Who is John McAfee?

Is John McAfee serious about running for President? Based on his history, that answer is yes. Like a small handful of other eccentric multi-millionaires, he has spent his life turning seemingly crazy ideas into reality. Some of those misadventures however have landed him in legal and criminal trouble. And at one time, he was a fugitive on the run and a ‘person of interest’ in his neighbor’s murder investigation.

A lengthy and detailed biography of John McAfee by The Guardian in 2012 may be one of the best sources for anyone wanting a crash course in who he really is. The account explains that McAfee was born in England but raised in Virginia where he and his mother were routinely beaten and abused by his alcoholic father. John turned to alcohol and drugs himself and was kicked out of the University of Louisiana for having sex with one of his undergraduates. It would be a recurring theme throughout his life.

McAfee went on to be a star employee at a handful of tech companies at the start of the tech era. Once he was fired for buying marijuana while on the job and another reportedly fired him for selling cocaine to fellow employees. After a string of incidents like those, he lost his wife, his home and nearly everything else. It is at that point he says he sobered up.

The new John McAfee

In the late 80’s, John McAfee lost nearly everything but hadn’t given up. He started a small business out of his home that stumbled on the next must-have software app. When computer viruses first originated, there were no anti-virus programs to protect uses. McAfee and his handful of home-based employees developed a program to block viruses for their own computers. By 1990, he was licensing that program to corporations around the world and collecting $5 million per year for it. By 1994, McAfee and his anti-virus software company were valued at $500 million. Intel eventually bought McAfee’s company for $7 billion.

For the next two decades, John McAfee and his second wife lived the lives of adventure, experimentation and nature from their home in the Colorado Rockies. Four years ago, The Guardian report explains, McAfee inexplicably began selling all his US properties. He eventually moved to the Central American country of Belize and took all his assets with him. He reportedly feared losing everything to government taxes and frivolous lawsuits in the US.

Playboy, entrepreneur, freedom fighter

McAfee went on to fight local battles against drug cartels and criminal gangs in an attempt to clean up his new Central American home. He even built a police station and attempted to arm the populace so they could fight back themselves. At the same time, John became legendary for his exploits at the local bars and clubs, especially for his conquests of local women which reportedly included at least one underage girl.

For arming the populace and standing up to corrupt government officials and the criminal organizations controlling them, the Belize government raided his property suspecting him of starting his own armed militia. About that time, John McAfee’s neighbor was shot and killed and the authorities named the multi-millionaire as a person of interest. Fearing the establishment had him in their sights once again, he returned to the US and declared his candidacy for President.

John McAfee for President

John McAfee is a small-government libertarian at heart. He promises that if elected President, he will release all prisoners convicted of marijuana crimes from jail. On foreign policy, the candidate says the US can’t be the world’s policeman any longer and must only use its foreign influence to protect American interests. On immigration, McAfee supports open borders with a legitimate system of documentation, education and assimilation.

If there’s one issue where the candidate differs from the Libertarian Party, it’s McAfee’s employment platform. If elected, he intends to create a massive national public works program to create jobs and repair the country’s infrastructure. After that, McAfee says he will create a similar program to build and upgrade America’s technology infrastructure.

Libertarians react

It’s too soon to gage the reaction of rank and file Libertarians to the addition of their newest member and his announcement to run for President. But a quick, informal poll of local Libertarians found a receptive and welcoming audience. Some cited John McAfee’s name recognition while others pointed to his personal fortune.

But all the Libertarian Party members we spoke to agreed on one thing – the addition of John McAfee to the LP’s Presidential Primary should make it a more exciting, competitive and press-worthy campaign. And new ideas, new faces and spirited competition are always welcome in the Libertarian Party. Tens of millions of dollars in free media coverage doesn’t hurt either.

For more information, visit John McAfee’s campaign website or the Libertarian Party website. Check out all the Presidential candidates from all 13 opposition parties at the Opposition News Candidates Page.

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