If you want to throw your vote away, just vote for me.
What would make Bob Barr a legitimate candidate is ironically, not him personally running, but with him sponsoring other libertarian candidates.
Running as an individual, even on the far fetched possibility that he would win, he would still lose, because he would be hopelessly outgunned by two political parties.
However, if he ran on a platform of getting 20 Representatives and 5 Senators elected, then he would win.
This is because that even with a minority faction, the Libertarians would become a “critical margin”. This would mean that they could triangulate both the Republicans and the Democrats, and have real power.
And until they have real power, they will not get their agenda advanced.
Bob Barr's nomination would offer conservatives a choice
Neocons and statists in the Republican ranks have attacked Mr. Barr for joining Congressman Dick Armey (ACU record 97%) in working with the ACLU in defending the Fourth Amendment. Even one of the smartest and most conservative talk show hosts to grace the air waves recently made the totally ridiculous statement that Congressman Barr isn't a "real" conservative because he has sided with the ACLU in that fight. Yet it is interesting that some, maybe even most, of those who have attacked Mr. Barr for working with the ACLU on protecting the Fourth Amendment and the rule of law had no qualms about siding with the ACLU themselves to fight the McCain-Feingold attack on free speech.
These hypocrites generally neglect to mention that Mr. Barr was not just siding with the ACLU in this effort to protect the Fourth Amendment. He was also siding with groups like the American Conservative Union, Americans for Tax Reform, the Free Congress Foundation, the Second Amendment Foundation, and other solidly conservative groups. Nor do they mention that bedrock conservative groups like the Christian Coalition, the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Family Research Council, the Southeastern Legal Foundation, the Business-Industry Political Action Committee, the National Right to Life Committee, to name just a few, have also worked with the ACLU to protect a Constitutional right.
Of course, it's easier to attack one man than to attack scores of groups with millions of members and the resources to counter attack. It is easy to demonize an individual true conservative, but very risky to attack groups with millions of conservative members. Attacking every conservative leader or group who ever sided with the ACLU on an issue would immediately expose these hypocrites for what they are. Some of the talk show personalities, bloggers, columnists and talking heads, who have attacked Congressman Barr as not being a conservative because he works with the ACLU defending the Fourth Amendment and the rule of law, by their own reasoning must not be "real" conservatives either, since they sided with the ACLU defending the First Amendment.
The truth of the matter is, if Bob Barr gets the Libertarian Party's nomination, he will be the only conservative in the race. His candidacy will offer conservatives a choice of voting their convictions by voting for a man with an unblemished track record of supporting classical conservative positions, or voting for the lesser of two evils.
Barr, a former Member of Congress, has served with the U.S. Department of Justice and Central Intelligence Agency. He continues to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association and works with such groups as the American Conservative Union Foundation and the ACLU on issues related to privacy and national security and also serves as the Chairman for Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances.
REAL Constitutional Conservatives are oppposed to the “Patriot Act”.
REAL Conservatives are in favor of individual liberty (and understand and accept that there are certain dangers which go along with TRUE individual liberty).
Certain REPUBLICRATS are VERY gung ho about the “Patriot Act” and various other Constituational infringements because it gives them (temporarily) more control over persons with whom they disagree.
Let’s see how fast they change their tune if ol’ B. Hussein ends up holding the reins and HIS administration gets to enforce the “Patriot Act”.
I will not vote for Bob Barr but to somehow imply that McInsane is BETTER? I don’t think so.
I don't really like Bob, but I would take him over McCain in a heart beat. The Republican party is going to lose their butts this election. I am almost convinced they do not even want to win.
The ONLY Conservative alternative to the current crop of egotistical mental midgets is Ann Coulter. I wish she could take the pay cut. The debates and the confirmation hearings would be amazing.
There are good reasons why we normally don’t elect Senators to the Presidency (the last being JFK and we KNOW how wonderful that turned out). We see three good reasons right before our eyes.
Vote for Ann!
The person quoted doesn't know what he is talking about. I moved in libertarian circles during that period and they were overwhelmingly for the impeachment and removal of Clinton. For most libertarians now, Barr's involvement in the impeachment trial is an important selling point in his favor.
Only one of the two is running for President. Like it or not, Barr is not a Presidential candidate despite where his name appears on the ballot. He is running to raise issues and his profile, and has no delusions about becoming President as the result of this election.
As a result, I do not consider him a candidate because his candidacy is not viable.
That leaves determining for yourself whether or not you want to actually be involved in choosing the next President. In choosing Barr you are, in essence, choosing to sit this one out, although you are trying to send a message. But your vote will not be one which helps choose who is President come Jan. 20, 2009. And, as it is your vote, that is your right.
As it stands right now I am choosing to be involved, but that may change. I doubt Barr would get my vote because while I share many libertarian principles, I do not support the platform of the Libertarian Party. I believe that a more powerful/higher profile Libertarian Party will serve ultimately to benefit the Democrats, and that is not something I can support.