I really wanted to believe in Gary Johnson.
That might sound questionable to anyone who’s watched him. He is far from perfect, usually doesn’t make any sense in live interviews, and seems to see no problem with hedging on his positions till they’re not even really libertarian anymore. At the same time, he has an impressive gubernatorial record and a fondness for referring to the states as “50 laboratories of innovation and best practices,” which speaks to my own ideals for what this country is and should be. When he first ran for president in 2012, my thought was that while of course no overlord would be better than the best overlord, if there is going to be one, maybe it should be Gary.