Posted on 05/12/2008 7:51:01 AM PDT by SmithL
Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr is expected to announce that he's running for president as a Libertarian.
His candidacy would be a wild card in the White House race that many believe would hurt Republican Sen. John McCain.
Barr had scheduled a news conference Monday. He first must win the Libertarian nomination at the party's national convention that begins May 22. Party officials consider him a front-runner
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Yes he is. He's insane and a liberal to boot.
1) You place an awful lot of faith in an ocean. One barge with a cargohold full of anthrax floating into New York harbor is going to get a lot of people killed.
One of the reasons 9/11 happened is because our intelligence on militant Islam had collapsed under the Clinton administration. Because of our presence in Asia, we now have excellent intelligence. I have no doubt that a sizable fraction of the Iraq costs are due to the rebuilding of intelligence.
Without our presence in Iraq, our Mideast intelligence would be significantly poorer, and that barge full of anthrax would be far more likely.
2) The rest of the world does not hate us anywhere’s near as much as the liberal press in other countries does. Consider the conservative leadership that the people have installed in France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Poland and the Baltics. Why? To emulate our leadership. And the foreign press didn’t start hating us in March 2003...it started on January 20, 2001...actually in November 2000 during the recount.
3) “It’s silly to have a policy that makes us weaker to the terrorist (reliant on foreign oil) and makes them richer as oil continues to go up and up and up.”
Agreed. But that has nothing to do with the war, it has more to do with rabid environmentalism. Your statement was true back under the Carter administation as well...an administration that refused to fight and thus enabled today’s problems by allowing the United States to appear weak. I believe that this perception has been reversed due to our show of force in Iraq and our subsequent benevolence...which is a significant reason for the lack of domestic attacks since 9/11.
2) Even the conservative leaders in the other countries are anti-Iraq. Just because Europe is slowly starting to realize that socialism doesn't work doesn't mean they all of the sudden believe in nation building
My final point is we could do a lot better bang for the buck than what we got in Iraq. We'd have never done Iraq if even the war was estimated to cost $200 billion initially, much less $1+ trillion. Intel in the middle east is good, but not at the cost of $400 billion a year. We could secure our borders (I mean really secure them) and have a real energy policy for far, far less.
I will fight in the REPUBLICAN PARTY - my party I grew up in! Is the RP perfect - no, but in these DANGEROUS POST 9/11 TIMES, I'll go for McCain. If it was pre 9/11, I might say, I'm going to vote for him (BobBarr, eventhough he is no CONSERVATIVE.)
However, in this day and age that TERRORISTS can come in and bomb us - And the LP is for OPEN BORDERS I can't support it.
No matter how you spin it, Bob Barr is never going to win, and the LP is going to help Barak HUSSEIN and then those people will go back smoking something they want LEGALIZED.
Do us people fighting the WOT a favor - don't EVER vote REPUBLICAN, you are NOT an AMERICAN - YOU ARE A SOCIALIST!
BOB BARR IS NOT A CONSERVATIVE!!
I did in '96, andwhat happened -- the LP is still a failed party. Always was, always will be...
LOL The ACU rates him as one. Compared to McCain he most certainly is.
http://www.bobbarr2008.com/about/
Do I support McCain 100%? Hell no -- I trust him only on 2 issues - the WOT and tax cuts, that is it. Voting 3rd party is not going to wake up the leaders of the GOP, we need to get into the GRASSROOTS and root out RINOS. Trying to show the REPUBLICAN you are mad, is not going to do anything - except helping the DEMS screw up the country.
I'll grant you one thing, if McCain gets a RINO as a VP, I might vote for Barr. I might vote for Chuck Baldwin, the CONSITUTION Party candidate. (and I guess he's not perfect either. Doing some research on them).
What I'm saying is that I'm not sure where I'll end up if the REPUBLICAN PARTY leaves me -- I might rejoin the LP, or the SIP (Southern Independence Party) or the Consitution Party. I'm mad at the GOP, but having the government controlled by DEMS is not my idea of fun -- yes it might wake up the GOP, but Barak might make Carter's years look like REAGAN.
This Election might be the death knell of being free. I'm depressed.
Bob Barr might be a conservative, but PERSONALLY he he a SLEAZE. The more McCain opens his mouth - the more DEPRESSED I get, If it wasn't the POST 9/11 world I'm living in, I'd give the LP (or the Consitution Party) may vote, but since I'm a REALIST, do I want to vote for someone who'll help elect a socialist who'll harm the ECONOMY with TAX hikes (bob Barr), or vote for a guy I agree with on 2 things (tax cuts, and the WOT) and pray that he'll be no worse then Bush 41.
Yes, I believe voting for BobBarr (or Chuck Baldwin)will help elect Obama - and couple that with Harry Reid and Nancy as leaders -- we will be in deep manure. I'm still trying to see who McCain will get for VP, that will be my deciding point if I should quit the GOP or not. I grew up in the GOP - and I want to stay there, but I want small government -- Barak will not do it -- NEITHER will McCain. (McCain will grow it slower thou.)
Voting for Barr will not elect Obama. It will be a landslide for Obama thus voting for Barr will not change the result one way or the other. Voting for McCain is like tilting at windmills.
If I wasn't so upset at BobBarr, I might be happy to vote LP. THe LP still got their kooks, but I would love to see them be STRONGER.
I understand your thoughts. I used to think the same thing about voting third party.
You have to do what you believe is right. I have no problem with that.
I disagree that it is the best way to go, but I understand how you came to the decision. You can only vote your conscience and you only have to answer to yourself. If you made the decision you believe is the right one and the best one, you’ve done the right thing.
As far as personal sleaze goes, I could point out that McCain is no prize in that area. But there is no need to get into that unless you want to.
You see your way clear to vote third party and I can’t see my way to vote for another liberal just because he’s a Republican. That’s OK. That’s why we have elections.
I know that the GOP is broken, but I don't think we can fix it. I was looking at poltical parties at wikipedia and came across this OXYMORON of a party.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Socialist_Party
FREEDOM and SOCIALISM?? :-)
I feel your pain. The Constitution Party isn’t on the ballot in Texas and I didn’t like the LP, but I like Barr so he’s my choice if he gets the nomination. If not I’ll leave the president slot blank. I’ll vote for my congressman, Sam Johnson and there is a couple of bond issues I’m going to vote against, so I will not stay home.
But the whole situation sucks.
This presidential race has turned into a SNL skit.
We need to fix our elections. When you have 3 people who are the same running, we don’t have real choices. It is a shame but we need to fix the primaries - from having either all states having open primaries or all states having closed primaries (which I want!).
That would be a good start. One thing that frustrates me is that we don’t build a conservative farm team by working at the local level to bring conservatives through the system.
For years I’ve suggested that FR start holding local classes on organizing, PR, running for office, etc. That way we could take control of the party from the ground up.
Control the county courthouse in enough counties and you control the state. Control enough states and you control Washington. But it starts locally.
If we could put 500 trained volunteers on the street in a district we could win most races. If a congressman or senator wants the support of our machine he has to vote conservative not just talk conservative.
Democrats are much better at this than we are. Too many of us don’t want to work at the local level so when we don’t have the power to counter the money and support the party bosses throw at new people who come to Washington.
If we had trained, willing, workers in a congressman’s district who worked all year preparing for the election, our congressmen could tell the party leadership to stick it when they want our guy to vote for some liberal bill, and pretty soon our guys would be the party leaders.
But, that doesn’t look like it will happen.
You morons that vote for third party candidates will be responsible for the downfall of this country if Hillbama get in.
I agree with you about open borders. It is a bad, bad idea in the 21st century--even ignoring the defense aspect of letting terrorist in--we simply have too many socialistic programs to allow every 3rd worlder come in here with their hands out for freebies. However, McCain is about about as open borders as the libertarian party is.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.