“You’re kidding.”
A sentiment echoed by many while evaluating 2016’s nominees for president. In this case, however, MSNBC’s Mike Barnicle was responding to Gary Johnson’s most recent blunder, when he was unable to recognize the Syrian city of Aleppo. As the libertarian hopeful makes a push for the debate stage in two weeks, this apparent gaffe is the most recent evidence that conservatives have already lost this election.
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Johnson had been seen by some #NeverTrump Republicans as the only viable alternative to Hillary Clinton; the last shot to conserve the Supreme Court without sacrificing conservative values with a Trump presidency. However, Johnson’s ignorance on the epicenter of the Syrian refugee crisis, is the most recent proof of his incompetence as an alternative to Trump. This mistake may seem to pale in comparison to some of the mistakes made by the Trump and Clinton camps, but it is a symptom of a larger issue.
Johnson, the “libertarian” candidate for president, increased spending by over 7 percent per year in his two terms as New Mexico’s governor, is pro-choice, proposes isolationist foreign policy, has an equivocal stance on immigration, and is weak on religious freedom. While Johnson may wink and nod towards conservatives on occasion, on the key issues he is too far to the center or left to be a viable candidate for #NeverTrump’ers.
So what are conservatives to do?
With the Clinton machine churning away a progressive far-left agenda on one side, Trump peddling a big government quasi-populist agenda on the other, and doubts of Johnson’s stance on key issues — conservatives have no option but to chalk this one up in “L” column.
Sure, voting for Trump could put the brakes on the divisive, race-baiting, social justice governance we have seen the last eight years under the Obama administration; but it is fairly obvious Trump is far from representative of conservative values of small government and personal responsibility. The position of holding your nose and voting Trump is entirely understandable when looking at the candidate across the aisle; but let it be made clear that even if enough Republicans get out and vote Trump, conservatives have not won and must live to fight another day.
Many members of the #NeverTrump movement are holding on to Gary Johnson as a candidate they can vote for without feeling violently ill, but Johnson is not a viable alternative to preserve the values of conservatism. No matter how you look at it, there is no way conservatives come out on top this November.
If conservatives lose track of their principles in support of Trump, Johnson, or any other candidate, what can we say that we stand for?
