Report: David Koch Pledges Millions to Fund Spoiler Third Party Run

[HAPPY2BME]

David’s brother, Charles, told ABC News in April it’s “possible” that having Hillary Clinton in the White House would be better than electing Trump.

http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/05/19/report-david-koch-pledges-millions-to-fund-spoiler-third-party-run/

by Katie McHugh19 May 2016

Billionaire David Koch will bankroll Libertarian candidate and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson’s third party presidential run with tens of millions of dollars, according to a report.

The eight-figure sum may help Johnson win the Libertarian Party nomination and break into the mainstream.

Johnson also ran for president in 2012 as a third party candidate and won some 1.275 millon votes, 0.99 percent of the popular vote. Libertarian candidates may have cost the GOP several congressional race victories that year. (David Koch himself was the Libertarian Party’s vice presidential nominee in 1980 when he and Ed Clark set the record for most votes for the party.)

Koch’s pledge is significant: Charles and David Koch both promised not to use their war chest of hundreds of millions to stop now-presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump from securing the nomination in March, turning later that month to down-ballot races.

David’s brother, Charles, told ABC News in April it’s “possible” that having Hillary Clinton in the White House would be better than electing Trump.

[jmyrlefuller]

First the William Weld announcement, and now this.

It seems like the LP is addressing three of the major problems third parties have always faced: money, gravitas and ballot access. They've had the access. They now have two experienced governors on their ticket, and if this is true, they also have enough financial backing to at least make a race out of this.

They just might be the most viable vessel for those of us who are #NeitherTrumpNorHillary.

[jmyrlefuller]

Libertarians are nuts on the social issues.  No thank you.  I might vote Constitution Party if I can.

I've been running through my head an essay on the whole strategy. I want to be able to have it finished by the weekend.

[Jazzhead]

First the William Weld announcement, and now this.

It seems like the LP is addressing three of the major problems third parties have always faced: money, gravitas and ballot access. They've had the access. They now have two experienced governors on their ticket, and if this is true, they also have enough financial backing to at least make a race out of this.

They just might be the most viable vessel for those of us who are #NeitherTrumpNorHillary.

Good post.   The way to combat a socialist vs. a fascist is to appeal down the middle -  a liberty-centric approach to fiscal conservatism and entitlement/regulatory reform, coupled with a moderate take on social issues. 

I think it's a combination that can have considerable appeal.

[Wingnut]

First the William Weld announcement, and now this.

It seems like the LP is addressing three of the major problems third parties have always faced: money, gravitas and ballot access. They've had the access. They now have two experienced governors on their ticket, and if this is true, they also have enough financial backing to at least make a race out of this.

They just might be the most viable vessel for those of us who are #NeitherTrumpNorHillary.

It would entice me to turn off the 700 club, put the cheetos down, and get my naked but out of my beanbag chair and vote.

[Suppressed]

It would entice me to turn off the 700 club, put the cheetos down, and get my naked but out of my beanbag chair and vote.

If they pitched it right and Gary Johnson could avoid looking too goofy, it could do well.

[Norm Lenhart]

It would entice me to turn off the 700 club, put the cheetos down, and get my naked but out of my beanbag chair and vote.

I'll hear them out. Depends on what positions they take.

[truth_seeker]

Gary Johnson

--Open borders
--Legalize most drugs
--Abortion on demand
--Support same sex marriage
--massive defence cutbacks
--more

Great positions for  "conservatives" that misplaced their brains

[Norm Lenhart]

Gary Johnson

--Open borders
--Legalize most drugs
--Abortion on demand
--Support same sex marriage
--massive defence cutbacks
--more

Great positions for  "conservatives" that misplaced their brains

Sounds a lot like Trump for the most part. He's open borders with his big beautiful door and 'you convinced me' crap, has only recently and half way 'converted' on abortion, opened his beauty pageant to trannies and is good with them in the ladies room and more.

I'll be happily reminding people till their dying day they could have avoided all this aXXholery with Cruz.

[OldSaltUSN]

Sounds a lot like Trump for the most part. He's open borders with his big beautiful door and 'you convinced me' crap, has only recently and half way 'converted' on abortion, opened his beauty pageant to trannies and is good with them in the ladies room and more.

I'll be happily reminding people till their dying day they could have avoided all this aXXholery with Cruz.

That sounds like a flaky Libertarian (a.k.a. progressive).  No wonder I've never seriously considered them.   Scratch Johnson from any list.
Maybe the Constitutional  party.  Maybe I vote Hitlery to screw Trumpkins.  I don't know.  I don't care.  I've been disenfranchised before, and it'll probably happen again, but as long as I can pull the lever, it's my choice to make.  And I have no reason, NONE WHATSOEVER, to award my vote to Trump's party.

Really, folks, it's it ALMOST worth hearing "President Hillary Clinton" in January 2017, just to see the look on the Trump true believers as Trump sails away without them, calling on Hillary at the White House on the way out?  It'll almost be like that gruesome moving "Ghost Ship", when the demon becomes apparent to all, and then kills off all of his acolytes.  His lover (and crew betrayer) suspended on the meat hook with that shocked look in her eyes, after he just kissed her: priceless.   (Then again, it's an abhorrent film.   Nothing to see there ...move along.)

Trump will make Obama and Clinton look like church deacon's by comparison.

[montanajoe]

Upon reflection I'd much rather vote for a well funded Libertarian than the only other choice but Trump. I don't agree with the Libertarian platform but a GOP congress would have a much better chance of keeping Johnson in check than Trump and Johnson would not poison the political waters for a generation of Conservatives like Trump would.

This might be a reasonable choice for us #NeverTrump if the article can be believed and if the Koch's really do pony up the cash to be competitive nationally...

This election is a sh*t sandwich, Trump's horse sh*t, Hillary's dog sh*t and Johnson's bat sh*t. Might just as well choke down what the Libertarians are offering.

[OldSaltUSN]

Good post.   The way to combat a socialist vs. a fascist is to appeal down the middle -  a liberty-centric approach to fiscal conservatism and entitlement/regulatory reform, coupled with a moderate take on social issues. 

I think it's a combination that can have considerable appeal.

"coupled with a moderate take on social issues."

Ah ... somehow, that always ends up with progressive, anti-constitution judges, making unconstitutional laws, the law of the land.   Usually, a whole lotta babies get slaughtered.
And those kids singing Christmas carols, or reading their Bible in their free time in school, usually end up in hot water, losing their liberty.  It ends up with Mikey Weinstein trying to turn the USAF Academy into a little SS education center, and prosecuting military Chaplains for OMG, preaching the Word of God.

I'm afraid it has to be the whole ball of wax, the entire Constitution, in original form, or you end up with the same progressive shiite-hole as we have now.

Wish ya luck, but I don't think there's even a strong minority of supporters in the USA for your platform.  Maybe it'll grow a bit, if Hillary alienates enough Bernie supporters (but then Trump may win, so there's that).

[OldSaltUSN]

It would entice me to turn off the 700 club, put the cheetos down, and get my naked but out of my beanbag chair and vote.

Ya NEVER put the cheetos down.  What were you thinking???   

For a second, skimming your post, I was reading it as "get my 700 pound naked butt out of my beanbag chair", and I had to leave the room to throw up a little bit.
Then I felt sorry for your beanbag chair.

But no worry, apparently, no beanbag chairs were killed or injured while creating Wingnut's post.   

[Wingnut]

@OldSaltUSN Only the Cheetos were harmed in the making of that post.

[catfish1957]

Libertarians are nuts on the social issues.  No thank you.  I might vote Constitution Party if I can.

Same thoughts, except I WILL vote for the Constitution Party.  It will be a cold day in hell before I vote for either Trump or Hitlerly.

[Sanguine]

Good post.   The way to combat a socialist vs. a fascist is to appeal down the middle -  a liberty-centric approach to fiscal conservatism and entitlement/regulatory reform, coupled with a moderate take on social issues. 

I think it's a combination that can have considerable appeal.

Do you really think so?  Moderation in the face of extremism? 

[TomSea]

More on Koch funding GJ.

Some of those libertarian candidates might be okay if they follow more of the Ron Paul/Rand Paul mode; but as it is,  yes, GJ is too liberal for me on social issues. Gary Johnson said he would have vetoed the North Carolina bill on bathrooms, he said that on Glen Beck when he was on the other day.

Libertarian hopeful Gary Johnson denies rumor of ‘eight-figure’ Koch campaign donation
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/05/19/libertarian-hopeful-gary-johnson-denies-rumor-of-eight-figure-koch-campaign-donation/

The founders, said good and bad about religion but most of them if not all were Christians, Quakers, what-have-you, in that tradition. If one takes out the US Judaeo-Christian heritage, then, I don't care for the libertarian point of view and that seems what one gets with Johnson.

[kidd]

Gary Johnson

--Open borders
--Legalize most drugs
--Abortion on demand
--Support same sex marriage
--massive defence cutbacks
--more

Great positions for  "conservatives" that misplaced their brains

IOW,
Gary Johnson is Hillary Clinton without the lying and the FBI investigation.

No thank you.

[jmyrlefuller]

IOW,
Gary Johnson is Hillary Clinton without the lying and the FBI investigation.

No thank you.

What about taxes, Obamacare, and other personal freedoms? Clinton is a machine Democrat with progressive sympathies.

Johnson may not be the greatest candidate in an ideal year, but if we have to pick one guy to get behind against both Trump and Clinton, it might be the best option.

Besides, t_s keeps copying and pasting that list over and over again any time the Libertarians are mentioned. Mention the Constitution Party and t_s copies and pastes a statement about how third parties never win. It's not about principle to t_s. It's about knocking out all opposition, just like the rest of the Trump caucus.

[truth_seeker]

What about taxes, Obamacare, and other personal freedoms? Clinton is a machine Democrat with progressive sympathies.

Johnson may not be the greatest candidate in an ideal year, but if we have to pick one guy to get behind against both Trump and Clinton, it might be the best option.

Besides, t_s keeps copying and pasting that list over and over again any time the Libertarians are mentioned. Mention the Constitution Party and t_s copies and pastes a statement about how third parties never win. It's not about principle to t_s. It's about knocking out all opposition, just like the rest of the Trump caucus.

No copy paste for me, lad. I can do it from memory, and I do. No need to do a research paper like you mentioned yesterday, but failed to deliver.

I have been following libertarians for years. The VP candidate recently was a judge from my area. Larry Elder once called himself a small l libertarian, but changed after 9/11/2001 when LP candidate Harry Browne blamed America.

All from memory, no cut-paste.  The list is what the list is. BTW, let us know when your research paper is finished.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Some of those libertarian candidates might be okay if they follow more of the Ron Paul/Rand Paul mode;

Rand is kind of stuck -- he can't run Libertarian and be a GOP Senator.  But I'm thinking that had he been willing to do so in this election, he may have gotten 20% or between disaffected progressives and conservative-side libertarians.

[Jazzhead]

"coupled with a moderate take on social issues."

Ah ... somehow, that always ends up with progressive, anti-constitution judges, making unconstitutional laws, the law of the land.   Usually, a whole lotta babies get slaughtered.
And those kids singing Christmas carols, or reading their Bible in their free time in school, usually end up in hot water, losing their liberty.  It ends up with Mikey Weinstein trying to turn the USAF Academy into a little SS education center, and prosecuting military Chaplains for OMG, preaching the Word of God.

I'm afraid it has to be the whole ball of wax, the entire Constitution, in original form, or you end up with the same progressive shiite-hole as we have now.

Wish ya luck, but I don't think there's even a strong minority of supporters in the USA for your platform.  Maybe it'll grow a bit, if Hillary alienates enough Bernie supporters (but then Trump may win, so there's that).

  The Libertarians want government out of both the bedroom and the boardroom.  You may want the government to ban abortion,  but I'd rather use moral persuasion and support for those with unexpected pregnancies.   I don't want the state legislating matters of conscience.   

 

[TomSea]

  The Libertarians want government out of both the bedroom and the boardroom.  You may want the government to ban abortion,  but I'd rather use moral persuasion and support for those with unexpected pregnancies.   I don't want the state legislating matters of conscience.   

 

Glad you straightened that out, I thought another human being was involved but it's just a matter of conscience.

I'd rather leave it up to the States as Ron and Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have all said; not the government telling us by judicial fiat what to think.

[TomSea]

Slavery, personally, I'm against Slavery but it's a personal decision.

  The Libertarians want government out of both the bedroom and the boardroom

But per Gary Johnson, apparently, the government can be in the bathroom, so there goes that one.

At least, the Libertarians would give no funding to Planned Parenthood and the like.

Also, in 2012, Johnson did talk about some limits per the life of the fetus with abortion. So, he's kind of gone around that issue.

[starstruck]

David’s brother, Charles, told ABC News in April it’s “possible” that having Hillary Clinton in the White House would be better than electing Trump.

http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/05/19/report-david-koch-pledges-millions-to-fund-spoiler-third-party-run/

by Katie McHugh19 May 2016

Billionaire David Koch will bankroll Libertarian candidate and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson’s third party presidential run with tens of millions of dollars, according to a report.

If Bernie ends up running as a Green Party or something this whole thing could end up with the House picking the President.