Libertarian Presidential Nominee Gary Johnson has had just about as many “brain farts” as one could imagine. His most infamous: when he failed to recognize that Aleppo is the capital of Syria and the point of major discussion for the battle against ISIS. Now, if a common everyday American was asked what they thought about the situation in Aleppo I would not be surprised if the most common response was, “what is Aleppo?” But as a presidential candidate albeit a Libertarian candidate there should be some knowledge base for what Aleppo is and the situation there. Gary Johnson and Donald Trump both seem to adhere to the idea that there does not need to be preparation done for debates or interviews. This is very unprecedented and frankly disturbing. If neither of these candidates can be bothered to prepare for a simple interview, how can their voters expect either of them to prepare for important meetings with foreign dignitaries or the like? But apparently, their voters don’t care.
Speaking of foreign dignitaries, apparently Mr. Johnson does not know a single one of those either. His running mate tried to save Johnson’s obvious floundering by jumping to answer the question before the presidential candidate. The question was simple, “Name a foreign leader whom you look up to.” Now Angela Merkel, seems to be everyone’s favorite answer but Johnson’s lack of awareness of happenings outside of the United States become apparent again. While Libertarians are not known for their foreign policy, they are economically focused, so you would think that someone like German Chancellor Angela Merkel would register on Johnson’s limited foreign knowledge. Johnson makes me wonder if he takes himself seriously as a candidate, or is he just running to provide a more conservative option that is not Trump.
Both of these candidates are contradictory to everything we have come to expect about politicians. The stereotype of the polished politician is going by the wayside in this election, especially due to Trump. The Republican party has had a strong association with the stuffy old rich men in suits that speak are overly polished. Instead, we now have a Republican candidate and a Libertarian candidate that are unprepared for their time on the stage and make a joke out of it. Or, as in Trump’s case, criticize their opponent for being prepared. In fact, the Republican party with the support of Fox News has determined that Hillary Clinton being a career politician with a lot of experience is a bad thing. It makes me wonder if the age of the idea of the traditional politician is coming to an end; or at least if the ideal presidential candidate is going to be judged by entertainment factor rather than their credentials and experience.
