Change, for the better!
April 8th, 2008 by Stephen Gordon“All human situations have their inconveniences. We feel those of the present but neither see nor feel those of the future; and hence we often make troublesome changes without amendment, and frequently for the worse.” — Benjamin Franklin
Almost to the point of wearing it out, politicians and the pundits continue to bandy about the same word this election cycle: “change.” About “change,” CBS’s Dick Meyer noted:
After Iowa, poll readers, pundits, Republican and Democratic candidates declared the voters wanted “change.” No matter what “change” actually is, no matter that “change” means different things to different people: “change” is what the voters want.
Barack Obama cornered the market on change. After Iowa, John Edwards wanted to get some market share as did Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and John McCain. Hillary stuck with experience. Contrarian pundits mocked Obama for pushing change without beef, unfairly.
The sorry truth is that “change” was merely a phantom conjured by the political elite - a nano-trend, a shorthand, a figment, a wild goose chase.
Perhaps the reason the “change” theme isn’t working as well as expected is that the status quo politicians aren’t proposing the positive changes freedom-loving Americans desire.
John McCain brought us McCain-Feingold; it’s no wonder that First and Second Amendment advocates might be fearful of any additional change coming from a McCain administration. Barack Obama seems poised to provide the same general healthcare “solutions” America soundly rejected in the nineties. HillaryCare’s creator wishes to expand our Policeman to the World role to Darfur, while most of America suffers from war fatigue.
“The ‘change’ narrative deserves an early funeral,” Meyer observed. “But independent voters, the real silent minority, might commit some real political change this year.”
Unfortunately, we won’t see the type of change we want from either major party this election cycle. To be quite honest, we haven’t seen it in some time. It’s now more than obvious that meaningful change can’t come from within the two-party system.
“Much of the ‘change’ the major-party candidates speak about is either window dressing or a shell game and is not change at all, but simply re-packaging the status quo,” Bob wrote to me in a recent e-mail.
“Change voters” have a choice to make this election season. When Benjamin Franklin noted our tendency to make changes for the worse because we neither see nor feel the pains of the future, it’s almost as if he had some sort of clairvoyant view of the major-party choices with which America is confronted at the moment.
We welcome you to this blog — America’s blog! We’d like to hear how we can provide the changes that you actually desire, as opposed to the big-government “solutions” being offered by the other candidates in this race.
April 8th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Run Barr Run!! You’ve gotten me excited about the Presidential election again…we need you.
April 8th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Whereas, the United States of America is in an economic crisis,
Whereas, the United States of America is pursuing an interventionist, imperial foreign policy,
Whereas, the United States of America is engaging in nullifying its citizen’s civil liberties,
Whereas, the United States of America is drifting drastically away from the Constitution by which our government is supposed to operate,
Therefore let it be resolved that the United States of America needs a Presidential candidate that upholds the values of liberty, smaller government, less taxation, and more freedom.
Bob Barr 2008.
April 8th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
AMEN to that!
April 8th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Run baby run!!!
I am a conservative and want you to win!
April 8th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I’m definitely excited and interested in the potential of this campaign. Something I am hearing across the board, however, is that the “Issues” page needs to be expanded and elaborated on. If you want to succeed Dr. Paul, you’re going to have to be very clear and principled about exactly what kind of “change” a Bob Barr presidency would be. Look forward to hearing more!
April 8th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Meetup membership continues to double everyday. Join up so we can get the grassroots effort moving along. Also, it will help you find Bob Barr supporters in your area.
http://bobbarr.meetup.com/
April 8th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Whereas the current party system declares that we ought to fight for change within the party, but demonizes those that do stand up and say “No, I am not giving my consent for you to do this” we must say no more firmly, by refusing to accept the lesser of evils, if that can even be determined. We must exercise an ounce of courage, that our fellow Americans will also stand up and say “no” to immoral and unsustainable policies and “yes” to Liberty.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Even if you don’t run I’m writing your name in, sorry but there’s no other candidate who deserves my vote. Now I have to go scrape off the Ron Paul bumper stickers and replace them with Barr 2008 ones. Please run!
April 9th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
The change I’d like to see first is an end to the War in Iraq. Not just talking about someday leaving Iraq, or drawing down troop levels, but really getting the troops out of Iraq. With the democratic candidates talking in generalities, it would be nice to hear some specifics.
April 9th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Where do I get my “Bob Barr - Liberty For America” bumper stickers and yard signs?
April 10th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
I don’t need much change to be satisfied.
Stop sending Americans off to die for the sake of political opportunity. Stop taking money out of my paycheck to do it.
Stop raiding care centers that provide the only pain relief many terminal patients can access for the sake of propping up competing, patented, regulated pharmaceuticals. Stop taking money out of my paycheck to do it.
Stop corralling Americans exercising their first amendment rights into heavily guarded outdoor cages (er… free speech zones). Stop taking money out of my paycheck to do it.
Stop making laws that assume we’re too stupid to take care of our well-being and that of our families. Stop taking money out of my paycheck to enforce them.
Stop treating the Constitution of our great country like a vague guideline instead of a set of a firm set of boundaries across which government cannot cross. At that point, maybe my paycheck will finally get a rest.
Give me that kind of change, and I’ll be just peachy.