Posted on 04/11/2008 1:01:41 PM PDT by lonewacko_dot_com
Libertarian Party contender for president Bob Barr was interviewed by Neal Boortz a few days ago, and the audio and a partial transcript is here. Part of the conversation involved immigration matters, and based on that I have trouble seeing any major difference between Barr's positions and those of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, George Bush, Teddy Kennedy, and on down the line. In fact, it's like his campaign was the recipient of a blank cardboard box with just the word "POLICY" stenciled on it...
...If Barr saw the light and decided to very aggressively go after all three major candidates on this issue he could have a very powerful impact on the presidential race. He'd have to explain everything involved, including topics that are frequently ignored such as the political power that foreign governments have been able to obtain inside the U.S. and the fact that illegal immigration is an indicator of political corruption. He'd also have to deflect attacks from those who support illegal activity, but that really isn't that difficult. And, he'd have to aggressively attack his opponents on this issue such as by sending his representatives to their campaign events to ask them embarrassing questions designed to point out the hugely obvious flaws in their policies and designed to discredit them...
(Excerpt) Read more at lonewacko.com ...
We need to enforce the laws that are on our books. If he and others don’t respect some of our laws, why should we respect any of them?
Our leaders don’t. The illegals don’t. Citizens who back both don’t.
If Barr can’t understand this, then he’s no better than any other tone deaf candidate that I won’t vote for.
Bob Barr is not the Libertarian Party for candidate. Please inform the blogger that he is mistaken.
I didn’t say he was their candidate, although I guess “contender” could be mistaken to mean that he’s been selected. His current status is that he’s formed an exploratory committee and that he “May Seek [the] Libertarian Party Nomination”. Obviously, he might decide to drop out or they might decide to bet it all on Badnarik again [joke], but I’d imagine he’s going to be their nominee and he’s going to run.
Ah. My semantical mistake, then.
You haven’t been paying attention long enough.
This has been Barr’s immigration policy position since at least 1998, when Barack was just a green state Senator in Illinois.
>>If Barr can’t understand this, then he’s no better than any other tone deaf candidate that I won’t vote for.<<
If Barr’s object was to take votes from Republicans dissatisfied with McCain, this is the wrong way to do it. Similarly, McCain himself could have tried to win those votes but he wasn’t interested.
Ping!
I agree.
I was thinking about Barr and immigration. Back in 1998 the Georgia republican delegation raised hell with the Clinton administration over workplace enforcement...they stopped it! Was Barr part of that team?
Why & When workplace enforcement of illegal aliens stopped
The Libertarian Party specifically targeted Barr for defeat and ran attack ads against him for his record on the war on drugs. To Barr it might just be a minor issue, but to many kool-aid drinkers in the LP, it is THE most important issue on the planet. The fact Barr is now joining and considering running for the party that threw him out of office is like something out of the twilight zone. It would sort of like Tom Daschle announcing he’s going to be John Thune’s finance chair.
California's Art Olivier did shamelessly run as the "Libertarian" candidate for Governor and PRETEND to MinuteMan-like on immigration (a complete 180 degree reversal from his happy-go-luck open borders platform that he endorsed when he was Harry Browne's running mate). I think the CA LP allowed it because A) They knew Oliver wasn't serious and was lying like to hell to get elected, and B) It was to Oliver's political adventage to pretend to be for border security to get votes due to the backlash of all three "major" candidates for supporting the status quo on illegal aliens.
Operative word being "has been." The LP has significantly altered its platform with respect to border security in the past few years.
In other words, they're still for amnesty and for letting everyone who wants to come here get in, they just won't admit it on paper. We're supposed to believe they'll have a secret plan to prevent the "bad" terrorist types from getting in without using a big federal agency to do so.
That’s a marvelous, grand conspiracy you’ve got there.
What the hell are you talking about? I made no mention of any conspiracy. I simply pointed out that the LP has been for open borders since it’s inception, and at the very core of libertarian ideology is a belief that people should be free to move whereever they please, without government interference. That’s a simple fact, out in the open for everyone to see. The fact Art Oliver was all for unlimited immigration in his campaign for Vice President and totally against illegal immigration is his campaign for Governor is also an undisputed fact. His overnight conversion on the issue has as much credibility as the politicians who go from 100% pro-abortion to 100% pro-life instantly, in order to “win” under different circumstances,
You said that the LP is publishing a public plan that is radically different than its real, true plan to allow for open borders, presumably with the hope that it will dupe voters into voting for libertarians only to implement its true plan. You are describing a conspiracy.
I simply pointed out that the LP has been for open borders since it’s inception, and at the very core of libertarian ideology is a belief that people should be free to move whereever they please, without government interference.
And it's also a simple fact that the platform has changed. Things change. Once upon a time, Republicans were for small, limited government.
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