2012 Republican Hopeful Gary Johnson Takes On His Party’s ‘Cardboard Cutouts’

ABC News’ Teddy Davis and Matt Loffman report: Gary Johnson, the former Republican governor of New Mexico who is eyeing a 2012 run for president,  swung by ABC News’ Washington bureau on Tuesday.

As someone who is operating a 501(c)(4) political advocacy committee, he is technically not permitted to discuss a run for federal office.

But he is already testing the themes that we might hear when the Republican presidential debates get underway.

“All the other candidates– all the other suspects …  if you put a piece of cardboard over their caricature and did some voiceover on what it is they were saying, they would all sound alike,” said Johnson.

So how does Johnson, who was recently in New Hampshire and is headed back soon, differ from the mainline Republican candidates who are weighing a presidential run?

He wants all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan. He thinks the U.S. should never have gone into Iraq. And he thinks it’s time for the U.S. to begin treating marijuana the same way it does tobacco and alcohol. 

While there is substantial overlap on national security and drug policy between himself and Rep. Ron Paul, the Texas congressman whom he backed for president in 2008, Johnson said there are also several areas in which the two Libertarian-leaning Republicans differ.

In particular, he cited abortion, immigration, and the Federal Reserve.

While Paul believes life begins at conception, Johnson thinks pre-viability abortion decisions are best left to the individuals involved. While Paul is an amnesty foe, Johnson thinks that illegal immigrants should be allowed to pay taxes and help shoulder the social costs of their presence in the United States. And when it comes to monetary policy, Johnson is calling for the Federal Reserve Bank to be scrutinized and audited. He is not, however, joining Paul in calling for it to be abolished.

One area where Johnson could find common cause with conservatives is on the issue of spending: during his eight years as governor from 1994-2002, Johnson held down spending by vetoing 750 bills — more than all the vetoes of the other 49 governors combined. Conservatives might also like his stance on taxes: similar to Steve Forbes, the Republican he backed for president in 2000, Johnson would like the U.S. to adopt a flat tax.

Citing a Monday story in USA Today which reported that a rash of retirements in 2009 is pushing Social Security to the brink, Johnson, a 57-year old marathon runner who has scaled Mt. Everest, said the retirement age needs to be raised perhaps to 70 or 72.

“This is the reality, we’re broke,” said Johnson.  “We’re broke.”