Bob Barr To Run As Libertarian
I guess the rumors are true.
This is good news for Ron Paul fans and Democrats.
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I guess the rumors are true.
This is good news for Ron Paul fans and Democrats.
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.
Oh please, please… let it be so
George Will talked about this, too.
I think that Paul has a Libertarian Party convention to get through and I wonder how much credibility he would have with that group. Barr voted pretty solidly with the conservatives for the Patriot Act and the DMA and other stuff that is typically anathema to Libertarians. Besides, Barr has had something of an ax to grind since he was pretty much redistricted out of his seat.
He must beware the GRAVELANCHE!
I wonder if he’ll be eating any homemade cheese on his tour through the states?
I had no idea what Mike was talking about until I googled “Bob Barr & Cheese”
On the Washington, D.C., leg of his trip, Borat does corral a few unwary dignitaries for Ali G.-type teasing. With forced gentility, former Congressman Bob Barr listens to Borat’s generous offer of homemade cheese — his wife “makes it from milk from her tit.”
Not in my Party Bob. At least, that is what Steve and I said after reviewing his voting record.
This is a comment I found on a post and should explain it all:
As a former Mike Huckabee supporter, Bob Barr has my support. I’m adding you to my blogroll for Barr.
Keep up the good work.
http://www.ktracy.com
I cannot express this clear enough…NOT IN MY PARTY BOB.
Brian, does Barr have any real chance at becoming the LP candidate or is he being seen as an interloper or dilettante?
Nah I do not think he has any real chance….
Sorry to disagree with Brian, but Barr is pulling a lot of support from people (a) seduced by running a candidate with relatively high name recognition and (b) who mistake Barr for Ron Paul. I don’t think he will succeed in getting the nomination, but he has gotten a number of influential people at the convention on his team, like Stephen Gordon, the chair of the Alabama LP, who also publishes Third Party Watch blog.
So we’ll have to see. It would be a long-term disaster for the party, but that doesn’t always stop people. . . .
Steve –
Thanks for that comment. I was thinkign that Barr’s name recognition could be a big factor.
Obviously the Libertarians would have liked Ron Paul – but Barr gets them in the door with the national media.
I agree with Steve, it would be a long term disaster for the party. There are candidates like Mary Ruwart out there who are truly good libertarian candidates and I would rather see Ron Paul or even Mike Gravel. With Barr you can see the party of principle become just another party.
The problem, Jason, with Barr and name recognition is that it’s kind of like being a Democrat back in 1972 and contemplating George Wallace over George McGovern because Wallace had superior name recognition. In both cases the Dems were going to lose the election, but one of them would have taken the party down with him.
Barr as a Libertarian has a lifelong history of big government votes (including being an architect of the Patriot Act no matter how he now equivocates) and being the architect of the Defense of Marriage Act.
If the Libertarian Party is going to compete as anything but a rump (yeah, smitty, I said rump, and then lickspittle) conservative party it has to have the gay vote and it has to stand for equal protection under the law for ALL American citizens.
Nominating Barr says we’re willing to become sluts for a few more votes. If Barr belongs in any Third Party it’s the Constitution Party, but he won’t go there. Two words account for Barr and Gravel: ballot access.
The Libertarian Party is the only party outside the Dems and GOPers that has ballot access in 48+ states (I actually think it’s everywhere but Oklahoma, but I haven’t checked lately).
The Greens are right around 40, and nobody else is even close.
I truly believe that what Barr wants to do is run a national campaign and use that in the upcoming years to improve what he can charge for media appearances (“let’s ask former Congressman and Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate Bob Barr for some thoughts on that”).