Judge Jim Gray Is the 2012 Libertarian Party Vice Presidential Nominee
Former two-term New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson will be the Libertarian Party's 2012 presidential nominee, and former judge James "Jim" Gray will be his running mate.
Gray beat out Lee Wrights and one other candidate for the vice presidential nomination.
Gray, a former Orange County Superior Court Judge who ran against Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) as a Libertarian in 2004, announced his candidacy last week. Shortly after, Johnson expressed his preference to have Gray as his running mate if he won the presidential nomination.
"The process all along has been to find somebody that can articulate libertarian ideals and beliefs and I've thought all along that [Gray] would be a really solid pick," Johnson told Reason last week. "He's been through the fire and he will be one heartbeat from the presidency and I think he would be very capable of that."
Gray is a leading critic of the war on drugs, and supported California's Prop 19. You can watch him below talk to Reason.tv about groups that benefit from the drug war.
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Short, but terrific speech. I’d love to see him debate Biden.
The contents of my cat’s litterbox could out-debate Biden.
It could never compete with Biden’s folksy, down-home, and entirely fictional personal anecdotes.
On the other hand the contents of your cat’s litter box would not make me laugh at the stupidity that comes from it.
I’ve always liked Gray, but today he seemed especially animated. You could see the twinkling in his eyes when he talked about debating Biden. I want to see that now about as much as he does. Plus, if he does well on the national stage, perhaps he will take another crack at US Senate. We have to fire Feinstein and Boxer ASAP. The VP run and getting into the debates could at very least set up Gray for such a future. I’d like to see THAT, too.
Gray would make a good president, no doubt.
An ex-governor and a judge. That’s not half bad.
Good. This furthe ensures that the they’ll be making the WoD a central issue in their campaign.
I’m a little surprised he said we should regulate and tax mj. It really pisses me of to hear someone say it, especially a libertarian. How about we just legalize the shit, just because that’s how it ought to be, and be done with it.
When I first started reading Reason.com and mentioned that I didn’t like the idea of the government taxing and regulating pot I was shouted down, never understood that.
Perfect vs good; all that stuff.
I thought it was government regulation and taxes is better than the drug war.
Not going to happen, I’ll take taxed and regulated mj over the situation now any day.
I’ll take taxed and regulated mj over the situation now any day.
It’s also much easier to sell to TEAM members dancing on positive edge of the legalization debate. Whatever irrational beliefs they may have regarding legal MJ (and “illicit” drugs in general) can be countered very effectively with this approach. Also, keep in mind growers tend to oppose outright legalization because of the loss of artificially high price signals. Not everyone who is pro-MJ is pro-legalization.
“Also, keep in mind growers tend to oppose outright legalization because of the loss of artificially high price signals. Not everyone who is pro-MJ is pro-legalization.”
Pretty sure Prop 19 failed in the ’emerald triangle’; too many folks doing quite well as is, thank you.
You are absolutely correct, P19 failed in the emerald triangle precisely because the growers did not want to give up their $2,000 per pound pot business.
Yes, every other drug is taxed and regulated heavily, including alcohol. The idea that mj will be the exception to the rule is absurd.
How many other drugs are raw unprocessed dried plant material? Tobacco is much more processed than MJ.
Tax and regulations are to be expected if marijuana is ever legalized(it won’t be, Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and all that) but I’d oppose any scheme barring anonymous private, non-commercial cultivation.
Wrong, treaty law is not the reason, though the Obama Admin may claim that next to cover their asses. The Admin may reschedule MJ any time it feels like it – without Congressional action.
If that pisses you off, then doesn’t any libertarian that calls for any government or any taxes at all piss you off?
Why not just run as the anarchocapitalist party, tell the moderates and appeasers to jump off a bridge and start buying new curtains for the White House, as you will surely win with your appealing and extremely desirable principles?
Your disdainful sarcasm doesn’t prove your point. His principles may in fact be the right ones.
Disdainful sarcasm may pain you, but it pales to the public humiliation that a vote on AnCap would yield.
a)No.
b)I’m not an anarchocapitalist.
Libertarians aren’t going to win the WH with warm fuzy critiques such as yours, either. Don’t get your panties in a kerfuffle. Now go pull that stick out of your ass and come back with something better.
Fuzzy, even. I corrected it and it still came out wrong.
Libertarians aren’t going to win the WH with warm fuzy critiques such as yours, either.
/cynical
If we successfully move the government in the direction of liberty, that will be a success that has completely deluded libertarians ever since the party was established. Weed + regulation like alcohol is not ideal, but more likely to be politically successful – and it is far more libertarian than the brutal system existing today. I’ll take it.
Sorry for the sarcasm, but the anarchocapitalist wing of the LP is the primary reason we can never get anywhere electorally (which is the whole point of being a political party), and it’s probably too late to change this for people with any knowledge of politics.
The LP is actually going with a credible, real ticket this year. Unlike last time, with Barr and that fucking clown Root. Fuck, that was a disaster.
I wouldn’t say the 2008 campaign was a disaster: it taught me that Wayne Allen Root was an untrustworthy* republican hack – and to keep a hand on my wallet if he ever tries to give me a bro-hug.
That’s a useful bit of knowledge.
*redundant, I know: all Republican hacks are intrinsically untrustworthy.
This year won’t be any better because the majority of the American voters are idiot team members. Or at least sympathize to one side.
For example, take the kerfluffle about the bitch with the fine Corinthian leather for skin, her child and tanning booths. Your average American while professing to respect the rights of people to be left alone will wag his/her finger about the orange-tinged bitch’s unfitness as a mother – all based on the reports in the media. If we could but focus that media attention on any and all such people, for just say 15 minutes, the virtue of leaving people the fuck alone might be positively re-inforced. Absent that, the natural hypocrisy goes un-noticed and unabated, right to the polls.
I like this Jim Gray fellow. Too bad it’s not Gojira Jim, but one takes what one can.
Gray was shut out of debate with Barbara Boxer when he ran for the senate some years ago. He did, however, travel to debate sites to rally pro-Libertarian protesters there. On one trip to Monterey, he was kind enough to stop by a private high school that my wife runs in Santa Cruz. He was very generous with his time and said a lot of interesting things to the kids in his speech and in response to their questions. I’m just sorry that the invited media stayed away. With luck, they will pay more attention to him, should the campaign trail ever lead through the Monterey Bay region.
Boxer is a coward. That, is why he was shut out.
There’s a c-word that comes to mind when you mention Boxer. And it sure ain’t coward.
I’m gonna stick with using that word when describing men who deserve it.
Banjos, however, can use it all she wants, for she is Banjos.
Crony? Carnal? Counterproductive? Chatty?
I’m not still not seeing it.
The word I was thinking of when someone brought up Barbara Boxer was CUNT.
Ah, yes. That lovely little acronym for Can’t Understand Normal Thinking.
Thanks sloop. That would certainly apply to The Dwarven Senator from CA.
Just go ahead and apply it to our entire US Senate contingent from California. It’s apt. Apt!!!
I’ll call Krugman a cunt, but not a female… no matter how much certain ones deserve it.
It can also be used to describe inanimate objects, though Jezebelers would disagree.
Even if the inanimate object is using a female voice to give directions?
Doc, we need a ruling on this one.
Oooh, that’s a loophole worthy of James Tiberius Kirk once again, sloop. You’re good at finding those.
It’s like I’d rather spend 20 minutes trying to find a loophole that gets me out of 15 minutes worth of bullshit work.
Doc, we need a ruling on this one.
In the interest of the all-important concept and mandate of politically correct identity politics, I don’t see why a fomite or a cadaver couldn’t do so. From what I understand, dead people do vote in this country.
It’s the thought that counts, sloop.
Cadaverous, surely you meant cadaverous.
I’m just guessing because personally I don’t see race, but this ticket seems extremely white.
Judge Jim Gray’s speech prior to his nomination was excellent. Maybe this guy is a secret weapon or something.
Where are the Johnson/Gray stickers?
I got a stack of them on the way out. I could mail some out if people want them. All I need are your home addresses!
Post an email address and I will send you my mailing address. I would be proud to have a Johnson/Gray bumper sticker on my car.
Send me an e-mail to kenspicer111@gmail.com and I’ll hook you guys up.
Also tell me what size stamped, self addressed envelope to send you…
Not necessary. Just email me where to send it and I’ll FedEx it. Fuck the post office.
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington DC
Send them C.O.D.
Are you trying to get me murderdroned? That’s not cool, man.
Boy, this is gonna piss off the Freepers. Good on ya, LP.
Will they notice? It would be great if they did. If we ruin just one Freeper’s day….
They HATE libertarians:
http://www.freerepublic.com/fo…..0322/posts
Just one example. Then again, we’re talking about big-government so-con Republicans, not lovers of liberty.
If only the Freepers and the PuffHo’s could meet in a mutually assured deathmatch.
What an amazing ticket. How is this not the ticket for one of the two parties. What the fuck is wrong with this country?
We got Penn & Teller tickets for tonight! Sweet-ass sweet.
Good on ya, sloop. Enjoy!
Ah, we enjoyed their show immensely. Even after seeing the Beatles Love show.
Damn but that was a kick-ass show. Absolutely wonderful. I especially liked how they interjected libertarianism into their act.
Did he do the “teapot” bit? He said it was new, and it was incredible.
I ran for State Senate on the LP ticket in 2004 and met Gray a few times, including riding together in the SF gay pride parade. He’s a solid, stand-up guy and all that.
I’ve since broken off with the LP, but they’re definitely getting my Presidential vote this year!
I’m still technically in the Ron Paul camp, but I’m happy to see Gary Johnson get the LP nomination. Despite the thorn Ron Paul is being in the GOP establishment, I still expext Mit Obamney to get the nomination. Johnson has name recognition outside the LP, plus I don’t expect him to support Gingrich in 2016 (unlike that c*nt Bob Barr).
Gotta love them kangaroo court judges.
http://www.Better-Privacy.tk
Right on Gary. Solid LP ticket. Look forward to casting a vote for it. If they could get five percent that would be amazing. Would love to see some real money get behind them and make it a three way race a la Perot, but won’t hold my breath.
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