Bob Barr Effect on GOP Presidential Race

Bob Barr was a two-term Republican US Congressman from Georgia. He was a leader in the effort to impeach President Bill Clinton. In 2006, Barr joined the Libertarian Party. Bob Barr has announced a candidate for the presidency under the Libertarian Party. DC Republican offers his views how Bob Barr could pose a problem (the "Bob Barr effect") for the GOP come November . . . [Read Article]

Gary Bauer provided the following comments today: It is difficult to assess how much of a threat Barr’s candidacy will be. Conventional wisdom suggests he will siphon votes from Senator McCain. But I’m not so sure. Since leaving Congress, Barr has shifted to the left. He has worked for the ACLU, opposed the marriage protection amendment, opposed several of President Bush’s anti-terrorism initiatives and, like Barack Obama, he promises to withdraw from Iraq.

I think it’s safe to say that Bob Barr will not be president of the United States next year. After all, at the height of the anti-Washington, “reform” movement, billionaire Ross Perot, who didn’t need the Libertarian Party, bankrolled his own White House bid and got only 19% of the vote. Frustrated voters prevented George Bush, Sr., from being reelected, but they failed miserably to elect their own candidate and, in the process, punished the country with eight years of Bill and Hillary Clinton. But in a close election, the one or two percent of the vote that Barr might get could tip the balance, just like Ralph Nader denied Florida to Al Gore. So the real question is: How many disaffected voters really want Barack Obama to be president? If someone really can’t vote for John McCain, they should at least be willing to accept responsibility for their actions and cast their vote for Barack. Voting for Bob Barr is like voting for Obama anyway.

---

Tags: Bob Barr, Election 2008, Gary Bauer, GOP, libertarian, presidential candidate To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!