Liberty MavenBob Barr Following Ron Paul’s Footsteps Will Appear On The Colbert Report on 6/4/2008
May 30th, 2008 9:54 am | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Bob Barr, Election, Humor, Libertarianism, Liberty, Media, Politics, Ron Paul, Television | 3 Responses
Following Bob Barr’s successful quest for the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination was a large splash of media appearances both in television and print. That continues next week when Bob Barr will appear on The Colbert Report on Wednesday. No doubt he’ll be made fun of, but I would venture a guess that if Mary Ruwart were the nominee of the party she would not be appearing on The Colbert Report. The ability for Barr to continue the spread of the liberty Ron Paul style message continues.
Interesting also, is that Barr will appear on the same show with Salmon Rushdie. The following day Pat Buchanan makes an appearance to promote his new book.
See the Colbert full Report lineup (and others) at The Late Night TV Page Guest Listings.
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May 30th, 2008 at 10:32 am (#)
I wonder if Pat Buchanan will endorse Bob Barr as it did for Ron Paul….
May 30th, 2008 at 2:56 pm (#)
Marc,
Well you’ve shown your ture colors once again!
It’s better to be invited as a guest on TV than it is to stick with a principled libertarian campaign. [And, I hope Barr, IS made fun of...Made fun of for being a neocon dressed in Libertarian clothing]
I apologize, since I posted the bleow comments to an article you wrote yesterday regarding the ’state of your heart and mind’…However, I think my comments are just as appropriate, if not more so, for this currnet article…Donna
Marc,
I would be remiss not to convey the difficulty true Libertarians have in believing that Dr. Mary Rwart’s political positions are, as you said, “my positions and the positions I hold to close to my heart.”.
You better check where you disgarded your bath water. You may find the “pure” Libertarian political platform, along with your heart, (not sure where your mind resides) is exactly where you threw out the bath water. I must ask, insist you stop your naïve, [however well intentioned] attempts to continually compare Ron Paul and Mary Ruwart with your boy, Bob Barr and his sidekick, Wayne Root, the SOB [Son of a Butcher].
To support my hypothesis, I will reference an article on Red Pills http://www.redpills.org/?p=1162
In case it’s taking way too much of your time to locate the discarded bath water, here are a few excerpts from above mentioned article:
• “Once billed as “The Party of Principle” those principles were sold down the river. On Sunday, May 25, 2008 the principles were abandoned, and the party was last seen gasping for air before expiring.” Far Right Republican congressman Bob Barr was nominated for president and the loudmouthed, huckster, Wayne Root, an odds maker from Las Vegas, traded with Barr in order to become his running mate.”
• “Realize that neither man is a libertarian, both are conservatives. Both endorse foreign interventionism. Root gave $l,000 to the campaign of Joe Lieberman and Barr gave around $100,000 to Republican Right-wing candidates. Almost all of those candidates were on the far Right of the party and advocates of war. The people Barr supported, for the most part, were the absolute worst among the Republicans—those least likely to respect libertarian principles.”
• “Barr brought in his own people to Denver, people previously not affiliated with the Libertarian Party. Like him they were conservative Republicans looking for a vehicle to use. And the LP, with its ballot status in numerous states is a prime target for plundering. We have to remember that these dogmatic Rightists have one goal in mind and it isn’t the promotion of libertarianism.”
• “They want to defeat John McCain. While there is little to say in favor of McCain the Far Right doesn’t perceive him as one of their own. He is not theocratic enough, authoritarian enough, or vicious enough to satisfy them. They want to take votes from McCain. And how will they do that? By arguing that McCain is not a “true conservative’ and that Barr is. And exactly how will that be sold to the public? Bar will have to campaign, NOT AS A LIBERTARIAN, (my emphasis) but as a Far Right conservative.”
A question is then asked in the article: “How did this revolting coup take place?” There are three suggested answers, but the one want to bring to your attention is as follows:
• Second, the party members just felt that ‘winning’ recognition was more important than seeing the values of liberty spread. The party was started by people wanting to us it to push for liberty. The party was the means to an end. But these desperate individuals reversed things. The party was the end in itself. The goal wasn’t promoting liberty, but holding power. They thought that losing an election was worse than losing their principles. Bob Barr took them to the mountain top and showed them the baubles that politics and offer and they were seduced.
• Many in the party were shocked and horrified at what happened. These reformed “libertarians” , many of whom were just recently in the Republican party, were taker over. Long-time party activists were angry and felt that a coup had been purposely staged. Unity in the party was threatened and some suggested that the vice presidential slot should go to a principled libertarian.
• [Standing firmly on her Libertarian principles] Ruwart did not want to share a ticket with a non-libertarian [Bob Bar]
Marc, you not only need to apologize for using Lennon’s lyrics [by the way, “Give Peace a Chance” was written by Lennon – though McCartney was originally given credit] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_Peace_a_Chance ; You need to apologize for your attempts to align your faux libertarian candidates with Ron Paul and Mary Rewart.
May 31st, 2008 at 12:43 am (#)
Donna,
Thanks again for your views. I’ve grown weary of the pure libertarian vs. Barr libertarian arguments. My “hearts and minds” post was my explanation/reasoning behind my support of Barr. I will hold true in my belief that Barr is a libertarian and he agrees with both Ron Paul and Mary Ruwart on many issues. I will only hold true to this as long as Barr continues to spread the right message through his campaign.
Indeed, his words on foreign policy today could have been Ron Paul’s own had I not read the author prior to reading them: http://thirdpartywatch.com/2008/05/30/bob-barr-cites-need-for-military-strength-and-foreign-restraint/
Again, we will have to agree to disagree. I will not apologize for what I believe to be true unless and until I see concrete proof of Barr’s evil plot to take over the Libertarian Party. The post you link to (redpills) is certainly an interesting read, some facts are there, but there is also much in the way of conjecture. Much of it seems like sour grapes for their chosen candidate not winning.
I would point to recent words by someone who could hardly be called a “Barr” libertarian. That is Ruwart supporter Thomas Knapp (from: http://knappster.blogspot.com/2008/05/living-it-up.html)
“The Libertarian Party nominated Bob Barr and Wayne Allyn Root for president and vice-president on Sunday. A case of redass for us radicals? Well, yeah — we came to Denver looking for a fight, and we lost. The bruises are still fresh, but the fact remains that the nomination was legit. It was by the book.”
“How do we “make them live up to the principles they claim to represent?” By helping them do so.
Maybe our advice will fall on deaf ears, but I don’t think so. I’ve been corresponding with Wayne Root ever since before he declared his candidacy, and every time I’ve offered him positive, sincere advice he’s jumped on it. Every. Time.
I doubt I’m the only person that’s true of. I mean, c’mon … nobody slammed Root the way I did pre-nomination. If he’ll listen to me, he’ll listen to you, too. He’ll just listen better if you’re working with him instead of against him. My experience is that he wants to learn, that he’s willing to listen. I had genuine doubts about his sincerity, but now that he’s our VP nominee I’ve declared tabula rasa — clean slate — on that and will trust him until and unless he gives me reason not to.”
I’ll let you read it to see the rest, but these are the quotes that argue my point. I agree with them and I agree with the entire post by Knapp.
My libertarian heart remains pure no matter what labels you try to give me (neo-con and the like). Supporting Barr now is practical, logical, and pragmatic. That is why I say my heart is pure, but my mind has won. I don’t love Barr. I come very close to wanting to spit in Wayne Allyn Root’s face. The bottom line for me is:
1 – The message of liberty needs to be spread to the most people possible.
2 – Barr is currently spreading the message of liberty, no matter what kind of neo-con voting history he has.
3 – Barr will be successful in spreading that message to the most people due to his media access.
Therefore I will lend Barr my support, donations, and advocacy.
Barr is good for the LP because:
1 – If he gets enough percentage of vote he will get in the debates (more liberty spreading).
2 – If he gets enough percentage of vote, the LP will be on the ballot in all 50 states without having to expend so much money every 4 years for ballot access.
3 – He opens the door for more purist libertarians to run for office now and in the future for Congress, Senate, and the Presidency.
4 – His moderation will win support from new LP members growing the party.
Love it or hate it, but Bob Barr is good news for the LP, Mary Ruwart, and Ron Paul. All three of their positions differ on several issues, but they are all promote liberty. Again, I say this believing Barr is sincere (just like Thomas Knapp does).
We will see how it unfolds. I doubt I will, but I may regret trusting Barr. For now he has my vote.
Enjoy,
Marc