Detroit businessman Perry Johnson ran for Michigan governor in 2022, and after failing, he announced he would run for president in 2024, or possibly U.S. Senate that same year. Johnson's first go at the campaign begins Sunday during the Super Bowl on Iowa airwaves, when he will air a commercial attacking both sides of the aisle for spending too much money.
“I will be visiting Iowa in the next week, opening an office and planning for my Iowa bus tour and formal announcement for President of the United States in the months ahead,” Johnson said in a statement, according to Michigan Live.
But on Sunday, the ad was uploaded to YouTube showing federal lawmakers blown up like balloons. Ironically, it was uploaded about the time that the air space above Lake Michigan was closed as the military tried to shoot down another foreign object in the sky. Ultimately, the object landed in Lake Huron.
Johnson, a Republican, wasn't talking about the balloon, however, he was talking about "fat, bloated government choking us with inflation."
"A bit of Econ 101 here," a TIME analysis said. "Inflation is a supply-and-demand problem that happens when there is too much money chasing too few goods. But the reason for that phenomenon can be hard to pinpoint, and is usually due to the interplay of multiple factors.
The ad promotes his book claiming to cut the budget 2 percent annually. That would mean cutting the budget by 10 percent over five years and 20 percent over 10 years. To put that in context, between 62 percent and 65 percent of the US budget goes to mandatory spending. That leaves about 35 to 40 percent left that would apply to the Johnson cuts. Of the 2021 discretionary spending, just a little under half of that went to defense spending. So, Johnson is talking about either cutting defense spending or he's talking about cutting every other service the U.S. provides. Taken to the extreme, it would ultimately eliminate all services other than the military over time.
Johnson is little-known outside of Michigan and his bid for president is a decided long-shot. Former President Donald Trump has already officially declared his 2024 president bid, although several other Republicans are expected to announce their presidential intentions by spring.
See the video from Johnson below or at the link here:
Perry Johnson: Two Cent Dietwww.youtube.com
