Bob Barr -- you go girl!
Of all the third party candidates in recent years, I have decided Bob Barr is my favorite.
Third party candidates over the years have fulfilled many roles. Some have served to espouse unpopular ideas, some have provided an outlet for voter irritation or protest, some have provided much needed comic relief.
Eugene Debs and Robert La Follette both pushed progressive agendas at the turn of the 19th century.
Strom Thurmond ran as a "Dixiecrat" to protest the Civil Rights Act in 1948 and in 1968 former governor George Wallace, feeding off racial strife, polled 13.5% of the popular vote and won 45 electoral votes (primarily southern states).
I confess I voted in 2000 for John Anderson, who ran against Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan as an independent.
Ross Perot was a screeching wacko who may have cost Bush the elder the 1992 election and Ralph Nader is a cranky egomaniac that may have cost Al Gore the 2000.
Bob Barr, in the few times I've caught him on Stephen Colbert has come off as a good-natured sort, not too full of himself. At first I was deeply suspicious -- was this self-proclaimed Libertarian the same Bob Barr who opposed medical marijuana laws, abortion, same sex marriage, and other supposedly signature Libertarian causes?
My Libertarian friend, the Whited Sepulchre, attributes this to a deathbed conversion of sorts. Being a good Christian, WS is willing to allow that such a conversion is possible.
Me? I'm a relatively lousy Christian and need a sign of some sort.
And now I have it (not that this will cause me to switch my vote or anything).
Bob Barr, in a dazzling move, has sued the state of Texas to keep both McCain and Obama off the November ballot since the Republican and Democratic conventions were both after the filing deadline.
I thought, "What a brilliant thing to do." And this has nothing to do with the fact that Obama has a snowball's chance in hell of carrying Texas.
Well, maybe it does.
Seriously, while I have no doubt Barr's (perfectly valid) complaint will ever prevail, I'm going to enjoy watching the McCain elements scramble and harrumph, since they have everything to lose here. This will give them something to do besides whining about how everyone mistreats Sarah Palin. There is a sweet justice about the whole thing I find deliciously ironic: sucker-punched strategically by one (formerly) of their own.
Go Bob!
PS -- Here's the inimitable WS on the subject of this little situation.
Third party candidates over the years have fulfilled many roles. Some have served to espouse unpopular ideas, some have provided an outlet for voter irritation or protest, some have provided much needed comic relief.
Eugene Debs and Robert La Follette both pushed progressive agendas at the turn of the 19th century.
Strom Thurmond ran as a "Dixiecrat" to protest the Civil Rights Act in 1948 and in 1968 former governor George Wallace, feeding off racial strife, polled 13.5% of the popular vote and won 45 electoral votes (primarily southern states).
I confess I voted in 2000 for John Anderson, who ran against Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan as an independent.
Ross Perot was a screeching wacko who may have cost Bush the elder the 1992 election and Ralph Nader is a cranky egomaniac that may have cost Al Gore the 2000.
Bob Barr, in the few times I've caught him on Stephen Colbert has come off as a good-natured sort, not too full of himself. At first I was deeply suspicious -- was this self-proclaimed Libertarian the same Bob Barr who opposed medical marijuana laws, abortion, same sex marriage, and other supposedly signature Libertarian causes?
My Libertarian friend, the Whited Sepulchre, attributes this to a deathbed conversion of sorts. Being a good Christian, WS is willing to allow that such a conversion is possible.
Me? I'm a relatively lousy Christian and need a sign of some sort.
And now I have it (not that this will cause me to switch my vote or anything).
Bob Barr, in a dazzling move, has sued the state of Texas to keep both McCain and Obama off the November ballot since the Republican and Democratic conventions were both after the filing deadline.
I thought, "What a brilliant thing to do." And this has nothing to do with the fact that Obama has a snowball's chance in hell of carrying Texas.
Well, maybe it does.
Seriously, while I have no doubt Barr's (perfectly valid) complaint will ever prevail, I'm going to enjoy watching the McCain elements scramble and harrumph, since they have everything to lose here. This will give them something to do besides whining about how everyone mistreats Sarah Palin. There is a sweet justice about the whole thing I find deliciously ironic: sucker-punched strategically by one (formerly) of their own.
Go Bob!
PS -- Here's the inimitable WS on the subject of this little situation.
Comments
Thanks for the linkage and the traffic.
Just in case you're wondering, I have the ONLY Bob Barr bumpersticker I have ever seen.
The fact that he's a total carpetbagger who had enough support to get the LP nomination has alienated the party.
I'm still voting for him, as a way of saying "None Of The Above, and a pox on both your houses".
Also, with the Wall Street giveaway being close to a done deal, I'm going to have a contest for who can predict the moment the Nation Debt Counter on my site will hit 10 trillion dollars.
Whoops, never mind. If they add 700 billion to the current 9.7 trillion, we're there.
Ok, I'm going to have a contest for who can predict the moment the Nation Debt Counter on my site will hit 11 trillion dollars.
Start thinking about it. I want someone from Fort Worth to win it.