There is no way Barr voters would ever vote for Obama. They would most likely stay home if Barr wasn’t on the ballet or hold their noses vote for McCain.
The some number that you talked about would be like 98% of them picking McCain over Obama.
The turnout tallies of this election should make the GOP’s problem abundantly clear. Overall turnout was not significantly higher than in 2004. Some Bush voters switched sides, a lot of young, impressionable fools got caught up in the Obama hype, and most importantly a lot of Bush voters stayed home this year.
This site is called Free Republic, not The Great Republican Party Forum. Yes, America is a two party system. Yes, voting for a third party candidate is de facto support of the Democrat candidate. I am a registered Republican and voted for McCain for these reasons. But to demean conservatives and libertarians who believe in small government as ‘traitors’ or losers is ridiculous.
If the GOP could produce a candidate, and more importantly a platform, that stressed limited government and the rollback of creeping socialism they would triumph. Why do you think Bush’s approval ratings were so low? Many of us felt betrayed by the Farm Bill, the Prescription Bill, Amnesty, Harriet Myers, DHS, and so forth. My head will get taken off here for saying so, but what do you think of the Patriot Act now in the hands of Obama and a Democrat legislature?
All the GOP has to do is promote, practiced and govern by its stated principles and you wouldn’t have to worry about those ‘losertarians’ and their annoying critiques of your beloved politicians. They’d be Republicans again. And so would 55% of the country.