Bob Barr secured the Libertarian Party nomination at the LP convention in Denver over this past weekend. For those who don’t follow third party politics, the Libertarian presidential nominee in 1988 was Ron Paul. He basically had the same platform then that he did during his current primary run. Bob Barr was probably picked by the delegates specifically because he has similarities with Dr. Paul. Don’t expect me to start evangelizing his name though. Mr. Barr was a short sighted Republican until recently, and even before that was a short sighted Democrat. He has shifted his rhetoric on most of the LP talking points, but in the end find himself on the hilarious side of opposing things he used to chair. He was the anti-drug coordinator for the Department of Justice (libertarians are usually pro drug legalization to some extent). He promoted the idea that the practice of Wicca should be banned in the military (restricting religious rights would be a big libertarian no-no), and he is generally hard on immigration (a position he happens to share with Ron Paul). With this background he doesn’t have the practice to back up the rhetoric he’ll use, but at the same time he’s likely to win most of his votes from lapsed traditional conservatives.

Barr has hired a political strategist who worked on the Ron Paul campaign and another who worked on the Perot campaign. He’ll be stealing votes directly from the traditional conservative Republican base, the same base that is unhappy with McCain’s nomination. I’ll predict right now that he’ll have as much if not more impact than Nader did in 2000. If you want Obama to win in November, send some money to Bob Barr… seriously.

I’ve discussed this issue previously with friends and family but I really think Obama is going to have a tougher time in November than many people believe. Around 15% of democrats over the age of 65 voted for Obama. This November more people will vote. More people over 65 will vote. Democrats traditionally think of themselves as progressive… yet only 15% over 65 voted for Obama in the primaries. Imagine what will happen among the general electorate. If the older Democrat is any indication, Obama’s race will be more of a hindrance this November than it ever was in the primary. Bob Barr’s nomination might help things for Obama if enough votes can be shifted from McCain to Barr.

On that note, I’m voting for Barr in November. A protest vote? Maybe. He might not be a libertarian in action but the man is a small government conservative through and through.

Tags: bob barr 2008,clinton,election 2008,libertarian,obama
Categories: BJ, Philosophy etc
4 Comments »