Sanders Jett-Folk | United States

72-year-old cybersecurity legend John McAfee started off his new year with a barrage of posts on Twitter, covering topics such as the Bitcoin bear market, Pacific Islanders’ having intercourse with whales, and, yes, a 2020 Presidential campaign. However, this time around, McAfee’s campaign, in which he is running for the Libertarian nomination, comes with one odd circumstance; he does not want anyone to vote for him.

So, Why Is John McAfee Running?

McAfee’s Presidential campaign platform, according to his campaign website, is based on one sole idea: “…How do we free ourselves from a government that no longer serves us, but instead has become our master – controlling our every action, down to the detail of what we may or may not put into our bodies and minds.” His platform consists only of four brief paragraphs. They state that we cannot solve issues like immigration, education and foreign affairs until the people are free. He infers that because our government hides information from us, we do not know the true state of national issues. On the contrary, we only will be able to know when the size and scope of government are much smaller.

Despite this plea for freedom, his campaign slogan is simply “Don’t Vote McAfee”. In another tweet, McAfee stated that he plans to use his platform to promote personal freedom and cryptocurrency. However, he does “not want the job.”

Helping the Campaign

His campaign website also gives examples of how supporters can help his campaign. For example, interested people can volunteer, contact media outlets, form a Political Action Committee (PAC) and donate money. He moreover encourages supporters to spread the word via social media, calling it the “single most consulted data source for determining audience size and engagement in our modern world”. To show the power of social media, he started a meme contest. he personally pledged to give the creator of the best McAfee 2020 meme one Bitcoin.

McAfee’s campaign has already hit a roadblock in its first few weeks. He, along with his wife Janice and four campaign staffers, has been charged with an “unspecified” felony regarding his use of cryptocurrencies. In a video he posted Tuesday on Twitter, he stated that he is running his campaign “in exile” from a boat.

Not His First Rodeo

John McAfee previously ran a powerhouse campaign for the Libertarian nomination in the 2016 election. Initially, he had announced his candidacy under the banner of his own Cyber Party.

McAfee gained notoriety among Libertarians, not only for his strict philosophies of personal freedom and limited-as-possible government but also his bold speaking. For example, in a Google Hangouts debate, fellow candidate Austin Petersen attacked McAfee for being a “former drug dealer”. McAfee doubled down, encouraging Petersen to take a hit of acid, telling him it would “change your life.”

McAfee also made waves in the Libertarian Party by refusing to endorse the party’s nominee, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. He expressed his disdain with Johnson’s supposed willingness to compromise on issues such as gun control. Overall, McAfee labeled Johnson as “Libertarian in name only.”

In the end, John McAfee received the second-highest percentage of the vote in the party’s six primary elections. At the Libertarian National Convention, he placed third with 14.1% of the delegates.

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