America Deserves an Informed Choice, Let Johnson Debate

At TheHill.com, Brent Budowsky urges the inclusion of Libertarian Party candidate, Gary Johnson in the presidential debates to give America the informed choice it deserves in November.

The presidential debates should offer the American people an opportunity to evaluate the candidates for president and make an informed choice about the future direction of the nation. The debate commission should respect the two-party system, but should not be used as a vehicle for stifling dissent and silencing voices when many voters conclude the two-party system makes them choose the “lesser of two evils.”

Under the pending rules of debate participation, a candidate must be on the ballot in all 50 states and must garner an average of 15 percent in the polls.

Johnson has met the first standard. He is already on the ballot in all 50 states. He will meet, or come close to meeting, the second standard. He currently polls around 10 percent and his numbers are probably on an upward curve, with a growing number of Republicans publicly stating that they cannot vote for Trump.

If by the beginning of the debates Johnson is on the ballot in all 50 states and polls 13 percent, or 14 percent, should he be denied the ability to participate in the debates? I say not. Rules are made to be broken and exceptions can be made.

Brent Budowsky discusses the latest on Trump & Hillary

Bio
Latest Posts

E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

Preparing your investments and family for when disaster strikes.

E.J. Smith is the Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH, where he completed course-work in Practical and Defensive Handgun, Conceal Carry Pistol, Shotguns, Precision Scope Rifle and Kidnapping Prevention. E.J. plays a Yamaha Recording Custom drum set with Zilldjian cymbals. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zilldjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@youngresearch.com. Sign up here to receive all the best content from Richardcyoung.com each week.