An Afternoon with Gary: A Libertarian's Account of a Private Johnson Event

{The following article was submitted by Adam Choit, a member of our private Facebook group, the Lions of Liberty Forum. Why not join the conversation and sign up yourself? Plus, it's free!}A few days ago, I received a very unexpected email from a friend of a mine. She told me that she's been part of a political discussion group here in Los Angeles that meets monthly at a member's house for Sunday brunch. She said she wanted to invite me to that day's meeting at her house. The reason she wanted to invite me specifically is because over the years she's come to learn that yes, I am a libertarian --- and guess who was the special guest speaker that day? None other than Libertarian Presidential candidate Gary Johnson.I wanted to share my experience of being part of this particular discussion group for the first time, and my thoughts about what Gary Johnson had to say to us.As you might guess, this political discussion group, filled with mostly with veteran Hollywood TV and film people, was very much dominated by left-wing liberal Democrats, and most people I'd say were Bernie Sanders and/or Hillary Clinton supporters. So how did Gary Johnson end up speaking at this event? Well, apparently one of the very few Republican members, who also happens to despise Donald Trump, has some serious connections, and he was able to land Gary Johnson.What's particularly interesting to me and worth noting is how this fellow got Gary to attend. Because this was NOT a fundraiser. It was NOT a rally. It was Gary Johnson speaking to a room full of 40-50 Hollywood Democrats. After Gary left I had a chance to speak to this guy who apparently has some serious connections to the GOP on a national level. So believe it or not, it was big brass at the GOP who essentially told Gary Johnson -  the Libertarian candidate -that he must go speak to this group of... Democrats! Strange, but true, and in my opinion just one more piece of evidence that shows how Gary still seems more connected to the establishment major party political world than real libertarians, or to the Libertarian Party itself.Before Gary arrived, though, everyone noshed and mingled in the kitchen, living room area, and outside on the patio. To be honest, I was definitely a little nervous, as the only libertarian at an event with all Bernie and Hillary people. Something that I started to think about at several points during this event was the idea that one should "know their audience." Tom Woods, popular libertarian podcaster and author, has mentioned this concept before when discussing how he tailors his speeches to the demographics of his varying kinds of audiences. He and others like to think (and I agree) that one can do this without "selling out," or watering down a message. So with that in mind, as well as being aware I was an outsider as an invited guest, I wanted to be sure to be extra polite, and tread lightly when it came sharing my personal views on political topics. In other words, I was sure not to start conversations with "Hillary Clinton stinks!" This seemed to be a good approach, and I had some nice conversations with some rather nice people, without feeling like I was being dishonest about anything. Four or five years ago, I'm not sure I would have been able handle attending such an event. I would have been too mad at others for not being libertarians, and for not sharing my personal views. I would have probably been more emotional and less articulate in conversations.Soon after I finished my half-a-bagel, Gary and his entourage of two or three other guys, walk right in. I happened to be the fourth or fifth person to shake Gary's hand and introduce myself. My friend, also the homeowner, told Gary I was a real libertarian. I think this made Gary a little nervous! My initial impressions of in-person Gary Johnson are what you might expect. He comes off as a generally nice guy, and a friendly guy --- but yeah, his mannerisms and facial expressions are awkward, to say the least (more on this to come).People start to gather in the living room while Gary mingles with the crowd a bit and exchanges some pleasantries. Before he walked into the room to speak, he passed by me. I jokingly ordered him to, "Now go explain the Federal Reserve to this room of lefties." He smiled back at me with an obligatory awkward Gary smile.The discussion began with Gary introducing himself, giving a short talk, and going through his general piel many of us have heard many times. And yes, at this event he did use the phrase "fiscally conservative, socially liberal." I think when I heard that come out of his mouth is when I realized I was going to do my own version of JohnsON/JohnsOFF in real time in my head. So rather than try to summarize what I heard in exact chronological order earlier today, I thought I'd just share some of my personal JohnsONs and JohnsOFFs.JohnsOFFs:

• The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Gary just seems like a big hypocrite on this issue. He opened his talk saying how much he despises hypocrisy and crony capitalism, but he supports the TPP. I'm glad someone in the crowd asked him a question about why he supports this proposed bill. This woman in the crowd saidherself the TPP was an example of crony capitalism, and mentioned concerns about the private courts involved with the TPP that would undermine US courts. Gary argued that the TPP is a free trade bill, and that he "will always sign things that make things better." Gary did not refute what this woman was saying about the TPP, and just because Gary uses the words "free trade" and "makes things better,” this does not make them true. What's really weird to me about the issue is that Gary, in all likelihood will NOT become President.... so why support a bill that not only libertarians oppose, but much of left that he's trying to reach out to as well? Personally, I think his runningmate Bill Weld is making Gary support the TPP. Big JohnsOFF.
• Healthcare and the role of the Federal government. I put these two together because I think Gary's inability to articulate philosophically grounded views on healthcare stem from his inability to articulate what the debate is really about: What should be the role of government when it comes to healthcare? (specifically the Federal government). I understand it was a room full of people eager to throw more Federal money at healthcare, and was a tough, even at points hostile environment for Gary, but he just didn’t do a very good job here. Off the top of my head, I'd say there needs to be less crony capitalism and more choice, and moremarket solutions when it comes to the healthcare issue. I don't recall him really bringing any of these ideas up. He didn't bring up anything about unintended consequences of giving government bureaucracies more power. He didn't bring up any valid criticisms of Obamacare. There were a number of directions he could have gone in to respond to the room, but didn't. JohnsOFF.
• Style/presentation. I already touched on Gary's general awkward demeanor before he even started his talk and Q & A, but listening to him speak in person was no more captivating or engaging than watching him speak on TV. I feel like I should be clear that I much prefer Gary to Hillary or Trump, and that superficialthings shouldn't matter --- but they do. To be honest, when I saw out of the corner of my eye a man enter the kitchen earlier in the day, I thought it was a Jewish man wearing a Yarmulke, but it was Gary with his sunglasses on his head. Gary is just a fidgety dude who likes to rock sneakers and a casual style,which is fine, I guess --- especially for a private event. But nevertheless, if he rolled up in a suit, it changes the vibe and perception of him in the room, or could at least. I thought Gary's bodyguard and campaign manager (or whoever was with him) looked more Presidential than Gary himself. JohnsOFF.
• His responses to my comments/questions. Being basically the only libertarian in the room, and it being my first time invited to this group discussion, I went out of my way to let others in the room get their questions asked before I first raised my hand. But eventually they got around to me toward the very end ofthe Q & A. I asked Gary if he could respond to a couple of comments that I have. I began by thanking him for coming to the event, and then said "It's bullshit the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is keeping you out of the debates. I didn't know what the room knew about the CPD, but I made sure they knew that it is a private organization run by the major parties, and it's unfair they keep third parties out of the debates. I also criticized the major, corporate-ran polls as well. Gary actually smiled and appreciated this. However, after I got my compliments and supportive comments out of the way, I followed up on the TPP issue, and urged Gary and Bill Weld to reconsider their position. I mentioned all the secrecy surrounding the bill (Congresspeople reading it alone in the basement of Congress? What?), and I mentioned the issue of how it would give big corporations more control of drug patents, and make it harder for sick people to be able to access life saving medication. I also told Gary I would like to hear him talk about the Federal Reserve more in his campaign. I realized we were running up against the clock at this point, but Gary didn't mention the TPP at all again in his response to me. As far as the Fed, he mumbled some words about how he'd like them to "at least be consistent with their policy." I responded by asking if the Federal Reserve should even exist at all! Eventually, he did say he'd support an audit of the Fed, but overall it was kind of a weak response to a very important issue. Despite his time with us running out, Gary could have encouraged the audience to look into this issue more. He could have talked about how we should have more transparency with monetary policy. He could have given more specifics about the harm the Fed does, but didn't. JohnsOFF.

 JOHNS-ONS: 

• Federal Department of Education. I think Gary did a good job here. He was challenged, but made good points about how there was no Federal Department of Education when George Washington was President, and mentioned that it's only been around since the Jimmy Carter administration. He did a good job ofbreaking down how much money our home state of California sends to the government, versus how much it gets back to reinvest into actual education. (It's less). I'll give him a Johns-ON.
• Foreign policy/nonintervention. A person in the crowd asked a question about islands in the East China Sea, and expressed concerns about possible tensions between China and Japan. I assume she was referring to the Senkaku Islands? Gary almost got Aleppo'd again. But in general, his response stayed firm onusing diplomacy with China, and building better relations with them. Gary then made the connection that working with China on this issue could help us with wrangling North Korea. Gary kinda impressed me here. He is a pretty good peace candidate, and he for sure is light years better than Hillary and Trumpwhen it comes to non-interventionist foreign policy. Johns-ON.
• Ability to survive the room. I'm not sure this is entirely worthy of a Johns-ON, but I wanted to give Gary credit for showing up, and making it through the scrutiny of the room. To keep it real, the room really was quite often at odds with him, and not afraid to express as much. He had a good sense of humor aboutAleppo. He clearly wanted to prove to us he knew his stuff, so he broke down the conflict in the region, naming all the warring factions and groups involved. In a nutshell, it's a big effin' mess in Syria. Gary was also challenged rather boisterously on guns, and while he may have not have been the best on the issue, he did a good job of standing up for himself, and explaining the difference between what a machine gun is, and what it does, compared to what a semi- automatic rifle is, and what it does. Gary stood up for himself a few times like this throughout his talk, so I'll give him a Johns-ON for doing so.

 Gary Johnson aside for the moment, what shouldn't be lost in the descriptions of myself as an outsider, is that nobody there made me feel like an outsider. In fact, quite the opposite. Admittedly, a lot of my political discussions take place on the Internet and social media, but it's definitely far more enjoyable to be part of a living room discussion than a combative Facebook thread -- and it’s more productive too. Sometimes I feel like we can forget how faceless social media really is, compared to real life. Maybe we should remind ourselves sometimes that it is actually possible for one human being to enjoy and appreciate hearing another's views in person, even if there are disagreements.I was pleasantly surprised that after Gary finished his talk, several other guests came up to me and told me that they liked my questions and comments. Several of them even told me to be sure to come back for future meetings. That was nice to hear of course and made me happy. If lucky enough to get any official invites in the future, I'd wanna go back for sure. After all, there's work to be done when it comes to spreading the message of liberty to others. But this will take patience and time. I don't think I turned them all into libertarians in one afternoon. And I certainly don't think Gary Johnson did.Adam Choit is originally from Long Island, NY, and now lives in Los Angeles, California. He is a writer and works in television production, is a hardcore New York Mets fan, and has identified as libertarian since around 2011. You can find him on Twitter @AdamJChoit. Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!