A second victory for Bob Barr already? Libertarian Presidential candidate credited with House Republicans' revolt on Bailout Bill
by Eric DonderoMany have credited Libertarian Bob Barr's candidacy with the selection of libertarian-leaning Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin by John McCain. Barr had been polling 6% in Zogby mid-Summer, as high as 11% in New Hampshire and 10% in Nevada.
Sources inside the McCain Campaign have confirmed that a large reason Palin was selected was because of her libertarian appeal. This, of course, could be viewed as a huge victory for the Libertarian Party. Never before has the LP actually influenced a major-party VP pick.
But now, at least one prominent conservative columnist is crediting Barr and the Libertarian Party for the Republican House revolt against the Bailout. Robert S. McCain, a sometimes Contributor to Libertarian Republican blog, has the lead story this morning at American Spectator. The headline, simply, "Libertarian Populism."
Writes McCain:
Nobody seemed to notice when Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr adopted as his campaign slogan "Send Them a Message!" -- the same outsider theme that animated George C. Wallace's populist third-party run in 1968.Read the full story at American Spectator...
Leaving aside the vast political and historical distance between the late Alabama Democrat and the former Georgia Republican, Barr's slogan clearly seeks to tap into an enduring populist conception of the government in Washington as a corrupt insider racket controlled by special interests, in which both Democrats and Republicans are out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans.
The defeat of the Wall Street bailout deal in the House yesterday was an amazing convergence between libertarian ideals and a resurgent populist sentiment.
"The leaders of both the Republican and Democratic Parties are rushing ahead with their $700 billion bill," Barr said in a statement. "Without a single hearing and without considering other solutions, Congress is preparing to put the typical American family on the hook for more than $8,000. Legislators in both parties need to stand up for the American people and say no."
It's unlikely that any of the 228 votes against the bill were swayed by the (capital-L) Libertarian candidate. Yet in the populist uprising against the bailout, the (small-l) libertarian message was clearly heard.
UPDATE!
Politico.com has just credited Libertarian Bob Barr with the Bailout Victory. Wrote Politico in the "Gameday" section:
Today’s bailout vote in the House embarrassed President Bush, the congressional leaders of both parties – and, to some extent, both major-party presidential candidates. Obama and McCain both endorsed the bailout proposal, and its failure to pass the House puts the two men in an awkward position as negotiations start all over again.RELATED MATTER
There was, however, one presidential “contender” who got on the right side of this issue: former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr.
Barr and the Libertarian Party have suffered a severe set-back in the last few days. The State of Louisiana has denied them ballot access, because of a minor paperwork screw-up, and the timing of Hurricane Gustav which prevented delegate papers from being turned in on time to the SoS. The Barr Campaign is making a last minute appeal to the US Supreme Court. But it doesn't appear hopeful. This will mean Barr will appear on the ballot in 46 states, save additionally, Maine, West Virginia, and Oklahoma. This is the same amount of states that Libertarian Presidential candidate Ron Paul appeared on in his 1988 race.
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