Vice Presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party, Jeremy “Spike” Cohen, visited Berks County this past weekend. He stopped in downtown Reading on Saturday, and had planned to speak in Sinking Spring on Sunday, but the event was canceled due to weather.
In a phone interview with Cohen on Sunday, he explained his background and why he is running with a third party. Cohen has, “over 20 years of experience in leadership and communications” since starting a web design company in 1999. In 2017, he decided to retire to “focus full time on libertarian messaging” through entertainment and currently hosts two podcasts and co-owns Muddied Waters Media.
In early 2020, Cohen was chosen as the Libertarian Party’s Vice Presidential candidate, alongside Presidential candidate, Dr. Jo Jorgensen. This was based on his abilities to “reach the public,” who may not hear libertarian ideas in mainstream politics.
When asked what the Libertarian Party stands for, Cohen said it, “recognizes that the power needs to be taken away from … politicians … and put back into the hands of the American people, where it has always belonged.”
Cohen iterated the Libertarian Party has historically stood to, “end the wars, bring the troops home … end the war on drugs … and get the government out of healthcare and education…”
Specifically, regarding 2020 and the upcoming presidential election, Cohen asserted that we are in an “unprecedented pandemic” with “lost time because of bad government policy.” He believes it is necessary to “get rid of those bad policies” so that people “can thrive and prosper.”
In conclusion, Cohen was asked how he felt about Pennsylvania requiring all third parties to have 5,000 in person signatures in order to be on the ballot. Cohen argued that Republicans and Democrats believe, “third parties should have no real ability to contest what they’re doing.” But Cohen posited, “the American people [should] have more than the same two terrible choices … every election.”
Dr. Jo Jorgensen will be in Harrisburg on Monday, August 3.
