Gary Johnson Gets Picked On, Says Gary Johnson

The first Republican presidential debate was perhaps more notable for its lack of high-profile candidates than for the five that showed up, but former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson still felt like the Charlie Brown of the bunch.

“This is, like, nine questions for these guys and none for me,” Johnson told Fox News mediators at one point in the

Gary Johnson

debate held in South Carolina Thursday night.

Johnson, who announced he was running for the Republican presidential nomination last month, was told that the questions would be “fair and balanced” by the mediators.

Other candidates included Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain and former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Penn.

Johnson did get some chances to push his views, including his old New Mexico governing philosophy that every decision is a cost-benefit analysis.

He said soldiers should be pulled out of  Iraq and Afghanistan “tomorrow,” although he admitted that tomorrow could mean several months. His other views included repealing the corporate income tax, cutting Medicare and Medicaid by 43 percent and creating a block grant program, making it easy to get a work visa if you are a laborer from Mexico, supporting abortion rights and, of course, legalization of marijuana.

Johnson’s toughest challenge came when candidates were quizzed on other, absent, potential Republican nominees. Johnson was asked what kind of reality television show he would have and if it would be similar to Donald Trump’s.

“I’m stumped,” Johnson said after taking a few moments to laugh at the question.

He went on to say that the show would probably be related to encouraging outdoor activity because of his dedication to marathon running — Johnson has 30 races under his belt — and other outdoor pursuits. Clarifying again with a few pokes from moderators, Johnson said it would follow the remainder of his quest to summit the tallest peak on every continent.

He has three left.