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[ontheway]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/03/bobbarrruns.html


Ex-Rep. Bob Barr to seek Libertarian nod, may get Ron Paul O.K.


Just when you thought we might be whittling down the number of presidential candidates, there's a new one about to jump in.

According to a political website, Fitsnews.com, former Republican Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia is about to announce his candidacy with the Libertarian Party.

The same site predicts tonight that GOP Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who has refused to endorse the presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain and continues his own vain campaign, will endorse Barr's bid.

That would indeed make for an unusual sight, an active candidate in one party endorsing a new one in another party.

Paul actually ran as the Libertarian Party's candidate for president in 1988, but has consistently rejected a third-party bid throughout this campaign.

The 72-year-old Paul's campaign -- he's the only survivor beyond McCain of 11 Republicans from last year -- surprised many political observers with its financial potency. Some 800,000 eager and energetic voters, many of them new to politics, have given him in excess of $32 million in the last year, nearly $20 million of it in the last quarter of 2007, to make him the largest GOP fundraiser then. They developed a whole range of creative ideas to arouse political support, including a pinup calendar of nearly naked Hotties4Ron Paul.

Barr, who represented Georgia's 7th District for eight years until 2003, like Paul has made no secret of his dissatisfaction with current Republican Party leadership. He's praised Paul for....

tapping into that same dissatisfaction with his strict constitutionalist approach and desire to drastically reduce the size of the federal government. You may also remember Barr as the activist House floor manager during the impeachment proceedings against former President Bill Clinton.

Paul has said he will continue to slog on as long as his supporters support him with their energy and donations. He reported about $5 million cash in hand at the end of February and zero campaign debt.

As an ardent opponent of the Iraq war, Paul has declined to endorse McCain and don't expect him to change his mind. In a recent interview with Newsweek, he said his supporters would like to work within the GOP but often find themselves unwelcome. He was asked if he would urge them to vote for Republican McCain come November.

"I'm not going to tell them what to do," Paul replied. "But I honestly can't imagine any of them supporting him. That would be a tough sale. The odds of him all of a sudden coming to one of our rallies and being cheered on are not very high."

[ontheway]

Former Republican Georgia Rep. Bob Barr is considering a run for president on the Libertarian Party ticket.

Barr told FOX News on Tuesday that he should know in the next few days whether he is going to go for it.

If he does decide to make an announcement in the next few days, Barr said it �would not be in either Washington or Atlanta.�

Another source todl FOX News that the announcement should happen this weekend, probably on April 5. That is the day Barr is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Heartland Libertarian Conference in Kansas City, Mo.

Barr, who joined the Libertarian Party after leaving Congress in 2003, is looking to attract conservatives who are unhappy with the choice of John McCain as the expected Republican presidential nominee. McCain and Barr are at odds primarily over the role of U.S troops in Iraq, although both agree that tough interrogation methods should not be permitted.

FITNews, who was first to report the possible presidential bid, wrote that Barr will receive the endorsement of Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul, a GOP presidential candidate who is still technically in the race but has not suggested he would throw his support to McCain. McCain and Paul, who ran on the Libertarian Party presidential ticket in 1988, also are at odds primarily over the role of U.S. troops in Iraq.

Barr, who represented Georgia�s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House from 1995-2003 and served as a House manager during impeachment proceedings against former President Bill Clinton, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week that he identifies closely with Paul�s outlook.

�Ron Paul tapped into a great deal of that dissatisfaction and that awareness. Unfortunately, working through the Republican party structure, it became impossible for him to really move forward with his movement. But we have to have �.a rallying point out there to harness that energy, that freedom in this election cycle,� he said.

[ontheway]

Bob Barr at the 2006 Libertarian Party National Convention:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xe6PCawgxc



Bob Barr introducing Ron Paul at the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) Feb 7, 2008:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l8AIuJJRZo

[ontheway]

ABC NEWS Blog

Could Bob Barr Hurt McCain? Obama? Clinton?
April 03, 2008 10:19 AM

Former Rep. Bob Barr, R-Georgia, who joined the Libertarian Party in 2003 after being defeated in a run for re-election to the U.S. Congress, will be the keynote speaker at the Heartland Libertarian Conference in Kansas City, Mo., in two days, and he may announce that he will run for president as a Libertarian.

Whether on the war in Iraq, civil liberties, or torture, Barr has emerged as a forceful critic from the right of the Bush administration, going so far as to team up with the ACLU.

In an interview on Scott Horton's Anti-War Radio, Barr said, �There�s been a tremendous interest expressed to me both directly and indirectly on the Internet. I take that support very seriously, and I think it also reflects a great deal of dissatisfaction with the current candidates and the current two-party system. So it is something, to be honest with you, that I�m looking very seriously at.�

Barr also suggested that his candidacy would be an extension of the campaign of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas.

�Ron Paul tapped into a great deal of that dissatisfaction and that awareness," Barr said, adding that his campaign would need "a rallying point out there to harness that energy, that freedom in this election cycle."

[Pluto]

[Ya-ta Boy]

Pluto,

Let's be clear about this. It's 'nanny state policies' when it only helps the other guy. It's government working to represent my interests when it helps me.

[flummuxt]

I'm a little confused.

Have they started the 2012 campaign already?

[ontheway]

Bob Barr forms exploratory committee:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXJtWRW0CQI




UPDATED: 5:15 p.m. April 05, 2008

Barr forms presidential exploratory committee


By RHONDA COOK
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 04/05/08

KANSAS CITY, Mo. � Former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr eased into presidential politics Saturday with an announcement that he has formed an exploratory committee to gauge voter interest in his candidacy as Libertarian.

If there are "sufficient numbers" of people behind a Bob Barr presidential race, he's running, the former Republican said.

ELECTION 2008
The Road to the White House

His announcement brought whoops and applause from the audience of 130 Libertarians, mostly from Midwestern states.

"We are at a tipping point," Barr said, "in terms of the willingness of voters, in significant numbers, to consider alternatives to the major [political] parties."

Barr conceded it was unlikely he could win, but he said his potential candidacy would be an opportunity to preach the Libertarian philosophy.

"I don't think any past performance by a Libertarian candidate is any benchmark," he said. "Are my expectations that the Libertarian candidate will win [the White House]? No. But with a credible candidate, anything is possible."

He added that the Libertarian Party "has been presenting itself as much more mainstream" as voter dissatisfaction increases with the decisions of Republican and Democrat officeholders.

In 2003, Barr left politics — he had represented a Cobb County-centered district since 1995 — to return to practicing law, offering media commentary, consulting and teaching. He is a regular columnist for The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

In recent months, he has been a frequent speaker at state Libertarian Party conventions and conferences like Saturday's Heartland Libertarian Conference. Next week, he has scheduled time with radio talk shows and television personalities, to be followed by more Libertarian conventions.

Barr, once a federal prosecutor in Atlanta, came to a hotel in the middle of an office and industrial park on the outskirts of Kansas City to announce his intentions.

He is the second former member of Congress to flirt with a run for president as a Libertarian. Former Alaska senator and one-time Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel switched to the Libertarian Party last month.

"I'm excited to see what he [Barr] has to say," said Doug Burlison, a Libertarian who serves on the Springfield, Mo., City Council. "And I'm excited to see what Mike Gravel has to say. It's exciting to have to former office-holders running [as Libertarians]."

At the Kansas City conference, Barr, 59, repeated his message of less government and protection of civil liberties.

His themes, some say, will appeal to supporters of Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, a GOP presidential contender who remains in the race even though Arizona Sen. John McCain has accumulated the delegate commitments to win the Republican nomination this summer.

[ontheway]

New York Times Political Blog:


April 5, 2008, 5:31 pm
Bob Barr Explores Libertarian Candidacy
By Sarah Wheaton

Watch out, Mike Gravel. Bob Barr, the former Georgia congressman, announced today that he was forming a presidential exploratory committee and might seek the Libertarian Party nomination for president.

�Some say it is not now expedient or politically pragmatic to do the right thing, for the right reason,� Mr. Barr said at the Heartland Libertarian Conference today in Kansas City, Mo., according to a release. �When has there been a better time? When has the risk of inaction carried more serious consequences? When will it be appropriate to take extraordinary steps? What must happen to our Constitution before we set aside our complacency and expediency in favor of principle?�

He said he would focus on cutting the size of federal government, securing the borders, reforming the tax code and enhancing civil liberties.

Mr. Barr served as a Republican representative from northern Georgia from 1997 to 2003, and was a manager for former President Bill Clinton�s impeachment. After leaving the House, he became outspoken on civil liberties issues and left the Republican Party to become a Libertarian.
He has said that he sees his potential candidacy as an extension of Representative Ron Paul�s campaign.

The Libertarians will choose their nominee at their late May convention in Denver. And while a Barr candidacy would thwart Mr. Gravel�s second attempt at a nomination, it could also hurt Senator John McCain by pulling votes from disaffected conservatives.

[ontheway]

Here is a video of the beginning of Bob Barr's speech on April 5th, 2008 announcing the formation of his exploratory committee. I'm looking for the rest of it to come up soon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwYsUWyG3nE

[ontheway]

April 7th at 12:07PM
Bob Barr is the Real Sexy Libertarian*
POSTED BY: CubbyChaser

Poor Mike Gravel. Now it look like he's gonna get stepped on in his bid to be the Libertarian presidential candidate, despite the fact that he's nothing like a Libertarian candidate. Because an actual Libertarian -- somebody people actually know -- is considering his own presidential run...

Libertarians looking to have a higher-profile candidate than they did in 2004 are rejoicing this week-end as former Congressman Bob Barr announced that he is forming a presidential explanatory committee...

Bob Barr became a darling of conservatives in the 1990s for taking the lead in anti-Clinton efforts and particularly in becoming one of the main congressional figures pushing for the President's impeachment. Since he left office, he has served on the NRA and on the American Conservative Union Foundation.

But hold on there Democrats! Don't get too excited. "Libertarian" is not a perfect synonym for "Republican." True, many Libertarians vote Republican in the absence of a better choice, but there's been growing support for the Libertarian party amongst the ranks of Democrats, as well. You don't think all those unwashed, patchouli-smelling Ron Paul supporters were disenfranchised Republicans, did you?

Yet, the issues on which Barr has focused over the past few years should also endear him to left-leaning voters -- speaking out against torture, against the war, lobbied on behalf of the ACLU. Thus, there would clearly be some on the Left who will be attracted to his emphasis on civil liberties and his anti-war discourse.

[ontheway]

NBC News Atlanta:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3H4ij8Nw7E

[Milwaukiedave]

Run Bob run!

[Pluto]

[Milwaukiedave]

If I remember correctly Barr is pretty conservative. I don't doubt he'll get some 'civil-libertarians' that are Dems, but the majority of people he'd pick up are people who aren't convinced McCain is their guy.

I agree with you about McCain saying dumb stuff though. Since he has all this extra time, why isn't the campaign doing more prep work behind the scenes? The last thing he needs is to get so exhausted he has a "Dole moment" and does something like taking a fall. Granted I think it would be easy to argue that McCain is tougher then Dole was in 1996.