Nomination Media Wrap-up
May 27th, 2008 by Shana KluckMyrtleBeachOnline.com- Barr is Libertarian’s pick
[Barr] said his message would be to “get the government out of their pocketbook, out of their homes, out of their schools.” He also proposes to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq and from around the world.
Merinews.com- The life and times of Barr and Root
[Barr] converted to the Libertarian Party in 2006 and became a member of its national committee in 2008 since the Republican Party had been a party of ’more government and more intrusion’. His defining moment was his victory as the presidential nominee from the Libertarian Party.
[Root] has stated that he wants to govern using common sense based on the founding fathers of the United States of America with the restoration of fiscal discipline, personal responsibility, rugged individualism, and individual rights and freedoms.
HuffingtonPost.com- Libertarians Nominate Ex-Republican Barr
“The one striking difference between Republican conventions and this Libertarian Party convention is that every single person here that I talk with wants to talk about substance,” Barr told me. “They’re not interested in the superficial aspects of politics.”
Libertarian Party press release- LP picks Barr as 2008 Presidential Nominee
“We’re proud to present to the American voters Bob Barr as our presidential nominee,” says Libertarian Party spokesperson Andrew Davis. “While Republicans and Democrats will fight for their own power in November, Libertarians will fight for Americans. Bob Barr is one of the strongest candidates in the Party’s 37-year history, and we look for him to have an enormous impact in the 2008 race. Republicans and Democrats have good reason to fear a candidate like Barr, who refuses to accept the ‘business-as-usual’ attitude of the current political establishment. Americans want and need another choice, and that choice is Bob Barr.”
The Bulletin: Philadelphia’s Family Newspaper- Today’s Bulletin
Michael Erickson, chairman of Republicans for the National Interest stated, “There are indications of growing support among conservative voters for the [Libertarian] Bob Barr candidacy and even though we may not see eye to eye with Mr. Barr on every issue, his strong stance on immigration is going to be very popular.”
JournalGazette.net- Today on the presidential campaign trail
“I’m a competitor and I’m in this to win. I do not view the role of the Libertarian Party to be a spoiler and I certainly have no intention of being a spoiler,” Barr, a former congressman from Georgia, said after Sunday’s votes.
The American Spectator- Dogfight in Denver
“We are not in this race just to send a message, although a very important message will be sent,” Barr told delegates in his acceptance speech Sunday. “This is a campaign that will win.”
Reason Magazine- Citizen Bob
And there was startlingly optimistic talk of the party banding together to prevent Republican efforts to kick them off ballots. Why was that optimistic? Because this year the LP finally has a candidate that could swing the election.
May 27th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
good article explaining bob barr’s position and the patriot act.
http://www.freeliberal.com/blog/archives/003357.php
May 27th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
useful links for internet activists trying to provide bob barr’s credentials as a libertarian…
patriot act
http://www.freeliberal.com/blog/archives/003357.php
outright libertarians
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz-VZgVTJdQ
marijuana policy project
http://www.mpp.org/states/district-of-columbia/news/marijuana-project-parties-1.html
May 28th, 2008 at 12:58 am
I wouldn’t put this here if I knew where else to put it, but I was wondering if anybody can update me on what ever happened to Bob Barr debating at Oxford? Google just takes me here and there doesn’t seem to be any updates. Thanks in advance and go Bob Barr 08!
May 28th, 2008 at 2:42 am
There’s also the CNN segment from the morning after the convention:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/05/26/roberts.bob.barr.cnn?iref=videosearch
(Unfortunately, Barr misrepresents DOMA in this interview, glossing over the definition of marriage part of it. The rest of the interview is quite good, though.)
May 28th, 2008 at 8:56 am
http://www.bobbarrmoneybomb.com/
donate july 4th
May 28th, 2008 at 11:06 am
The Ron Paul revolutionaries at http://www.dailypaul.com would like Bob Barr to answer the following questions in order to decide if they should support him:
1.Will you put a stop to the Security and Prosperity Partnership (or whatever name it’s going by these days)?
2.Will you pull the U.S. troops out of ALL nations around the globe and bring them home to better provide for defense of this nation?
3.Will you put a stop to the NAFTA Super Highway?
4.Will you abolish the Federal Reserve or legalize competing currencies to free American from enslavement of the US Dollar http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2008/cr021308h.htm?
5.Will you promote a foreign policy of NON-INTERVENTIONISM?, i.e. NO more foreign aid to nations of any sort for any reason. This means money/weapons/training of their military forces on our soil like School of Americas in Ft.Benning, Ga.
6.Will you prosecute employers to the fullest extent of the law that employ illegal aliens?
7.Will you cut off ALL aid to ALL illegal aliens in this country? i.e. NO more social security, welfare, college grants for their children, etc.
8.Will you end birth right citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants in this country?
9.Would you work to restore a debt free, interest free monetary system that is backed by some form of a standard that will put tight restrictions on how much the government can spend?
10. Will you work to end the Income Tax and replace it with NOTHING?
11.Will you work to get the US out of free trade deals such as NAFTA/CAFTA/GATT etc?
12.Will you work to disband the Dept. of Education and actively promote homeschooling or private schooling as a viable option?
13.Will you oppose any and all legislation designed to subsidize special interests such as HMO’s?
14. Will you work to ban forced vaccinations/immunizations?
15.Will you work to protect the 2nd amendment for private citizens of this country, and not just for milita members?
16.Will you stop ALL participation in the UN/WTO/IMF/WorldBank?
17.Will you put a stop to eminent domain abuse in the US?
18. Will you relegate the issue of ALL drug legality (not just marijuana) to the States as it should be according to our Constitution?
19. Will you relegate the issue of abortion to the States and support Ron Paul’s Sanctity of Life Act?
20.Will you support the freedom of choice for both patient and doctor and let the free market provide for a better healthcare system here in the US?
21.Will you promote an independent investigation of 9/11 and if government officials are found guilty of crimes, prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law?
22. Will you work towards a phasing out of Social Security, Welfare, Minimum Wage laws?
May 28th, 2008 at 11:37 am
If you pass the dailypaul test you will have no chance of being elected. Please take a more common sense approach than that of the radical extremist Paulites. I supported Paul but the demands of some of his supporters are absurd.
May 28th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Yes, we would like these questions answered. Thus far the Revolution has determined that Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin and all of the Ron Paul Republicans running for office answer a resounding YES to each and every one of these questions. Where do you stand on these platform planks Mr.Barr? Your expedient reply is greatly appreciated.
May 28th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
To the Bob Barr campaign:
Please update the issues section of this site so that includes Bob’s specific position and plans on EVERY MAJOR ISSUE as soon as possible.
I can not recruit people to this campaign without the details of the platform.
Thank You
May 28th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
The Ron Paul revolutionaries at http://www.dailypaul.com would like Bob Barr to answer the following questions in order to decide if they should support him.
The question should be: Can RON PAUL give a definitive answer as to how ANY of these items can be accomplished? Can ANYONE?
1.Will you put a stop to the Security and Prosperity Partnership (or whatever name it’s going by these days)?
A: Maybe. SAPP is interest-driven but not completely integrated into our socialist bureaucratic network. Only a certain number of wealthy special interests will lose business because of its elimination.
2.Will you pull the U.S. troops out of ALL nations around the globe and bring them home to better provide for defense of this nation?
A: NO. Bringing home so many troops would, for one, make them redundant and cause them to be discharged, thus increasing unemployment. Even worse, the military-industrial complexes that earn billions from supplying these bases would lose their only clients. The MICs have too many lobbyists in DC to allow this to ever happen.
3.Will you put a stop to the NAFTA Super Highway?
A: Maybe. Still in the process. The special interest construction concerns are lined up, waiting to cash in on taxpayer money by the billions, but the corporations have yet to begin moving all remaining manufacturing concerns from the US and Canada to Mexico. If they did, this project would be IMPOSSIBLE to defeat.
4.Will you abolish the Federal Reserve or legalize competing currencies to free American from enslavement of the US Dollar http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2008/cr021308h.htm?
A: NO. Thousands of Banks and their lobbyists, as well as the manipulators in the GAO and Treasury Dept. would never allow this to happen. Andrew Jackson was the last president capable of defeating the central bank. It is impossible to challenge these days.
5.Will you promote a foreign policy of NON-INTERVENTIONISM?, i.e. NO more foreign aid to nations of any sort for any reason. This means money/weapons/training of their military forces on our soil like School of Americas in Ft.Benning, Ga.
A: Absolutely NOT! Interventionism is the hallmark of American politics. The MICs would not tolerate this, nor would the various regimes which trade free taxpayer cash for corporate access to raw materials and slave labour overseas.
6.Will you prosecute employers to the fullest extent of the law that employ illegal aliens?
A: NO! Corporations, small businesses, farms, and the service sector are slave-driven. Cheap exploitable labour keeps America’s profit margin intact. What would happen if businessmen had to pay their workers a fair wage?
7.Will you cut off ALL aid to ALL illegal aliens in this country? i.e. NO more social security, welfare, college grants for their children, etc.
A: NO! The reason these people get benefits is because they will support whichever politician made it possible. Incumbent Senators, Congressmen, and now presidents will depend on a class of dependents to keep them in office forever.
8.Will you end birth right citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants in this country?
A: NO! Incumbent office-holders need more and more dependents and cheap labour to offset the votes of the disenchanted middle classes.
9.Would you work to restore a debt free, interest free monetary system that is backed by some form of a standard that will put tight restrictions on how much the government can spend?
A: NO! The socialist system requires a steady inflationary increase of spending to keep the middle classes weaker than the government. This “entitlement inflation” must always be higher than the rate of pay increase, lest the middle classes get the upper hand and experience financial independence.
10. Will you work to end the Income Tax and replace it with NOTHING?
A: NO! Too many people love the IRS! H&R Block and all the tax preparation firms employ tens of thousands of people, and have thousands of lobbyists to keep their businesses flourishing. IRS employs tens of thousands of federal employees, well known for never getting fired or laid off, no matter how badly they perform. Finally, the incumbent politicians would not be able to harp on the “unfairness” of the rich being taxed at the same rate as the poor, thus removing their biggest talking point! Too many people depend on the IRS for their survival. It will never go anywhere!!
11.Will you work to get the US out of free trade deals such as NAFTA/CAFTA/GATT etc?
A: NO! Too many corporations depend on expendable slave labor and cheap raw materials in poor countries to EVER permit these treaties to lapse.
12.Will you work to disband the Dept. of Education and actively promote homeschooling or private schooling as a viable option?
A: NO! The government depends on the DOE to create a class of stupid yet obedient tax-payers to eternally fund the socialist system and forever reelect the incumbents.
13.Will you oppose any and all legislation designed to subsidize special interests such as HMO’s?
A: NO! That would be suicide!
14. Will you work to ban forced vaccinations/immunizations?
A: NO! What would thousands of pharmaceutical corporations and their lobbyists do for a living if the government didn’t mandate their businesses?
15.Will you work to protect the 2nd amendment for private citizens of this country, and not just for militia members?
A: NO! The corporate police state demands nothing less than the disarming of any challenge to its force.
16.Will you stop ALL participation in the UN/WTO/IMF/WorldBank?
A: Are you kidding? The multinational corporations and MICs thrive on transferring large amounts of American wealth into third world treasure chests!
17.Will you put a stop to eminent domain abuse in the US?
A: How can that be stopped? A government’s ability to requisition personal property and turn it over to contractors and corporations, is its most highly cherished way of rewarding faithful courtiers and supporters.
18. Will you relegate the issue of ALL drug legality (not just marijuana) to the States as it should be according to our Constitution?
A: No, the war on drugs has been a colossal success for those special interests that receive billions every year to do nothing.
19. Will you relegate the issue of abortion to the States and support Ron Paul’s Sanctity of Life Act?
A: No, the abortion issue has been one of the best distractions in American politics for the last 30 years, causing whole swaths of people to support total idiots and incompetents for high office based on abortion policy. Why stop now?
20.Will you support the freedom of choice for both patient and doctor and let the free market provide for a better healthcare system here in the US?
A: NO!!! The government created the system we have now! Mandated benefits, HIPAA, and a host of other moronic regulations ensured at least a 15% increase per year for the last 12 years! Soon, the prices will be too high, and not even the biggest universal healthcare skeptics will be able to resist government control over the ENTIRE system. Imagine how powerful those incumbent politicians and their corporate sponsors will be then!
21.Will you promote an independent investigation of 9/11 and if government officials are found guilty of crimes, prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law?
A: Hah!
22. Will you work towards a phasing out of Social Security, Welfare, Minimum Wage laws?
A: No. You’re talking about eliminating socialism in this country. That is IMPOSSIBLE without not just a great depression, but a total and utter global financial collapse and complete bankruptcy of the federal government. When it takes 50,000,000 greenbacks to buy a cup of coffee and there “federal employee paycheck” riots in the streets of every major city, finally we can say that these administrations will no longer be needed. All of the million-odd people who work for them can be turned into the streets, to join tens of millions of other unemployed leeches who make up the gigantic SUPER-CORPORATION known as the federal, state, and local government.
Final point.
Ron Paul cannot do virtually any of these things, even though all of them are a real problem. But then, nobody can! Its impossible. I hope Ron Paul can rally the conservative reaction and support Bob Barr in reducing the corrupting effects of these cancerous problems. But nobody can eliminate them. Not without eliminating millions of dependents and literally global financial powers that leech off American wealth.
May 28th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
The most ridiculous thing about the radical Paulistas is that they don’t understand that the President doesn’t have much power and if they want to return to the original intent of the US Constitution the POTUS will have even less power.
There is no way that a President can pass any of the objectives above so to run on them, most of which are supported by less than 5% of the population, would doom the Barr campaign.
I say stick with more liberty and less government and maybe in 100 years and 25 libertarian thinking presidents in a row you may be able to get rid of the IRS and replace it with nothing.
I’ve never seen a group of people so ignorant to US politics as the radical Paulistas.
May 28th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
“8.Will you end birth right citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants in this country?”
Cutting off aid to illegal immigrants can reasonably be considered a libertarian position, since libertarians would cut it off for everyone. But what’s up with Ron Paul’s opposition to jus soli? If there’s no welfare, there’s no reasonable opposition to free movement, at least if you’re actually a libertarian and not just a right-wing populist.
May 28th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Steve,
You made the common mistake of saying ‘if you actually a libertarian’ instead of ‘Libertarian’. There are far more libertarians that don’t support open boarders than that do. That may not be the LP position but there are only 250,000 LP members and tens of millions of libertarians.
The very idea that the president can ‘end birth right citizenship’ demonstrates, once again an incredible lack of political knowledge and in this case just government in general.
May 28th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Dear Russ Verney,
It is not 1992. It’s 2008.
The lack of updating and activity on this website since the nomination is extremely disappointing. It seems like Bob’s call to not waste a single day was an empty one, since he has barely given us anything to do on these days since the convention.
The media center features a video that is nearly a month old.
There was an interview on CNN and one on C-Span. Neither are mentioned or available here.
The last press release from the campaign appears to have been on May 17th. (I wonder how many press releases your competitors have sent out since mOnday?)
There is no written message from Bob to the party, thanking folks and asking for unity.
I could go on. These are all no brainers. There are many more no-brainers. Actually I will go on.
Steve Kubby has publicly asked folks to support Barr. No mention of that.
Outright Libertarians and at least one *** publication have posted suprisingly unharsh articles about Barr’s candidacy and stance (such as it is) on DOMA. No mention of those.
The fundrasing graphic is still based on winning the nomination.
Maybe I’m missing it, but is there anywhere to get a yard sign or a bumper sticker?
Did you guys not think you were going to win? You are supposed to be the pros; it was your number one selling point. So let’s see it. I’m about ready to get back to other interests, frankly, because you guys are doing little to hold mine.
I was expecting to have to focus on explaining Bob’s questionable stances to folks, but now I have to first explain why they are squandering their post-convention week of attention, and failing to mount a competitive campaign. And I don’t know the answer.
I know you folks are tired and very busy, but that’s the job. You begged for it. Your chance for downtime passed around May 22nd.
May 28th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Here is Neil Cavuto from May 27th. Great introduction!
http://www.foxbusiness.com/video/index.html?playerId=embeddedplayerwithplaylist&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=856324&referralPlaylistId=1292d14d0e3afdcf0b31500afefb92724c08f046
May 28th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Barr on Neil Cavuto’s Your World yesterday:
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=851631&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/yourworld/index.html
May 28th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Bob Barr is a politician. The answer is Yes to all the survey questions, assuming it won’t be made public on CNN.
May 28th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
I will not base my support on anyone based on a long list of questions with which his answers must agree with mine on the minutae of policy. If that were the case, there would be no need to even have elected officials exercising their own judgement.
I support Bob Barr 100% because his general prinicples and character resonate with me. Less government, more civil liberties, and non-intervention in other countries. No one should “lock a candidate down” to tiny details on every issue. That can’t be done. Nor should it. Decide your important principles that are non-negotiable (maybe only 3 or 4, to keep it simple), see whose life, judgement and character reflect that, then support that person.
I agree with the exhaustive list personally. I’d love to see every one of those enacted. But, good grief, I don’t need somebody to agree with me on everything in order to support him. Let me ask you: Who is closest to your general priniciples: John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama? Or Bob Barr? It’s clear. Bob has the best shot, not at just getting the million votes, but of catching fire, and winnng the race. We need to get behind him, and start working to attract Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. It can happen!
May 28th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
To John Honey:
Thanks for injecting some “reason” into the discussion.
I agree with the list as well; however, I find the tenor of the request didactic in nature. I am an avid Ron Paul supporter who will NOW SUPPORT Bob Barr. He offers the American public a real choice between the two “democratic” presidential nominees (Obama and McCain).
Barr/Root 08 - Let’s make it happen!
May 30th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I notice how he never mentions his position on freedom of religion.
Signed,
Air Force Veteran
June 1st, 2008 at 4:03 pm
JMann made a great point. Bob Barr has the Libertarian Party platform behind him, which may be more consistent on libertarian issues than Bob Barr himself. While I agree with ALL of Ron Paul’s stands (I think he would allow the abortion legality to be made at the state level and leave the question out of the Federal level). But Ron Paul is running for President and the Republican Party platform is an incredible joke. One man cannot have an effect on such a long list of issues when it’s up to Congress or the Supreme Court to decide them.; This is why I’m voting for the Libertarian Party platform, not Bob Barr’s stands on the issues, when I vote for Bob Barr. Yes, I changed my registration from Republican to Libertarian after voting for Dr. Ron Paul in the Arizona primary.