Gary Johnson presidential campaign, 2016/ISIS
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The 2016 presidential candidates quickly took to Twitter and their websites to release statements expressing their support for the people of France after members of the Islamic State (ISIS) killed at least 129 people and wounded more than 350 during a terrorist attack that occurred at six separate locations in Paris on November 13, 2015.[2] After statements of support and condolence were issued, the candidates shifted to policy and politics, each explaining how they would handle ISIS as commander-in-chief.
The terrorist attacks changed the topic of CBS' November 14, 2015, Democratic primary debate from the economy and domestic issues to foreign policy and ISIS. Hillary Clinton sought to demonstrate that, as a former secretary of state, she was the candidate with the most foreign policy experience and in the best position to handle ISIS. Her Democratic presidential rivals, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-Md.), criticized her vote to authorize the use of force in Iraq, which Sanders said led to the rise of ISIS.[3]
Republican candidates criticized President Barack Obama's strategy for handling ISIS and for saying hours before the attack that the terrorist group was "contained." GOP candidates also accused Clinton—a former member of the Obama administration—for playing a role in the growth of ISIS, a point that was repeated frequently on the campaign trail.[4][5]
The terrorist attacks in Paris shifted the focus of the 2016 presidential race from domestic issues to the threat that ISIS posed.
See what Gary Johnson and the 2016 Libertarian Party Platform said about ISIS and terrorism below.
| CANDIDATE SUMMARY | |
Johnson on ISIS and terrorism
- In an interview with The Daily Caller on June 7, 2016, Johns said that radical Islam was an “overblown” threat. He continued, “You can argue we’re at war with ISIS, I’ll concede that.” He added, “Do I have issue with wiping out ISIS? If it involves boots on the ground, if it involves dropping bombs, if it involves flying drones, I think that all those methods have the unintended consequence of making things worse not better.” Johnson also said he would not expand restrictions to immigration from the Middle East.[6]
- In a statement released on November 19, 2015, Johnson said that Sharia ideology should be recognized as antithetical to American values. He said, "It is time that we have an open, honest dialogue about the politics of Sharia law. It is time that we face the reality that, while Islam is a faith that must be granted the same freedoms of religion as all others, Sharia is a political ideology that cannot coexist with the constitutional and basic human rights on which the United States is founded. We must face the fact that ISIS is a murderous, violent movement driven by Sharia ideology, not by the religion of Islam. We need not and should not be Islamophobic, but all who are free and wish to be free should be Shariaphobic."[7]
- In an interview with Reason in November 2015, Johnson criticized drone strikes. He said, "When it comes to drones, I think it makes a bad situation even worse. We end up killing innocents and fueling hatred as opposed to containing it. It just hasn't worked." He also briefly discussed the Syrian refugee crisis, saying, "We need to take our share, and I'm not sure what that share should be. I'd like to come up with a formula based on our coalition partners. I wouldn't say zero, but I don't know if 65,000 puts us in the category of 'our fair share.'"[7]
- Read what other 2016 presidential candidates have said about ISIS and terrorism.
| The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform on terrorism | ||||||
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Reason.com, "Gary Johnson To Announce He's Running for President Today," January 6, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Paris victims: From all over the world and all walks of life," accessed November 17, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Rivals at Democratic Debate Attack Hillary Clinton," accessed November 17, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Obama refugee plan targeted after attacks," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Republicans see post-Paris vulnerabilities for Clinton," accessed November 17, 2015
- ↑ The Daily Caller, "EXCLUSIVE: Gary Johnson Says The Threat Of Radical Islam Is ‘Overblown’," June 7, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Reason.com, "Gary Johnson Talks ISIS, Refugees, Black Lives Matter and Marijuana Leglization," November 19, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Libertarian Party, "The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform," accessed August 24, 2016
