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 when Bob Barr got the Libertarian Party’s nomination, he became 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.
McCain’s lifetime ACU record is 82% but his 2006, the most recent year for which ratings are available, ACU record was 65%. Among Republican Senators only Lincoln Chafee, Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Arlen Specter had worse voting records.
Barr led the Clinton impeachment hearing in the House and Bob was adored at this site untill the ascendancy of the neo and theo conservatives who started posting here beginning around 2003.
This Statement used to adorn the home page of FR
Free Republic has sponsored several rallies at our nation’s Capitol. The first was the nationally televised “March for Justice” on October 31, 1998, where Congressman Bob Barr called for the impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton. The enthusiastic crowd of 4,000 FReepers also enjoyed rousing speeches by Alan Keyes, Larry Klayman, Gary Aldrich and other great conservatives. The MFJ was a moving experience for all.
Congressman Barr called the FReepers back to Washington on December, 5th, 1998, for the “Judgment Day” rally, held on the Capitol steps. He and many other conservative speakers urged the Congress to vote for impeachment. According to Barr and several other Congressmen, these rallies, coupled with ads we ran in the Washington Times, and the resulting surge of grassroots activism, helped to move some of the reluctant Congressmen to vote for impeachment.
We were cosponsors with the Free Congress Foundation for the “House Managers Tribute” rally and dinner honoring the House Managers on May 4th, 1999, at the Washington Hilton and Towers. All thirteen House Managers, plus Congressman Tom DeLay and many other conservative notables attended. Henry Hyde and Steve Forbes were our keynote speakers. Alan Keyes, Larry Klayman, Congressmen Bob Barr, James Rogan and Chris Cannon and many other conservative leaders spoke at the rally.
That was then.
I now expect the new brand of (?)conservatism which is touted here these days to try and trash this fine conservative man. But back then we sure appreciated his contributions to our cause.