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Celestial Traveler
Random Observer



Registered: 03/03/11
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Loc: Idaho
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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: Crystal G]
#23801951 - 11/04/16 09:50 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Crystal G said:
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Celestial Traveler said:
You're leaving out the context of the original argument. The reason for pointing out that he was the governor of a state for several years (and a successful one according to many people) and a college graduate was not to argue that those traits made him a good candidate. It was to argue that he's not a moron. I would not expect a moron to be able to do the things that he has done.
Really? You want me to remind you that Bush Jr. has an MBA from Yale, and was also governor of Texas before becoming President?
I mean by your standards, literally every politician throughout history has never been a moron.
Let me try to answer both your responses in one. I think that in your haste to make a counterargument you're not reading my posts. You've made several straw man arguments already. For one, I never said that he is a good candidate. Yes, I agree that his lack of knowledge about Aleppo and foreign leaders shows that he is uninformed. I think this is particularly bad for a politician, even worse for a presidential candidate, and even worse considering that he's a candidate for Libertarians, who love to shove it in everyone's face that the other two parties have no idea what they're doing when it comes to foreign policy. It makes it look like the entire non-intervention platform stands on weak legs.
The only arguments that I've made about Gary Johnson thus far, are that he seems like an awesome person (not candidate), and that he is not a moron.
I agree that his status as a college graduate does little to guarantee his intelligence. That was not the main reason I thought him not to be a moron though; that was just something I threw in with the stronger reasons why I don't think he's a moron, which are:
(1) He has built his own house. He literally lives in a house that he himself built. Would you expect a moron to be able to do that?
(2) He was the governor of a U.S. state for eight years. Someone who is an incompetent moron cannot be given the reigns of an entire state for that long without tearing it to shreds. And I don't know his approval ratings or anything, but I've heard from many sources that he actually did a pretty good job.
(3) He started his own business while in college, and it grew to become one of the biggest construction businesses in New Mexico.
I might also point to his athletic accomplishments (climbing the Seven Summits, triathlons, Iron Man, etc) as a sign of "at-least-somewhere-near-average" intelligence, but it would be hard to argue why.
I just feel that somebody who has accomplished all the things that he has accomplished in life has to have at least some form of baseline competency. The fact that he's said dumb things in interviews or stuck his tongue out at a reporter anytime doesn't make him a moron, or speak to his general level of intellect. And I don't think that being misinformed about Syria makes him a moron, although it is bad.
As a candidate, sure he has weaknesses. I just like what I know about him as a person so far. He seems like someone who lives the fuck out of life, and like someone who is genuine. That's more than I can say about any of the other two "candidates."
P.S. I don't feel like going too far down this road...but let me add that one could debate whether George Bush Jr. is actually a moron. You also use Arnold as an example of how being a governor doesn't guarantee intelligence. But are any of these two really dumb? HAs it actually been formally proven that they're morons? I mean, you're making that argument based entirely on cultural memes that they are retarded. There's not scientific evidence that either of them are retarded, as far as I'm aware. Bad leaders? Sure, perhaps...but widespread opinion of Arnold's performance as governor is much different than that of Johnson's performance. Anyways...
Edited by Celestial Traveler (11/04/16 09:55 PM)
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Crystal G



Registered: 06/05/07
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Quote:
Celestial Traveler said: (1) He has built his own house. He literally lives in a house that he himself built. Would you expect a moron to be able to do that?
What do you mean he himself built, as in he built the entire thing with his own hands, or he developed the blueprints and general layout of the house and hired a team to assemble his house? Because I sincerely doubt he installed all the plumbing and foundation and everything himself.
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(2) He was the governor of a U.S. state for eight years. Someone who is an incompetent moron cannot be given the reigns of an entire state for that long without tearing it to shreds. And I don't know his approval ratings or anything, but I've heard from many sources that he actually did a pretty good job.
Well, this is exactly why we mentioned GW Bush JR, Jesse Ventura, and Arnold Schwarzenegger earlier. Because clearly you don't have to be smart to become a governor.
I would just like to add (since you mentioned something about being able to run the state without tearing it to shreds) that he, as presidential candidate, has proposed a 43% cut on the federal budget. Which is not only implausible, even conservatives warn that it would lead to destruction of the nation.
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(3) He started his own business while in college, and it grew to become one of the biggest construction businesses in New Mexico.
That's pure luck, has nothing to do with intellect. Unless you are implying that only smart people end up with successful businesses, while dumb people's startups fail, which we all know isn't true. Trump isn't that smart either, he's just an average guy with a bloated ego who got lucky and had lots of wealth and connections on his side.
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I might also point to his athletic accomplishments (climbing the Seven Summits, triathlons, Iron Man, etc) as a sign of "at-least-somewhere-near-average" intelligence, but it would be hard to argue why.
Athletic accomplishments have little to do with intellect. Some of the dumbest people you will ever meet are pro athletes (Mike Tyson for instance, I strongly believe from watching his interviews that he is mentally disabled with an IQ of about 60).
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As a candidate, sure he has weaknesses. I just like what I know about him as a person so far. He seems like someone who lives the fuck out of life, and like someone who is genuine. That's more than I can say about any of the other two "candidates."
Is he a likable person, sure. He's a funny guy. But smart?
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P.S. I don't feel like going too far down this road...but let me add that one could debate whether George Bush Jr. is actually a moron. You also use Arnold as an example of how being a governor doesn't guarantee intelligence. But are any of these two really dumb? HAs it actually been formally proven that they're morons? I mean, you're making that argument based entirely on cultural memes that they are retarded. There's not scientific evidence that either of them are retarded, as far as I'm aware. Bad leaders? Sure, perhaps...but widespread opinion of Arnold's performance as governor is much different than that of Johnson's performance. Anyways...
It depends how you define intelligence, but I assure you when I speak of a politician's intelligence, I'm not referring to their ability to solve math equations.
GW Bush Jr is most definitely an imbecile.
Edited by Crystal G (11/05/16 01:21 AM)
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Celestial Traveler
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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: Crystal G]
#23802805 - 11/05/16 09:24 AM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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From what I'm reading, he built his house with his own hands: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/435037/gary-johnson-libertarian-party-presidential-candidates-moment-now http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-election/12106904/Libertarian-presidential-candidate-Gary-Johnson-says-time-is-right-for-the-party-of-principle-in-the-White-House.html I could post more, but you could just Google it. I understand skepticism but I think he actually did build it himself from what I can find.
As far as his athletic accomplishments and entrepreneurship go, those things display traits that I consider to be related to intelligence. I think you have to be somewhat intelligent to be as self-made as he is. And his business success is not comparable to Trump. Trump inherited wealth from his father. Gary Johnson started his own business while he was in college and was its only employee for awhile. He truly started from the ground up without handicaps, unlike Trump, and without Skull & Bones connections like the Bush's had.
And ultimately you still haven't given solid reasons for why we can assume GWB JR (or Mike Tyson) are actually dumb, outside of personal gut feeling. But what this argument is really boiling down to is defining intelligence, which is something that could go on forever.
The bottom line is I don't think GJ is dumb or a moron. You might believe that and we'll just have to disagree. I don't think that you've provided sufficient evidence that he is a moron though. I don't think that being uninformed about Syria or other foreign matters says anything about his general intellect or ability to analyze information and come to logical conclusions. It's definitely bad for a candidate not to know those things, but I don't think that that alone makes him a moron. As far as interviews go, people sometimes get nervous and say dumb shit that they don't mean when they're under pressure. I am very bad at this myself...and even if we were to conclude definitively that he is a moron, then it would only show that a moron is capable of governing successfully, as he did in New Mexico in the eyes of many.
I'm not crazy about him as a candidate so I don't have much of a dog in this fight either way, but I just thought it was nice to have someone who was at least a decent person running for office that I felt I could trust, and was not a criminal or a douchebag.
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hostileuniverse
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Unfortunately, To some people, anyone who isn't a liberal democrat, is stupid
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Seriously_trippin
Cosmic Guru Ganesh



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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: hostileuniverse]
#23803286 - 11/05/16 12:41 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
hostileuniverse said:

Unfortunately, To some people, anyone who is a liberal democrat, is stupid 
-------------------- R.I.P Zombi3, Blue Helix Modest Mouse Zappa Slothie That Kid With The face ShLong Le Canard split_by_nine & Big Worm Forever Etched in the sands of time in the shroomery and ever so beloved and deeply missed by many
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hostileuniverse
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Quote:
Seriously_trippin said:
Quote:
hostileuniverse said:

Unfortunately, To some people, anyone who is a liberal democrat, is stupid 
Misquoting people is about as douchebag as it gets
Just saying
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The Ecstatic
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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: hostileuniverse]
#23803299 - 11/05/16 12:46 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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I'm sure he just spelled it wrong. Stop with the insults, geez.
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hostileuniverse
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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: The Ecstatic]
#23803305 - 11/05/16 12:47 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
The Ecstatic said: I'm sure he just spelled it wrong. Stop with the insults, geez.
Oh look, our favorite troll is back, hi E C S T A T I C!
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The Ecstatic
Chilldog Extraordinaire


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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: hostileuniverse]
#23803315 - 11/05/16 12:49 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Stop derailing the thread, and stop with the insults.
Dont call people douchebags or trolls because they disagree with you.
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hostileuniverse
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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: The Ecstatic]
#23803322 - 11/05/16 12:51 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
The Ecstatic said: Stop derailing the thread, and stop with the insults.
Dont call people douchebags or trolls because they disagree with you.
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zZZz
jesus


Registered: 12/28/07
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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: hostileuniverse] 3
#23803332 - 11/05/16 12:53 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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All these threads are is the same.. Geez Louis..
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Seriously_trippin
Cosmic Guru Ganesh



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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: hostileuniverse]
#23803339 - 11/05/16 12:56 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
hostileuniverse said:
Quote:
Seriously_trippin said:
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hostileuniverse said:

Unfortunately, To some people, anyone who is a liberal democrat, is stupid 
Misquoting people is about as douchebag as it gets
Just saying
Actually I'm making a point.I just think it's incredibly ironic that you call democrats "libtards,brain damaged,idiots " and then turn around and say "Unfortunately to some people,anyone who isn't a liberal democrat,is stupid". That's exactly what you do everyday to democrats here or anyone that doesn't like Trump.
-------------------- R.I.P Zombi3, Blue Helix Modest Mouse Zappa Slothie That Kid With The face ShLong Le Canard split_by_nine & Big Worm Forever Etched in the sands of time in the shroomery and ever so beloved and deeply missed by many
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hostileuniverse
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Actually I don't, you project all opposition to liberal ideas as that, I actually contribute instead of just hurling insults, you should try it, it's actually fun
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The Ecstatic
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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: hostileuniverse]
#23803368 - 11/05/16 01:08 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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You actually think you contribute?
 
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hostileuniverse
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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: The Ecstatic]
#23803480 - 11/05/16 01:57 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
The Ecstatic said: You actually think you contribute?
  
More than you, obviously
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greencrush420



Registered: 04/14/13
Posts: 1,014
Loc: U.S.A
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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: Patlal]
#23803562 - 11/05/16 02:33 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Patlal said: Just about anybody looks like an awesome person next to Trump and Hillary
If only Rand Paul had ran Libertarian, instead of Republican. He was the best candidate, but he got lost in the sauce during that whole circus that has been the Trump campaign. Of course mainstream media forced him out by not including him in debates even when he met the criteria.
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zZZz
jesus


Registered: 12/28/07
Posts: 33,478
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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: greencrush420]
#23803595 - 11/05/16 02:45 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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I thought Rand Paul was cool at first, not just cool but I thought he'd actually make a great candidate, I even signed up to his newsletters, but then like all I'd get in the emails was him begging for money, like " dear patriot, our gov has been hijacked, plz give me money cuz I need it to run for president" like wtf?..
I was even thinking of donating but figured fuck this shit, I'm so glad I didn't, all these people care about is money..
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Repertoire89
Cat



Registered: 11/15/12
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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: zZZz]
#23803600 - 11/05/16 02:47 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Rand is a hack like his father, libertarianism is a flop.
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hostileuniverse
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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: Repertoire89]
#23803603 - 11/05/16 02:49 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Repertoire89 said: Rand is a hack like his father, libertarianism is a flop.
The biggest difference between libertarianism and liberalism is libertarians don't wanna raise taxes on the middle class, buncha fucking losers
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The Ecstatic
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Re: Gary Johnson seems like an awesome person. [Re: hostileuniverse]
#23803623 - 11/05/16 02:58 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Thats not even close to the biggest difference.
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