Monday, May 12, 2008

Bob Barr?? Libertarian For President?? Why Not Jesse Helms??

Please tell me that Bob Barr, gay basher and drug warrior extraordinaire, isn't running as a Libertarian. Say it ain't so....

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - By Andy Sullivan - Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr said on Monday that he will run for president as a Libertarian, a development that could pull some votes from Republican candidate John McCain.

Bob Barr ??? THE Bob Barr ??? The Bob Barr who vehemently opposed medical marijuana use? They are talking about the former Congressman from Georgia, right?

Barr said neither McCain nor Barack Obama, the Democratic frontrunner, would rein in a government that he said has grown too powerful after the September 11 attacks.

This is the Bob Barr who helped sponsor the “Defense Of Marriage” act? That’s who the Libertarian Party might put up for President?

"A vote for the status quo ... is really and truly a wasted vote, because it is not going to do anything," Barr said.

I can agree with that….but Bob Barr?

When Jesse Helms is still alive and presumably available? And Trent Lott still has decades left in him? I haven’t checked on Rick Santorum in a long time….is he still around ?

The Reuters article goes on to speculate on how much Barr’s entry into the Presidential race could harm John McCain.

Well, it sure won’t harm Barack or Hillary.

Half of the libertarian worldview relates to limited government excursions into business, the economy, and voluntary transactions between individuals. Bob Barr may have seen the light, and perhaps he now advocates these positions. I can’t remember him doing anything spectacular in Congress to limit government, though.

The other half of the libertarian philosophy advocates minimal government intrusions into personal behavior. Bob Barr has made a career of being a libertarian nightmare on gay rights issues and the disaster that is the war on drugs.

So this is where the nation stands….
Sizable percentages of Obama supporters say they will not support The Clintons if they’re nominated as the Democratic nominee, and vice-versa.
A large percentage of Republicans aren’t happy with McCain the Maverick as their nominee.
Are there any capital “L” Libertarians who would be happy with Bob Barr?

Is this going to be The Winter Of Everybody’s Discontent?

5 comments:

Francis Shivone said...

Allen --

Love the blog. Love the main picture. I'm adding TWS to the FFW blogroll.
We agree on some things, disagree on others, regardless, you have a great wit.

I'll be back.

Dr Ralph said...

This, in a nutshell, is the dilemma that all third parties (Libertarian included) face: sooner or later they risk turning into the Sorehead Party. And the Soreheads tend to crowd out all the reasonable people.

Has anyone checked to see if ol' Bob's rabies shots are up to date?

TarrantLibertyGuy said...

As a Big "L" Libertarian, I can't say that I'm thrilled with the current batch of LP candidate wannabes right now.

Bob Barr, although now a member of NORML - and claims his sponsorship of the DMA was a statement of Federalism rather than an anti-gay marriage deal (oh yeah - he's in the ACLU now), isn't any LP's dream candidate... but he has name recognition.

And Wayne Allyn Root (WAR) is very used car salesman-y and seemingly has a soft anti-war stance - so he's not top choice either.

Mike Gravel is throwing his hat in the LP ring - but his big government past will not play at all with LPers.

Me? I like Mary Ruart, but her soft demeanor and low level of sales-personship won't serve her well against these slick pitch men.

Although we've been a group who have preached against having to choose between the lesser of two evils... we may have that type of choice ourselves.

The Whited Sepulchre said...

Francis,
Thanks for the feedback. Let's have dinner at Charlie's one night.

Everyone else,
Francis is a fellow East-sider, like Durango Texas (see blogroll). If you can't be bothered to hit the link on his name and see for yourself, he's very good on Fort Worth restaurants, Fort Worth events, and the Catholic Liturgical Calendar. I have visions of Francis, Durango, and me co-blogging about East Fort Worth potholes.

Dr. Ralph,
I agree. But like most recent converts to any cause, I expect a level of purity that probably can't be found in The Charter Members.

Everyone else,
Long ago, Dr. Ralph grew accustomed to holding his nose and voting for Democrats. He is, after all, from Chicago.

John,
I'm looking forward to discussing all of this at the Tarrant County Libertarian Meetup on Saturday.

Anonymous said...

Well you can always look at it from the perspective that he has finally seen the light.

Most libertarians do not grow up with these views but rather come to them after being disenchanted with the big 2. I see Barr more as a slap in the face to the Republicans rather than a travesty in the LP.