Bob Barr Announces His Candidacy for President
May 12th, 2008 by StaffBob Barr has officially launched his campaign for President of the United States.
Speaking alongside his wife Jeri and son Derek at a press conference in Washington DC on May 12th, he announced his candidacy for the Libertarian presidential nomination:
“I’ve heard from Americans from all walks of life… they want a choice. They believe that America has more and better to offer than what the current political situation is serving up to us.
The status quo has given us the litany of problems that we’re all very familiar with. The debt, the deficit, the problems we see in the economy, the trade imbalance, and the occupation of Iraq. These are all children of the status quo.
I will be a candidate precisely to give the American people a voice and give them a meaningful choice so that they do not have to vote for the lesser of two evils.
American voters deserve better.“
Help us to spread this message far and wide to your friends and neighbors. View Bob’s special online message and listen to audio from the announcement as Bob took questions from members of the press at our Media Center.
With your generous support we know Bob will receive the nomination and provide a real choice in November. As our campaign strategizes for the Libertarian convention and beyond, your early financial support is essential to building this effort and continuing the revolution.
Toward Liberty,
Bob Barr 2008 Online Team
May 12th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
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May 13th, 2008 at 2:53 am
I feel like the thousand’s of conservatives who want government to stop demanding bigger government spending programs. The republicans have disappointed us almost as much as the dems have. We have to immediately put a stop to the crazy spending before its too late. We need a fighter in Washington who will just say NO!
May 13th, 2008 at 5:09 am
I am a soldier serving in Baghdad, Iraq with the U.S. Army. I have been a Libertarian supporter for over a decade and I vote in every election. I am also of the Wiccan religion, and have been for over 21 years. Bob Barr tried unsuccessfully to stop Wiccans from expressing their faith in the military in 1999. I cannot see how someone who wants to restrict religious liberty can be a Libertarian. I cannot support him unless he changes his position on religious liberty, because he does not believe that my faith should be respected or given equal treatment under the Law. Wicca has been recognized as a legal and legitimate religion by the courts, and has hundreds of thousands of practitioners in the United States today.
SGT Christopher Dukes
Baghdad, Iraq
May 13th, 2008 at 5:13 am
If you will dump the idiocy of open immigration, I will vote for you. I have always favored the LP, but voted Republican because of the LP’s stand on immigration. Open borders is not a realistic policy in the age of terrorism; it is suicide.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:14 am
Mr. Barr claims to be a libertarian. Let me remind you of the definition of a libertarian, The Zero Aggression Principle (http://www.ncc-1776.org/whoislib.html):
“A libertarian is a person who believes that no one has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, or to advocate or delegate its initiation. Those who act consistently with this principle are libertarians, whether they realize it or not. Those who fail to act consistently with it are not libertarians, regardless of what they may claim.”
- L. Neil Smith
If Mr. Barr is a true libertarian, then I can support him. Otherwise, not.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:42 am
http://www.bobbarrmoneybomb.com/
Donate on may 20th!! spread the word!!!!
May 13th, 2008 at 7:38 am
I am a conservative! I am so tired of the junk ( for lack of a better word) that is coming out of DC. They don’t care about us nor have they ever cared about us. If they cared, they would scrap the current tax system and adopt a better one. They give our troops more red tape when they need less and only care about their own pockets!!!
Please Mr. Barr make our future a better place for my son.
Thank you and God Bless You!
Greg Widmer and Family
May 13th, 2008 at 7:38 am
hi,i think we have a good chance,mccain is a disappointment to conservatives.thanks bob for running
May 13th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Mr. Barr is the perfect candidate. He represents the large faction that is dissatisfied with the Republican Party. Without being petty as to his holding the death grip on the Libertarian platform or not, he is a great candidate for those that would tend to stay home on election day.
So what if he has to defend the country against terrorism with military force. The existence of government in the first place is to make war and manage an economy / infrastructure. By default the President is also the Commander in Chief.
The Libertarian Party is the outlet that he can plug into and get up and running quickly. The Constitutional Party would have been a good choice, but they get no press and do not have a wide enough scope of interest to get anyone’s attention.
Mike
May 13th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Based on the village voice interview, Bob Barr believes that libertarian principles define what ought to be the role of the federal government (though not necessarily state and local government).
That makes him qualified to run for a federal office as a libertarian.
Also, I think a Barr-Gravel ticket is the best thing that could happen to the libertarian party. It would have a lot of people on the left (i.e the press) asking what they could possibly have in common.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:34 am
I will support Mr. Barr because of his views on the war. I agree that the Iraq is a useless war that has drained our economy and sacraficed over 4,000 Americans. I’m glad we have another choice other than Mccain, Sen. Mccain has been flipflooping all over the issues.
Please support Mr. Barr by donating ASAP.
May 13th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
lol…
Might “independent” have been better for Mr. Barr? I mean, just look at the replies so far…
Good luck keeping the focus on the several “supportable” ideals of the LIbertarian Party.
The concept of a “third” party so seemingly convicted in the ways of limited government should be a slam dunk. Unfortunately an equal force of aversion and/or ambivalence to traditions of faith and family serves to keep a party of potential wandering in the desert.
Mr. Barr just could be one person able to articulate why and where “left” and “right” do and don’t matter. As a “disenfranchised” conservative (Thanks Mr. McCain) my ears are open.
May 13th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
I’ve voted Republican most of my life. Given the choices we’ll have in November and the status quo attitude towards energy independence (actually, lack of any plans to achieve it), I am dumping the Republican party and re-registering as libertarian.
Bob Barr’s recent announcement, on one of the news programs, that he will seek the presidency told me to vote for the first person I hear who has sense enough to force enviro-lobyists out of government halls.
His first words during the interview were ; We need to drill and we need to do it now reguardless of ‘ where’ ! We need to develope coal and gas and any other energy source neccesary to begin the long haul to bring back some sanity.
All of our woes are the direct responsibility of the 545 people in positions as decision makers within the federal government and can only be quelled by getting off our asses and cleaning house.
I’ve never been so disgusted in my life. I’m as guilty as the rest of Americans when it comes to trusting people we’ve voted into office and expecting them to have our best intrerests heart.
Get the econo-rapists, enviro-zealots and greedy lobbyists around the world out of our lives and restore this great country to the greatness and respectability that I grew up with.
It’s high-time we hire someone who has common sense and understands that we are way behind the eight ball because of complacency and utter refusal to see the writing on the wall.
I’m not a big fan of government in the first place and I know that no one person can make a significant difference but I have to start somewhere with someone who at least will try to get us back on an even keel in spite of the chalenges.
God Bless America and Good Luck Americans
Curtis
May 13th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
I just don’t understand how the sponsor of the Defense of Marriage Act which codified federal recognition of a marriages only between a man and a woman can turn around and suddenly call himself Libertarian. Then, of course, there his his unapologetic stand FOR the vain War on Drugs. Anything’s possible, but I am far from convinced.
May 13th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Congressman Barr, I really do not know much about what your political views are but I am willing to give you a fair listen. I hope you will want to drill for oil. I hope you will want to get off the back of big business. I hope you will want to protect the Constitution, ATT ALL COSTS!! I can only hope you will notwant to break the bank by ” every body gets socialist government health coverage. I pray you want to get rid of the EPA!! I could go on and on, but I think by now you know where I am coming from, and I am not the only one. I love my country and I will not go down as a Marxist. God bless you, Mr. Barr for stepping up to the plate. Now go and do the right thing!!!
May 13th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Dear Bob,
I’m made up my mind. I’m voting for you!
I’m a life long Republican but cannot stomach McCain.
Please blast him on his comments on global warming and his “brilliant” cap and trade system.
You will reap millions of conservative votes in doing so.
Good Luck!
May 13th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
I believe that Barr will make a whopping $1 million on his first moneybomb day. Happy Moneybomb Day. May 20. I plan to give him the same amount that I donated to Ron Paul. I only wish that Barr would recant his stance opposed to civil unions for **** and to the decriminalization of drugs. He needs to give MCCain and Obama/Clinton a run for their money. He will make a solid candidate! Get ready for a very interesting autumn, libs!
May 13th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Bob Barr is not in any stretch of the imagination a Libertarian. Its quite funny watching this farce. Bar supporters should have supported Ron Paul, the onlky viable third party contender against the manchurian candidate is Chuck Balwin.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
As a long-time supporter of Libertarian ideals, I am, and have been, disgusted with Democrats and Republicans of the last 40 years. Today’s politicians make those of prior decades look like polished statesmen and Constitutionalists.
I want to know, very soon, precisely where Mr. Barr stands on the important constitutional, economic, military and international issues that face us today. I want to know just how Libertarian Mr. Barr really is. I am ready for a rational and patriotic choice. All of the current options make me sick.
The current socialist and far-ranging unconstitutional bent of our legislators and other politicians has caused me to recall the words of some of the founders who spoke of the need for an occasional revolution. it would appear that we are long overdue.
May 13th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
This is great news. I think the visibility that Bob has as a former leading member of the Republican party brings some great credibility to Bob’s candidacy and to the Libertarian party.
Bob had the courage to leave a Republican party that looks more like the Democratic party every year. The point is…now that Libertarians have a household name with strong credentials, lets take this opportunity to rally behind Bob on behalf of the party.
To this end, I must say this website is MUCH better than past Libertarian candidates’ websites. I’d like to see more requests for comments in the email blasts and more content on the Issues page, especially for those Independents, Republicans, and Democrats that are looking for a better choice in government. Other than that, keep up the good work on the website. Take a look at how the other candidates are marketing (in terms of content, delivery, etc.), especially Internet marketing since costs are so low compared to other mediums.
To those out there looking for more freedom and less government, vote Libertarian and vote Bob Barr for president!
I’m extremely happy to hear this announcement. Good luck, Bob. I will support you as much as I can and I hope others that value liberty will as well.
-Aaron
Marietta, GA
May 14th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Fernando,
I disagree with Barr DOM act. Pretty silly, small minded and hate-filled legislation if you ask me but the reason the Libertarian Party is as relevant to national politics as a bucket of spit is because people like you must define what a Libertarian believes. Your definition narrows that population of people to getting an asterisk come election day.
People that call themselves small ‘l’ libertarians make up about 1/3 of the population but the small tent, small minded, politically irrelevant anarchist running the LP manage to turn that 1/3 of the population into less than 1% at the polls.
Thanks for running Barr maybe you will be able to do more with the LP in six months than those that have running that party into the dirt for the last 35 years.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Good to see a new voice in the election. I will check out Bob Barr as well as other candidates. Although I don’t dislike the “major” contenders, I can’t vote for anyone who thinks the best we can do to protect ourselves is to kill others. I hope Mr. Barr or some other candidate agrees that we need to develop nonlethal weapons and nonlethal methods of terminating pregnancy so that protecting Americans from unwanted pregnancy or terrorists or crime doesn’t involve destroying innocent lives. We need to move closer to the ideal of justice for ALL, and being unable to defend ourselves without killing others is a major hurdle that we have to start the long process of overcoming.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
We’ve got three Fabian Fascists running on the other two Parties’ tickets, while Ron Paul’s “Kantian Ostrich” foreign policy ideas and rabid “blame America first” rhetoric had left me, as an unapologetic, lifelong “Reagan Republican,” vastly disappointed and with no choice but to do a throwaway write-in vote (I’d been leaning toward Janice Rogers Brown or maybe T.J. Rogers.)
Given the increasing horror of the “choices” offered to me by my Party and the Demo-Socialists, with Barr’s announcement I am definitely interested in a more meaningful vote (not to disparage the excellent Judge Brown or Mr. Rogers, but a vote for people not actually running would have zero public impact.)
So convince me that Candidate Barr has an outlook on national defense that isn’t predicated on the notion that retreating into a turtle shell is rational - in a world in which crossing oceans is a matter of hours rather than months, and worldwide communication is a matter of nanoseconds rather than…months.
I’m specifically *not* interested in opening a whole huge can of worms involving frothing Paul supporters waxing indignant. I’ve done that conflict and it changes nobody’s minds, least of all mine. So knock it off already. 8^]
What I’m looking for is a reason to give my vote to Bob Barr, specifically, a demonstration that if I…~groan~ …compromise… in the direction of a more restrictive foreign policy, that:
- There would still remain an option under a President Barr for “doing a Walter Williams” on Iranian nuclear facilities - since my lifelong career goal has never been: Smoking Lump of Radioactive Carboniferous Sludge Baked to the San Gabriel Foothills;
- That, whatever one thinks about the reasons for *entering* Iraq, under a President Barr the Islamofascist world would not be cheering in the streets and plotting renewed conquest of the Great Satan after an irresponsible retreat, a.k.a. Carter-esque demonstration of Paper-Tiger-weakness;
- That I won’t live to see the remaining free nations of Asia either annexed (by default of *the* Ally,) to the P.R.C; or vaporized (by default of *the* Ally,) by Kooky Kim; or Britain and the whole of Western Europe conquered (by default of *the* Ally,) by the Islamofascist world.
To name a few.
I doubt I will ever agree with the “big L” Libertarian line on national defense, and as Mr. Prager frequently says, I seek clarity rather than agreement. What I would like to hear from candidate Barr is simply an indication of a less strident, capitulatory (to America’s sworn enemies,) line on national defense than Paul’s.
In a nutshell: If Candidate Barr exhibits a willingness to *work with Republicans* who are sympathetic to the “nation-building critique” but who do not agree with a Kantian-isolationist foreign policy, then Candidate Barr is someone who will get my vote.
If not, then it’s back to my Hobson’s Choice and the throwaway vote.
Either-Or.
I would really, really like to have someone for whom I could vote with reasonable enthusiasm. Not anything so exciting as “irrational exuberance,” mind you, just…”reasonable enthusiasm.”
Which is a damnsight more than I’ll ever find with the Three Stooges.
May 26th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Speaking as someone who thinks a McCain presidency likely much worse for liberty than would be Obama (bad, but at least obeying and giving orders all the time isn’t his idea of the ideal life), I think this is great.
I understand that many reading this will fundamentally disagree with me about the desirability of the outcome I’d prefer among the likely ones, as well as probably many other things*. However, I’d wonder if anyone here would think that I’m factually wrong in thinking that this improves Obama’s chances.
*Hint: “Demo-Socialists”? I _wish_.
June 1st, 2008 at 12:46 pm
I frankly don’t believe that Bob Barr is the right candidate for the Libertarian Party. I hardly believe he’s a Libertarian. I believe it’s for show, and personal gain. I believe he joined the Libertarian to have a crack at the White House. I don’t believe he joined because he is genuinely a Libertarian. Now that the Libertarian Party has chosen him, I’ve left the Libertarian Party which no longer seems to upload Libertarian principles. It seems to be a “Republican Lite” Party now; and I want none of that. I’m siding with the Democrats and Obama now. Oh and for the record, I’m also a type of Pagan, but refer to myself as Heathen.
June 1st, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Wow, this entry above is what happens when you try to do too many things at once. That should have read…
I frankly don’t believe that Bob Barr is the right candidate for the Libertarian Party. I hardly believe he’s a Libertarian. I believe it’s for show, and personal gain. I believe he joined the Libertarian Party to have a crack at the White House, because no one else would have him. I don’t believe he joined because he is genuinely a Libertarian. Now that the Libertarian Party has chosen him, I’ve left the Libertarian Party which no longer seems to uphold Libertarian principles. It seems to be a “Republican Lite” Party now; and I want none of that. I’m siding with the Democrats and Obama now. Oh and for the record, I’m also a type of Pagan, but refer to myself as Heathen.
June 8th, 2008 at 10:23 am
As with others here, I’m a pagan who has only voted for Libertarian candidates for President up to now, but this year I can’t bring myself to vote for a man who thought it was the purview of a Congressman to decide which religions were valid and which weren’t. And I’m more than a little saddened by that. Try to pick someone better in 2012, folks?
July 11th, 2008 at 8:24 am
As with other Libertarian Pagans I feel hung out to dry by the Libertarian party. I certainly won’t vote for Barr the bigot and at this point can’t bring myself to vote for Obama or McCain. As the election nears however I might just vote Republican for the first time in my life.
You’ve done that LP by your support of Barr. It’s more than a little disheartening.