Posted on 10/13/2009 12:57:15 PM PDT by TheThirdRuffian
I’ve been in New Mexico less than 10 minutes when I realize that no ordinary politician rules the Land of Enchantment. After the young woman working the rental car counter discovers I need wheels to visit her very own governor, she starts talking excitedly and positively about his efforts to pass a school choice bill. One of her co-workers, a Democratic activist, tries to straighten her out, and the conversation soon grows to include other employees, all of whom are surprisingly well-informed due to the governor’s high-profile efforts to pass a statewide voucher program. The Democrat wants to make something else clear about New Mexico’s top pol: She doesn’t appreciate his crusade for drug legalization. Struggling to come up with the worst possible epithet, she finally spits out, "I think he’s a liberal," adding that as one he embarrasses her state. (Such is the New West that even Democrats think of liberals as lower than rattlesnakes.)
(Excerpt) Read more at reason.com ...
He's no liberal; certainly a libertarian in the fiscal-conservative since. Anti-drug, but anti-war-on-drugs.
A non-crazy Ron Paul, perhaps?
Pretty good speaker; I've seen him.
Huh? Is this the same Gary Johnson who was gov before?
Yes, a 2012 PRESIDENTIAL candidate.
Note, not endorsing the guy, but he lowered taxes, balanced the budget, and left us alone. That’s OK.
Spare me... he’s too busy being Peter Pan and shacking up with some Santa Fe hardbody that he cheated on his late wife with.
The guy’s an idiot. Even his dad Earl said he didn’t know what the hell he was doing while he was Gov.
Why does Reason magazine have a UN flag on it’s website?
He is certainly more libertarian than conservative.
(e.g., on abortion he says “state issue”).
Can’t blame a guy for a Sante Fe Hardbody. Enjoyed those myself.
I did a Google search "mexico governor gary johnson girlfriend" it came back with nothing.
Why are you asking me?
It was barely reported in the local news.
It is common knowledge in New Mexico that, VERY shortly after his divorce proceedings started, he had a new girlfriend.
No idea if she really is a Sante Fe Hard Body. But that’s a good thing.
Was he governor at the time?
From his CATO speech:
I’d like to end this talk with my “Seven Principles of Good Government.” This is something that I authored when I took office and you’ll find that these principles dictate everything that I do.
Become reality driven. Don’t kid yourself or others. Find out what’s what and base your decisions and actions on that.
Always be honest and tell the truth. It’s extremely difficult to do any damage to anybody when you are willing to tell the truth—regardless of the consequences.
Always do what’s right and fair. Remember, the more you actually accomplish, the louder your critics become. You’ve got to learn to ignore your critics. You’ve got to continue to do what you think is right. You’ve got to maintain your integrity.
Determine your goal, develop a plan to reach that goal, and then act. Don’t procrastinate.
Make sure everybody who ought to know what you’re doing knows what you’re doing. Communicate.
Don’t hesitate to deliver bad news. There is always time to salvage things. There is always time to fix things. Henry Kissinger said that anything that can be revealed eventually should be revealed immediately.
Last, be willing to do whatever it takes to get your job done. If you’ve got a job that you don’t love enough to do what it takes to get your job done, then quit and get one that you do love, and then make a difference.
The article is dated 2001. Richardson was elected in '02.
We should print that out and hand it all politicians.
Abortion is a state’s rights issue.
Yeah, but cheat on your wife? Kick her to the curb because she has health problems and can’t keep up with you on the ski slopes anymore? Never mind she was the brains behind Big J suceeding early on.
With Gary, it’s all about Gary.
No.
Agreed. But he is Governor of a state. What does he think his state should do?
I generally agree, but, if you recall Fred Thompson was called “pro-abortion” by Huckabee supporters for taking the same state-rights position.
I suspect his libertarian tendancies will kill his ability to get past social conservatives.
That's about 7/8 of the battle right there. I could totally live with that.
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