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Finally A Real Conservative For President: Bob Barr
- Filed under: Presidential, Republicans '08
- Date: May 12,2008
Today, Bob Barr announced that he will be seeking the Libertarian Party's nomination for President of the United States. The former Georgia Congressman plans to use a unique blend of staunchly conservative politics and hip emo glasses to give right wing Republicans a real alternative to Senator McCain. Mr. Barr explains why he left the GOP in the following video:
Barr will campaign on limited government, more individual liberty, secure borders, and non interventionist foreign policy using rhetoric that speaks to the Republican base. The former Georgia Congressman earned a 98% rating from the American Conservative Union before losing his House seat in 2002. In that same year, McCain scored a 78% rating from the conservative organization. Barr may become a real contender and by comparison make McCain look soft. The key for Barr is to start to raise a lot of money fast. View Barr's website to see how much he has raised already today.
Needless to say, I wish Barr would not run. Of course, it is his right to do so, I just wish he wouldn't. I am not going to be a Democrat and say things like "Nader cost us the election in 2000." Gore was never entitled to those votes that Nader took from him, just like McCain is not entitled to any votes that may go to Barr or anyone else. Third parties are allowed to field candidates to give additional choices to voters who are not happy with the current selection in front of them. Obviously some Republicans are in this boat. If McCain had not upset conservatives so often the last few years, this might not be happening. Or maybe it would, I can't get inside the head of Barr. (Note: Not talked about enough is the effect that Nader had on the 2000 Senate elections, where Democrats won some very tight races. High on that list is the Maria Cantwell / Slade Gorton race).
Brief background on Barr: Worked for the CIA from 1970-1978. In 1986 he was appointed by President Reagan to be an attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. In 1992 Barr ran for a US Senate seat but lost to eventual winner Paul Coverdell (also a Republican) by less than 2,000 votes in a run-off. In 1994, he was one of the Republicans swept into power with the Contract of America class. Prior to the 2002 elections, the Georgia legislature combined his district with that of a neighboring one which was that of John Linder, also a Republican. One Republican had to lose, and it was Barr, and he lost by a lot. During his time in Congress, Barr was regarded as one of the most conservative members of Congress. However, Barr's criticism of the Bush Administration's policies on civil liberties after the September 11 attacks started to gain him attention. Now he is an ACLU member who wants to repeal the Patriot Act. Makes sense, right? I wouldn't vote for him based on both parts of that sentence. That leads us to today.
Barr still has to win the nomination of his party. He must hope he finds a better fate than Alan Keyes did when he ran for the Constitution Party nomination last month and got trounced.
We will see what happens here, but I think (and hope) that his effect will be minimal. With the stakes so high, and Republicans remembering what happened to Al Gore in 2000, I bet many conservatives will think long and hard before voting for Barr, regardless of their feelings towards McCain. And could Bob Barr's entrance to the race actually hurt Obama / Clinton just as much as McCain? It would be an outlet for the McCain protest vote - instead of just voting for the other party. Something to think about. Kyle is certianly wrong about one thing when he says "Barr may become a real contender." That is not going to happen, despite the wishes of the two of them. Spoiler? Maybe. Real contender? Zero.
11 Responses for "Finally A Real Conservative For President: Bob Barr"
Barr's numbers will start to climb once Obama is the nominee and McCain starts polling 5% - 10% behind him consistently. Republicans will be willing to cast a protest vote for Barr to send a message to the party to return to its conservative roots.
all republicans must vote for McCAin in order tostop that sick monster Obama from getting the nomination.
Barr's numbers may indeed start to climb once the Dems and Reps nominate their candidates, but he will never be a contender in any sense of the word. Republicans do indeed need to be aware of the "Nader Factor", especially in the crtical states.
Before I became a "good Democrat" I was a strong supporter of the third party concept hoping that it would help to make the current two party system better, unfortunately given the power hold the two party system has on the process it's very unlikely that Barr or Nader will have a large impact.
While Perot made a good attempt, the rules were changed after him to help ensure a third party or independent candidate would have a more difficult time getting on the ballot and having a large impact.
So, I agree with Ben, Barr will be fun to talk about but most conservatives are not going to vote for Barr if they believe it would create a Democratic presidential win, especially if Obama is the candidate.
Barr doesn't have the persona that Perot had to become a contender. Don't ever forget that piercing look, the crooked brow, and that shrill voice saying "are you going to let me speak now?" Barr just doesn't have all that.
Ben,
Bob is only trying to be a thorn in the flesh of John McCain.
Sure he will pick up votes, stir the far-right pot a bit but in the end I think he will have wasted his time. I also find it odd that our system allows people to enter at late points in the process. Barr should have gone through debates and campaign stumping just like the Republicans and Democrats. People need to see how well he handles himself under pressure and what he is made of. I would also like to add that he doesn't have any Presidential appeal. Could you see him confronting some of our adversaries (Putin, Ahmadinejad, and Kim Jong-il) ?
Will this be a problem for any of you Republicans (via Wikipedia):
– Since leaving Congress in 2003, Barr has become a vocal opponent of the Patriot Act and has stated that he regrets voting for it, claiming that the Bush Administration has used it to further erode due process even in nonterrorism matters.
– More recently, Barr has become a prominent member of the American Civil Liberties Union, sometimes doing paid consulting on privacy issues
– Barr has been a vocal opponent of President George W. Bush's claim of authorization to wiretap transnational phone calls without individual judicial license. He has said, "What’s wrong with it is several-fold. One, it’s bad policy for our government to be spying on American citizens through the National Security Agency. Secondly, it’s bad to be spying on Americans without court oversight. And thirdly, it’s bad to be spying on Americans apparently in violation of federal laws against doing it without court order.
– He is one of the four founders of the American Freedom Agenda, which is described as "a coalition established to restore checks and balances and civil liberties protections under assault by the executive branch."
More Bob Barr fun at
http://www.tylwythteg.com/enemies/Barr/barr1.html
jimmy: Conservatives in the GOP used to be for what Barr now stands for.
Barr says some of the same things Ron Paul has been saying which resonates with true conservatives. Faith-based conservative GOP radicals, as witnessed during the Bush/Cheney junta, are no longer true conservatives by any stretch of the imagination.
You know, everything had to change after 9-11.
Barr may strip even more votes from McSame…..adding to the GOP's humiliation.
Ben doesn't care for Barr because Barr, now an ACLU member, believes American leaders should be faithful defenders of the Constitution. Ben disagrees with Barr because Barr wants to end the Orwellian, liberties denying, Patriot Act.
I can't figure out how Republicans came to the point where the Constitution and civil liberties are no longer sacrosanct….but there it is.
I support the Patriot Act. It has been a valubale tool in fighting terrorism.
Alex, and you base your assertion on what?
Stumbled across this shocking video again today. Shocking only because it was on Fox:
http://oneoarinthewater.blogspot.com/2008/05/judge-napolitano-nation-of-sheep.html
Being a member of the ACLU is reason enough to disqualify a potential candidate. Barr will get a few protest vote from folks disgusted with McCain stunts over the years (Gang of 14, falling for Global Warming BS, being a Mediacrat, etc). However, those folks need to understand that a vote for Barr is half a vote for Obama. For all of McCain's many faults most good folks won't turn around and vote for Barr ensuring someone even more liberal than McCain is elected (Obama). The most hopeful thing for McCain is people in general don't care for extremists - and they don't come much more extreme than Obama. He talks like a reasonable guy but when you scratch the surface and look at his voting record he is extremely far left.
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