It's pretty much meaningless, but official. Former New Mexico governor and former GOP presidential candidate Gary Johnson became the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee yesterday, later telling BuzzFeed:
I believe the majority of Americans could care less about whether or not there is a gay individual working in the Romney campaign. It speaks volumes to the intolerance that continues to be present [among activists] in the Republican Party. That intolerance is why the world vilifies Republicans.... There is a certain Republican dogma I just cannot defend. Homophobia is one of those issues.
Johnson's is clearly the more virtuous voice of ideological libertarianism--St. Augustine-like, his defection from the grimly depraved GOP may have been belated, but come it did--while the squalid cult of personality, struggling dynastic urges and a sadistic kind of bootless burrowing from within seem to motivate Ron Paul. While Johnson is now free to concentrate exclusively on the evangelism of libertarian ideas, Paul is engaged in a sordid scramble for Iowa delegates to Mitt's wholly orchestrated Tampa soiree.
Rep. Paul couldn't swing a dead elephant without crashing into Johnson's new and improved libertarianism--Now without Republican preservatives!--yet the former's merry little band of ideological purists will most likely remain fanatically faithful to the impure Paul, which does indeed testify to the power of cultism.
I assume Paul believes that the son, at least, will someday reshape the GOP in the father's image. The father's followers must also believe that; so, they stay. But if an apocalyptic GOP resurrection comes, either the Establishment will brutally reclaim its lost territory or the tea partying types will permanently plant their flag of Palinesque obscurantism: the point being, both would leave Paul and Johnson's libertarian brand of militant anti-militarism behind.
Hence those who would follow Paul, or do follow Paul, would be better served by following Johnson--who has already, officially quit the "Republican dogma" in its present and any future form.