Too Modest, Too Sane To Be President

Friday, 24th June 2011

As Presidential no-hopers go, Gary Johnson continues to demonstrate that he's a refreshing change from - and cut above - the actual front-runners:

"Presidential candidate Gary Johnson took a slightly unorthodox approach regarding job creation on Thursday. “I didn’t create a single job,” said the former Governor of New Mexico.
His statement came in response to a National Review article that complimented Johnson on his record as governor, saying that when compared to the other governors running for president, the rate of job growth was highest under his watch.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Johnson said in a statement. “We are proud of this distinction. We had a 11.6 percent job growth that occurred during our two terms in office. But the headlines that accompanied that report – referring to governors, including me, as ‘job creators’ – were just wrong.”

“The fact is, I can unequivocally say that I did not create a single job while I was governor,” Johnson added. Instead, “we kept government in check, the budget balanced, and the path to growth clear of unnecessary regulatory obstacles.”

Alas and for actually understandable reasons such modesty is unlikely to become commonplace. Most of the reasons why Johnson is a fine candidate are the same as those that ensure he's ignored and has no chance.

[Hat-tip: Doug Mataconis]

Filed under: 2012 (167 more articles) , Americana (479 more articles) , Gary Johnson (6 more articles) , GOP (332 more articles)

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Erica Blair

June 24th, 2011 2:20am Report this comment

This is the moronic notion that all public-sector jobs are non-jobs.

Niall

June 24th, 2011 3:56am Report this comment

What's so unusual about that? Cutting back regulation and setting enterprise free is the mantra chanted by all Republican (and many Democratic) candidates.It would be original and bold for him to make the case that there are some things that the government does well.

Simon Stephenson.

June 24th, 2011 10:05am Report this comment

Erica Blair : 2.20am

"This is the moronic notion that all public-sector jobs are non-jobs."

Not really.

It's based on the idea that although some public-sector activity can be argued to be essential, a great deal of it is discretionary - an indulgence, or luxury, the correctness of which must be considered by assessing its opportunity cost. The point Johnson is making is that a myth has grown up that the creation of state-provided indulgences can be assumed to be costless, because its effect is to be a foolproof panacea for lulls in general economic activity. This is some distance from the truth.

Chris

June 24th, 2011 10:20am Report this comment

Niall, you're right, there are some things that government does well: defending the realm, keeping the peace, and in every other respect, buggering off and leaving us alone.