More choices than two

This election is the craziest one yet, says former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson. How crazy? “I might be the next president of the United States,” he said.

Yes, it’s still a long shot for the Libertarian Party standard bearer, but he’s not wasting a single moment on the campaign trail as he tries to get into the three official presidential debates, including one scheduled for Las Vegas.

Speaking Friday at Caesars Palace before an audience of the Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote and the Asian American Journalists Association, Johnson said he must get into the debates if he’s going to have a shot at winning.

And, if his interview on stage with MSNBC journalist Richard Lui was any indication, Johnson has plenty to say.

He’s against most foreign military intervention. He’s pro-free trade. He’s against deporting illegal immigrants and he thinks Donald Trump’s idea to build a wall between the United States and Mexico is crazy. He’s against new taxes (and says as governor, he never raised them in his state). He’s pro-choice in education, and nearly everything else. “Always come down on the side of choice,” he said

As for his rivals, Johnson doesn’t think much of their plans.

He says he’d ask Hillary Clinton “is there anything you haven’t promised to anyone?” Added Johnson: “I don’t think anything is free. When politicians talk about things being free, I don’t think they’re recognizing the constitutional limits of that office.”

A teetotaler when it comes to alcohol, Johnson admitted to indulging in marijuana chews about three months ago, but says he’s abstaining for the remainder of the campaign — and, if elected, for his entire term in office. “I’m not going to show up on this job impaired,” he said.

On the other side, Lui interviewed Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party nominee, who said she’s seen an uptick in donations and volunteers since Bernie Sanders endorsed Clinton for president.

Stein said her top issue is climate change. “We’re not just deciding what kind of a world we will have, but whether we will have a world at all,” she said. “We need a new way forward based on democracy, fairness and human rights.”

According to Stein, a “Green New Deal” would end U.S. involvement in foreign wars, saving money that could be used to underwrite social programs. A goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2030 would encourage peace by ending the need to fight over fossil fuels, she argues. It would also increase the general health of the public by eliminating pollution, Stein maintains. “It’s the win-win-win that we urgently need,” she said. “Americans are looking for something else. They’re looking for an honest broker they can trust.”

That is not the Democratic Party, Stein said, especially after hacked emails showed party officials allegedly conspiring to sabotage the progressive Sanders campaign.

Stein says the Green Party accepts no money from corporations, super PACs or lobbyists.

She’s also in favor of canceling student debt, raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, financing rooftop solar power and immigration reform with a “welcoming path to citizenship.”

Although Stein hasn’t been elected to anything beyond a town council, she said that may not matter in this election. “You know what I don’t have?” she asked. “What I don’t have is the experience of going behind closed doors and doing secret deals.”

When it comes to making a selection for president, most people think they have to choose between the two major parties.

But maybe in this crazy election, it’s a good time to remind voters that there’s a lot more out there. As Johnson said, “A wasted vote is a vote for somebody you don’t believe in.”

Steve Sebelius is a Review-Journal political columnist. Follow him on Twitter (@SteveSebelius) or reach him at 702-387-5276 or SSebelius@reviewjournal.com.