Infinite Monkeys
Former Rep. Bob Barr announced Monday he would seek the Libertarian Party's nomination for president of these United States. Here's Barr's campaign website. Check it out. He needs money.
RealClearPolitics asks "How big a threat is Barr?" Answer: Not so big. I mean, come on. Yet some Republican bigs apparently tried to dissuade Barr from running. Good heavens, why? Some disaffected conservatives might vote for Barr, sure. The rest will either swallow hard and pull the lever for McCain or simply forget to vote that day.
The question clearly is not whether Bob Barr can win. It's not even whether Barr can be a spoiler, much less attract more than one-tenth of one percent of the popular vote. Rather, the question is whether he can win the nomination at the Libertarian Party's convention in Denver this month. Mike Gravel of Beatles fame is in the hunt. And some true believers are giving the ex-congressman from Georgia the old skunk-eye. Seems Barr may be "too Republican" and too "interventionist" for the Libertarian Party. Uh huh. Whatever happens, Barr can be reasonably certain of the stripper vote.
Meantime, Ron Paul's supporters are reportedly plotting to embarrass John McCain at the St. Paul convention. "They hope to demonstrate their disagreements with McCain vocally at the convention through platform fights and an attempt to get Paul a prominent speaking slot," according to the L.A. Times. "Paul, who's running unopposed in his home Texas district for an 11th House term, still has some $5 million in war funds and has instructed his followers that their struggle is not about a single election, but a long-term revolution for control of the Republican Party."
I wish them luck. The GOP convention promised to be a fairly staid affair. Maybe the Paulists can liven things up a little, and remind the Republican rank-and-file of just what the hell freedom is for.
Posted by Ben at May 12, 2008 09:11 PMCould see all this coming from 100 years away, which is, by the way, where Paul is, in the past. I like a lot of his notions, as do a lot of people, but he is a true dinosaur (and a bitter little man at that).
And Barr ... LOL ... Libertarian ... LOL ... a few votes here and there.
I'm thinking I want to see HRC jump Independent, and Jesse Jackson to run as bonafide black candidate.
Do we get a runoff if winner is under 40% ?
Posted by: john 2000 at May 13, 2008 01:46 AMNo, you get the President chosen by the House of Representatives. Who's in control of that house again?
What happened to the idea of Conservatives "standing athwart history, yelling 'STOP!' "?
Paul isn't 100 years away, he's 221, and good for him.
Posted by: Monkey RobbL at May 15, 2008 08:47 AM