Libertarian presidential candidate Jo Jorgensen wants to combine the principle with tasty conviction – Reason.com

Jo Jorgensen, professor of psychology at Clemson University, had such a wonderful time as the Libertarian Party vice presidential candidate on a ticket with Harry Browne in 1996 that she thought long and hard about swinging in Presidential Square. Professional conflict has kept her from doing this for most of this century, and she tore herself out of potential in 2012 as she was impressed by the well-known real world qualifications of former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. Jorgensen sees 2020 as an opportunity to get first place on the libertarian ticket.

Jorgensen, while happy with Johnson as a candidate, did not care “how outside Republican advisors ran his campaign.” She believes that they have not done enough thorough data exchange with the party and that Johnson’s candidacy, despite the record high number of votes, did not do enough to increase the party membership permanently. Jorgensen notes that the Browne / Jorgensen campaign year saw both higher national paid membership growth and longer growth than the Johnson and Bill Weld-led 2016 campaign. It is these new members, says Jorgensen, who are the candidates , Recruiters, donors and activists will be there to keep the party healthier across the board.

Senior Editor Brian Doherty spoke to Jorgensen by phone last night after closing another online debate broadcast on the We Are Libertarians podcast and the top three picks from a delegate-only poll following an earlier Kentucky Libertarian Party debate dated Last week showed: Jorgensen, John Monds and Judge James Gray (who had been Johnson’s runner-up in 2012). The party’s delegates will begin selecting their candidates tomorrow via an online virtual congress.

Reason: How was today’s debate for you?

Jorgensen: I thought it was very good. People telling me the truth told me I probably got in first, but we’ll see what the delegates say. That’s the important audience.

What do the libertarian delegates want from a candidate this year?

I really think they want what I’m selling: a candidate, both practically and in principle. Some other candidates do not fully follow the platform. [which they think means] be practical, but they deviate too much from the platform. I’ve also seen complaints about people who think they are very hard at selling freedom and liberty, but don’t show how they would convince how they would sell [Libertarian ideas] to the American people.

COVID-19 will be the dominant topic, although no one thought about it at the start of this campaign. How do you see this for a national electorate?

This government is way too intrusive [in general] So I’m running, why do we even have the Libertarian Party. But even I was shocked by that [government’s reaction to COVID-19]. Los Angeles announces it will be closed until August? That is just incomprehensible.

Of course, if cities and states remain closed, it will become much more difficult to campaign. But the [COVID-19 reaction] was the biggest attack on our freedoms in our lives, and it’s two-pronged. There is the personal attack where we are all under house arrest. We can’t go to our jobs, we can’t go to funerals, weddings, we can’t see our families.

That is the personal aspect, then there is the economic aspect. That fact that the government is bailing out $ 2 trillion in companies … whenever the government spends money, the government bureaucrats’ money [tends to] Go to their friends, special interests, and lobbyists. It would be better if Americans could keep their money and decide which companies make money, not the government.

Are there any aspects of a hardcore libertarian message that you think are completely uncomfortable for a typical voter?

I support the libertarian platform plank by plank. But what is not convinced is that someone just says “I am for freedom and freedom” and that is all. The people who will be [convinced] through freedom and freedom for their own sake are probably already in the party. What we need to do is convince soccer mothers, business people, and the average person that our ideas work better.

For example, I don’t think it’s a good tactic to just say, “It’s my body, I can put whatever I want in, whatever I want.” We need to explain to Americans how that would help you – crime will decrease, your kids won’t have drug dealers in school [or as neighborhood role models of success]. Who has ever heard of a liquor dealer pushing gin on kids in middle school? I want to argue from a practical point of view and explain to most Americans that it is not me [supporting drug legalization] because I want to do drugs or you want to. I want a better, safer America for your children and one with less violence.

What are some other topics you would expect if you won the nomination?

Health care is urgent, literally life or death. If we do not hold back the path to sole payer, it will be catastrophic for the country. It’s the most frustrating thing [many Americans see our health care issues as a failure] for free markets. I want to shout from the rooftops that we don’t have a free market system in health care and that if we tried free markets they would work.

I would also talk about bringing the troops home and the environment. I would emphasize that if you look around [historically] You see, wherever there is a bigger government there is more pollution. As for global warming, I don’t want to get into a debate about how we got here. I want to talk about how we can get the cleanest earth we can get, and if we don’t want global warming, nuclear power is the best option. [Rather than one imposed government standard] For reactors, we need a number of different companies competing with each other without the government choosing the winners. Imagine, in the early days of computing, the government said, “Bill Gates, you win. Apple, you are shut down.” The reason we got the iPhone is because Steve Jobs and Bill Gates hated each other and competed against each other. [Regulations on nuclear power] lost that momentum for competing companies to try to deliver better quality.

I would bring the message of the party platform on immigration. I would like to disperse [anti-immigrant] Myths. The media will find some immigrants in a drunken driving accident or some kind of violent crime and plastering everywhere. However, if you look at statistics, people born in the US are more likely to commit crimes than other countries that are here.

Many so-called immigration crimes do not steal money, they just cross the border. When you look at the overall economic impact, this is a net positive. I would also like to mention that I am the granddaughter of three immigrants and my attitude is not, “I’ll be the last, close the door behind me.” I want the country to be more open to everyone, not for its own sake, but for America’s sake. It makes our economy more vibrant when immigrants come to us.

What would you say to Trump voters?

I would tell you you voted for the last time, sometimes for the first time or for the first time in 20 years, because you were tired of the same old politicians and wanted something different. But he came into office and acted like everyone else. He said he would reduce the size of the government and instead it is bigger; He said he would fix the deficit and go the other way. You wanted something new and [a Libertarian] is something new, not just another major government donor.

Are you very interested in a woman’s political implications?

I will put it this way: [Of the leading Libertarian candidates] I offer the greatest contrast to Trump and Biden. The media keeps talking about two old rich whites, even the Democrats, who say they want diversity. Well, I offer the greatest contrast.

Her academic expertise lies in industrial organization and psychology. Do you have professional insight into the recent behavior of the Libertarian National Committee trying to deal with the convention process surrounding COVID?

No, I didn’t see it at all. I didn’t register for the first time until Sunday [online practice meeting for the virtual convention this weekend]. The presidential campaign is already a full-time occupation.

If you win the presidential nomination, do you know who you prefer as a vice president?

One thing I know about libertarians is that they don’t like to be told what to do. Even if I had a choice, I wouldn’t tell them. When I get the nomination [might say] There are four or five here I think would be great but if you don’t like them then vote for someone else. The most important thing is not to have one [vice presidential] Candidate who would have an opposing platform from me. I would appreciate some of the current presidential candidates [in the VP slot].

How do you rate your attractiveness compared to your competitors?

I think we have to have a serious campaign. We have to present an option to the American people [comparable] to Trump and Biden. And while Vermin Supreme is very funny – I found it hysterical when he says if he gives you a free pony, if you want a unicorn he’ll give you a converter kit – and when I get the nomination, I hope so he continues his reach For young people, I think our candidate should be running a more serious campaign.

The way I closed the last couple of debates is by pointing out that Jacob Hornberger is extremely principled, following the platform down the line and that is admirable. And I think Judge Gray is very practical, he keeps saying he doesn’t want to give voters an all-or-nothing message, and I agree – we have to come up with practical solutions to the American people. And I am the best of both worlds, vote for me because I am both in principle and practical. I am proud that the Pragmatic Caucus overwhelmingly backed me and the Radical Caucus gave me a “B” rating. Which of the top candidates has nobody rated higher than a “B”? This shows that I can address both in principle and in practice.

I’ve had a lot of people say that they can’t find any negatives about me. Some say I am their second choice. I think more than anyone else I can bring unity to the party, nobody else has done it [that kind of support from both Pragmatic and Radical caucuses]. I think I’m the perfect mix, the only one who has, and I hate sounding like a doctor, but the only one who has evidence and data [on her side].