Root talks Liberty in Missouri
July 20th, 2008 by Jason PyeSpeaking of Wayne Allyn Root, he sat down for an interview with the Columbia Daily Tribune during his recent visit to Missouri:
Q: Do you believe in a foreign policy that avoids military entanglements?
A: Absolutely. The lesson I learned from Iraq is it’s a disaster when you run around the world spending a trillion dollars stuffing democracy down throats of people who don’t want it. I don’t think we should be doing that. I don’t think we can afford to do that. … I was a fan of Afghanistan, going in originally. I think we’re probably in Afghanistan now too long. The job is to go, depose your enemy and leave, not to stay occupied.
Q: What is the ticket’s feeling on the issue of taxes? Would you and Barr be in favor of something like a “fair tax” that replaces the income tax with a bolstered sales tax?
A: When it comes to the tax, Bob Barr and I have a very simple answer. You’ve got to dramatically cut the size and scope of government (and) cut budgets before you worry about cutting taxes. Once government is dramatically cut, then we can have a national debate on what the best form of tax cut is. We want to give dramatic tax cuts to the American people and the American taxpayers. But whether it’s a fair tax or a flat tax, that’s up for debate. Why rush into a decision on that?
Q: It seems the Libertarian Party in years past did not support incrementally enacting its agenda.
A: And that’s why they got 300,000 votes, and now we have a chance to get 10 million votes, 20 million votes. … Again, we’re an underdog, but there’s an outside shot at winning this election. We’re at 6 percent in the latest Zogby poll, which is 6 or 7 million votes. And we just got started. It’s the most high-profile ticket ever. And Bob Barr and I believe in incremental change. That’s what we believe in. And we are the face and voice of the LP.
Many thanks to Thomas Everetts for sending in a link to the interview.
July 20th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I do like the idea of incremental change, as long as the increments never stop coming. I think this is something of a double edged sword; if you push the “extreme” Libertarian agenda you are dismissed with a laugh by most people. However, if you push for incremental change many Libertarians feel that you aren’t really working for their ideals.
I put myself somewhere in the middle on this one. I see the need for incremental change. It is the only way to have the message heard in any major way. I worry though, that we’ll only get one or two “increments” of the change before everything reverts back to business as usual.
July 20th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Digg Roots Interview!
http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Libertarians_look_for_disaffected_Republicans
July 20th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
I liked the interview that Mr. Root had with the CDT. There is one thing that bothers me and that is the image of the LP in regards to this campaign. It is this notion that they are not libertarian enough. I will tell you that I and most are not looking for any extremes. We would like a major change, but change involves the entire system working together. While I agree on some issues in regards to hardcore libertarians, I know that it is not good “playground” behavior for the times and there may be a lot of opposition to the ideology until it becomes well known. We need to be able to work together with other parties to cause change. When Barr gets elected, he is going to face a congress and nation that has little to no libertarian seats. I think that these two are the best candidates to bring about a real change under the circumstances. So for all of you libertarians who do not support this campaign, how about you reevaluate the maturity of this party and work with us.
Other things that stick in my head is when Barr/Root gets asked about their Republican past. Granted, the Republican party at one time was the conservative voice. Today there is a great divide within the party. I see the divide coming from two ideologies seperating. The two are NeoConservatism and PaleoConservatism operating under “Conservative”. While both share similar beliefs in some areas, they contrast sharply in certain areas. The areas that they contrast in, like nation building (they are not empire builders but defenders of the republic), are splitting the party. I believe that if evaluated and presented properly, this campaign could use the contrast in those two ideologies to bring over even more “conservatives”. I say this because it worked for me. I recently debated a friend of mine over conservative values and we were split on lines that these two disagree on. We found ourselves aligning towards either neo or paleo. Maybe by telling them that they are in the wrong party they will understand why they feel uncomfortable and reevaluate.
In Liberty,
~Sauce
July 20th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Check out this letter sent from the DNC to Clinton supporters: Dear Democratic Friends:
2008 is a Democratic year-at all levels in all the states. The opportunity is ours. We just have to seize it.
We experienced an exciting, intense, sometimes difficult, campaign to nominate our presidential candidate. Now it’s over. Barack Obama won.
I supported Hillary Clinton and am proud and pleased that I did. But she lost. Barack Obama won. It’s over.
It is time for all Democrats, supporters of Senator Clinton and all other contenders for the nomination, to stand with him to secure his election and the election of Democrats at all levels of competition.
I must confess a bit of fatigue and irritation with people who continue to carp, complain, and criticize the results of the primary and lay down conditions for their support. The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t establish conditions to recognize the Boston Celtics as NBA Champions; Roger Federer did not demand concessions before recognizing that Rafael Nadal defeated him at Wimbledon.
It is time to act in a mature and resourceful fashion. It’s time to put the primaries behind us. It’s time to support Barack Obama without conditions or demands.
It’s time to WIN for Barack Obama, the Democratic Party, America, and our future. We have an unparalleled opportunity. I hope we will all do everything we can to seize the moment.
See you at the Inauguration.
Sincerely,
Don Fowler DNC Member At-Large, South Carolina Former Chair of the Democratic National Committee
Alice Germond Secretary, Democratic National Committee
Maybe the Barr/Root campaign can sway some of these voters their way.
July 20th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Is Bob part African American? That would be a great to convey to conservative blacks & hispanics!
July 20th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Maybe the Libertarian Party can send the same type letter to Ruwart supporters
July 20th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Dear friend,
I urgently need your help.
I’m in Charleston, West Virginia attempting to get Bob Barr on the ballot. When I arrived early Wednesday morning, I didn’t think it would be possible, but I had to give it a shot.
We’re headed toward 48 state ballot access. Only West Virginia and Oklahoma are problems. However, there is hope in Oklahoma as we have just filed a lawsuit to get Bob Barr and Wayne Root on the ballot there.
If we win that case, only West Virginia will stand in our way of 50 state ballot access - an apex of achievement for a third-party candidate and something the media cannot ignore.
But here’s my problem.
There is no active Libertarian Party in West Virginia and a very limited pool of volunteers.
I have had to bring in out-of-state petitioners from across the nation to get this drive done.
So far I have 13 petitioners on the ground and another nine on their way.
I didn’t think we would have the manpower to get the drive done, but now I think it’s a possibility. I have enough petitioners in the state and on their way to collect enough signatures by our August 1st deadline.
But I won’t have the money to finish the drive if I don’t raise $43,000 by close of business on Monday.
Russ Verney, our campaign manager, wrote to me this morning and instructed me to shut down the drive if I cannot raise the funds by COB Monday.
So far this month, we’re raised less than $100,000. We’re even off pace from our June fundraising totals.
The campaign cannot afford this ballot drive as I write this. We would have to choose between basic campaign operations or the possibility of 50 state ballot access.
Russ has to make a tough call on this drive but he did give me 96 hours to raise the funds to continue the effort.
I ask that you keep this drive alive by helping me raise $43,000 by close of business on Monday.
Please make an emergency donation to fund the West Virginia ballot access drive right now. Please give generously by clicking here.
My friend, I’ve only been in this state for a few days and we need to be on the ballot here.
When I arrived in West Virginia it was 2:30 in the morning. I pulled into a hotel parking lot and a restaurant owner and one of her patrons were standing outside smoking a cigarette.
They didn’t look too happy.
As it turns out, just a few weeks earlier the county had banned smoking in all “enclosed workplaces” including bars and restaurants.
I’m not a smoker, but it’s the property owner’s decision to allow or disallow smoking on their premises - it is not a county bureaucrats’ decision.
When I explained libertarian philosophy to them and told them about our candidate Bob Barr, their eyes lit up.
They did not know that there is an alternative to the two-party system. They didn’t know that there is a party that respects an individual’s rights and personal decisions.
Since then, I’ve talked to many more folks in this state and the same holds true. We need to give West Virginians a better choice and the only way to do that is to get Bob Barr on the ballot.
Please donate today and help me keep this drive alive. I have two weeks left to pull it off and I sincerely need your support.
A gift of $50, $100, $250 or more would be a significant help. If you can’t give $50, give $5 or $10. Every dollar gets us one step closer to getting a pro-liberty candidate on the ballot in what could be our final ballot access hurdle.
Thank you for all that you do.
In Liberty,
Shane Cory
Deputy Campaign Manager
Bob Barr 2008
July 20th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Found an even better article about Wayne.
http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2008/07/libertarian-vice-presidential-nominee-says-odds-in-his-partys-favor/
Quote from article
Asked Root as he drank bottled water at a Clayton restaurant: “What’s the difference between Las Vegas and Washington D.C.?
“In Vegas, the drunks gamble with their own money!”
I laughed out loud when I read that.
July 20th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
If government (those in power) have money, they will spend it. If they don’t have it, they can’t spend it. Cut taxes first and the size and scope of government will follow.
July 20th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
As a West Georgia resident I am thrilled to see Bob Barr as a presidential contender. As a Constitutionalist, I am thrilled to see Mr. Barr’s values of small government and individual liberty as part of a campaign platform. On almost every issue Mr. Barr and I are on the same page.
There is one issue that I would like to see some clarification is that of Iraq and Afghanistan. I wholeheartedly agree that foreign adventures (if they can be called such) are not part of our constitutional design. But the simple fact is that we are there. Money spent there while tremendous is nothing compared to the blood investment paid by our service members. And that investment of life and sacrifice should not be easily overlooked. Despite the media’s hype that there was no mission for our troops there, the mission defined by the Commander in Chief and military leadership was (1) to defeat militarily the opposition, (2) create stable and secure governments to foster prosperity and stability. Let our troops finish that mission to its entirety. Or at the very least let the troops decide democratically whether the mission is finished or not.
Today, Obama labeled Iraq as a “strategic mistake.” His ineptitude for interpreting military affairs and operations is a possible future for us if he wins the presidential contest by voter affirmation. McCain’s unlimited support for a young government is just as unwise. But mark my words and they are supported by any military doctrine, but to keep your openly stated enemies committed to two distinct and logistically difficult (to support) fronts simultaneously is anything but a strategic mistake. One may call it a tactical blunder, or the like. But taking the initiative from the enemy is what any military organization through various means seeks to accomplish. Al Queda and its subsidiary franchises must be engaged at every logical opportunity to make it consume its resources faster than it can replenish them. I whole heartedly agree that only Congress can make declarations of war, but in case any one missed it, Al Queda has already declared war on us (circa 1993). George S. Patton said it best (1) “when attacked, attack back, even if its in the wrong direction, the enemy will soon follow.” (2) “a good general is not defeated until he says he is defeated, the fog of war exists on both sides of the battle lines….and if you can convince the other s.o.b. he has lost (regardless of whether or not that is fact of the matter) then he loses….the winner is the one who stands round after round of contest, the loser is the one who capitulates.” We would do well to listen to these words of wisdom. The best dis-engagement from foreign adventures is one that is supported by the security of victory without dispute. Ideologies are great but they must not cloud us from objective realities and facts.
Jesse Runions
Georgia
July 20th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
while I am on my little soapbox. Obviously I am not a Libertarian, I really don’t know how I can be politically classified my views jump all over the place from national, state, and local views. Personally, I consider myself an American and a Constitutionalist that adheres to no party doctrine, but to pragmatism of a “Washingtonian and Jeffersonian” flavor. But I hear catch words like “small government” and limiting of government power. And I hear vague suggestions of solution. Well I have two solutions to put forth that will solve the majority of the problems facing our country “over-taxation” and “under-representation.” No my suggestions will not solve all of the problems our country faces, in fact it will cause some new ones but it puts our country closer to its origin:
(1) Repeal the 16th amendment, replace it with an amendment that states all federal taxation is approved and set by referendum by the voter every two year house election cycle. Additionally in the inserted admendment it must state that the voter in the same two year approval cycle as the tax rate.
(2) Limit all federal elected terms to Six years of maximum office occupation. Leave the House of Representative terms at two years (with a maximum of 3 terms), set Senatorial terms to one six year term, and redesign the Presidential term to one six year term. Additionally, all bureaucratic and civil service positions, limit the number of years that a civil servant can remain in a department or position to six years. After which they must transfer to a wholly different department. A bureaucrat or civil servant with 20 years plus of tenure often times holds more power than an elected office holder, this is something that needs to be changed.
Is the above off the “deep end?” Perhaps, but does anyone have a better solution to the primary problems affecting our country?
Jesse Runions
Georgia
July 21st, 2008 at 2:03 am
again the main problem of america and its middle class - are both republican and democrats who have done nothing to alleviate the present conditions of what is the current state of problems , did not do anything to foresee these problems although the hand writing was on the wall compounded by corporate america and its greedy ceos and management who take advantage of loopholes to pillage a company backed up by supposed directors - look what is happening to a lot of companies now who are forced to close down, lay off the rank and file but keep their fantastic salaries, benefits and bonuses intact - see the similarity x the american working middle class who are the backbone of this ecomony should wake up and realize what is at stake - we do not need rhetoric and false promises as these have been going back anf forth between these two parties for some time now without a clear direction for the future x now on promises of CHANGE - you must be kidding ? x take the example of oil.gas - why have these so called washington “bright” boys not take an example from Brazil who have no problem on gas x listen to t boone pickens on his plans for energy and drill / manufacture oil here in the good ole usa x do you want to pay upwards to $ 7 to $ 10 dollars for a gallon or get the oil wherever it maybe x also with the media trying to outdo each other to flood the airwaves of just obama and mccain - bob needs to get his message across on what his plans/platform to solve this country’s woes x both candidates just try to outdo each other and go back and forth with the same rhetoric and promises but no substance x all the third party candidates should band and stand together for a concerted effort to counter the same democrat and republican agenda x just listen to lou dobbs nightly and see how many independents are disgusted and out there , how many persons would vote none of the above ? x the immediate problems are oil/gas, interest rates for housing, social security , jobs - there are a lot of people looking for jobs, people are being laid off,companies closing and jobs exported to other countries, lots of H1 visa given out when you have people looking for jobs - why the need to import foreign nationals ? lots of disturbing comments and statements on the paul jacob ( common sense ), web x for all of you out there - do not be swayed by rhetoric but analyze and look for answers before you commit your vote because another 4 years of the wrong leader is a long time
July 21st, 2008 at 5:24 am
Jonathan: are Ruwart supporters not supporting Bob as the Party’s nominee? Is she doing anything to urge them to support Bob? Is she working on his behalf?
July 21st, 2008 at 7:31 am
It appears that some Mary Ruwart supporters have reformed the Boston Tea Party and are supporting other Candidates. I haven’t heard of Mary supporting or giving her endorsment to anyone.
July 21st, 2008 at 8:31 am
Wayne Root makes my point against his own candidacy….we need a “HIGH PROFILE” candidate
for V.P too.
Barry Goldwater ran with a guy named Bill Miller. They went down to a historic defeat to a nincompoop named Lyndon Johnson. Johnson’s 2 front failures of the Great Society and the Viet Nam conflict are still being felt, but not recognized by most Americans today. Witness our inflation and the tieup in Iraq.
Had Goldwater run with someone popular, he might have won; and neither failure would have been ours. He was even pro-choice. And his reason for voting against the Civil Rights Act was the refusal of Democrats to require it to be Constitutional. But nobody knew Bill Miller; and he was the best name Goldwater could come up with.
Same thing for Ross Perot and his barely-an-admiral co-star.
We HAVE to have a known quantity to offer with Bob Barr. His name isn’t THAT well known. I have people ask me today who he is.
If something isn’t done soon to correct this, I’ll vote against Obama and hold my nose with McCain.
July 21st, 2008 at 8:58 am
I realized the post I left last night in this blog was not clear or cohesive. So I will attempt to clarify my line of thought with this entry. As stated before, I am not indoctrinated in the Libertarian philosophy or ideology no more than I am those of the Republican or Democratic parties. I am not constrained by party affiliation. I consider myself an American and a Constitutionalist.
By virtue of the power that the 16th amendment invests in the Federal Government, the balance of power between the states and the central government was cancelled out. Result our system of taxation is top heavy and backwards. The central government by virtue of almost unlimited power to tax has the state and local governments held hostage due to funding.
My suggestion for serious thinkers was not only the repeal of the 16th amendment but an insertion of an amendment that requires voter approval for the tax rate each house election cycle (every 2 years). This is to mean the voter sets the rate in their ballot. And the tax rate is that which receives a majority of votes, not a culmulative average or merely an vote of confidence placed upon the rate set by our politicians (who often are allowed to forget who they represent). History has proven that even elected representatives cannot be trused with the power to tax. Wasn’t it Justice Marshall who stated that the “power to tax” is the power to destroy? Who better than than the citizen to set this rate?
Now most of you reading this will say, that’s great but it will never get ratified by the states. Unfortunately in this day and age, due to poor education, ignorance of our Constitution, and simple lust for power we cannot simply appeal to our state politicians patriotism and count on them to make the right decision. We must appeal to their self interests and ultimately their greed. A clarifier is inserted into the amendment that the states are responsible for raising and collecting by statute the per capita share of tax on behalf of the Federal Government. Additionally, the legislature of each state must appropriate the amount of the tax money (at the rate approved by the voter and the means approved by the voter) by legislative process and scrutiny. Any residual programs that are supported by the Federal Government financially (i.e. Reserve or National Guard allocations) are withheld not sent to D.C. to wait for it to be doled back to the entitled state government.
This restores the sovereignty of the states and the balance of power between the Federal and State governments. In regards to all the socialized entitlement programs that are now hosted and foisted by the Federal Government, it will be up to the states to decide which are desireable and at what rate to fund those programs.
The second suggestion is the limitation of terms for Federal office holders. All terms should be limited to six years. Three 2 year terms for Representatives, one six year term for Senators and Presidents. In addition, bureaucrats and civil servants should be required to change positions and entire departments to prevent empire building. It is a sad state of affairs when a non-elected “civil servant” holds as much power as an elected senator after 15-20 years of tenure.
These suggestions may or may not be in line with the Libertarian Philosophy and Ideology, but they are inline with the intent of the founders in regards to balance of power between the Federal and State governments (not to mention preservation of States’ Sovereignty). Additionally the suggestions prevent the accrual of tyranny by virtue of excessive taxation and inherent corruption by prolonged exposure to power.
I’m interested to hear a better solution, because I haven’t found it yet.
July 21st, 2008 at 9:21 am
A high profile candidate? Is it our current state as citizens to make one of the most important positions in our elected Federal Government nothing than a popularity and “beauty” contest? It is the citizen that makes the candidate popular. The office should seek the candidate, not the other way around. The nomination of Barr is a good step into placing emphasis upon integrity and purpose for a potential office holder as opposed to how popular he or she is (or is not).
Even in tyrannical governments the power is derived or surrendered by the people. Case in point…”big oil”. Who really makes “big oil” big? You the consumer does. Each time you fill up, it is your money that financially supports “big oil.” It is no different with an election and candidates, whether that candidate is “popular” or “socially acceptable” depends upon the voter.
Now is not the time to debate personalities. Now is the time to contemplate the candidates and the issues that they stand upon or against. Worrying about whether “Barr” is that well known or not is not the issue. It is your job to make him well known or obscure.
Time is limited, you do not have the luxury of second guessing the choice of candidate by convention. The question to ask, is the platform that Barr represents worthy of your vote or not? The next question if he is worthy of your vote, is how will you make Barr well known to at least 5 to 10 people. Consider this, if the latest Zogby is even close to representative and 5 million people support Barr. If those 5 Million individual can convince merely 5 to 10 like minded people to vote for him, he has a real chance of winning. So have you got your 10 voters yet? I have.
July 21st, 2008 at 11:10 am
Jesse:
You provided a powerful wake-up call to those of us who support the platform Bob has been chosen to represent.
I will follow your example and work every day to find new supporters and donors (ten or more).
We are really at a significant moment in history. We really can make a difference this time - especially if we can work together to advance Bob’s candidacy.
We may not agree on every issue. There will never be a ‘perfect candidate’, but Bob and this platform represents a huge step forward.
Let’s get on the ballot in West Virginia and then the other 7 states on which the LP is concentrating right now.
Jesse, I hope you will blog often and keep us moving actively in the right direction.
July 21st, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Wayne Root not high profile?
You need to
1) Do some research, and
2) Get out and meet and listen to Wayne when you have the opportunity.
Wayne easily brings with him a natural constituency several times larger than any LP candidate other than Congressman Barr himself. He is also a fiery speaker and an attractive personality.
Anyone willing to vote for McCain because Wayne Root isn’t famous enough is someone who leans toward big government anyway. Those of us who really want change - change TO something we believe in - will be voting for Bob Barr and Wayne Allen Root.
July 21st, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Well, there are at least 13 readers ticked off at me.
I suggested that running an unknown for V.P. is a bad idea, and gave 2 good examples of why.
So I’m considered to be less enthusiastic for Bob Barr as a result. “Jesse” seems to be unable to differentiate between my not being happy with an unknown quantity for a running mate, and liking the candidate and his platform.
I am a wholehearted supporter of Bob Barr! I have yet to see another Bob Barr bumper sticker in my county. The nearest meetup is one guy 40 miles away.
I’m only beginning to see the problem being the Libertarian Party. It’s making its own case against itself too. To deny the presidential nominee the ability to name his running mate is nuts. How much can they trust their presidential nominee if they won’t even let him do that?
Does anyone believe there is anyone in the party now with a prominent enough name to help the ticket? Mr. Barr couldn’t very well insist on bringing in another newcomer; he was barely chosen in the first place! But that is what is needed. Remember Tom Eagleton? “Only a heartbeat away from the presidency.”
And he was a senior U.S. Senator.
It appears that the other L.P. primary candidates are being conspicuously silent in their party’s campaign so far. This shouldn’t be a big loss. Who’s heard of any of them outside the LP? The provincialism of the party has to be set aside and the leap to the bottom of the next ladder taken, if the L.P. is to become not “a” third party but “the” third party.
Get in the game and follow through to put Bob Barr up there on the dais with a real shot at winning!
I’m going to vote for him. I’m just disappointed in the party’s not voting Bob Barr in on the first ballot, and in not giving him his choice of running mate.
July 21st, 2008 at 3:32 pm
John:
No, I would not call Wayne Root a high profile candidate. I would call Joe Liebeman or Newt Gingrich or Colin Powell high profile candidates.
If I have to research the V. P. candidate’s C.V. myself, how can I ask my Republican friends (and they all are Republicans) to vote for him?
The L.P isn’t going to go big-time by preaching to the choir. There are a lot more Constitutionalists in the Republican Party than there are members of the Libertarian Party. I can’t speak for Democrats.
I think it’s time for me to give up this blogging.
It’s been fun.
July 21st, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Ken, yeah the separate nominations are a little wonky, but the D&R also have separate nominations, but with the primaries they know their nominee well ahead of the convention so there’s time for the political machine to build up the VP choice. I’ve heard more than one talking-head show outline how Hillary could still pull off the VP nom for the Dems.
The LP rules do have the presidential nominee to speak to the convention to declare their preference for VP before the delegates vote, which does carry a lot of weight.
July 21st, 2008 at 4:57 pm
While I appreciate the diagnosis of my lack of depth perception…lol. My point was before television and the hype of modern communications, unknowns were a practical reality. How many people knew Madison other than he was in large part the writer of the Constitution. Lincoln was by and large an unknown, except for his “Spot” resolutions and was a third party candidate. Before young parties were established powers, the supporter/voter had to get out there and make the candidate known.
Elections have been won low tech before. Most recent (albeit disappointing) example Carter. It is possible to make a candidate popular and electable. Barr does not have the advantage of either the Democratic or Republican media venues to make him popular. So we have to do it. People we’re just gonna have to do this the hard way. Barr and his message upsets quite a few apple carts. Whether its repost embeds or blogs on your myspace accounts, personal conversations, or parties, you are going to have to make it happen.
The problem in American politics as well as government, we have all gotten “spoiled” and lazy by the “new deal style” of government. We have become dependent upon the politicians, their media supporters, and candidates to do all our work for us. Isn’t that the point of Barr’s platform that accountability and responsibility be placed on the citizen? So why not start with making it our responsibility to get him elected??
This may be a “long shot” but it is doable. You can make this happen.
Here is what each supporters goal should be:
1. Contribbute at least $50. to the campaign
2. Make it your goal to get 10 (ten) voters for Barr before October 30.
3. Write a piece for your local paper endorsing Barr.
4. Set up a blog on your social site advocating and educating the public about Barr. Copy Paste platform positions, embed videos, use your imagination.
5. If you can afford it, pay for a small ad in your local newspaper or shopper paper promoting Barr.
6. If you manage to do all these things…get 10 more voters (lol) and start the process again.
If just 20% of Barr’s supporters did these small things. His chances for being president increase phenomenally. Additionally, if you can get each of your ten recruited voters to do the above (all or in part), We just made ourselves a president. No if’s and’s or but’s.
But if you are waiting on someone else to do it…well get ready to say President Obama or President McCain in January. It’s your call, but this can happen. But we have to make it happen.
In the next few days, I will start building HRef banners that you can put on your sites and build code to paste in your blogs or bulletins for your myspace and similar social accounts.
REMEMBER THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO RECRUIT 10 (TEN) VOTERS BY OCTOBER 30. If you can do this, you have made a big dent in getting Barr elected.
July 21st, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Update…some of the stuff to add Barr Banners to your social sites are at the below: They have some banners that do not have code attached yet, I will have that done by this time tomorrow.
http://www.bobbarr2008.com/widgets/
Remember each of you 10 (ten) voters to be recruited by October 30!!!!! I’m going to hound you guys about this!!! lol…and get those 10 to do the same thing. Just think, you might be personally responsible for bringing a million voters for Barr. But it won’t happen if you don’t start now!!!!
July 21st, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Here’s some code for the “widgets” that don’t have code yet. copy what is in between the brackets.
For the “I support Barr Banner”
[]
for the small Barr ‘08 Banner with a facial shot:
[]
for the big Barr ‘08 Banner (graphics only)
[]
July 21st, 2008 at 5:32 pm
well that didn’t work, script is not going to allow me to put the code here…hmmm will work on that. Sorry folks
July 21st, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Rich,
I thought I’d dropped out; but I want respond to you.
You’re right, and the Rs and Ds have the protection against a really dumb choice by a candidate. Maybe we will see Hillary nominated! Heck, she could still get the no. 1 spot if enough superdelegates get turned off about Obama.
It’s water under the bridge now. They aren’t about to kick a leading party member in the nads if someone of greater exposure comes along. I concede that.
One thing that the leaders, not employees, of the L.P. could do is rally behind their candidate. But they all seem to feel put out by this newcomer who came in and stole their show. They have a choice of helping now and maybe being a part of an administration, or continuing to mope around and remain in the crowd of also-rans.
I read on another site that one leading contender is asking folks to send HER money to pay off her whopping little $20,000 campaign debt. Gimme a break! Is that true? That’s 20k that could go to the Barr campaign; but NO.
If might just be a vicsious rumor. Still, how can the party be taken seriously without the support of its leaders….not the “Help”… but the leading members.
If Bob Barr gets elected, it will be in spite of this party’s leaders; and it will be thanks to Ron Paul for beginning the fight and Bob Barr for finishing it.
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:59 am
Ken,
In regards to you post. I agree that Libertarians need to get on board with the campaign. The reason they do is for the time when the campaign gathers momentum. During that time those Libertarians could help guide the party as it continues to mature. If they do not and are not on the “bus” they will be left at the bus stop and without a party. If Libertarians are truly intent on claiming a presidential victory, they have to understand that they need to attract the Centrists and Moderates. If they present an extreme message, they may not attract this crucial demographic and will not pull off a win. If they can attract them and those who are dissenting are still in the mix, they have a much more advantageous position at bringing more people into the Libertarian Party. I really think that those who are not satisfied with the candidate need to reevaluate what an impact they can have in the party vice at the bus stop.
~Sauce
July 22nd, 2008 at 7:44 am
Sauce,
That’s right.
I’ve been a libertarian at heart for a long time, but a registered Republican until recently when Ron Paul was rejected as their nominee. I looked into the L.P and found ideas and a candidate I like. So I tore up my RNC card, gave up trying to qualify as a delegate or alternate to their convention to work for Ron Paul, and joined the L.P. I bought commercially on- line 2 bumper stickers before the campaign came out with them. I check the site several times a day and watch the YouTubes with great enjoyment. I contribute when this website will take the order.
It came as a terrific surprise to see the L.P convention do anything but select Bob Barr by acclamation. Six ballots and a dropout by Wayne Root, I understand, is what it took to get the nod from this august body, the L.P. nominating convention. They had the brass ring in their hand with a nice shove-off from Ron Paul’s campaign to put the issues out in front. They almost missed grabbing it. This disillusionment is astonishing and self-destructive.
If the L.P. is to attract more converts like me, its leaders are going to have to put in a lot more effort on an eccumenical approach, and open up to us. By now, most Ron Paul supporters who are going to switch parties probably have. We need a lot more supporters. So it’s the independents and some more Republicans and Democrats that need
to be shown the way to liberty with Bob Barr.
This isn’t going to happen with the isolation of the leading party figures off somewhere licking their wounds.
I really hope they drop their egos and hit the road for Mr. Barr. He’s doing his part and we’re doing ours. He comes in with a compatible philosophy and great ability. It’s not like Jerry Falwell came in and tried to buy the party’s ballot access. This guy is talented and on point with the party’s ideals.
He’s a newcomer conservative too.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:27 am
Liked your discourse above and the serious of examination of issues. But to beat a dead horse there are two classes of people in this world (1.) those that make things happen (2.) and those that wait for things to happen. No offense but the LP is still a “junior” party in terms of experience and accomplishment. In my view they should have worked on saturation of state offices in the last two decades first, then the congressionals, and after a getting a good representative share of votes then the presidential. But that is not the case. The LP has a good candidate that can resonate with just about all political classes from the extreme conservative to the left fringe liberal if the issues are handled right.
The problem is that the LP is not taking its current position seriously. They have been used to being a fringe party for so long that they cannot unify under the viable candidate they have now. It is despondent too…the lack of media spotlight for Barr and funding to run a traditional campaign probably is disappointing to those in the hierarchy and are merely using this election cycle to gain position in the LP. Such is the state of things.
But consider this, large corporations core business does not come from the marketing and advertising campaigns (that attracts new business and push people to point of sale for inventory pushes). They depend on “word of mouth” advertisement. I know my little “get 10 people to vote” is hokey and all that. But consider the mathematics. One person gets 10. Those 10 get 100, the 100 gets a 1000. Each individual is an exponential force multiplier.
There is no longer time to discuss party intracies (yes which I know nothing about, I am not affiliated with any party). Now is the time to act. Barr will not have the funding to run a traditional campaign. And if you wait for it to happen, its not gonna happen. You have to make it happen. This is a time of decision. A conventional style campaign for Barr will lose and sorely. It is time to go unconventional and grab voters. He has a good message that is appealing to all political stripes.
I am a good case in point. I have concerns on his stance on Iraq and Afghanistan (read my earlier post on that if you wish to see my views). But I know Bob Barr is no fool either, that he will do nothing that will unnecessarily endanger our country’s safety and security.
But people now is the time to get in gear. Don’t wait on the LP to make this happen for you. They won’t, they are still learning. But you have a real candidate that will (and his record proves this) represent your views and perspectives. Will you sit around when you can make him president or at the very least make a good run of it?
Recruit 10 people to vote for Barr, Challenge them to Recruit 10 more, and have them pass that challenge. It is that simple. We do not need multimillion dollar sound bite commercials and parodies to make this happen.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:40 am
Ken,
I am an independent, but always leaned towards the Republicans because of my conservative values. Like you, I have become very excited over this parties campaign. My excitement has spread from myself to around two dozen friends and family (maybe more). In my eyes the reason is two-fold. The first is that Dr. Paul did us justice by presenting the Libertarian ideology during the Republican primaries. The second is that Barr is more and more credible as a true contender for president. Most of the thanks for that can be given to the Libertarian party before all of us. But now as enlightened individuals like you and I, as well as the nominee come running, they somehow feel offended. If anything they should feel overjoyed! All of their hard work has come to a period of enlightenment and they have the power to guide the party as many become indoctrinated.
I truly believe that the Republicans have become infiltrated by neocons and it is spoiling the bushel for the rest of us who looked to the party as the conservative vote. As soon as I heard of this party’s principles I heard the sound of true conservatives and have become excited like I have never been before about the possibilities this party can bring to our political system. It is what glues me to this website and many like it. It is what causes me to search out youtube clips.
WHEN I REALIZE I AM DRIVING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, I CHANGE COURSE! That is not flipping, it is enlightenment!
At least the majority of the party sees this opportunity.
~Sauce
Independent for Barr
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:47 am
Right on Jesse! Let’s make this thing tip!
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:58 am
While in Missouri Wayne Allyn Root spoke at two candidate forums. Here is a link to video of his speech at a candidate forum in St. Louis.
His introduction by Barr for President Midwest Campaign Coordinator Mike Ferguson starts as the fourth video down on this YouTube playlist.
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=EDE11A7C617AF9DE