29 replies to this topic

[ᗅᗺᗷᗅ]

So, yeah. When asked — on national television — what he would do about Aleppo, Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson, the great white hope of third party hopefuls, replied, "And what is Aleppo?"

 

Facepalm much? This is bad. Now, don't misunderstand me here. I have no doubt that Gary Johnson knows what Aleppo is, and has a detailed position on Syria. It was just one of those very human moments when the brain just misfires. Johnson later explained that he thought "Aleppo" was a reference to some acronym, and I'm willing to bet that's true. Oh, you meant THAT Aleppo! Yes, Gary Johnson knows what Aleppo is. Fuck, give the guy a break. Anyone running for president is probably teetering on the brink of exhaustion most of the time. But it doesn't matter. As they say in the biz, it's bad optics.

 

Look at it this way: Gary Johnson gets little enough coverage as it is. Now an entire news cycle has been spent talking about how he doesn't know what Aleppo is. It's become an internet meme, of course. Instantly it has become a Thing. If you are a typical news consumer, the idea of Gary Johnson as a viable alternative has just gone out the window.

 

Johnson's odds were always long. He's been hovering at around 9% in the polls, still well short of the 15% he needs to qualify for the debates. And the clock is ticking. This gaffe, silly as it is, probably lost him his chance.

[Molagbal]

So, yeah. When asked — on national television — what he would do about Aleppo, Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson, the great white hope of third party hopefuls, replied, "And what is Aleppo?"

 

Facepalm much? This is bad. Now, don't misunderstand me here. I have no doubt that Gary Johnson knows what Aleppo is, and has a detailed position on Syria. It was just one of those very human moments when the brain just misfires. Johnson later explained that he thought "Aleppo" was a reference to some acronym, and I'm willing to bet that's true. Oh, you meant THAT Aleppo! Yes, Gary Johnson knows what Aleppo is. Fuck, give the guy a break. Anyone running for president is probably teetering on the brink of exhaustion most of the time. But it doesn't matter. As they say in the biz, it's bad optics.

 

Look at it this way: Gary Johnson gets little enough coverage as it is. Now an entire news cycle has been spent talking about how he doesn't know what Aleppo is. It's become an internet meme, of course. Instantly it has become a Thing. If you are a typical news consumer, the idea of Gary Johnson as a viable alternative has just gone out the window.

 

Johnson's odds were always long. He's been hovering at around 9% in the polls, still well short of the 15% he needs to qualify for the debates. And the clock is ticking. This gaffe, silly as it is, probably lost him his chance.

I agree and I am disappointed. 

[Justavictim82]

I don't know about hurting him. He has been at 9% and has that following because his followers do not want to vote Trump or Clinton. It may affect getting to 15% but he wasn't getting much publicity anyway. The voting population is dumb anyway. I guarantee you 95% did not know what/where Aleppo was prior to this interview. Regardless, he wasn't getting to 15% anyway

[KiWi]

Any publicity is good publicity.

I stand by that*

[Thrash]

I knew exactly what Aleppo was and I'm an unintelligent misinformed crazy far right racist bigot. 

[Blackatron]

I don't know about hurting him. He has been at 9% and has that following because his followers do not want to vote Trump or Clinton. It may affect getting to 15% but he wasn't getting much publicity anyway. The voting population is dumb anyway. I guarantee you 95% did not know what/where Aleppo was prior to this interview. Regardless, he wasn't getting to 15% anyway

Surely anyone who watches/reads any news above a local level would have a vague idea that Aleppo is a city in Syria in which there is heavy fighting, no?

[Justavictim82]

I don't know about hurting him. He has been at 9% and has that following because his followers do not want to vote Trump or Clinton. It may affect getting to 15% but he wasn't getting much publicity anyway. The voting population is dumb anyway. I guarantee you 95% did not know what/where Aleppo was prior to this interview. Regardless, he wasn't getting to 15% anyway

Surely anyone who watches/reads any news above a local level would have a vague idea that Aleppo is a city in Syria in which there is heavy fighting, no?

I think you overestimate the no information votinf populous of the United States. I knew what Aleppo was but a vast majority of Americans don't know/don't care. There are a lot of people in this country that do not do research nor do they care outside of the R or D next to the main candidate's name.

[KiWi]

For disclosure; I had zero clue what Appleo was.

I don't follow the news. Nor do I really "care" about Syria honestly. Nor do I really care that he's uninformed about it.

Still don't want to vote for him because he's a twat. I did vote for him 4 years ago, but only ever to raise the stake of Libertarians. I could see myself doing so again this year. But only to try and do something useful (other than simple protest) with my vote.

[ᗅᗺᗷᗅ]

The thing is, he's not uninformed about it. It was just a slip. For a moment, Johnson thought the questioner was talking about something else altogether. Like I said, a very human moment. I've been there. Most of us have. But, as Michael Smerconish framed it, Johnson finally got some national exposure, just not in a way he would have wanted.

 

But Maybe KiWi's right. Maybe the notoriety from this will be enough to boost him to 15%. Are Americans that stupid?

 

Ehh...?

[KiWi]

Just having him talked about is good. When he endorses the next Libertarian candidate, he'll have been "that guy who ran for President* *who actually was on the tv". That stuff matters a lot.

Any publicity is good publicity. But what that means, is getting mind share gives you greater leverage to do other things. Getting your sex tape released, and called a twat when you run over someone inside a bar isn't "good". But having people know you're Lindsy Lohan, you can do interviews, sell your book rights, clean yourself up and sell your new self. So many stupid things.

It doesn't always work out good. But you can't deny something was made. Or they were a "personality" (we're stretching that term, but I simply mean someone who get on tv, and by virtue of having been on tv is that much more likely to be on tv because "people will care about this person". It's rolling a stone that's already started. It's momentum. It's stupid, and dumb, and you know it works).

[KingTopherXXIII]

It's a non issue in my opinion and got him exposure. Media is a joke.

[ᗅᗺᗷᗅ]

It's not the media, it's human nature. If you don't know much about someone, and the first thing you hear is negative, that association is going to stick. It's like the idea that Gerald Ford was unusually clumsy (he wasn't, but he had a couple of well-publicized stumbles close together and a meme was born). Like it or not, a substantial chunk of the voting public now thinks of Gary Johnson as a foreign policy doofus. That's not likely to change.

[KiWi]

Like it or not, a non-consequential chunk of the voting block still doesn't know who Gary Johnson is, unless you remind them "that doofus who's the third party guy, who's trying to run. You know. He was on tv once!" and even then you may need to prod them "you didn't see it posted on facebook? You see that ebin meme! The one where he's like 'I don't know what Germany is' LOL"

[emphasis mine if my made up story]

Not to mention FA is always lower down on the list of things people care about. Now they do care if you talk a big game, and if you make America seem stupid & weak or not. He won't play this off, not that it matters.

I don't know his policy on the military actually (or don't remember, remember if he's changed?) but his view on having a STRONG MILITARY or SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS would ultimately matter more (imho). Also FIGHTING TERRORISM ABROAD! Buzzwords.

[ᗅᗺᗷᗅ]

I think he's pretty much hands-off when it comes to foreign policy.

Bottom line: the first debate is in two weeks. Johnson is really going to have to up his game if he's going to get to 15% by then.

[slimshadyinc]

I don't get it. Why can trump know next to nothing about almost everything, but Johnson doesn't know one thing and suddenly that's a big deal.

[rotty]

Thank you google for telling me about Appleo.

[ᗅᗺᗷᗅ]

I don't get it. Why can trump know next to nothing about almost everything, but Johnson doesn't know one thing and suddenly that's a big deal.

 

Johnson's not a celebrity, and he doesn't have the imprimatur of one of the Two Major Parties™. He has to work three times as hard just to be taken seriously. Such is the nature of our system.

[slimshadyinc]

I don't get it. Why can trump know next to nothing about almost everything, but Johnson doesn't know one thing and suddenly that's a big deal.

 
Johnson's not a celebrity, and he doesn't have the imprimatur of one of the Two Major Parties™. He has to work three times as hard just to be taken seriously. Such is the nature of our system.

It's crazy. Johnson could have every answer to every problem and it wouldn't mean a thing to these people.

[Redezra]

Of course, that's how this works. It's like watching cattle herding in the outback, most of the cattle can't see the horsemen, let alone know what's going on, they're just going with the flow.

[voidoid]

Are Americans that stupid?

 

Ehh...?

 

 

Yes.  The Libs should have inverted the ticket.  Weld is far more eloquent and informed.