Willie Nelson's Tea Pot Party has endorsed Gary Johnson for President
Karl Dickey
West Palm Beach Libertarian Examiner
American music legend Willie Nelson met with former New Mexico Governor and current Presidential candidate Gary Johnson last year after a concert in Texas. The result of that historic meeting is the endorsement of Johnson by Willie Nelson’s Tea Pot Party. There was some initial confusion Nelson had retracted the endorsement in favor of Dennis Kucinich, however Kucinich is not running and as seen here on their website, the Tea Pot Party is fully endorsing the Libertarian candidate.
“I am truly gratified to have the endorsement of such an iconic entertainer, philanthropist, innovator and champion for individual rights as Willie Nelson,” Johnson says, accepting the endorsement. “Not only is he a superstar talent, he is a bold advocate for social change. Americans are demanding the freedom and opportunity to pursue their dreams without interference from a heavy-handed government, and Willie Nelson lends a tremendous voice to those demands.”
Johnson served two terms as governor of New Mexico (1995-2002) and is now the Libertarian Party's Presidential nominee. As Governor, he called for legalizing marijuana. Ending cannabis prohibition has been one of his core issues ever since.
Prior to his Presidential campaign, Johnson traveled for over a year speaking out about the issues of the day as the Honorary Chairman of the Our America Initiative, a non-profit political advocacy committee. Johnson regularly speaks at NORML Conferences and marijuana-reform events around the country.
This is the first presidential endorsement for The Teapot Party, which was founded in November, 2010 after Nelson was arrested for marijuana possession in Texas. “The purpose of the Teapot Party,” Nelson explains, “is to vote in people who believe the way we do and vote out the ones who don’t.”
Marijuana legalization is the central belief of The Teapot Party. The political effort is fast growing, with a Facebook page boasting more than 103,000 active members.
As Willie Nelson said, “”Tax it, regulate it, legalize it. And stop the border wars over drugs.”
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