Dear Governors Johnson and Weld,
Let me introduce myself. I'm a liberal Democrat, active and volunteering in Democratic politics since 1967, when I was strongly opposed to the Vietnam War and went Clean for Gene.
I was an enthusiastic supporter of Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton in 2008 for the same reason: I don't like Democratic warmongers.
The fact is both major party presidential candidates have sky-high negatives, and for excellent reason. The two big parties have given us a choice between a dangerous pro-war grifter and a dangerous, ignorant and bigoted fascist demagogue.
It not only would be nice if you won; in fact, it's a patriotic necessity that you win.
And that won't happen at the moment, for a very simple and brutal fact.
Governor Johnson, I'm sure you're a well-intentioned and sincere person, and I know you were a good governor; but the American people are not ready to accept and elect someone with your record and positions on drug issues. Fairly or not, it ain't happening.
On the other hand, Governor Weld, you also were a highly credible moderate and centrist governor of Massachusetts, and you suffer from NONE of the negatives with which Governor Johnson is unfortunately burdened. Moreover, day after day, we hear from credible people like Susan Collins and Mitt Romney that they would be more than prepared not only to support you, but to throw their weight behind you, if you were to assume the number one slot on the ticket.
And I'm sure I speak for a lot of Democrats when I say that you would have an ability to appeal to us which few other non-Democrats would have. You have a realistic anti-interventionist view of foreign policy. You are socially enlightened (for example, you have an excellent record on LGBT rights). And yet you are clear-eyed about some of the fiscal challenges which the Dems refuse to face, such as the looming problems with Social Security and Medicare.
I can assure you that if you two were to swap places on the ticket, I would support you, and I believe millions would as well. It would change this election, and save us from the monumental, epic, catastrophic fail that are our two major party presidential nominees this year.
Much can be said, and probably will be said, in coming years about how the two major parties managed to so completely screw up the presidential nominating process to produce two such jerks.
But that's for another time and place. Today is the time to do everything we can to make sure neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump ever set foot in the White House.
And the only way that will happen is if you bite the bullet, put aside ego for country, do the right thing, and run the best man for president. I'm sure you know, in your heart of hearts, that what I'm saying is right. So please, do the right thing, and save this country from these two dangerous creeps. You will have earned the eternal gratitude of myself and everyone else in this country who is appalled at the absurd choices the Donkeys and Elephants have given us and horrified at the idea of either of them becoming our country's CEO.
Please do this; America needs you to do this. Every patriotic citizen in this country needs you to do this. This is an unacceptable situation, and it lies within your power to fix it. This is your duty; you need to recognize it as such.
Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Charles H. Riggs, III