By: Elias J. Atienza

The Libertarian Party was supposed to win big. With the two most unpopular candidates in modern American politics, the ticket of two experienced governors, backed up by the only third party on the ballot in all fifty states, the LP had a chance to win through the Electoral College.

But instead, with the “What is Aleppo” gaffe which doomed Gary Johnson and Bill Weld campaigning for Hillary Clinton on the Rachel Maddow Show, the Libertarian Party has gone from being 13 percent in the polls just two months ago to claiming just 3 percent of the vote.

It went wrong back in May at the Libertarian Party National Convention when the party gave into the pressure and nominated Bill Weld at Gary Johnson’s insistence. Weld, who had formally joined the party just two weeks prior, while the others had been campaigning for months, was a complete surprise. Why would this guy, who had bailed on the LP in 2006, join the party now?

But the delegates decided to give Weld the benefit of the doubt and 50.6 percent of them abided by Johnson’s wishes and nominated him. After all, he had experience. It didn’t matter about Weld’s record. His support for some of the stringiest gun control measures when he was Governor of Massachusetts. His support for eminent domain for the Atlantic Yard land-grab or his support for the Iraq War. All it mattered was what he supported now.

But as the months trickled by, we saw flashes of what Weld really was. He wanted justices like Stephen Breyer and Merrick Garland, the same Breyer who joined the anti-libertarian decision in Kelo v. City of New London and dissented against the gun rights case in D.C v. Heller. Johnson himself repudiated Weld in an interview with Townhall’s Guy Benson.

Or when he said that rifles were instruments of mass destruction with an interview with Revolt TV. Not only did he equate AR-15s with WMDs, he also supported so-called “no-fly, no-buy” which would strip people of their 2nd Amendment rights if they were on a government watch list. Libertarians watch with horror as he made these stupid and ignorant anti-gun remarks, which lead to Weld trying to correct the perception with an op-ed in RedState, where he supported the 2nd Amendment.

Weld has actively sought after justices who are against the 2nd Amendment, which is not a platform of the Libertarian Party and displayed ignorance about guns despite being a “lifelong gun owner and hunter.” It is quite embarrassing to see him being one of the libertarian standard bearers.

But the most egregious crime Bill Weld has committed is that he has been nothing but a Clinton apologist for the past few months. Time and time again when given the attempt to criticize her or differentiate his ticket against Clinton’s he has failed to defend the Libertarian Party and presidential nominee.

In the CNN Town Hall in June, Johnson and Weld called her a “wonderful public servant” and an “old friend.” While Johnson does reserve some blame for the Clinton praise, but he has since corrected himself. He has not praised Clinton at all since the CNN Town Hall and always makes sure to criticize her ticket.

Weld has not learned his lesson.

In September, Bill Weld called her the most qualified candidate for president. Not his own presidential nominee, Johnson, but his opponent. The woman who voted for the Iraq War as a Senator, presided over the Libya War as Secretary of State, and believes Mosul is on the border with Syria. The same woman who is under FBI investigation is the most qualified candidate.

But the one of the biggest alarms came when he said he was going to be campaigning against Trump exclusively. Now there is a a lot of wrong with Trump, his very anti-libertarian stances on trade, immigration, spending, constitutional rights notwithstanding, but announcing that you would attack Trump –and just Trump- without hitting Hillary Clinton is one of the stupidest things you can possibly do.

Weld, as a vice presidential nominee, has the responsibility of campaigning against both candidates, not just the one you hate the most.

Then came his statement against Trump just last week. Many media outlets took his words as an endorsement of Clinton. Nowhere did it say anything about Clinton, but somehow they thought he was for Clinton. I defended him against the media and believed him when he complained the media was twisting his words.

But then came the Rachel Maddow Show. It wasn’t enough he was going on an apology tour for Clinton’s email scandals and Comey’s letter to Congress. No, he had to go there to “vouch for Hillary Clinton.” Instead of actively campaigning for his own ticket, he went on national television as a Clinton surrogate.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, he couldn’t even answer Maddow’s question on whether Johnson would make a better commander in chief than Clinton, instead merely calling him “good.” He is the vice presidential nominee of the third largest party in the United States and he doesn’t even stick up for his own candidate? How idiotic and stupid is that? Weld sabotaged his own party’s chances during the general.

Bill Weld should be sent packing from the Libertarian Party. He has shown himself to be ignorant in libertarian beliefs. He has shown himself to not be a reliable voice for libertarianism or the libertarian movement.

Johnson has his own faults, especially with “What is Aleppo” but at least he’s an honest guy who knows what he believes in. He stood with the Libertarian Party and got them their highest vote share ever. At the end of the day, most libertarians know he is a libertarian and will stick with us.

Weld has done none of that. He is nothing. He was a mistake to nominate.

I voted for Johnson to spite Weld.

Kennedy said it best when Johnson appeared on Kennedy last week.

“I appreciate you. I like you. I believe in you. But please keep Bill Weld away from the Libertarian Party.”