Author: Fritz Pettyjohn

Barry Goldwater wasn’t running to win the Presidency in 1964.  It was out of reach, and he knew it.  He was running to start a political movement, a movement which came to power sixteen years later with Reagan’s election.   Bernie Sanders was running for President a while back.  But for some time now, he’s been running to start a political movement.  Men like Goldwater and Sanders are unusually selfless.  They know they won’t win the prize.  They’re blazing a trail for someone else to follow.

I’m hoping Gary Johnson is running to win the Presidency, and not to be the Fremont of 1856.  Fremont was the first serious candidate of the new Republican Party.  “The Great Pathfinder”, as he was known, helped pave the way for Lincoln.  It’s possible that the Libertarian Party may supplant the GOP.  To my mind, it’s much easier just to take over the Republican Party, from the grass roots up.  But party building should not be Gary Johnson’s concern.  He should be in this thing to win, period.  The closer he gets, the better off the Libertarian Party will be.

But if he comes to Alaska, and campaigns with the Libertarian Senate Candidate, Cean Stevens, he kills two birds with one stone.  Alaska is probably his best shot at winning a state.  He could endorse the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend program, currently under sustained assault by Independent Gov. Walker.  That would win Johnson votes in Alaska, trust me.

And Cean ( it’s pronounced “keen”, and means pig herder in Gaelic) Stevens has a shot at winning, and becoming the first Libertarian member of Congress.  Mayor Dan Sullivan has pulled out, for unspecified reasons, so the field on the right is clear.  The Democrats have got a nobody running, and Lisa Murkowski is a RINO princess, who is roundly despised by many on the political right.  And Alaska is a very red state.

If Johnson’s going to do this, he needs to do it before the Alaska primary on August 16th.  We want Stevens to score big in that primary.  We want to convince the people at the Senate Conservatives Fund, and the Club for Growth, and Heritage, etc., that we’ve got a legitimate shot at taking down the ripest RINO target in the Senate, Murkowski.  Joe Miller did it in a primary, showing it can be done.

What makes this a threefer for Johnson is the opportunity it gives him to promote the Transfer of Public Lands.  Economically, the State of Alaska is being asphyxiated by the federal ownership of its lands.  If the TPL were to take place, Alaska would boom as it hasn’t done since the 80’s.  That’s how Johnson wins Alaska, in one stroke.  If it’s given enough publicity, it will be a major boost to his chances throughout the Far West.

Before visiting Anchorage and Fairbanks, Johnson should stop in Ketchikan, where he can make his big speech on TPL.  When Babbie and I arrived there in 1973, it had a thriving timber industry.  It’s all gone now, shut down by the National Forest Service, which owns all the land the logs were on.  An entire industry, an entire community, destroyed by the environmentalists in the federal government.  Under TPL the Tongass National Forest would be transferred to the state, and the timber industry of Southeast Alaska could be reborn.

The big business now in Ketchikan is selling T-shirts to tour boat visitors.  It’s a dying town, and a great place for a speech on TPL.

When Babbie and I were in the second year of law school at UCLA I saw a flyer advertising for third year law students who wanted to intern for a quarter of credit.  One of them was the City Attorney’s Office in Ketchikan, so I applied, was accepted, and in June of ’73 Babbie and I flew to Ketchikan for a six month stay.  At that time, Ketchikan itself didn’t have an airport, so you landed on Annette Island, about 30 miles away, and then you flew on an amphibious Beaver, which dropped you off right at the city dock.

Babbie was a real trooper, the whole time.  We got to know a lawyer named Pete Ellis and his wife, and he hired Babbie to work at his law office.  He was a personal injury lawyer, and he had a case where the plaintiffs were Metlakatla Indians, living on their reservation.  They’re a different tribe than all the others of Southeast, Canadian imports, I believe.  Pete needed statements from these people to help establish his case for damages, which could include loss of consortium.  So he tells Babbie to fly down to Metlakatla and get the statements from these Indians about their losses.  So off she goes, in some light plane, and goes into the village and gets the statements.

Marrying well is the best thing a man can do.

And even thou art a little queer.

We really do live in two different worlds.  I sit here in amazement at the fact that gun control is the political lesson of Orlando.  In truth, the only real defense against terror shooters is an armed citizenry.  You need a gun to take down a man with a gun, and if he’s intent on mass slaughter he’ll do his deadly business far from the police.

I read an article by a retired SEAL recommending an AR-15 for home defense.  It’s easy to use, and deadly as hell.  I’ve never wanted one before, but times change.  Maybe I’ll get one for Christmas.

Bill Clinton blames his support for a gun control law for the Democrat’s loss of the House in 1994.  Nationally, it’s a political loser.  I can’t recall any Democratic Presidential candidate emphasizing their support for gun control in a campaign.  But apparently that’s Hillary’s plan.  I think she’s jeopardizing Pennsylvania and the Upper Midwest.  Kiss off the Far West, that’s for sure.

Since he’s from the Far West, I’ll bet Gary Johnson knows a few things about guns.  Most everybody in this part of the country is comfortable with firearms.  Trump’s support of gun rights is as real as his hair, and he’s vulnerable on this issue.  Johnson may find real political benefit, at least in the Far West, from running hard on the Second Amendment.

Johnson needs to make some news, get some earned media.  It takes imagination.  It’s the kind of thing Trump excels at.  But you can’t be timid.  You’ve got to earn that media.  You need a Donny Deutsch type guy, a publicist.  I know.  You could get film of Johnson riding around in a tank.  Oh, wait.  Dukakis already tried that.

I’ll be disappointed if Brexit loses.  Brexit is a form of federalism, and I’m all in on federalism, all around the world.  Get government as close to the people as possible.  Local control, local customs, local laws.

That’s the way it was set up in this country, but for a century now the progressives have centralized power.  I continue to believe that the tide has turned, and that political power will be decentralized in this country, via Article V.  It will be a turning point in our political history.

This election ought to be about reigning in the power and scope of the federal government.  It’s a discussion the American people are ready for.  But Trump just wants control of the federal government, so we won’t have that debate this cycle.

Unless, of course, Johnson makes it an issue.  The issue is Transfer of Public Lands.  There are some very cool places in the Far West you can go to have a political event to promote TPL.  Cruz chose Couer d’Alene, Idaho, which is surrounded by federal forests.  Johnson may know of some in New Mexico.  Use that as a backdrop for making an announcement on TPL  — such as the endorsement of the TPL legislation being developed by the American Lands Council.  That’s what I’d do.

Why do pollsters decline to include Johnson in their polls?  I don’t get it.  Is there a reason?  He’s at around 10%, so he’s definitely a factor.

Trump needs to do something to stop the bleeding.  He needs to change the narrative.  He’s been very good at that, but that was before the press really turned on him.  It will be harder now.  Who knows what he’ll come up with?  That’s the thing with this guy.  You never know.

Christianity has been around for 2,000 years, and its teachings should not be lightly discarded.  When I was a little boy my church, the Catholic, taught me that of the seven deadly sins, pride was the most offensive to God.  I’m sure Judaism has a similar view, as did the Greeks.  The people who put pride at the top of the list were wise men, who thought things through.  I’ve never spent any time thinking about ethics, morals or philosophy, so I’m prepared to accept the thoughtful opinions of the ancients.  Pride is the greatest sin, in my book.

And Trump is a sinner, and will pay for his sin, if he hasn’t already.  The man is practically a peacock.  And I think it’s wearing on people, and will only get worse.  He’s not going to change, and his act is already stale.

The Clintons and the Hive haven’t even really started on him, and he’s in deep trouble.  These polls are pre-Orlando, and I think Trump gets a bump out of Orlando.  But he needs a lot more than a bump.  70% disapproval, and 55% saying they will never vote for him?  My God, by the time they’re done with him he’ll be in single digits.

Alan I. Abramowitz and John Sides of the WaPo analyze their polling in a way that tells me Johnson has an even better chance than I thought.  33% of the voters hate Trump, and like Clinton.  30% of voters hate Clinton, and like Trump.  23% of voters hate them both.  That number, 23%, is where Johnson starts from.  I’m one of those people.  I’ve never voted Libertarian in my life, and I’m about to.  So will a whole hell of a lot of that 23%.  So, if you look at it that way, he’s only ten points off the lead.

Johnson’s running as a Libertarian, which takes in a lot of territory.  His challenge is to narrow the focus of the campaign to those aspects of libertarianism which are most appealing to the broader electorate.  Specifically, I’m suggesting he emphasize his dedication to the Constitution.  There’s nothing in the Constitution that gives the President, or the federal government, the right to tell the states anything about the peripheral parts of libertarianism  — legalization of drugs, abortion, gay marriage, etc.  Therefor Johnson’s opinions on those subjects are irrelevant to his campaign for the Presidency.  Whenever anybody asks him about those issues, he should refer them to the Constitution.

That’s how he can get the support of Sen. Ben Sasse, who’s also a member of that 23% that I belong to.  And he’s an ardent, principled constitutionalist.  There are others like him.  Somebody just has to take the plunge.  The wind seems to be blowing in that direction.  It’s as though there’s the scent of blood in the water.

Mayor Dan Sullivan is still putting together his campaign for the Senate.  He says he’ll only  need 45 days to do it, so he’ll start in after the Fourth of July.  I like that, the idea of shortening the campaign.  I think it’s smart.  Why waste the time, energy, and money, when all you need is 45 days?  Some of the conservative groups who he hopes will fund his campaign want to meet him face to face, which is only reasonable.  Once he meets them I’m sure they’ll be on board.  My God, they backed political novice Joe Miller six years ago, and they dislike Murkowski even more now.

He’ll probably start off in Ketchikan, up through the Inner Passage to Valdez, where his grandfather was the U.S. Marshall back in the Gold Rush days.  Then up to Fairbanks, where his father was a United States Marshall in the early  50’s.  Then down the railbelt, through Anchorage, where he and his father were successful two term mayors.  Add in some flights to the Bush, and you can do that in 45 days, easy.  So Mayor Dan has his schedule all worked out, in his head, at least.  He may not be the man his father was.  Damn few are.  But he’s got enough of old George in him to get it done.

From  my personal perspective, it would be justice done.

I always thought Mitt Romney had some serious Daddy issues.  His father was a better man than he is, and he wanted the Presidency, at least in part, to redeem his father’s good name.  George Romney had a good shot at the ’68 nomination, but then he said he was brainwashed by what American officials told him in Vietnam, and it was over for him.  He was made to look foolish, and somehow unqualified.  Son Mitt would erase that memory.

Romney lost the election in the second debate, when he allowed the female moderator to interrupt and contradict him.  Maybe he was too much of a gentleman, or maybe he lacked self-confidence, but that moment of weakness sank him.  Candidates matter.  No statistical model in the world can factor in a critical moment like that.

But after Perry’s back gave out on him, Romney was the best we had in 2012.  I think he earned a lot of good will in that campaign.  He has a wonderful family, and he did a damn good job, all in all.  Then came the hurricane and the Christie hug, and it was over, just like that, almost as though it wasn’t meant to be.  Most Republicans think well of Romney, in my opinion.

So when he told CNN that he’s open to voting Libertarian this year, it’s worth noticing.  The VP pick, Weld, has a special appeal to him, as a predecessor Republican Governor of Massachusetts.  Potentially, this is a big deal.  How often does the previous Presidential nominee of a major political party endorse a different party’s candidate in the following election?  Like, never.

So it would be news, especially in Utah, which should be the initial target of the Johnson campaign.  How about a presser in Salt Lake making the announcement of a Romney endorsement?

Romney may feel, as I do, that both Clinton and Trump would continue the degradation of the Constitution.  If he feels as strongly about constitutionalism as I do, that’s a major reason to go with Johnson, who is also softer on immigration than Trump, which might also appeal to Romney.  And Johnson is an honorable man.  I’ll bet that means a lot to Romney.  Clinton’s a criminal, and Trump’s a nut, so Johnson looks pretty good in comparison.

The hangup might be NATO, and hawkishness in general.  Romney’s an Atlanticist, with close ties to the British.  His wife is the daughter of Welsh immigrants.  But, then again, he’d probably take anybody over the unpredictable Trump.

Now that Putin has seen the oppo research on Trump from the DNC, will he share it with the Donald?   Inquiring minds want to know.

“Free Trade is Dead” according to Clyde Prestowitz in the Washington Monthly.  This guy’s an old pro, and what he says makes sense.  During the Cold War we gave away a lot in trade deals, for geopolitical reasons.   Our number one national priority was defeating the Communists, and we allowed that to interfere with what normally would have been our self interest.  We’ve continued to do it, even though the Cold War is over.  In other words, these one way trade deals are an artifact of the 20th century, just like NATO.

What I want is Trumpism without Trump.  The son of a bitch just happens to be right on the big stuff, like unfair free trade, NATO, and immigration.  But, unfortunately , he’s a fruitcake.   When he goes down, we’ve got to make sure it’s understood that it was not because of what he said.  He’ll lose because of who he is, not what he thinks.

I have a tendency to pronouncement.  Back in 1846, when we were in the process of taking California, the local Mexican government was divided between two caudillos, who had no real resources at their disposal.  All they had was hot air, which they let out in what was called a Pronunciamento, proclaiming their latest orders to the people.  It was all a joke.  Many, if not most, of the Californio estate owners were in favor of becoming American.  People like Vallejo.  So there really wasn’t much to the whole thing.

Except the Battle of San Pascual, where Kearny’s remnant of an army was surrounded, and Kit Carson and another guy slipped through the Californio lines and walked barefoot across thirty miles of rough country to San Diego, where help was summoned.

I don’t live far from the Carson Pass over the Sierras, which I think is cool.

Since we’re all stuck on the same continent, we need to have tight relations with our neighbors.  Canadians are crazy about hockey, but otherwise they’re more or less Americans without a Constitution. Mexicans are the ones we need to work a deal with.

The problem is, Mexican history is a joke.  They celebrate their American Native ancestry, but the cold historical fact is that one bad ass Spaniard and 500 men took down their whole civilization.  And the descendants of those Spaniards still call the shots.

And then there’s that little embarrassment called the Mexican-American War, when we stole half their country, with malice aforethought.  When you read the history of that war, if you’re a Mexican, you can’t feel very proud of your country.  There were many brave Mexican soldiers, but their leaders were worthless cowards.

For instance, the Governor of New Mexico in 1845 had a real opportunity to defeat the invading American army under Kearny.  As they came south to Santa Fe the Americans had to pass through a narrow canyon, easily defended.  The local Mexicans had it all set up, and it was going to be a tough fight, but then the Governor grabbed all the money he could get his hands on and skedaddled.  The pass was never defended, and the Americans waltzed into Santa Fe, and conquered the capital of New Mexico without firing a shot.  The entire Mexican government was utterly corrupt, and we bought their country as much as we stole it.

The Mexicans may see things differently, but those are the facts.  And when a Mexican talks about Reconquista he’s talking about getting that land back.  And that subculture of America called El Norte in American Nations is a symptom of that.  But they’re doing it by infiltration, and birth rates, not with an army.  And it’s working for them, but it’s reached its limit.

If I was Gary Johnson, while Trump is flying off to see Putin, I’d go to Mexico City and spend some serious time with the Mexican President.  Johnson’s from New Mexico.  When he had his construction company, I’ll bet most of his employees were Mexican-Americans, and I’m sure he had good relations with them.  It’s good business.

Babbie and I spent a few days in New Mexico recently, in Taos and Santa Fe.  It has a different feel to it than any other part of the country I’ve been in, a kind of an El Norte feel.  It’s sort of a Mexican-American state.  Mexicans and Americans have been living beside one another, and often intermarrying, for a very long time.  Kit Carson’s beautiful young wife was a Mexican girl from Santa Fe.  I got the feeling that there wasn’t a lot of Anglo-Mexican problems.  People seemed to get along.  Of course, I was mainly in the nice tourist sections, but I still think I’m right.

What I’m driving at is that Gary Johnson is a perfect guy to have talking to the Mexicans.  He may speak Spanish for all I know.  We need to work out an understanding with the Mexican government on immigration.  They need to stop Central Americans from crossing their country to get to ours.  And we need some controls, and limits on immigration from Mexico.  If the Mexican government actively cooperated with us on an agreed immigration system, it could work.

At some point, the good sense of the American people is going to have its way, and immigration from around the world, especially the Middle East, will be tightly controlled.  I think that has to happen, or we get more Orlandos, and then the American people get totally pissed off, not just the Trump people.  Part of that will include working with the Canadians and the Mexicans.  Johnson should get a head start on it.

Immigration is an issue that will be addressed in this campaign, and it’s going to hurt Clinton.  I want that issue working for Johnson, as well as Trump.

When I was fifteen a few of my friends and I decided to make some money working the fields at $1.25 an hour.  We got out to the Central Valley and got hired to do some weeding with a hoe.  Nobody lasted more than a few hours.  The people doing the work were all Mexicans, with a couple of blacks.  I think of that every time I drive in the Central Valley and see the workers in the fields.