, chances are, it won't be because of Justin Amash.

Not so sure, I think @Victoria33 maybe correct IF Amash can qualify and get on the ballot in all 50 states.  That's usually the biggest hurdle for many 3rd party candidates.  (Though I really like the Constitution Party, no candidate has been able to get on the ballot in all 50 states, making it impossible for them to win.)

Using Perot as an example, he was able to get onto the ballot in all 50 states and he nearly captured 20% of the popular vote, though he didn't get any electoral votes. 

Amash has to have some type of platform though other than just running against Trump.  IF he gets on the ballot in all 50 states and promises to deliver something that Trump hasn't, he may grab enough votes to keep Trump from getting re-elected. He may even win Michigan and get the electoral votes.

Not a good thing.

[verga]

   He'd be a fool to do this.  We need him in the House.

No we need a real Conservative.

[corbe]

   Amash's Conservative Review Liberty Score is 90%, that's higher than Sen. Cruz and Rep. Crenshaw @ 82% and 80%, respectfully.  All the other Michigan Republicans in the US House are at 50% and below.
   Go ahead, Dump Him then continue to whine about all the Rino's in the House.

[dfwgator]

   Amash's Conservative Review Liberty Score is 90%, that's higher than Sen. Cruz and Rep. Crenshaw @ 82% and 80%, respectfully.  All the other Michigan Republicans in the US House are at 50% and below.
   Go ahead, Dump Him then continue to whine about all the Rino's in the House.

Big deal, so he votes a certain way to try to gain favor,  I say he's a con man, and if he decides to run as a Libertarian it will prove he used the Tea Party for his own personal ambition.

[skeeter]

   Amash's Conservative Review Liberty Score is 90%, that's higher than Sen. Cruz and Rep. Crenshaw @ 82% and 80%, respectfully.  All the other Michigan Republicans in the US House are at 50% and below.
   Go ahead, Dump Him then continue to whine about all the Rino's in the House.

Thats great, however usurping an election via a political impeachment farce would not be a good thing for the country. Supporting one will require at least a 25 pt deduction from the congressman's total score.

[corbe]

   I don't think Amash would do any better overall than Trump did when he first ran for President in 2000 as a REFORM Party candidate.

[corbe]

Thats great, however usurping an election via a political impeachment farce would not be a good thing for the country. Supporting one will require at least a 25 pt deduction from the congressman's total score.

   On that we agree @skeeter I wish he never would have brought this Impeachment crap up, and in the future we will be able to ascertain whether his motives are principled or just a scam as @dfwgator alludes to and with that being said, His reply to the question in the OP is quite ambiguous and typical of poilicspeek which most in the Trump World should be quite accustomed to by now.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

If he wants Trump to lose bad enough, run as a Libertarian which would likely take enough votes from Trump that a Dem would win.  Then, Amash can run for a smaller office in his state at the next election.  He would be forever remembered as the man who took Trump down.

And as the man who ushered in the first Socialist President.

What a legacy for a self-professed libertarian!

[skeeter]

   On that we agree @skeeter I wish he never would have brought this Impeachment crap up, and in the future we will be able to ascertain whether his motives are principled or just a scam as @dfwgator alludes to and with that being said, His reply to the question in the OP is quite ambiguous and typical of poilicspeek which most in the Trump World should be quite accustomed to by now.

I think Amash's politispeak as in the OP has been pretty common around DC for somewhat longer than the past two years.

The reason why Trump takes so much heat for his is he's so poor at it.

[corbe]