Topic: Bob Barr
3rd Parties Get No Respect

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Barr left off the Louisiana ballot. Nice double-standard, there.

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by RS Davis
(libertarian)
Thursday, October 9, 2008

Bob Barr is like Rodney Dangerfield - can't get no respect. If you recall, I wrote about Mr Barr and his troubles in Texas, where he was the only candidate to meet the filing deadline to be included on the ballot for president.

A quick recap.

According to Chapter 192 of the Texas Election Code, all nominees for President of the United States of America are required to turn in the following at least 70 days before the general election:

(A) the names of the party's nominees for president and vice-president; and

(B) the names and residence addresses of presidential elector candidates nominated by the party, in a number equal to the number of presidential electors that federal law allocates to this state;

The magic date was August 25, 2008, but Obama didn't provide his until August 28th, McCain on September 4th. But they were still certified by the Secretary of State.

So, Bob Barr filed a writ of mandamus with the Supreme Court of Texas, trying to force the SoS to follow the law and remove the Democratic and Republican candidates from the ballot.

The Supreme Court simply denied the writ, with no explanation - but no explanation was needed. This is a two-party duopoly, and while third parties have to jump through hoops to get on a ballot, the elites are there somehow by birthright.

So, fast forward to today, when reason magazine's Radley Balko reports that Bob Barr lost his lawsuit to be included on the Louisiana ballot, after having missed the deadline.

There was a slight difference, though. While McCain and Obama missed the deadline because of elitist indifference, Bob Barr missed the deadline in Louisiana because of a hurricaine.

You see, the filing deadline was September 2nd, but the state offices in Louisiana were closed that week due to Hurricaine Gustav.

Now, can anyone still tell me with a straight face that there isn't a double standard in this country when it comes to ballot access for third party candidates?

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More on this issue:

Obama/Barr '08
Published: September 30, 2008
Strange bedfellows could make for some interesting politics.

Why Bob Barr Is Right
Published: September 26, 2008
Inside the Texas Election Code, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Tyranny.

Barr Gets Smacked Down
Published: September 25, 2008
The Texas Supreme Court makes a decision about Obama and McCain's right to be on the ballot after missing the deadline.

Barr Finally Fights For Texas
Published: September 19, 2008
Obama and McCain didn't file in time to be included on the Texas ballot, and Bob Barr is trying to make sure they aren't.

Barr Fights for Texas
Published: September 2, 2008
This battle could mean big things for the Libertarian Party

Bob Barr Wins Texas (And the Election Hasn’t Even Started!) 

©2008 RS Davis, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Thursday, October 9, 2008
Last modified: Friday, October 10, 2008

The views expressed in this article are those of RS Davis only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. RS Davis is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.

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