Libertarian Barr says McCain can't win presidency

Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:50 PM EDT

Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr appealed Wednesday for the support of Republican-leaning conservatives by declaring his Republican rival John McCain is going to lose the election.

"Sen. McCain will be spending the last two weeks before the election on his 'farewell tour' across America," Barr wrote in an e-mail message. "Sen. McCain's mixed and angry message, as well as his support of big-spending policies, have killed any chance McCain may have had to win this election."

The former Republican congressman from Georgia wrote that conservatives who want their vote to count should throw their support behind his longshot candidacy.

"A vote for John McCain is a wasted vote," Barr said, but a vote for him would be viewed as a protest of big spending policies of McCain and President Bush, particularly their support for the $700 billion bailout of the financial industry.

"Now, principled conservatives can vote their conscience instead of voting for a faux-conservative just because he carries the Republican label," Barr wrote.

Some Republicans have long worried that Barr could play spoiler in a close election if he draws disaffected conservatives from McCain.

Barr has latched onto the bailout as evidence that both major parties are addicted to spending.

Still, he hasn't seen movement in the polls. A new Associated Press-GfK poll out Wednesday had Barr winning about 1 percent of likely voters — the same amount he pulled three weeks ago.

A former federal prosecutor, Barr built a national following in the 1990s for doggedly pursuing President Clinton's impeachment. He won the Libertarian Party nomination in May after becoming disillusioned with what he saw as unchecked growth of government and federal intrusions into personal privacy under Bush.

The McCain camp did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

___

Bob Barr: http://www.bobbarr.com

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{"commentId":3638480,"authorDomain":"mightyblogger"}

Pacific Northwest Blogger

If Barr and other 3rd party candidates could hit the 10% mark in 5 major nation polls, they would have been included in the presidential debates.

We need more choices...

{"commentId":3638480,"threadId":"396441","contentId":"2029031","authorDomain":"mightyblogger"}

2 votes

#1 - Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:33 PM EDT

{"commentId":3639232,"authorDomain":"biggerthebetter"}

biggerthebetter

Good for Bob Barr. I'm an independent, but the libertarian party sometimes appeals to me. Who knows...on election day I might go Obama OR Barr. But McCain is out for me. There' sno chance in hell I'd vote for him.

{"commentId":3639232,"threadId":"396441","contentId":"2029031","authorDomain":"biggerthebetter"}

2 votes

#2 - Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:14 PM EDT

{"commentId":3640443,"authorDomain":"godcandle"}

godcandleDeleted

{"commentId":3640509,"authorDomain":"navywifey"}

navywifey

I have heard Barr speak and I agree, we need more choices. At the same time, if he becomes a spoiler for McCain, I will not have problem with that at all! lol

{"commentId":3640509,"threadId":"396441","contentId":"2029031","authorDomain":"navywifey"}

4 votes

#4 - Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:20 PM EDT

{"commentId":3644700,"authorDomain":"snokatsu2"}

Fadedutopia

October 22, 2008 Keating law firm donates $50,000 to McCain:.............. Campaign finance records have revealed that the law firm founded by Charles Keating - before he went to jail for FRAUD, racketeering, and conspiracy for his activities as chairman of Lincoln Savings and Loans - has made donations totalling over $50,000 to McCain's campaign.,,,,,,, It reminds us of McCain's role in "The Keating Five," a group of senators who received a total of $1.4 million in campaign contributions connected to Keating and personally intervened with government regulators to allow Lincoln Savings and Loans to make highly risky investments that defrauded thousands of investors and cost taxpayers $3.4 billion.

Keating, now 84, once wrote to McCain that "I'm yours till death do us part". Could he be keeping his promise?

{"commentId":3644700,"threadId":"396441","contentId":"2029031","authorDomain":"snokatsu2"}

#5 - Thu Oct 23, 2008 12:52 AM EDT

{"commentId":3647938,"authorDomain":"anthwhite"}

Broken Government for hire

Nice to see another Barr story on the Vine. I like a lot of what Barr says. The Libertarian Party has appealed to me as I am a constitutionalist and a patriot. I do believe in State's rights and limited Federal power.

But I live in Florida. As everyone knows, Florida is a tight race. I don't like the fact that the Dems have caved in over and over again in the congress, but the thought of Palin running the country if something (God forbid) would happen to McCain, scares me.

I grew up in a small midwestern town and am conservative in some ways but liberal in others. I think that most Americans are the same way. Technology improvments have helped.

I had to vote for Obama/Biden. I don't care about race, religion, who sat on what panel with who or who used state money for carting their kids to private parties.

I just can't bear the thought of 4 more years of Republicans rewriting the Constitution for their own gains.

We need a strong 3rd party.

I wish Powell would have run. THAT is a person I would feel GREAT about casting my vote for.

{"commentId":3647938,"threadId":"396441","contentId":"2029031","authorDomain":"anthwhite"}

#6 - Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:27 AM EDT

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Barr says McCain can't win presidency	The Atlanta Journal-Constitution	Thu Oct 23	2
The Third Man - Bob Barr's Libertarian run for the White House.	New Yorker	Wed Oct 22	2
America cheated by TV's failure to cover third parties	mcclatchydc.com	Tue Oct 21	0

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