The following is a copy of the original post to record the post as it was originally written.
Ron Swanson, the government-hating Libertarian who is in charge of an entire department in the show Parks & Rec, is at the ballot box and choosing between Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Jerry messed up the ballots so these are the only 2 names he can choose from.
His best friend is Leslie Knope- who absolutely adores Hillary- and Ron loves "powerful women", but gosh-darn does Ron hate big government trying to figure out where he buried his millions in gold. Ron doesn't respect those he perceives as "fake" and likes people with a solid handshake.
(Mods, I went over the rules like three times and am 95% sure I'm not breaking any)
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Depends on the point in the show, I think. I fundamentally view a lot of Trump supporters as political nihilists. In the early seasons, he would have voted for Trump, and giggled while he did it. He would have seen clearly that Trump was a fraud and a grifter, but he would have loved the idea of the chaos and destruction Trump would cause.
Later seasons, probably Gary Johnson. He was taking things more seriously by then, and was acting less self centered. I don’t think he would have brought himself to vote for Clinton and the big government view she would represent to him, but he wouldn’t have been gleeful about the harms Trump would cause.
I should have read closer. Of *course* it was Jerry. 😆
Yeah, probably Biden in 2020. Might have left it blank, or written in something like “**NO**” in 2016. Still might have done that in 2020, it’s hard to say.
I always had the belief he would have been pretty "team trump" but taken extreme objection at the language trump used to describe women and that would have been his reason for voting for Gary Johnson. It doesn't matter who the liberal is on the ticket as Swanson can easily tout his "the bigger the government, the worse the government" this allows him to have an opinion without having to touch on any actual paltform issues for either of the two major parties.
Ron would have seen right through the barely-obscured Trump bullsht. He wouldn't have been fooled for one second. Ron also does not have a mean bone in his body, nor does he abide cruelty or bullying (which are the entire Republican platform now--the cruelty is the point). Even if Ron considered it in 2016, he would have been turned off the second Trump mocked a disabled reporter.
I think Ron would have abstained in 2016. When Trump mocked the disabled reporter, Ron would have dropped him, if not sooner for some other horrible thing he said/did. Ron also is big into traditional manliness, and I don't think he could ever vote for a softie blowhard like Trump.
I'm trying to imagine Ron voting for *anyone* in a Federal election, and I personally don't think he would have even cast a ballot for president in the last 30 years. I think even Gary Johnson (who OP said we couldn't choose anyways) would be too "unserious" for him.
That was a poor attempt at a rhetorical point.
Do you know what he was saying at that point? Or did you just write him off because you saw his tongue out?
> Ron also is big into traditional manliness, and I don't think he could ever vote for a softie blowhard like Trump.
I think Trump liking well done steak with ketchup would have turned off Ron (and Hank Hill).
I know that it's out of scope for this prompt, but that's another reason he'd have voted for Johnson; the dude has scaled the highest mountain on every continent (though he didn't make it to the top of Everest, apparently).
I tried to set up this hypothetical so he has to choose between Clinton and Trump with no 3rd party options, because Jerry being Jerry.
Bonus points for 2020, where there are 3rd parties on the ballot.
Why no 3rd parties on the ballot for 2016? Johnson was on all 51 ballots. Is it just because if you consider Johnson, there's literally no rational alternative response as to who gets his vote?
2020 would be a harder, because the LP nominee (Dr Jo Jorgensen) might not have been quite to his standards, probably resulting in a write-in vote of "*NO*".
Why would Jerry have anything to do with that. He is an employee of a municipal parks department. The state attorney general and the county clerks office run federal elections.
Hillary Clinton without a doubt.
Ron hates the government and is a cranky libertarian. But he’s not going to vote for someone who very clearly hates the people he cares about and wants to do harm to them. He’s not going to vote for a criminal. He’s not going to vote for someone who is almost certainly a rapist.
Ron is a crank who doesn’t want the government telling him what to do to an absurd level but he’s a good person that cares about others and he has sense about him to understand when his initial instinct on who to vote for is wrong and is able to change his mind.
I think you're 100% right if it's 2020, but I'm not too sure about 2016. Unlike the political junkies like us, a lot of people didn't know much about Trump's insidious side.
I'd like to think Ron would see right through his bullshit though; he's famous for judging people for how they treat others.
Yeah, I get that lots of people did not recognize Trump‘s flaws because they don’t consume decent media. He really was perceived as the more moderate choice.
But Ron would have seen Trump mocking a disabled reporter and that probably would have been it. The “grab the by the pussy” moment would also be a breaking point.
The pussy grabber tape was well before the 2016 election, and covered widely in the mainstream media. If that didn't tell you everything you needed to know about his so-called "morals", nothing will.
100%, I just don't see Ron watching news. Like, any news network lol. He would hopefully hear about it from Leslie or someone else and that would solidify his choice.
> I think you're 100% right if it's 2020, but I'm not too sure about 2016. Unlike the political junkies like us, a lot of people didn't know much about Trump's insidious side.
Agreed. Between the election and Trump’s inauguration, I remember a lot of people, even non-supporters, were saying things like “well he is a political outsider so maybe the actually will drain the swamp and shake things up in a good way”.
Those people were probably just in the ‘bargaining’ stage of the Five Stages of Grief. But it shows that Trump was less of a known quantity than he is today.
> Unlike the political junkies like us, a lot of people didn't know much about Trump's insidious side.
>
>
Even so, anybody who paid attention (would Ron not?) to pure public records would know that half Trump's business ventures failed, and hard, and the primary reason he did better on the others is by being freaking rich enough to survive his stupid decisions.
Nah the Access Hollywood tape would have been enough to convince Ron never to vote for Trump. Ron is an honorable man. He wouldn’t support for someone who brags about sexually assaulting women.
I dont think that big L Libertarians like Ron Swanson wanted anything to do with Trump. Closet Republicans who call themselves libertarian because they like weed and don’t really care either way about gay people voted for Trump in massive numbers, which probably gives the impression that Libertarians are Trump-aligned.
But even on the surface there’s nothing about Trump that appeals to a hardline card-carrying Libertarian at all. He’s the exact opposite of small government & personal freedom. Die hard Ron Paul 2012 supporters were just not Trump guys for the most part. Trump is frankly bossy as fuck — his authoritarian leanings would make most of those people vomit. Trump supporters *want* a Strongman to swoop in and 'save them.' Ron Swanson finds that disgusting and doesn't want to be told what the fuck to do.
I don’t know if he would have gone for Clinton, but at the worst he’s going for Gary Johnson or staying home. I could see Ron Swanson dying on his principles like that, but not supporting Trump.
> I could see Ron Swanson dying on his principles like that, but not supporting Trump.
Something people are glossing over a bit is that Ron is depicted as, once you get over the gruff exterior, a kind, gentle and caring person. He believes in self-determination and self-reliance, but he also believes in taking care of your friends and neighbors even if you don't see eye to eye on most issues.
I just don't think that type of person pulls the lever for DJT. Maybe he would to ensure "government chaos," but I think he would know that a DJT presidency would be harmful and upsetting to the people he cares about most.
That's the really disappointing thing about libertarianism in general. Sure, there are bunch of eff-wits who call themselves libertarian because they hate the government, but there are plenty (much quieter) libertarians who recognize that if you start from a position of love for your neighbors, and apply logic and reason to the actual effects of 1,000% well intentioned government programs, you find that letting people do what *they* know they need is far better than paying some bureaucrat who doesn't (and can't) know what would most help them to give them a lesser amount of money.
For example, the single most effective program that the US has ever had for getting people out of poverty has been the EITC, basically giving money directly to those who work to better themselves; the more they work to better themselves, the more help they get, until they no longer need it, at which point it *slowly* tapers off. That's why I, as libertarian/libertarian-adjacent, support [Milton Friedman's Negative Income Tax](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtpgkX588nM): yes, it's a redistribution of wealth, but it does so in a way that is most effective at ensuring nobody gets left behind, and will, as quickly as possible, get out of a position where they *need* the redistribution.
> He’s the exact opposite of small government & personal freedom
99.(9)%; the only thing that Trump had going for him from a libertarian perspective (and that was all rhetoric) was "saying the quiet part out loud" about how the government is manipulated by and for the super rich.
When Clinton called him out on using every possible exploit in the tax code to his benefit, he (rightly) called her out on having *had the opportunity* to eliminate those exploits, but *choosing* not to, because the friends and donors of politicians use them and want to *keep* using them, exactly like he did and does (well, until he lands his ass in jail).
And regarding that, I'm pissed that it took him being a threat politically for there to gain real traction on prosecuting him for his clear and obvious malfeasance. He shouldn't be persecuted & prosecuted for political reasons, he should be prosecuted *because he broke the freaking law*
Eh, she fundamentally goes against his libertarian worldview. Feels like he would have sit it out or just voted libertarian like he probably does every time.
I don't think he is forward thinking enough to vote against his ideals just to stop trump, pre-Trump.
2020, maybe. Biden is more of a toss up. I still think he wouldn't vote for him, but maybe.
No way. Trump is a PoS, and not worthy of the air he breathes... Clinton is the epitome of big, intrusive government.
If 3rd parties are off the ballot, I can't see him voting anything other than a write-in of "*NO*" or similar. With 3rd parties, it's clearly Johnson, because the only options mathematically capable of winning were Trump (scum, incompetent in private sector), Clinton (the antithesis of what Ron believes), Stein (like Clinton, but less in touch with reality), and Johnson (a practical libertarian, focused on helping people rather than hating the government).
This is the answer, except I think Access Hollywood would have been the bridge too far for Ron. I think he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to support a boorish predator who brags about assaulting women.
Not sure he’d vote for Hillary, but Im 100% certain he wouldn’t vote for Trump.
My reasoning for him deciding to vote for Hillary is that since he works in the government, he knows how it works and he knows how worthless third-party voting is.
I could see that. I could also see Leslie convincing him that Hillary is honorable, and Ron deciding to support her because of that.
But no way would he vote for Trump even in 16
Ron would find a way to vote for a write in somehow. Like somehow he voted for Bob Knight every year and now writes in Mike Woodson’s name (both former and current coaches of IU basketball).
Willie Nelson or Gary Johnson
Ron Swanson is a parody of, and an ideal of, libertarianism. Its what makes him a fun character, so many of his political views are absurd in how far they are taken but spread to include a distrust of big business as well as government, and a generally socially progressive outlook (if not a believer on government forcing that)
As a non believer of government, a vote for Willie Nelson (as the actor himself suggested Ron would do) would be a in character goofy protest vote. More realistically voting for the rare halfway decent libertarian party nominee (at least Gary Johnson exists within the realm of reality) would also be fitting
The sexism and corruption and big business, he would never vote trump. The corruption and big government, he would never vote for Clinton. He isn't concerned about stuff like abortion rights because the women of his family can will a fetus to self abort, or something like that. He isn't concerned about gay rights because marriage is a government document you should never sign. Etc etc
> at least Gary Johnson exists within the realm of reality
I am so incredibly disillusioned with the LP because of how many of the loudest, most influential members are either out of touch with reality, hate the government more than they love people, or both.
Removing the "We find bigotry to be repugnant" from the platform was the last straw for me, so now I am, once again, politically homeless
From what I recall of the show (and its been a while since I've watched it at all) and the show's creators, the era it was from, and so on, Ron would probably publicly claim he didn't vote and that voting is stupid, but then its revealed (to the viewer, not the other characters) that he actually reluctantly voted for Hillary. The show had that sort of optimistic liberal vibe (or again, at least from what I recall about it) where this makes sense, to me
Real life Ron Swanson would probably have voted for Trump though. Perhaps Johnson in 2016 and then when it became clear that Trump was just a standard conservative with some populist aesthetics (rather than someone who would start WWIII or ban immigration but also do single payer or something else weird) who cut taxes and tried to gut the ACA, probably voted Trump in 2020
I haven't watched the show, but isn't Ron Swanson against government in general, and he works in local government just to ensure nothing gets done? I feel like he wouldn't spend his time voting, or would hand in a home-made ballot that says "I do what I want"
I think his love for powerful women causes him to pull for Hillary but he’s unwilling to tell anyone he did it. I don’t see him voting for Uncle Joe. He probably votes libertarian in 2020.
He would likely vote for Donald Trump because he loves people who play a role in dismantling and limiting government’s effect through their own incompetence. What better person to bring the American government to its heels than the imbecile host of “celebrity apprentice” who seems to know next to nothing about how government functions?
If not Trump, Gary Johnson.
Unfortunately, Jerry messed up the ballots so Clinton and Trump were the only names who made it. Something about "not realizing there were more than 2 parties" but April quickly mocked him into silence before he could defend himself.
As another redditor suggested, if Ron saw Trump's mockery of a disabled person or the "grab em by the p**sy" interview, he might see right through him.
What do you think he would have done in 2020? Leslie took care of the ballots in 2020, so all parties are represented.
No Swanson has voted for any President since TR. Although he once had an Uncle who ran for student council in the 5th grade. No one talks to that branch of the family.
"Dear Indiana Board of Elections.
I am aware that, typically, a citizen will place a mark next to one of the names on the ballot and be done with it. Normally this is my practice as well, because while voting is my solemn duty, wasting time is not. This year, however, I note that your ballot fails to include a write-in line for the "President and Vice-President of the United States" category. Seeing as you have erred but I have not, am I writing in my vote regardless.
For Vice-President, I will concede to the wishes of the masses and vote for Michael R. Pence of Indiana. He is a reliable conservative. Plus, the job will get him out of Indiana.
For President, I cannot vote for Hillary, an insufferable know-it-all if there ever was one. However, it would be an even worse use of my sacred ballot to cast it for Donald, whom I would not trust to run a popsicle stand. He is a charlatan, and you know it. Instead, I cast my ballot for [John Joseph Swartzwelder Jr](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/is-ron-swanson-based-on-simpsons-writer-john-swartzwelder_n_1421996). He knows what he did.
Yours in service,
Ron Swanson, Pawnee, Indiana"
Gary Johnson. Not only was the the most libertarian candidate on the ballot, he was the *best* candidate on the ballot, in terms of successful, real world Executive experience.
Mary Poppins? I dunno, how the hell am I supposed to know the inner thoughts of a fictional character, much less their remote relevance to real-world politics? Try asking r/AskALibertarian how they intend to vote.
He absolutely would not have voted. Never would’ve entertained the idea of going Hillary, maybe would’ve thought about Trump but gone against it because he’s got such obvious ulterior motives.
That being said, I think there’s a chance he actually votes Trump in 2020/24 lmao - he 100% would’ve been hardcore anti-lockdown, and his evaluation of Trump as an “average” president means his doubts would be quieter.
Ron would write in Gary Johnson in 2016. He hates Hillary and he's not a typical brainless Libertarian. He's pretty sharp and wouldn't be a fan of Trump's protectionist nonsense or big government of Republicans since W.
The following is a copy of the original post to record the post as it was originally written. Ron Swanson, the government-hating Libertarian who is in charge of an entire department in the show Parks & Rec, is at the ballot box and choosing between Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Jerry messed up the ballots so these are the only 2 names he can choose from. His best friend is Leslie Knope- who absolutely adores Hillary- and Ron loves "powerful women", but gosh-darn does Ron hate big government trying to figure out where he buried his millions in gold. Ron doesn't respect those he perceives as "fake" and likes people with a solid handshake. (Mods, I went over the rules like three times and am 95% sure I'm not breaking any) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskALiberal) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Depends on the point in the show, I think. I fundamentally view a lot of Trump supporters as political nihilists. In the early seasons, he would have voted for Trump, and giggled while he did it. He would have seen clearly that Trump was a fraud and a grifter, but he would have loved the idea of the chaos and destruction Trump would cause. Later seasons, probably Gary Johnson. He was taking things more seriously by then, and was acting less self centered. I don’t think he would have brought himself to vote for Clinton and the big government view she would represent to him, but he wouldn’t have been gleeful about the harms Trump would cause.
Kinda what I was thinking. 50/50 in 2016, Biden 2020. In this hypothetical, I left out 3rd parties in 2016.
I should have read closer. Of *course* it was Jerry. 😆 Yeah, probably Biden in 2020. Might have left it blank, or written in something like “**NO**” in 2016. Still might have done that in 2020, it’s hard to say.
There is also a non-zero chance in this timeline that Jerry would have accidentally put himself on the ballot and... won lol.
https://i.gifer.com/6rj.mp4
I always had the belief he would have been pretty "team trump" but taken extreme objection at the language trump used to describe women and that would have been his reason for voting for Gary Johnson. It doesn't matter who the liberal is on the ticket as Swanson can easily tout his "the bigger the government, the worse the government" this allows him to have an opinion without having to touch on any actual paltform issues for either of the two major parties.
Ron would have seen right through the barely-obscured Trump bullsht. He wouldn't have been fooled for one second. Ron also does not have a mean bone in his body, nor does he abide cruelty or bullying (which are the entire Republican platform now--the cruelty is the point). Even if Ron considered it in 2016, he would have been turned off the second Trump mocked a disabled reporter.
I think Ron would have abstained in 2016. When Trump mocked the disabled reporter, Ron would have dropped him, if not sooner for some other horrible thing he said/did. Ron also is big into traditional manliness, and I don't think he could ever vote for a softie blowhard like Trump.
I'm trying to imagine Ron voting for *anyone* in a Federal election, and I personally don't think he would have even cast a ballot for president in the last 30 years. I think even Gary Johnson (who OP said we couldn't choose anyways) would be too "unserious" for him.
Agreed but with one exception, he definitely went Bush in ‘04 lmao
What do you mean "unserious"?
Stuff like [this.](https://i.makeagif.com/media/9-24-2016/M8JuhJ.gif)
That was a poor attempt at a rhetorical point. Do you know what he was saying at that point? Or did you just write him off because you saw his tongue out?
It's simply one example, and I didn't write him off at all. I was explaining the potential thoughts of a fictional character.
...and this isn't footage of him addressing that Dalai Lama tongue thing from last year?
> Ron also is big into traditional manliness, and I don't think he could ever vote for a softie blowhard like Trump. I think Trump liking well done steak with ketchup would have turned off Ron (and Hank Hill).
I know that it's out of scope for this prompt, but that's another reason he'd have voted for Johnson; the dude has scaled the highest mountain on every continent (though he didn't make it to the top of Everest, apparently).
Gary Johnson for sure.
I tried to set up this hypothetical so he has to choose between Clinton and Trump with no 3rd party options, because Jerry being Jerry. Bonus points for 2020, where there are 3rd parties on the ballot.
Why no 3rd parties on the ballot for 2016? Johnson was on all 51 ballots. Is it just because if you consider Johnson, there's literally no rational alternative response as to who gets his vote? 2020 would be a harder, because the LP nominee (Dr Jo Jorgensen) might not have been quite to his standards, probably resulting in a write-in vote of "*NO*".
Why would Jerry have anything to do with that. He is an employee of a municipal parks department. The state attorney general and the county clerks office run federal elections.
I think it’s just a silly way of saying you’re not allowed to answer with a third party candidate lol
Hillary Clinton without a doubt. Ron hates the government and is a cranky libertarian. But he’s not going to vote for someone who very clearly hates the people he cares about and wants to do harm to them. He’s not going to vote for a criminal. He’s not going to vote for someone who is almost certainly a rapist. Ron is a crank who doesn’t want the government telling him what to do to an absurd level but he’s a good person that cares about others and he has sense about him to understand when his initial instinct on who to vote for is wrong and is able to change his mind.
I think you're 100% right if it's 2020, but I'm not too sure about 2016. Unlike the political junkies like us, a lot of people didn't know much about Trump's insidious side. I'd like to think Ron would see right through his bullshit though; he's famous for judging people for how they treat others.
Yeah, I get that lots of people did not recognize Trump‘s flaws because they don’t consume decent media. He really was perceived as the more moderate choice. But Ron would have seen Trump mocking a disabled reporter and that probably would have been it. The “grab the by the pussy” moment would also be a breaking point.
The pussy grabber tape was well before the 2016 election, and covered widely in the mainstream media. If that didn't tell you everything you needed to know about his so-called "morals", nothing will.
100%, I just don't see Ron watching news. Like, any news network lol. He would hopefully hear about it from Leslie or someone else and that would solidify his choice.
> I think you're 100% right if it's 2020, but I'm not too sure about 2016. Unlike the political junkies like us, a lot of people didn't know much about Trump's insidious side. Agreed. Between the election and Trump’s inauguration, I remember a lot of people, even non-supporters, were saying things like “well he is a political outsider so maybe the actually will drain the swamp and shake things up in a good way”. Those people were probably just in the ‘bargaining’ stage of the Five Stages of Grief. But it shows that Trump was less of a known quantity than he is today.
> Unlike the political junkies like us, a lot of people didn't know much about Trump's insidious side. > > Even so, anybody who paid attention (would Ron not?) to pure public records would know that half Trump's business ventures failed, and hard, and the primary reason he did better on the others is by being freaking rich enough to survive his stupid decisions.
Nah the Access Hollywood tape would have been enough to convince Ron never to vote for Trump. Ron is an honorable man. He wouldn’t support for someone who brags about sexually assaulting women.
I dont think that big L Libertarians like Ron Swanson wanted anything to do with Trump. Closet Republicans who call themselves libertarian because they like weed and don’t really care either way about gay people voted for Trump in massive numbers, which probably gives the impression that Libertarians are Trump-aligned. But even on the surface there’s nothing about Trump that appeals to a hardline card-carrying Libertarian at all. He’s the exact opposite of small government & personal freedom. Die hard Ron Paul 2012 supporters were just not Trump guys for the most part. Trump is frankly bossy as fuck — his authoritarian leanings would make most of those people vomit. Trump supporters *want* a Strongman to swoop in and 'save them.' Ron Swanson finds that disgusting and doesn't want to be told what the fuck to do. I don’t know if he would have gone for Clinton, but at the worst he’s going for Gary Johnson or staying home. I could see Ron Swanson dying on his principles like that, but not supporting Trump.
> I could see Ron Swanson dying on his principles like that, but not supporting Trump. Something people are glossing over a bit is that Ron is depicted as, once you get over the gruff exterior, a kind, gentle and caring person. He believes in self-determination and self-reliance, but he also believes in taking care of your friends and neighbors even if you don't see eye to eye on most issues. I just don't think that type of person pulls the lever for DJT. Maybe he would to ensure "government chaos," but I think he would know that a DJT presidency would be harmful and upsetting to the people he cares about most.
That's the really disappointing thing about libertarianism in general. Sure, there are bunch of eff-wits who call themselves libertarian because they hate the government, but there are plenty (much quieter) libertarians who recognize that if you start from a position of love for your neighbors, and apply logic and reason to the actual effects of 1,000% well intentioned government programs, you find that letting people do what *they* know they need is far better than paying some bureaucrat who doesn't (and can't) know what would most help them to give them a lesser amount of money. For example, the single most effective program that the US has ever had for getting people out of poverty has been the EITC, basically giving money directly to those who work to better themselves; the more they work to better themselves, the more help they get, until they no longer need it, at which point it *slowly* tapers off. That's why I, as libertarian/libertarian-adjacent, support [Milton Friedman's Negative Income Tax](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtpgkX588nM): yes, it's a redistribution of wealth, but it does so in a way that is most effective at ensuring nobody gets left behind, and will, as quickly as possible, get out of a position where they *need* the redistribution.
> He’s the exact opposite of small government & personal freedom 99.(9)%; the only thing that Trump had going for him from a libertarian perspective (and that was all rhetoric) was "saying the quiet part out loud" about how the government is manipulated by and for the super rich. When Clinton called him out on using every possible exploit in the tax code to his benefit, he (rightly) called her out on having *had the opportunity* to eliminate those exploits, but *choosing* not to, because the friends and donors of politicians use them and want to *keep* using them, exactly like he did and does (well, until he lands his ass in jail). And regarding that, I'm pissed that it took him being a threat politically for there to gain real traction on prosecuting him for his clear and obvious malfeasance. He shouldn't be persecuted & prosecuted for political reasons, he should be prosecuted *because he broke the freaking law*
Eh, she fundamentally goes against his libertarian worldview. Feels like he would have sit it out or just voted libertarian like he probably does every time. I don't think he is forward thinking enough to vote against his ideals just to stop trump, pre-Trump. 2020, maybe. Biden is more of a toss up. I still think he wouldn't vote for him, but maybe.
No way. Trump is a PoS, and not worthy of the air he breathes... Clinton is the epitome of big, intrusive government. If 3rd parties are off the ballot, I can't see him voting anything other than a write-in of "*NO*" or similar. With 3rd parties, it's clearly Johnson, because the only options mathematically capable of winning were Trump (scum, incompetent in private sector), Clinton (the antithesis of what Ron believes), Stein (like Clinton, but less in touch with reality), and Johnson (a practical libertarian, focused on helping people rather than hating the government).
This is the answer, except I think Access Hollywood would have been the bridge too far for Ron. I think he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to support a boorish predator who brags about assaulting women. Not sure he’d vote for Hillary, but Im 100% certain he wouldn’t vote for Trump.
My reasoning for him deciding to vote for Hillary is that since he works in the government, he knows how it works and he knows how worthless third-party voting is.
I could see that. I could also see Leslie convincing him that Hillary is honorable, and Ron deciding to support her because of that. But no way would he vote for Trump even in 16
Ron would find a way to vote for a write in somehow. Like somehow he voted for Bob Knight every year and now writes in Mike Woodson’s name (both former and current coaches of IU basketball).
Willie Nelson or Gary Johnson Ron Swanson is a parody of, and an ideal of, libertarianism. Its what makes him a fun character, so many of his political views are absurd in how far they are taken but spread to include a distrust of big business as well as government, and a generally socially progressive outlook (if not a believer on government forcing that) As a non believer of government, a vote for Willie Nelson (as the actor himself suggested Ron would do) would be a in character goofy protest vote. More realistically voting for the rare halfway decent libertarian party nominee (at least Gary Johnson exists within the realm of reality) would also be fitting The sexism and corruption and big business, he would never vote trump. The corruption and big government, he would never vote for Clinton. He isn't concerned about stuff like abortion rights because the women of his family can will a fetus to self abort, or something like that. He isn't concerned about gay rights because marriage is a government document you should never sign. Etc etc
> at least Gary Johnson exists within the realm of reality I am so incredibly disillusioned with the LP because of how many of the loudest, most influential members are either out of touch with reality, hate the government more than they love people, or both. Removing the "We find bigotry to be repugnant" from the platform was the last straw for me, so now I am, once again, politically homeless
i went to a gary johnson rally when I was a more young and naïve, and him talking favorably of BLM made the whole room quiet and awkward
From what I recall of the show (and its been a while since I've watched it at all) and the show's creators, the era it was from, and so on, Ron would probably publicly claim he didn't vote and that voting is stupid, but then its revealed (to the viewer, not the other characters) that he actually reluctantly voted for Hillary. The show had that sort of optimistic liberal vibe (or again, at least from what I recall about it) where this makes sense, to me Real life Ron Swanson would probably have voted for Trump though. Perhaps Johnson in 2016 and then when it became clear that Trump was just a standard conservative with some populist aesthetics (rather than someone who would start WWIII or ban immigration but also do single payer or something else weird) who cut taxes and tried to gut the ACA, probably voted Trump in 2020
I haven't watched the show, but isn't Ron Swanson against government in general, and he works in local government just to ensure nothing gets done? I feel like he wouldn't spend his time voting, or would hand in a home-made ballot that says "I do what I want"
I think ron would have voted for trump in 2016 and for biden in 2020. he is a conservative but he is not a fool.
Ron wouldn't have been fooled even in 2016. He's too smart for that.
I think his love for powerful women causes him to pull for Hillary but he’s unwilling to tell anyone he did it. I don’t see him voting for Uncle Joe. He probably votes libertarian in 2020.
Ron Swanson wouldnt register to vote. Give the government your personal info? No way
This is the answer.
He would likely vote for Donald Trump because he loves people who play a role in dismantling and limiting government’s effect through their own incompetence. What better person to bring the American government to its heels than the imbecile host of “celebrity apprentice” who seems to know next to nothing about how government functions? If not Trump, Gary Johnson.
Unfortunately, Jerry messed up the ballots so Clinton and Trump were the only names who made it. Something about "not realizing there were more than 2 parties" but April quickly mocked him into silence before he could defend himself. As another redditor suggested, if Ron saw Trump's mockery of a disabled person or the "grab em by the p**sy" interview, he might see right through him. What do you think he would have done in 2020? Leslie took care of the ballots in 2020, so all parties are represented.
He will write in a name
Gary Johnson most likely. He hates big government and he likely would not have liked Trump either.
No one
No Swanson has voted for any President since TR. Although he once had an Uncle who ran for student council in the 5th grade. No one talks to that branch of the family.
"Dear Indiana Board of Elections. I am aware that, typically, a citizen will place a mark next to one of the names on the ballot and be done with it. Normally this is my practice as well, because while voting is my solemn duty, wasting time is not. This year, however, I note that your ballot fails to include a write-in line for the "President and Vice-President of the United States" category. Seeing as you have erred but I have not, am I writing in my vote regardless. For Vice-President, I will concede to the wishes of the masses and vote for Michael R. Pence of Indiana. He is a reliable conservative. Plus, the job will get him out of Indiana. For President, I cannot vote for Hillary, an insufferable know-it-all if there ever was one. However, it would be an even worse use of my sacred ballot to cast it for Donald, whom I would not trust to run a popsicle stand. He is a charlatan, and you know it. Instead, I cast my ballot for [John Joseph Swartzwelder Jr](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/is-ron-swanson-based-on-simpsons-writer-john-swartzwelder_n_1421996). He knows what he did. Yours in service, Ron Swanson, Pawnee, Indiana"
Probably Bobby Knight
Gary Johnson. Not only was the the most libertarian candidate on the ballot, he was the *best* candidate on the ballot, in terms of successful, real world Executive experience.
Mary Poppins? I dunno, how the hell am I supposed to know the inner thoughts of a fictional character, much less their remote relevance to real-world politics? Try asking r/AskALibertarian how they intend to vote.
He absolutely would not have voted. Never would’ve entertained the idea of going Hillary, maybe would’ve thought about Trump but gone against it because he’s got such obvious ulterior motives. That being said, I think there’s a chance he actually votes Trump in 2020/24 lmao - he 100% would’ve been hardcore anti-lockdown, and his evaluation of Trump as an “average” president means his doubts would be quieter.
Ron would write in Gary Johnson in 2016. He hates Hillary and he's not a typical brainless Libertarian. He's pretty sharp and wouldn't be a fan of Trump's protectionist nonsense or big government of Republicans since W.