Minnesota Vikings Position by Position Analysis 2012

The Minnesota Vikings will have a very different team in 2012 from the one they had in 2011. This analysis shall break down each position for the Vikings as they go through their minicamps and head towards training camp 2012.

Quarterback

Locks: Christian Ponder; Joe Webb;

On The Bubble: Sage Rosenfels; McLeod Bethel-Thompson;

Analysis: Ponder and Webb showed a lot of potential last season. They each guided the team to one win each and showed flashes of brilliance while they were at it. Seeing as Ponder is the higher draft pick and slightly more polished, he will begin the season as the starter with Webb backing him up. If he falters however, look for Webb to try and take advantage of the opportunity to prove he can lead. The real battle at the quarterback position, however, will be for the No. 3 spot. Sage Rosenfels has the edge due to his experience as a veteran, but McLeod Bethel-Thompson has a strong arm and if he flashes enough, he could end up sticking around.

Runningback

Locks: Adrian Peterson; Toby Gerhart;

Likely Safe: Jordan Todman;

Long Shot: Derrick Coleman;

Out: Caleb King;

Analysis: Peterson wants to come back as soon as he can, but he should take a lesson from Vikings draft choice Greg Childs about trying to come back from an injury too quickly. Peterson should definitely sit out the pre-season and since the first two games are against Indianapolis and Jacksonville, he would probably be better off just sitting those two out and making sure he is okay when Minnesota faces Super Bowl contender San Francisco. Gerhart flashed a lot last season so he should do well filling in for AP and Jordan Todman has been impressing the Vikings staff with his abilities so he will provide depth behind Gerhart and later Peterson. Caleb King’s situation which necessitated his release was sad because he flashed a lot for the Vikings in pre-season last year and could have provided more valuable depth.

Fullback

On The Bubble: Ryan D’Imperio; Matt Asiata; Jerome Felton; Lex Hilliard;

Analysis: D’Imperio wasn’t flashy but showed a lot of potential last season and Asiata reportedly impressed the coaches in pre-season before getting hurt. Felton had been on the Vikings radar last season, but they were unable to bring him in until now. Lex Hilliard can play both fullback and halfback, but he never flashed much while in Miami. With a draft choice being spent on H-back Rhett Ellison, chances are the Vikings are no longer alarmed about Jim Kleinsasser’s retirement and will just see if anybody stands out. With this in mind, the guess is that Felton and Hilliard will probably not be impressive enough for the Vikings to abandon their youth movement, and so it will come down to Asiata and D’Imperio. If Asiata stays healthy, he probably gets his turn at fullback on the regular roster while D’Imperio spends the 2012 season on the practice squad refining his game.

Wide Receiver

Lock: Percy Harvin;

Likely Safe: Michael Jenkins; Jerome Simpson; Greg Childs; Jarius Wright;

On The Bubble: Devin Aromashodu; Emmanuel Arceneaux; Stephen Burton; Bryan Walters;

Long Shots: Kerry Taylor; Kamar Jorden;

Out: Kris Adams;

Analysis: Harvin carried the Vikings passing game last year almost single-handedly. He is better in the slot position though. Jenkins gets another year due to his experience and so helps stabilize the receiving corps. Simpson has wowed Christian Ponder with his abilities, so once his three game suspension is over he will probably become Ponder and Webb’s deep threat. Childs was one of the best receivers in the nation before getting hurt and if he is truly healthy again and back to form, he could surprise a lot of people. Wright provides depth behind Harvin and could develop into the same kind of weapon that Harvin is. The battle will be for the No. 6 receiver spot. Aromashodu has speed, but did not show very much consistency last season. Arceneaux was a star in the CFL, but his opportunities were limited last season. Burton is a former draft pick with good body control, but still needs some work. Walters was a pickup from the Chargers and has showed some abilities, but needs to show more in order to make his way on to the roster. The guess here is that Harvin, Jenkins, Simpson, Childs and Wright will lock up the first five spots while Arceneaux gets the No. 6 spot until Simpson comes back from suspension and then Arceneaux joins Burton on the practice squad for 2012.

Tight End

Locks: Kyle Rudolph; John Carlson;

Likely Safe: Rhett Ellison; Allen Reisner; Mickey Shuler Jr.;

Analysis: Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is running a tight end-heavy offense, so do not be surprised if the Vikings keep five tight ends on their active roster. Yes, you read right: FIVE. Rudolph and Carlson are tall athletic pass-catchers who will probably be Ponder and Webb’s main receiving targets in the offense next season. Ellison was drafted to fill the H-back role vacated by the retiring Jim Kleinsasser, so barring a complete breakdown in camp, Ellison will get a spot. Reisner and Shuler are both players that the Vikings staff have been very high on and with injuries always a real possibility, the team probably will want to hang on to them too just to make sure they have a deep corps of tight ends available just in case injuries strike.

Offensive Tackle

Locks: Matt Kalil;

Likely Safe: DeMarcus Love;

On The Bubble: Phil Loadholt;

Long Shots: Patrick Brown; Darrion Weems; Tyler Holmes; Levi Horn;

Out: Jose Valdez; Kevin Murphy;

Analysis: Kalil filled a huge need at left tackle, but the question now is on the right side. Loadholt struggled mightily last season and the reason he is most likely on the bubble is because many have been referring to Loadholt in a very similar fashion to the way they referred to Bryant McKinnie before his release last season. The pressure will especially be on Loadholt if DeMarcus Love continues to progress as he did last season. Overall, do not be surprised if Love beats out Loadholt for the right tackle spot if Loadholt continues to struggle. It probably will not happen, just do not be surprised if it does.

Guard

Likely Safe: Charlie Johnson; Geoff Schwartz; Joe Berger;

On The Bubble: Chris DeGeare;

Long Shot: Austin Pasztor;

Analysis: Johnson was over-matched at left tackle last year and now faces another daunting task, namely replacing All-Pro Steve Hutchinson at left guard. He is better suited for guard, but replacing an All-Pro could be the trick that dooms his Vikings tenure if he does not perform it to coaches and fans satisfaction. Berger played very well for spot duty last season, but needs to continue to play at that high level if he wants to get the right guard job. Schwartz was a smart free agent signing and a versatile player who, if he does not win a starting job, will probably stick around because he can provide depth at guard and tackle. DeGeare is the wildcard. He started at times his rookie year, but was overweight last season and so spent that year on the practice squad. If he whips himself back into shape and shows consistency, he could make a run for the right guard spot or push Johnson on the left.

Center

Lock: John Sullivan;

Likely Safe: Brandon Fusco;

Long Shot: Quentin Saulsberry;

Analysis: Sullivan has adequately replaced the departed Matt Birk and will remain a starter, but he could be staring at his eventual replacement in the tough-nosed Fusco who showed a lot of potential in spot duty last season.

Defensive End

Locks: Jared Allen; Brian Robison; Everson Griffen;

Likely Safe: D’Aundre Reed;

On The Bubble: Anthony Jacobs; Nick Reed;

Long Shots: Eric Latimore; Ernest Owusu;

Out: Kevin Cyrille;

Analysis: Allen is coming off a year to remember career-wise and Robison proved to be an excellent replacement for the departed Ray Edwards. Griffen is one of the most athletically talented players in the league and the team has to find ways to get him on the field when their defense is playing, whether it is at defensive end or linebacker. D’Aundre Reed flashed a lot last pre-season and so has the inside job to be Allen’s main backup if he continues to play as well as he did. Jacobs and Nick Reed are intriguing prospects, but will probably end up on the practice squad due to the team’s depth on the defensive line.

Defensive Tackle

Locks: Kevin Williams; Christian Ballard;

Likely Safe: Letroy Guion; Trevor Guyton;

On The Bubble: Fred Evans;

Long Shots: Chase Baker; Tydreke Powell; Terrell Resonno;

Analysis: Despite his age, Williams is still a star for the Vikings defense and should be given the dignity John Randle never was, namely that of retiring as a Viking. Ballard flashed a lot last season and will probably be the heir when Williams calls it a career. Guion at nose tackle is an intriguing experiment, but Guyton might actually end up being the starter there because of his strength and disruptiveness. Evans has had a lot of chances to prove himself and this could be his last shot. One undrafted guy to watch is Powell because he is an actual nose tackle.

Outside Linebacker

Locks: Chad Greenway; Erin Henderson;

On The Bubble: Solomon Elimimian;

Long Shot: Tyler Nielsen

Analysis: Greenway is the star of the linebacker corps and rightly so. He can blitz, intercept passes and play well in space. If he can stay healthy, he could be staring at more Pro Bowl appearances down the road. Erin Henderson had a good year last season in his first opportunity as a starter but it remains to be seen if that was because of his improved abilities or because of former coordinator Fred Pagac’s style of defense. Solomon Elimimian was a hard hitter in the CFL, but can he translate that to the NFL? If he does, he could push Henderson for playing time. Nielsen was an undrafted free agent but has reportedly impressed the coaching staff and may get an opportunity to stick around.

Middle Linebacker

Likely Safe: Jasper Brinkley;

On The Bubble: Audie Cole; Larry Dean; Tyrone McKenzie; Marvin Mitchell;

Long Shot: Corey Paredes;

Might Be Back: E.J. Henderson

Analysis: Brinkley has played well in the middle when given the opportunity back in 2009 and 2010, but he missed all of last year with an injury and may need some time to get back into the flow of the game. That being said, he may not be ready to take over the starting job this season. Cole was a nice draft pick, but needs time to get acclimated to the pros and definitely should not be starting if the team can help it. Dean showed Jesse Tuggle-like skills last season as an undrafted free agent, but needs to prove to the team he is more then just a special teams player. McKenzie had a promising career ahead of him before suffering a bad injury. Now he has to prove he has fully recovered and can be the player he once showed flashes of being. Mitchell was a solid backup in New Orleans, but has never shown the ability to be anything but a backup. If the Vikings are worried about the position heading into training camp, do not be surprised if E.J. Henderson gets brought back on a one year deal until the Vikings can draft a replacement next season.

Cornerback

Locks: Antoine Winfield; Chris Cook;

Likely Safe: Josh Robinson;

On The Bubble: Chris Carr; Zackary Bowman; Asher Allen; Brandon Burton; Marcus Sherels; Nicholas Taylor;

Long Shots: Reggie Jones; Bobby Felder;

Out: C.C. Whitlock;

Analysis: This was the Vikings weakest spot last year and no wonder. The hope is that this season, by returning to the Tampa-2 scheme under new defensive coordinator Alan Williams, the team can play to the strengths of their players in the secondary. Winfield’s career is winding down and he has announced that he will retire when his contract expires, so to keep him in the best position to make a difference, the Vikings probably want to see him playing the slot mainly. Cook has to prove himself again, but he was showing flashes of being a shutdown corner before his legal troubles derailed him. Robinson was the fastest player at the NFL scouting combine and if he can turn that speed into an asset at the corner position, then he could prove to be a nice complement to Cook. Depth spots will be the name of the battle in pre-season. Carr played well as a nickel and dime back with the Ravens, but needs to prove he can still do so here. Bowman looked to have a promising career with the Bears before imploding. To stick here he must re-discover the form that made him a starter on the Bears defense. Allen has had plenty of opportunities to prove himself and has not done so adequately enough. This could be his last shot. Burton is a tall corner with upside who got playing time in a very unfavorable situation last year. He has a longer leash then some of the others here, but still needs to improve his game. Sherels was a pre-season star last year and contributed some big plays on special teams during the regular season, but due to the newcomers and the fact that Sherels needs some more time to refine his defensive playing skills, he may end up on the practice squad until Winfield retires. Taylor is an intriguing prospect as a former basketball star, but he may be too raw to contribute right away. He probably joins Sherels on the practice squad and gets another year under his belt before seriously challenging for a role on the regular defense.

Safety

Lock: Harrison Smith

Likely Safe: Mistral Raymond; Robert Blanton; Jamarca Sanford;

On The Bubble: Eric Frampton;

Long Shot: Andrew Sendejo;

Analysis: Smith fills a gaping hole in the secondary that has not been adequately filled since Darren Sharper’s departure. He can play either the strong or free safety positions and probably will find out which position he will play at based on who wins the job to start alongside him. Raymond is probably the frontrunner to start alongside Smith because of his athletic abilities. He played well at free safety last season and seemed to have a knack for finding the ball in turnover situations. Blanton is a converted corner who played with Smith in college and has impressed the coaching staff with his abilities, but he may be a bit too raw to start at this point. Sanford is the de facto starter alongside Smith heading into training camp and he will get a chance. While he wasn’t overly impressive in a starting role last season, Sanford did show a knack for coming up with turnovers and if he continues that trend he could win the spot just by that uncanny ability. Frampton will probably stick around because he is such a solid special teams player.

Special Teams

Locks: Chris Kluwe; Cullen Loeffler;

On The Bubble: Blair Walsh;

Out: Ryan Longwell;

Analysis: This has been the team’s true strength the last few seasons, but it probably will be tested this year. Loeffler is a welcome sight back from his injury because his replacement last season, Matt Katula, was awful. Kluwe, the Twitter warrior, is as solid as they get at punter (and, by the way, has every right to voice his opinions under the United States Constitution’s First Amendment). The question will be at kicker. The Vikings are to be commended for having Ryan Longwell’s best interests at heart in their decision to release him long enough ahead of training camp for him to find a new team, but is rookie Blair Walsh ready? That is a question that must be haunting the Vikings. If Walsh falters and Longwell is still on the free agent market, do not be surprised if the Vikings do what they did for so many years with Gary Anderson and invite Longwell back one year at a time until they find a long-term replacement.

Final Analysis

Head Coach Leslie Frazier and new General Manager Rick Spielman wanted a younger team and they have got one. How fast will this team jell? Only time will tell. It was probably wise for the team to do a longer training camp because of all the new players on the roster, but it remains to be seen if it will be enough to get them to seven or eight wins in the regular season. Do not expect playoffs this year, but the team will probably show flashes of greater things to come.

Week 1 Starter Predictions

Quarterback: Christian Ponder

Runningback: Toby Gerhart (Adrian Peterson upon return from injury)

Fullback: Matt Asiata

Deep Threat Receiver: Greg Childs (Jerome Simpson upon return from suspension)

Possession Receiver: Michael Jenkins

Slot Receiver: Percy Harvin

Left Tackle: Matt Kalil

Left Guard: Charlie Johnson

Center: John Sullivan

Right Guard: Geoff Schwartz

Right Tackle: Phil Loadholt

H-back: Rhett Ellison

No.1 Tight End: Kyle Rudolph

No. 2 Tight End: John Carlson

Right Defensive End: Jared Allen

Under Tackle: Kevin Williams

Nose Tackle: Trevor Guyton

Left Defensive End: Brian Robison

Weakside Linebacker: Erin Henderson

Middle Linebacker: Jasper Brinkley (E.J. Henderson if he is re-signed)

Strongside Linebacker: Chad Greenway

Pass Rushing Linebacker: Everson Griffen

No. 1 Cornerback: Chris Cook

No.2 Cornerback: Josh Robinson

Nickel Cornerback: Antoine Winfield

Dime Cornerback: Chris Carr

Strong Safety: Harrison Smith

Free Safety: Mistral Raymond

Placekicker: Blair Walsh

Punter: Chris Kluwe

Long Snapper: Cullen Loeffler

© 2012 The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.

A Look at our Future: Scary and Hopeful

The popular perception being thrown out as the Republican Presidential Primary season begins to wind down is that Mitt Romney has not only ensured himself the position of being the Republican Presidential nominee in 2012 but that he is all but assured of defeating President Barack Obama in November of 2012 and, with his business background, will immediately restore the economy and so guarantee himself eight years in office. This belief, put bluntly, is ridiculous and true fantasy. Here is why:

Scenario One: Mitt Romney Loses the 2012 Presidential Race

Though Romney does have the lead in the number of delegates who are bound to vote for him on the first ballot at the Republican National Convention, there is absolutely no enthusiasm for him as the nominee. Many voters who supported other contenders in the GOP race have pledged that they will not vote for him, whether it is because of Romney’s apparent façade on the social issues such as abortion or because he has endorsed certain irresponsible spending policies. Nothing Romney says will ever change that perception.

So where will so many of these voters go? Look outside the Romney-Obama race and there is the answer. The Republican Party, put bluntly, has had three major defections during the primary season and all three of these candidates appeal to those voters who feel betrayed by the Republican Party and its rejection of the values of Ronald Reagan.

Former Governor Gary Johnson of New Mexico has split from the Republican Party and joined the Libertarian Party. As his message primarily deals with economics, he will most likely appeal to voters disgusted with Romney and Obama’s financial irresponsibility and so expect him to grow his vote by appealing to those voters who are looking for someone endorsing sound economic policies and has a background to prove his sincerity.

Former Congressman Virgil Goode of Virginia has also split from the Republican Party. He has been nominated as the presidential candidate of the Constitution Party. His message too deals with economics and endorses sound economic policy, but Goode’s largest advantage in the presidential race is actually on the social issues. He is truly Pro-Life and has a record to back it up. He also stands with the Right on other social conservative issues. When the additional point is made that Goode is currently the only candidate on enough state election ballots to win the presidency who stands with the Right on the social issues, then one can expect a substantial majority of social issues voters to defect to Goode’s campaign and thereby punish the Republican Party for abandoning its Pro-Life, social issues stances of the past.

Former Governor Buddy Roemer of Louisiana also has abandoned the Republican Party after being very shoddily treated throughout the Republican Presidential primary process. Not invited to a single Republican Primary debate, despite being a prominent Republican former officeholder, Roemer’s break with the Republican Party came very easily. He sought the presidential nomination of the suspended Americans Elect organization and is now focusing on obtaining the presidential nominations of the Reform Party, the Modern Whig Party and possibly a few more minor parties, thereby seeking to build a coalition to power his third party bid for the White House in 2012. He has been preaching to the voters about the dangers of government power and that message will appeal to many voters who may have flocked to the Republican Party with the hopes of dismantling the powerful Establishment organization in Washington DC built by Bush, Obama and several past presidents, but now severely disappointed at the apparent nomination of Romney, who is seen as a member of that Establishment. Also Roemer, as an officeholder who has served in both the Democratic and Republican Parties, can appeal across party lines and to independents as his party-switching can be portrayed as happening because he is a man who sticks to his principles. That image is even more attractive to many independents when compared to the political flip-flopping done by Romney and Obama.

Faced with these three candidacies from former Republicans, the anti-Obama vote will be severely divided. The majority of voters will definitely reject Obama, but like Clinton in 1992 and 1996, Obama will win with a plurality of the popular vote. Faced with these, it can be said that Romney has embarked on a losing campaign in 2012 and America is doomed to see another four years of Obama in the White House.

Scenario Two: 2016 - The Return of Obama or Worse

What if Mitt Romney overcomes all the odds and wins the Presidency in 2012? What happens then?

It is true that Romney will be free to implement the reforms he has been calling for, and the day of reckoning in terms of America’s debt, will probably be postponed for a little longer, but unless real and true system change is put forward, nothing is really going to stop the oncoming financial disaster. America will still be headed towards a financial cliff, just at a slower speed and none of the nation’s moral problems will be solved either.

Why is this? To put it bluntly, the budget plans that Governor Mitt Romney and his ally Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) have put forward for the federal government will not solve the nation’s debt problems in time to save America from the financial cliff it is fast-approaching. The budget will not be balanced until 2040 under these plans and according to analysts who correctly predicted our nation’s current problems such as Patrick J. Buchanan and Peter Schiff, America does not have that much time left. Buchanan’s most recent prediction has given America until 2025 at the latest to survive in its current condition. Schiff has predicted that another economic bubble will burst around 2013 and that it will have been caused by more irresponsible government monetary practices. With these facts in mind, what will happen if Romney somehow overcomes the odds and convinces enough Americans to vote for him that he defeats Obama?

To begin with, Romney will be cursed with the albatross of an exploded economic bubble sometime after he takes office. It will be very much like when Herbert Hoover took office in 1929 and was cursed with the Great Depression just a few months later. As a businessman president, trying to keep businesses from failing because of their irresponsible economic practices, Romney will probably be forced to resort to more economic stimulus in order to try and prevent more businesses from failing, no matter how unpopular it is. This will lead to instant charges of hypocrisy and will prevent Romney from implementing his new tax plan or from cutting any more taxes. He will be forced to keep them where they are in order to keep the government at least somewhat solvent. The economy, as it has since 2008, will not recover and will continue to limp along in its slowly downward-spiraling state.

This continued state of the American economy will lead to voters crying out that the Republicans have betrayed them. Backlash like the one which took place in 2006 and 2008, will lead to Democrats regaining popularity and what does that point to? The Democrats will claim that their program under Obama was interrupted and not allowed to finish. With this in mind, the Democrats will be looking forward to 2016 with high expectancy and will be all ready to nominate someone to resume the program that Obama started.

For anyone who thinks a defeat of Barack Obama in 2012 ends his political career, think again. Constitutionally, Obama will be eligible for one more four year presidential term, so if he is defeated in 2012, he can always run again in 2016. However, if Obama’s defeat is bad enough, the Democrats may indeed look beyond Obama for a candidate even more radical then he is. Who will that be? That is anyone’s guess at this point. It is the author’s suspicion, however, that the more-radical-then-Obama candidate could end up being one of two candidates: either self-described socialist Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont or Harvard law school professor Elizabeth Warren. Warren would probably be the more powerful candidate as she would not only be endorsing many of the same policies as Obama with a more radical trend but, if nominated, would have the added distinction of being the first female to head a major party ticket. Sanders, on the other hand, would provide a background of long devotion to Obama-type ideals and a long record in Congress to back up his stances and make him look like a truly devoted candidate.

Faced with these three prospective candidates and an economy going downhill faster then ever, Romney would have no chance of winning re-election and come 2017, America would be right back where they started with either Obama’s return or the arrival of someone more radical.

What is to be Done

There is a hope for a solution to both scenarios, despite what all the odds say. The option lies in the power of the checks and balances given by America’s Founding Fathers in the Constitution; the power to check the Executive Branch. Namely: Congress. To the advantage of the grassroots organizations, the Establishment has been unable to control many of the congressional races with candidates of their own choosing. The Tea Party beat out the Republican Party Establishment with nominations for several fiscally responsible, socially conservative, small government candidates in the 2010 elections. Among them: Rand Paul in Kentucky, Mike Lee in Utah, Ron Johnson in Wisconsin, Justin Amash in Michigan and several others. Many were elected and are now serving in Congress trying to check President Obama’s attempts to grab more power. Now, in 2012, more Tea Party candidates are being put forward as candidates for seats in the House and Senate. Richard Mourdock in Indiana, Kurt Bills in Minnesota, Josh Mandel in Ohio and Thomas Massie in Kentucky are examples of Tea Party candidates already selected to run in the 2012 elections who fit these profiles, but there are many more. These are the candidates who should be campaigned for the hardest.

Why? The logic is as follows. The President does not make the laws. Congress does. Congress introduces bills, votes on bills and passes bills. They have the power to override a President’s veto of bills and to remove a President through impeachment for abuse of power. This means that Congress is a much more important government body to take control of.

So if the Tea Party takes control of Congress, then whoever wins the Presidency will be in a very tough position. Obama will threaten vetoes against any government shrinking, quicker debt-solving bills, but those vetoes can be overridden. Romney will have a tough time opposing bills calling for government de-regulation or quicker solutions to the nation’s debt that his own party is sending him. Overall, the people will finally be making their voice heard. That is how the country nullifies the impact of an Obama second term or a Romney presidency and heeds the warnings of prophets like Buchanan and Schiff. Then once the downward economic spiral is halted, the Tea Party can finally look forward to putting one of their own in the White House in the 2016 elections and so continue the great task of saving America from its path of financial ruin.

© 2012 New Agora and The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.

Governor Gary Johnson: “I need to be in the national presidential debates in order to win the Presidency”

In an interview with New Agora journalists Professor Wall and Info Crusader, former New Mexico Governor and eventual Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson was asked, in response to an article on Examiner.com which forecast his potential to win the presidency in November 2012, what it would take for him to become the 45th president of the United States.

“The pie in the sky scenario for me is, being the (Libertarian) nominee number one, I hope to be the nominee, but secondly would be polling at 15% and being in the national debates for President of the United States against Obama and Romney. Thats, in my opinion, how anything could happen if that happened. But thats really key to having anything potentially happen” said Johnson.

In response to inquiries for his opinion on executive orders 10995, 10999 and 11000, which were issued by President John F. Kennedy during the Cold War, and allowed the Federal Government to seize and control the communications media and food supplies and to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision, Johnson responded with surprise and some dismay.

“I wasn’t even aware of those” he said, “It sounds terrible, sounds horrible” he continued, going on to explain that they had a negative impact on the American people because “We are going further and further down the path of less civil liberties and when you have a government capable of taking over food supplies, what does that mean? You are going to be restricted potentially from getting food or if you are not going to be restricted, what are you going to have to do in order to receive your food from the government? No, this is scary. This is really scary. People should be outraged!”

He also added that as President “I would probably issue my share of executive orders, but it would be executive orders restricting government from doing all of those things.”

In regards to his campaign's efforts to become the viable third party alternative to the Republicans and Democrats over former Congressman Virgil Goode of the Constitution Party and former Governor Buddy Roemer of the Reform Party, Johnson stated that he would run on his record rather then seek endorsements. Citing the experience he had gained while running for Governor of New Mexico, he pointed out that he had not sought any endorsements during his campaigns for governor and had instead run on his record and been elected both times. He did add however, that he would welcome endorsements if any were to be given to him.

When Johnson was asked about whether he would potentially be willing to step aside and help unite the Liberty movement behind Ron Paul if Paul were to become a candidate under any label, Republican or third party, in the general election, Johnson re-emphasized the point he had been making since leaving the Republican Party to run in the Libertarian Party.

“One of my credos when it comes to politics is being reality-based and I just don’t think any of the above is going to happen” said Johnson. When asked in a follow-up question if Ron Paul would be considered for a cabinet position in a potential Gary Johnson presidential administration, Johnson was skeptical about the possibility even arising, but remained open to it.

“I go back to my experience as Governor of New Mexico. There was not one single commitment that I made to anybody for a job. It was all, apply for the job and I’m going to conduct an interview process. I don’t see Ron Paul as playing second fiddle to anybody and so, just the reality of Ron Paul, what he’s done, I don’t think he’s going to have any interest in a cabinet position and if he does, you know, terrific, we’ll deal with that if that actually comes into play.”

© 2012 New Agora and The Subsidiarity Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written, re-transcribed or re-distributed without written permission from blog author.