Open letter to the atlas forum

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Note: This does not constitute an endorsement of any sort

If you are called by a pollster from CNN, CBS, CNN, Fox News, or NBC for a national presidential poll before the CPD announces the participating candidates for the first debate, tell them that you are voting for Gary Johnson. Even if you have no intention of doing so, tell them you are. Americans deserve to hear from all candidates who have enough ballot access to theoretically reach 270 EVs. Unfortunately Jill Stein has an ~0% chance of qualifying. But Johnson is within striking distance of qualifying. This provides us with the perfect opportunity of seeing what Libertarianism really is. If it is a ludicrous set of ideas, 70 million americans will see that in primetime and the party will descend back to the extreme irrelevance it was in before Johnson joined it. If it is a credible ideology, we'll see that. Conventions always display the party's worst, at least at some point. Town Hall events depend on the luck of what questions random citizens think are important. But the first presidential debate on September 26th is a traditional debate. Just like the primary debates, highly experienced moderators who know what the important issues are will be asking the questions. Johnson will be challenged to explain the confusing or illogical/stupid-seeming parts of his ideology, without Weld by his side. We'll see how he operates in a high stakes environment. We'll get a sense of what he is really offering the 99% of America who didn't vote for him in 2012. And if he proves to be a fool, I am sure americans will collectively downvote him and disqualify him from the remaining debates. But at least we'll be able to say we gave libertarianism a chance to explain itself for 90 minutes of live, primetime TV, right alongside the major parties. We'll know more about which memes about it are true and which are false. And we'll have a clear idea of whether Johnson is ready to lead the country.

I know the Atlas forum can only make a minimal impact here. But every response counts when you're right on the line. If you are called by one of the pollsters listed above, consider, even if it's just for the duration of the appropriate question, endorsing the libertarian ticket. If I am called by one of those pollsters, I will do just that. I hope the rest of atlas does too.

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

I was polled during the previous CNN poll and mentioned Johnson.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Yeah, I'm not putting someone nearly as bad as Hitler on the debate stage just to get diversity of opinion. Very dangerous direction for American discourse

[Illiniwek]

Nah, no thanks.

someone nearly as bad as Hitler

WAT??

[Grumpier Than Thou]

nah

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I know the Atlas forum can only make a minimal impact here.

[Classic Conservative]

No thanks.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Nah, no thanks.

someone nearly as bad as Hitler

WAT??

Both ideologies result in the deaths of millions of people. Do I care about the motivation behind it?

[Kingpoleon]

Response Letter:

Party>More Competition in Elections

X Most of Atlas

[JerryArkansas]

No

[Vosem]

This is good advice, Wulfric (though I'm uncertain I'd feel that way if I were not voting for Gary Johnson), but I don't know that you're the best person to proselytize to Atlas Forum.

[Pragmatic Conservative]

Nah, no thanks.

someone nearly as bad as Hitler

WAT??

Sprouts is a bit of a troll, I wouldn't take a lot of his political statements as what he truly believes.

[MaxQue]

Nah, no thanks.

someone nearly as bad as Hitler

WAT??

Sprouts is a bit of a troll, I wouldn't take a lot of his political statements as what he truly believes.

Corrected version:

Sprouts is a bit of a troll, I wouldn't take a lot of his political statements as what he truly believes., would have been banned a lot time ago is the mods really wanted to preserve the educationnal goal of the website.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Nah, no thanks.

someone nearly as bad as Hitler

WAT??

Sprouts is a bit of a troll, I wouldn't take a lot of his political statements as what he truly believes.

Corrected version:

Sprouts is a bit of a troll, I wouldn't take a lot of his political statements as what he truly believes., would have been banned a lot time ago is the mods really wanted to preserve the educationnal goal of the website.

Your weird obsession with censuring anyone who opposes you on this website is alarming.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Look, I'm just trying to educate people who think it should be perfectly acceptable to kick the elderly and poor into the streets to die that their ideas shouldn't be accepted. If ag can do it for a relatively harmless candidate, I'll do it for an actual danger. They'll be fools when they don't heed my preventative words that could stop this disaster.

This is not trolling, period.

[Bojack Horseman]

So when can I expect to be polled by CNN? Last week I told Gallup that I'm a staunch Republican who works for the federal government and am voting for Jill Stein.

[Joe Republic]

I really don't think Wulfric understands how anything works.

[Lyin' Steve]

Ugh no, just tell the damn truth.  Can young voters please stop depressing Hillary's numbers by thinking it's cool to say they're cutting for Johnson or Stein because "we need more diversity of opinion" or "both Clinton and Trump are terrible"?

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I just decided this is the perfect thread for my favorite Atlas Shrugged quote:

"Madam, when we'll see men dying of starvation around us, your heart won't be of any earthly use to save them. And I'm heartless enough to say that when you'll scream, 'But I didn't know it!'—you will not be forgiven."

Little did silly Ayn know that she was the ignorant woman.

[Enduro]

Yeah, I'm not putting someone nearly as bad as Hitler on the debate stage just to get diversity of opinion. Very dangerous direction for American discourse

Hitler was authoritarian, that's the opposite of libertarian.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Yeah, I'm not putting someone nearly as bad as Hitler on the debate stage just to get diversity of opinion. Very dangerous direction for American discourse

Hitler was authoritarian, that's the opposite of libertarian.

Stalin was communist. That's the opposite of fascist.

Yes, they are both bad.

[Joe Republic]

Hitler was a vegetarian dog-lover who liked to paint, so IMO he's closer to Jill Stein IMO

[Enduro]

Yeah, I'm not putting someone nearly as bad as Hitler on the debate stage just to get diversity of opinion. Very dangerous direction for American discourse

Hitler was authoritarian, that's the opposite of libertarian.

Stalin was communist. That's the opposite of fascist.

Yes, they are both bad.

Well, fascism and communism both are authoritarian.

[IceSpear]

Nah, no thanks.

someone nearly as bad as Hitler

WAT??

Sprouts is a bit of a troll, I wouldn't take a lot of his political statements as what he truly believes.

Corrected version:

Sprouts is a bit of a troll, I wouldn't take a lot of his political statements as what he truly believes., would have been banned a lot time ago is the mods really wanted to preserve the educationnal goal of the website. but he is hilarious and an integral part of the Atlas Forum community.

I corrected your correction.

[The Other Castro]

How about, on the very off chance that you do get polled, you just tell them who you're actually backing. If Johnson had enough support to deserve a spot on the debate stage, then he would be getting the required polling amount without people having to lie about their preferences.