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Will the Libertarians Spoil McCain's Chances?
Newsweek ^ | 5-21-2008 | Sarah Elkins

Posted on 05/22/2008 8:55:57 AM PDT by Turbopilot

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To: KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle

Will the Libertarians Spoil McCain’s Chances?,
____________________________________________

DUH

McCain has already spoiled McCain’s chances...


41 posted on 05/22/2008 10:57:32 AM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: Globalist Goon; Extremely Extreme Extremist
Uh...the same can be said that the Republicans are looking more and more like Dems.

You can say whatever you like, of course, but most Republicans aren't going to vote for a Democrat, even if there were no Republican candidate. Extreme seemed to be implying that if there were no Libertarian candidate, Libertarians would vote for Dems, not Repubs.

42 posted on 05/22/2008 11:23:14 AM PDT by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall cause you to vote against the Democrats.)
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To: Turbopilot
"The only thing spoiling McCain's chances is McCain's liberalism."

Completely agree. Unfortunately the Republican Party has abandoned Conservatives and Conservatism, in spite of the fact that they are always conjuring up the ghost of Ronald Reagan every chance they get just to fool us-- assume that McCain will do more of the same.

But, if the Libertarians do run Bob Barr, and real Conservatives wrap their brain around Bob Barr's Lifetime ACU Rating of 98%, McCain will be in real trouble.

To those who think that Libertarianism is closer to the Democrats than the Republicans, I would suggest that in reality, with McCain as the Republican presidential nominee, the Republicans are actually the ones closer to the Democrats, and it is the Libertarians who stand further to the Right.

43 posted on 05/22/2008 11:53:15 AM PDT by Bokababe ( http://www.savekosovo.org)
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To: HappyinAZ
Newsweek = Liberal crap...move on...nothing to see here.

I assume you also include the NYT, WaPo, L.A. Times, Boston Globe, and others in this category.

Can you please provide a list of newspapers, magazines, and news channels that you would recommend?

44 posted on 05/22/2008 12:30:45 PM PDT by calcowgirl (Schwarzenegger and McCain are trying to castrate the elephant)
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To: Turbopilot
Will the Libertarians Spoil McCain's Chances?

The only way for a group to "spoil" something, or to be to blame, is to assume that the group was somehow compelled or obligated to support it in the first place.

As far as I can tell, McCain is about as far from libertarianism as any of the candidates.

The only one that can spoil McCain's chances is McCain himself. He is the one who chooses his platform, agenda, and priorities. Either the voters like it, or they don't.

45 posted on 05/22/2008 12:35:10 PM PDT by calcowgirl (Schwarzenegger and McCain are trying to castrate the elephant)
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To: mountainbunny
If the Libertarians, by their very existence, can siphon away enough votes from the GOP candidate to decide the election, he must be a pretty weak candidate to begin with.

Ya think? ;-)

46 posted on 05/22/2008 12:38:32 PM PDT by calcowgirl (Schwarzenegger and McCain are trying to castrate the elephant)
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To: Nervous Tick

I haven’t watched TV in 20 years, but I don’t have to. I heard about Perot from the news spots on my music station while commuting, or in other indirect ways.

The media twist was that he was a smart businessman. What they didn’t say was that most of his business was government contracts.

I’m not criticizing anyone for voting for him. I just don’t think it will happen again, at least until people forget what happened in that election.


47 posted on 05/22/2008 12:53:51 PM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: calcowgirl

I see you’ve chosen to read all the ones that bash MCCain...that way you won’t have to think for yourself.


48 posted on 05/22/2008 1:41:11 PM PDT by HappyinAZ
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To: HappyinAZ; KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
I see you’ve chosen to read all the ones that bash MCCain...that way you won’t have to think for yourself.

I requested you make a recommendation and you respond with an insult and allege that I was bashing McCain? Ain't that special!

I thought I was pretty polite:

I assume you also include the NYT, WaPo, L.A. Times, Boston Globe, and others in this category.
Can you please provide a list of newspapers, magazines, and news channels that you would recommend?
(Subtract points.)
49 posted on 05/22/2008 1:49:00 PM PDT by calcowgirl (Schwarzenegger and McCain are trying to castrate the elephant)
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To: Jack Black
I believe it is Barr, not Paul, who is the odds-on favorite to win the Libertarian nomination.

I believe it is James Watt, not Nader, who is the odds-on favorite to win the Green party nomination.

Equally likely. Barr is no libertarian and never will be.

50 posted on 05/22/2008 1:57:54 PM PDT by Dinsdale
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To: Turbopilot

Screw Bobby ACLU Barr!

Wayne Allyn Root all the way!!!!!


51 posted on 05/22/2008 2:35:42 PM PDT by RatsDawg (www.rootforamerica.com)
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To: mysterio; All

“McCain offers libertarians nothing, so their votes wouldn’t have gone to him any more than they would have gone to Obama.

Libertarian votes are not Republican by default. And now that the Republicans are a party of big government, I don’t see the libertarians rejoining the base.”

I’m actually in the camp now. I first became a big Republican fan in 1994 ala the Republican revolution. When I learned from a government textbook in high school that Republicans were for a smaller, less intrusive government, lower taxes, more personal responsibility, and equality of opportunity over equality of outcome; I said...that’s definately me to a tee.

I loved Newt and the Contract with America as well as the budget showdowns that followed.

My personal little pet favorite thing that the first Republican class did was end the federal speed limit of 55mph. It was a small thing, but I loved them for that.

I loved welfare reform and the attempts to pass a balanced budget amendmant. I loved it all.

In college, I learned to play poker online (see the article) and it was one of my favorite hobbies. I made some modest money doing it, but, mostly, I enjoyed the strategy.

My love affair with the Republican party faded slowly after about 2003. I cut W a little slack with the Patriot Act, etc...and I have always been a staunchly pro-life libertarian and I believe that abortions are unconsitutional as well. When online poker was banned, I couldn’t stand the idea that the smaller, less intrusive government was gone. The nanny state had arrived and I began to examine all of the terrible policy that had occurred over the previous six years: the spending, NCLB...the list seemed to go on and on and on.

So, for a while, I fit in well with the Republicans. I wanted to run for Congress one day. I once went to a model Congress and I was given the role of Lindsay Graham. I was proud then to have that role but I am hate to hear his name come up anymore.

Alas, I am leaving for the Libertarians now. I am really not sure how I fit in anymore here at the Free Republic but I know there are more people like me. I know I can never be elected to Congress now because I wouldn’t be able to get any backing from a major party. I’ve accepted reality on that.

Sometimes reality bites, though.


52 posted on 05/22/2008 3:22:53 PM PDT by TheRiverNile
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To: TheRiverNile
Your story sounds a lot like mine. Coming of age in the 90s, liked the small government stuff they were doing, etc. They effectively lost me at the "patriot" act. I didn't like Clinton's carnivore and echelon crap in the late 90s, and I don't like it under the Republican label, either.

In any given race, I pick the candidate who is for smaller, less intrusive government. If there is no such candidate, I don't vote or I write in.
53 posted on 05/22/2008 4:08:00 PM PDT by mysterio
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To: Turbopilot
Will the Libertarians Spoil McCain's Chances?

Wrong question. If a candidate can't attract enough voters to win an election, it's the candidate's fault.

John McCain has made it his life's work to pi$$ on conservatives....those that choose not to vote for him now are only returning to McCain the fate he earned.
54 posted on 05/22/2008 4:11:23 PM PDT by rottndog (Globull Warming "Science" = garbage in, gospel out.)
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To: Dinsdale

We’ll know in a week. I don’t see Barr as a libertarian either, though he seems to like poking a stick in the eye of the current administration. And, of course, he was an ACLU attorney. He is *running* for the Lib nomination, which gives him at least a theoretical chance of winning I suppose. He is the best known among the candidates, which doesn’t hurt. We’ll see next week.


55 posted on 05/22/2008 4:25:30 PM PDT by Jack Black
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To: Dinsdale

What I don’t think will happen is Ron Paul being the nominee, because his current strategy seems to be working for him (assuming his goal is publicity).


56 posted on 05/22/2008 4:26:41 PM PDT by Jack Black
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To: calcowgirl
(Subtract points.)

OH NOES!!! ;)

57 posted on 05/22/2008 5:20:47 PM PDT by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle (If McCain really CAN "win without conservatives," then why do you care if I vote for him or not?)
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To: KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle

Made in Colombia?


58 posted on 05/22/2008 5:35:10 PM PDT by calcowgirl (Schwarzenegger and McCain are trying to castrate the elephant)
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To: calcowgirl

only if bitter conservatives drink the koolade and surrender their reason

Reason dictates Mccain if not.... .Obama.

A libertarian vote is a Democrat vote


59 posted on 05/22/2008 5:39:54 PM PDT by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . The Bitcons will elect a Democrat by default)
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To: bert
"only if bitter conservatives drink the koolade and surrender their reason Reason dictates Mccain if not.... .Obama. A libertarian vote is a Democrat vote"

Sorry, Bert, but it feels more like "A McCain vote is a Democrat vote", especially when Barr has a much higher ACU rating than McCain does.

60 posted on 05/22/2008 6:53:50 PM PDT by Bokababe ( http://www.savekosovo.org)
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