Democracy in Action photos-July 7, 2016 Libertarian Nominees Gary Johnson and Bill Weld Address the National Press Club

Libertarian Nominees Gary Johnson and Bill Weld Address the Press Club

July 7, 2016--Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson told a National Press Club luncheon that the Democrats and Republicans are "a two-party dinosaur" and the Libertarian ticket is "going to be the comet." Johnson said that he and and running mate Bill Weld "are classical liberals--fiscally conservative, socially liberal, we also happen to think that these military interventions result in the unintended consequence of making the world less safe, not more safe."

"The Johnson-Weld presidency: no insults, no threats, no bluffs, and that's what you'll see in our campaign too. I think there's plenty of that to go around without the two of us adding to any of that. No self-serving sanctimonious lectures will come out of the Johnson-Weld administration. Our standard for governing will be the health, safety, wellness of American citizens, and the goal, to make that happen, is to have a robust economy."

As the Libertarian nominee in 2012, Johnson received 1.28 million votes or just 0.99-percent of the vote. This time, however, is different. The major party nominees are both polarizing figures, and the addition of Weld as the vice presidential nominee brings great credibility to the ticket. Johnson and Weld are both former two-term Republican governors (Johnson served from 1995-2003 and Weld served from 1991-97). They have records. As Johnson said, "Don't take this on faith. Google Gary Johnson; Google Bill Weld." For example, he noted, "I cut taxes 14 times; Bill Weld cut taxes 21 times."

Key to the success of the Libertarian candidacy is qualifying for the presidential debates. Johnson stated, "The only opportunity that we have of winning is being in the presidential debates, and to be in the presidential debates we have to be at 15-percent in the polls, and we think that is very doable." Since their election at the Libertarian Convention in Orlando on May 29 (+), Johnson and Weld have mainly focused on media appearances.

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