Liberty MavenBob Barr Standing On Ron Paul’s Shoulders: The Best Libertarian MSM Article?
July 11th, 2008 4:48 pm | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Activism, Bob Barr, Election, Libertarianism, Liberty, Maven Commentary, Media, Philosophy, Politics, Ron Paul | 4 Responses
David Franke at ThirdPartyWatch called the article possibly “the most amazing article to cover the 2008 presidential campaign so far, at least to libertarians and Bob Barr supporters.” I agree with him but I’d take it a step further. I think it may one of the most positive libertarian oriented articles ever to appear in the main stream media. I may be using a bit of hyperbole when I say those words. The title alone could suggest otherwise: “The (Not So) Lunatic Fringe”.
Nathan Thornburgh in TIME magazine has written an article that should make not only Barr supporters proud, but all small and big ‘L’ libertarians proud as well. He describes how the two major parties are both moving to the mushy center and are becoming indistinguishable from one another. Meanwhile on the shoulders of Ron Paul’s massively successful Presidential campaign sits Bob Barr crying out for liberty to anyone who will listen. According to the article, people are starting to listen.
I wrote quite a long time ago (it seems like it anyway) that Ron Paul has laid the foundation for future liberty minded candidates to build upon. An article that celebrates the libertarian American spirit like this one will be read by millions. We have Ron Paul and now Bob Barr to thank for planting these seeds of freedom that may someday grow into something truly special as long as we liberty loving individuals keep watering them with our ideas, time, effort, and money.
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July 12th, 2008 at 7:19 am (#)
Did this article actually appear in the magazine or is just an online thing?
July 12th, 2008 at 7:42 am (#)
It appears in the July 21st Print edition of TIME.
Here is the table of contents of the US version of that issue (link should work until the next issue is released)
http://www.time.com/time/magazine
Enjoy.
July 12th, 2008 at 6:15 pm (#)
MSM article praising Bob Barr, crony of the DEA and former CIA member? I’m shocked! They couldn’t ridicule or ignore Ron Paul enough, but Bob Barr is obviously one of “them.”
Ron Paul is untouchable when it comes to backing up what he says. Bob Barr? All talk and a despicable history of anti-liberty actions.
Bob Barr isn’t on Ron Paul’s shoulders; he’s trying to piggyback on Ron Paul’s supporters’ backs. And we’re throwing that human leech off.
Bye, bye, Bob, you slithering Reptile Plant. And take your obnoxious warmongering pal Root with you. You are both just so repulsive.
July 12th, 2008 at 6:46 pm (#)
The heart of the matter with all the Barr bashers seems to be a matter of believing whether a man can change. Indeed, it’s a sad commentary on our fellow man if we believe a man cannot change. In the case of Bob Barr, the man has been working tirelessly for the past 5 years to undo his prior actions. We should rejoice in the fact that people *can* change, or else our freedom movement will never get any larger than it is right now. We want to encourage people to see the error of their ways, and be compassionate with those who have admitted error. (How many among us began as libertarians? Not many). I don’t know Bob Barr personally, but he speaks of regretting his former decisions, and his words nowadays are music to my ears. What do we have to lose by believing that he has seen the light? He’s our best chance to get a decent amount of votes on election day.
-Mike