Gary Johnson 2012?

I remember hearing about former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson about a decade ago and I found him refreshing. He was an iconoclastic Republican that could appeal to folks who would never pull the lever for a Republican. There are several libertarians and heterodox conservatives who are talking up Johnson as a potential 2012 Presidential candidate.

I was initially wary of such a campaign, especially because of his ties to libertarian superstar Ron Paul. But the more I learn about him, the more I think he might be a good dark horse candidate for the GOP in two years.

Why? Because while I don't like some of things Ron Paul stands for, he is willing to "make his own kind of music," something that is becoming increasingly hard to do in the modern Republican Party. I think Johnson could blaze his own trail even more so and also present a more mainstream face to libertarianism. A Johnson candidacy might also bring new people into the GOP, something - for good or for ill - that did happen after Paul's 2008 campaign. He would be a candidate that would be serious about curbing and controlling public spending and maybe create a smaller but active federal government. He would also present a more socially liberal Republicanism, one that is pro-gay. In short, a Johnson campaign could be as transformative to the GOP as Reagan was back in the late 70s and early 80s.

Now, I could be reading too much into this. But I tend to think that a Johnson run may be the best thing that happens to the GOP.