Gary Johnson hits Clinton, Trump in op-ed

Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson is making a plea to voters after the first presidential debate, writing in a New York Times op-ed that “the America I know wasn’t on the television screen on Monday night.” 

{mosads}”My America is about the freedom to make choices, pursue your dreams and use your skills as entrepreneurs. It is about having more choices than just red versus blue,” the former New Mexico governor wrote. 

“Americans want to be able to choose a president who is capable of reason, of learning from failures, and of telling them the truth, even when it hurts. Most of all, they want to choose a president who will adhere to the Constitution and will make government live within its means,” Johnson wrote. 

“I’m offering that choice. I wasn’t part of the presidential debate on Monday, but as Americans listened in dismay to the so-called major parties’ candidates, Google searches for ‘Gary Johnson’ skyrocketed.”

Johnson painted the Libertarian ticket as the alternative to the “hyper-partisanship” political system that is a “terrible way to try to run a country.” 

“We’re the alternative — and we’re the only ticket that offers Americans a chance to find common ground,” Johnson wrote. 

He and running mate Bill Weld, a former Massachusetts governor, are fiscal conservatives, he wrote, that would implement cuts of up to 20 percent for all programs every year. 

“As governors, we balanced our budgets and reduced taxes: I cut taxes 14 times; Bill Weld did so 21 times in his six years leading Massachusetts. It just requires commitment and certainty,” Johnson, a former Nevada governor, wrote.

“Hillary Clinton’s and Donald J. Trump’s proposals call for much more spending.”

Jonson said he and Weld would also “stop treating immigration as a bad thing” and defend a woman’s right to choose abortion. 

“Less than six weeks before Election Day, independents and, particularly, young voters are increasingly turning to Bill Weld and me as reasonable, rational and experienced candidates. We are the party that can break the partisan gridlock which for too long has kept real solutions out of reach.”