Saturday, May 2, 2020

Justin Amash





      So, come November, what if you don't want to vote for Trump because he's a dishonest, immature, belligerent, inept, vulgar, narcissist brat?  And you don't want to vote for Biden because he's a senile, demented old codger, also accused of sexual misconduct, and a big-government liberal to boot?

      Today your favorite blogger has some good news.  There is - potentially, at least - another candidate out there. 

      Let me first list some of his personal qualities:

  • He's only 40 years old.
  • He's married to his first and ONLY wife, and they have three children. 
  • He has NEVER been accused of any kind of sexual misconduct.
  • He's a former corporate lawyer, and has been elected to the US House or Representatives four times.
  • He's respectful, intelligent, friendly, articulate, and likable.  And very active on social media.
      Ok, enough with the preliminaries:  He is Justin Amash of Michigan.  He was elected to Congress as a Republican, then became an independent about a year ago.  As of a month ago, he officially changed his party to Libertarian, making him the only member of Congress with that party affiliation.

      Amash has consistently stood up for the principles of smaller government that he campaigned on.  He has voted "No" on every bill that makes government bigger or more powerful.  He is a persistent critic of President Trump, and was the ONLY Republican in the House to vote in favor of his impeachment.  (He joins Mitt Romney, the only Republican in the Senate to vote for Trump's removal from office.)  His actions and voting record have made him a hated enemy of Republican leadership - yet Amash stands firm.

      On other issues, Amash supports reducing the military budget and getting the troops out of the Middle East.  He has consistently stated that only Congress, not the President, has Constitutional authority to declare war.  He opposes Trump's border wall, and supports legislation to legalize marijuana at the federal level.

      Now, it's not yet official.  The party's nominating convention is scheduled for August.  Amash has put together an exploratory committee to consider running for President as a Libertarian.  But nearly always, having an "exploratory" team usually means: "Yes I am in!"

      Love or hate the Libertarian Party, you have to give them credit for longevity.  They've been running candidates at all levels of government for over four decades now.  Although you don't hear about it much, the party does occasionally get candidates elected to local offices.  Over the years, some incredibly intelligent, eloquent men have run for President.  But unfortunately, most voters never got a chance to hear their message.

      In 2016, the party had a unique opportunity to earn some credibility at the national level, when neither of the major-party candidates were, shall we say, loved by the masses.  Yet the best the Libertarians could come up with was Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico.  Although Johnson was a man of solid small-government principles, he was, sad to say, not a very good candidate.  But now, with Amash, the party has a potential opportunity to regain some lost ground.

      Here are a couple of recent news articles about Amash.  Read them, and I am sure you will agree, that when it comes to consistently working hard to reduce the size and power of government, he is the Real Deal:      Politico       Mlive
      Granted, it's a long shot.  Historically, voters and the news media tend to ignore minor party candidates.  If he does run, whom would he steal more votes from, Trump or Biden?  Opinions vary, and there is no consensus.  My off-the-cuff guess is that it would probably be about equal.

      Either way, spread the word.  Tell all your friends about him!




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