Posted on 05/12/2008 10:54:49 AM PDT by Dawnsblood
Many readers have e-mailed asking what I think of former Ga. Rep. Bob Barr’s presidential candidacy (he’s making an official announcement for the Libertarian Party nomination at 11am this morning).
Two words: Not much.
On immigration, he’s virtually indistinguishable from all the other remaining presidential candidates.
On homeland security, he’s joined with what Heather Mac Donald calls the “privocrats” in whipping up unfounded hysteria about intelligence-gathering efforts in a post-9/11 world.
On Iraq, he’s what Allahpundit calls the “poor man’s Ron Paul.”
And doesn’t the ACLU, for which Barr consults, already have enough candidates in the race?
(Excerpt) Read more at michellemalkin.com ...
Skimming from the dimocrats or from the GOP?
Another disappointing conservative.
I suppose some big government conservatives might be “disappointed” by a conservative who actually favors small government and civil liberties across the board.
I think Bob Barr got a little taste of power during the Clinton impeachment and he kind of snapped and started suffering delusions of grandeur. If he was still a Republican Congressman fighting the good fight in the long war then I would still like him. Now that he has decided he is too important to play on a team I have little use for the man. He had opportunities others dream of to make a difference but that wasn’t enough for Bob Barr.
Hmmm? Ross Perot reincarnate?
Wasn’t he the guy involved in a boob-licking episode?
bookmark
To discourage this sort of idiocy the election commission should require a $50 million deposit from each candidate refundable only if they receive 20% or more of the popular vote.
GOD BLESS YOU MICHELLE~!!!!!!!!!!!
are you kidding me?
and exactly how is THAT a conservative idea?
If anyone has Bob Barr’s ear, please let him know that there are several things a third party candidate has to do to be successful.
1) If you run for yourself and your platform, you will lose, for even if you win, you would have no supporters in government. For this reason, your most important platform to run with is getting other members of your party elected. Your greatest victory will be in getting members of your party on ballots all over the country.
2) The way to get your parties candidates elected is for them all to be on the same sheet of music. That is, by far the most successful national campaign in living memory was done with the Contract With America. In this way, your parties message gets out to every American. In your case, every American will know your party platform, because it is simple and clear. It is truly issue driven.
3) What you have on your Contract With America is also easy to figure out. List all your campaign platform items in a long list, then poll Americans as to what their top 10 favorite items are. You don’t have to compromise your beliefs even a tiny bit, you just emphasize those, that the public want and you want, as your platform.
4) Your promise to the public is, if elected, to give them what you and *they* want as well. And you stay on message. Of course the other parties and the press will want to talk about other things, but you don’t. You harp on those 10, simple, easy to understand platform items. The public will love that.
5) You will still probably not win in this election, but the next election, and the election after that, you will get more and more national elected officials. It will build momentum, until your party can give your the bottom up support you need to gain the presidency.
He doesn’t have Perot’s money, he won’t get anywhere near his number of votes and he might not even get the nomination.
Barr will do about as well as every other candidate the Libertarians have fielded for President - he’ll wind up with between 0.25-0.50% of the vote and have made absolutely no perceptable impact on the race.
50 million deposit and 20% of the popular vote? Perot didn’t even get 20 in his first run. With a rule like that we are most certain doomed to have two party rule forever.
I will be very surprised if the Libertarians nominate him . They know they will not win , this time anyway , and have no reason to nominate anyone who is not a true believer in their platform .
History repeats itself with different players...
Exactly, Barr isn’t necessarily the most likable guy either. I must also say if find it quite amusing that Gravel and Barr are jumping in late trying to get the parties nomination, sucking the air out of the campaign of Wayne Allyn Root and others who have been trying to get it for some time. Further more is even more funny that party would rather have Ron Paul as their nominee over all the other people running anyway and is trying to draft him.
Nader is going to be mad. Some of his votes just got cancelled out.
Well they know none of their candidates will win. It has been that way for a long time. But I do agree on them not wanting to nominate a non-believer of their platform as their guy.
is this the same guy that ate cheese from Borat?
Ok but Barr isn’t going to steal many votes. The guy just isn’t very likable. Ron Paul on the other hand could do some damage to McCain’s numbers.
remember the snafu in 1998 elections when a striking ABC worker released the next days election to Matt Drudge which Drudge had online in the early morning on election day and we waited all day for the votes to be "counted," instead of the "exit polls" predicting the winners?
It doesn’t matter if we count votes, exit polls or tiddlywinks. Bob Barr is a non factor.
Many “small government” Reagan conservatives are disappointed by Bob Barr, myself included.
I don't think I'll be voting for Barr...
"Privocrat"? Another stupid new coinage that we don't need.
Argue a national security question on its merits and you may win.
Make a fool out of yourself by thinking up a word to demonize your opponents and you've lost.
GREAT: Then I might as well be living in the SOVIET UNION! GRRR
Clearly, he is acting out some serious grudge against republicans.
Too bad Michelle wasn’t born a US citizen.
Ditto.
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