Taking Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson Seriously
Over at The Atlantic, Marc Ambinder weighs in on the possible presidential run of former GOP Gov. Gary Johnson of New Mexico and notes that the MSM's ability to ignore candidates ain't what it used to be:
As powerful as the media is, it is not nearly as powerful as it once was. And the media, thank goodness, is fragmented. There are media outlets—like Reason—that can serve as the launching pad for a candidacy. And the winnowing power of the elite—the Gang of 500 — can't stop them.
I don't know if Gary Johnson will actually run for president, though his Our America initiative is precisely the sort of thing that potential candidates do at this point in time. I hesitate to say I hope he does run for president, not because I don't think he'd be about the best candidate possible, but because I know him a bit and like him and jeez, what a way to ruin your life. Besides, the only major-party presidential candidate I ever voted for was Walter Mondale, now mostly remembered as the father of a forgotten E! channel host. So my vote counts for…nothing.
But take a look at Johnson in this long-form interview Matt Welch and I did with him with last year and decide for yourself whether you're ready for a drug-legalizing, immigrant-admiring, business-savvy, socially tolerant, anti-war, Mt. Everest-climbing chief executive.
Shorter version of Q&A and more here.