Barr ’08

Chip Wood with The New American recently caught up with Bob for very candid interview. Below are some excerpts.

On libertarianism:

TNA: Bob, tell me what the word “Libertarian” means to you and what you think it means to Americans.

Barr: Libertarian or Libertarianism means freedom. Many people have the misimpression, certainly fostered by the two major parties, that the Libertarian Party is somehow not a mainstream movement and does not represent a traditional, mainstream American political philosophy. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I believe that in the breast of every American beats the heart of a Libertarian. It’s part of our nature. It’s part of our heritage. We’re hard-wired to be Libertarian. By that I mean to believe in ourselves, to accept personal responsibility, to believe in personal accountability.

I believe that everybody in America is libertarian about something, whether it’s educating their children, running a small business, spending their own money, where they travel, and what they do in the privacy of their own home. Everybody has some area of their lives — and maybe many areas — where they wish to be free of government intrusion and government controls. That’s the essence of Libertarianism. It is a philosophy that our Founding Fathers would have identified with very, very well.

On the two-party system:

TNA: The vast majority of Americans seem to be wedded to the notion that there are — and should only be — two meaningful political parties in this country. Do you agree with that assertion?

Barr: You’re absolutely right: America, unfortunately, is very wedded to a two-party system. And those two parties, the Republicans and Democrats, are basically nothing more than two sides of the same coin. They are the Tweedledum and Tweedledee of politics.

Oh, there may be some minor differences between them. There are some differences between Senator Obama and Senator McCain on energy, taxation, healthcare, and so on. Each has some favorite areas where he wants government to grow bigger, faster, and others where he’d expand government more slowly. But neither one is truly committed to reducing the size, power, reach, and cost of the federal government.

That’s why, when push comes to shove at the end of the day, nothing really changes in Washington. Both major parties know that since they have a virtual monopoly on power, and that each one is going to get back in power someday, neither one is really interested in reducing the power of government. They just go through the motions of talking about it. But by and large, they make sure nothing significant really happens to diminish the size or cost of government.

On how he will attract voters:

TNA: Let’s talk about some specifics then. What do you think are the two or three biggest issues that will attract voters to you this year?

Barr: This year, voters are primarily concerned about economic issues. For me personally, I believe strongly that some of the most important issues are those that relate to our loss of personal liberty. Restoring respect for habeas corpus, restoring adherence to the rule of law, such as no longer allowing warrantless surveillance of American citizens, are among the most important issues any president could deal with.

But this year, by and large, the voters are going to make their decision based on economic issues. So we must show the American people how much money the federal government takes from them and how wastefully it spends it. We must expose the oppressive, unfair, burdensome federal tax system.

We want to empower people to once again take control of their own fiscal affairs. To take control of education locally, by reducing the federal role and eventually, hopefully, abolishing the Department of Education. To open up our energy reserves, so that we can again begin taking control of our own energy needs. To restore the value of the U.S. dollar. These, I think, are going to be among the issues that are most relevant in the current campaign. .

These excerpts only scratch the surface of the interview. TNA provided some very good questions and Bob gave very candid answers.