Topic: Presidential Campaign 2008
Bob Barr's Bargain by McCusker
(libertarian)
Monday, June 2, 2008
Bob Barr has returned to the campaign trail and is running for President of the United States as the candidate of the Libertarian Party. It has been a relatively quick transformation for this previous champion of the militarized federal city on the Potomac. But, although I am interested in learning more about Barr's road to Damascus experience, that's not what this article is about. I'm taking Mr. Barr at his word that he wants to win and that if he does win he will reinstate the U.S. Constitution as the foundation for our Federal Government. What I'm concerned about is this, how does he plan on winning, and what would he really do if he does win?
From what I can tell from recent media, his own press releases, his official campaign website, and various Libertarian Party websites, this campaign is DOA. Where is the buzz, the excitement, the bold declarations that might inspire the Nation? Of course, Mr. Barr knows that he is running against Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain. And in this campaign of both soaring BS and gleaming self righteousness, he needs to compete for the hearts and the minds of the people. Not only that, but he is starting his campaign late, and the media will ignore him unless he gives them a reason to cover his speeches and events. So, from my humble laptop, I'm going to provide free advice. You get what you pay for, so this may not be worth much. But I'm a sucker for long-shots. And I do believe Mr. Barr would roll back DC if he gets the chance. So here's what I suggest as an overall win strategy...
First: win over the Ron Paul and Pat Buchanan types. This could very easily and quickly inject a lot of horsepower and money into the campaign. The Ron Paul followers have a bad reputation due to the "truthers" that infiltrated the campaign, and Mr. Barr should not tolerate those opinions at his events. But, from my experience, the vast majority of Ron Paul followers are great patriots and are dying for a chance to join a noble cause. Even the ones that are currently working within the GOP for Paul will split and support Barr.
Second: challenge the heart and soul of the GOP. The most effective way to completely knock the GOP off balance is to demonstrate that W was not a conservative and dramatically grew the government, then explain that McCain will do the exact same thing. "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me", should be the tag line of ads in red state newspapers. Also, challenge McCain to debate one-on-one. If McCain refuses, host debates with a McCain puppet with recordings of McCain's voice (i.e., "bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran"). Have fun with the fact that McCain is a puffed up jerk. Everyone knows this and McCain will start to crack. Once Barr is polling consistently above 5%, McCain will realize he can't win unless he somehow knocks Barr out and will be forced to address Barr directly. The press will eat it up because they will see this as helping Obama.
Third: if the first two tactics have succeeded, Barr should be above 20% in the polls by September. The people are very unhappy, and want change. But what kind of change do they want? Phase three is a line of adds that explain exactly the type of change McCain and Obama offer: more socialism and imperialism. Both always fail in the end and the people suffer the results. The populist message in this campaign should be freedom and independence.
The general corruption in DC, of which both McCain and Obama are a part, is the cause of our demise. All we need to do is reform DC, and we can have our country back. Do a nationwide tour that explains to each region how corruption has impacted their part of the country.
Now, most importantly, to make all this work, the campaign needs a solid message and if elected Mr. Barr needs a plan. Currently, he seems to lack both. For phase one to work, all Barr needs to do is get this right. One problem with Ron Paul is that he often sounded like he was going to shut down the whole government. We can't even shut down 50% of the federal government in four years. So first, the issue page needs to be more concise and specific. Once it clear what Bob Barr stands for, the Paul followers will show up.
One thing that would help is a strategic plan for Bob Barr Administration, similar to what we do when advising a company for business planning. You could call it "Bob Barr's Bargain"...
Year 1: Cut income taxes to x% and eliminate all loopholes, and the earned income tax credit, etc. Close 200 of the 300 military bases overseas, saving x. Close the Department of Education, saving x. Sign executive order allowing for the printing of currency by private banks (i.e., alternative currency becomes legal in the U.S. and Americans can request employers to pay them in gold/silver/etc).
Year 2: End all social security payroll taxes for any worker that wants to opt out of the system. Close the remaining 100 overseas military bases. Close FEMA, saving x. You get the idea. The strategic plan needs to have high level goals that phase in over the years and show some understanding of how the country (i.e., citizens, cities, states) will react when the federal government starts cutting back.
Lastly, the immigration issue cuts across all economic groups and the average American is very angry about how the federal government has handled it. If Bob wants to become a major candidate fast, all he needs to do is to say, "There should be no compromise with those who have violated our immigration laws. We don't compromise with other criminals, we will not compromise with illegal aliens. Those who are in this country illegally should leave on their own accord. If they do not, they will be punished, then deported. Those politicians who wish to corrupt our laws to support illegal behavior such as this degrade the value of citizenship and are not patriots. To those who wish for more immigration into the U.S., I say that after we regain control of our immigration system using the current laws already on the books, we can discuss how much immigration is desired by the American public. To those who knowingly support the activities of illegal aliens in the U.S. through employment or other means, you will be prosecuted."
There are plenty of reasons why this approach is the best for the American people, but it takes courage to take such a stand. Currently, the official website states that Mr. Barr's position is that, "Until all governments are willing to take a unified front to confront this problem, it is the duty of the federal government to secure our borders from criminals, terrorists and those seeking to take advantage of the American taxpayer." This type of silly, half-way rhetoric is cowardly and intellectually dishonest. It's probably better to not take any stand rather than treat such an important issue with such carelessness.
In any case, one solid, confident, well-reasoned speech on this issue alone will put him on the front page of many papers, blogs, etc., and will start him down the three phase plan I have described.
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The views expressed in this
article are those of McCusker only and do not represent
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Man, will it be funny (or tragic) when Barr's all-star team cannot duplicate even a proportional amount of success as Ron Paul's campaign, which was deeply flawed in its management from the get-go.
We must consider what actions RP's campaign took in order to garner support and the only one that worked was Barr talking. So I think you're definitely right on this- but unfortunately, this means Barr will have to make definitive repudiations and push forward under a cautious tone. It will be like trying to play basketball with one hand.
As a Buchanan Brigader and a dedicated Ron Paul supporter I was glad to see Bob Barr running. Sent him 2 donations. Then I learned he has Russ Verney running his campaign. Recall that Verney is the guy who screwed up the campaign for Pat Buchanan when he ran on the Reform Party ticket. With Verney, the Bob Barr campaign is doomed. My question is who put him on the team. Did Perot send him in or was it the GOP?
Well, no one can accuse you of being a realist. And what sort of libertarian are you?
Your stuff on immigration is pure Right-wing conservative bull. You define criminal as one who violates the law not as one who violates rights. Therefore clemency for drug users would be rejected since they violated they law they deserve what they get. That is conservative not libertarian.
You lost me. How is Bob Barr supposed to win over Ron Paul's supporters when Bob Barr's hand-picked VP insults Ron Paul's foreign-policy like a card-carrying neocon?
Sadly enough it's another election of hold-your-nose-and-vote. Who to choose? Beats me, but Bob Barr did at least get the Steve Kubby thumbs-up, even if it was just for the sake of party unity.
Although he probably doesn't have much chance of winning, I guess I'll vote for Barr. I think 2012 looks like a better year for the good guys. Let's find a guy with Ron Paul's sentiments, but without Ron Paul's baggage (the newsletters ... )
It was a pipe dream to believe that Dr. Paul could have pushed his platform to the forefront of a brokered GOP convention. At best, the party may have been able to promise to work towards restoring individual rights, balancing the budget and calling on future congresses to declare war in future conflicts. That said, the presumptive nominee John McCain would have just not followed the party line once again as he has proven to in the past.
For those who call themselves Ron Paul Republicans and to those Harry Browne Libertarians. If you are like most Americans who do not agree with the choices for president in the LP, GOP, DP or elsewhere, there is a a better option.
“It is commonly said, If you don’t vote, you have no right to complain about the outcome. The opposite is true. By playing the game, voters agree to the rules. Only those who don’t play and withhold their consent have a right to complain about the outcome, especially since the winner will have his hand in the non-voter’s pocket. Voting is not an act of political freedom. It is an act of political conformity. Those who refuse to vote are not expressing silence. They are screaming in the politician’s ear: You do not represent me. This is not a process in which my voice matters. I do not believe you." Wendy McElroy
"Viewing the nation as divided into two camps ignores the largest single group of Americans, namely, those who don't vote at all. In the 2000 election only about 54 percent of eligible voters actually turned out to vote. In 2004, despite expensive get-out-the-vote campaigns by both ideological camps, the percentage who voted rose only a few points from the previous election. In fact, in 2004, an all-time record was set when more than 80 million eligible voters failed to vote; this number was far greater than the votes secured by either Bush or Kerry, by a substantial margin. In fact, no Republican or Democratic nominee has attracted as much as 30 percent of eligible voters since Ronald Reagan in 1984." [link edited for length]
2012 we could see Jesse Ventura jump in the ring. In fact, he might run for senator in 2010 and has already considered joining the libertarian banner.
Obviously the purists will try to throw him out because he's not a hardcore radical who is trying to damn the freedom movement like they are, but it's still worth a shot to get him in.
"Average American" is angry about how the government has handled the immigration dilemma? If by average, you mean white-anglo-saxon-protestant, high-school educated, racist Billy Bob, then you are right. There is a broad consensus in the country that a comprehensive immigration reform with path to citizneship is a must, and is inevitable, despite nazis such as Dobbs, Tancredo, Savage, Senator Sessions of Alabam and other mistakes of nature. What a disgustingly xenophobic article!!!
Dr. Chuck BaldWIN needs assistance THIS MONTH to gain ballot access in 25 states, PLZ Help ! IL, IN, PA, NY, NJ, GA, VA, MA, TN, WA, MD, MN, WI, AL, KY, IA, CT, KS, WV, ME, NH, RI, WY and DC !
Illinois, Indiana and Georgia are critical. PLZ help and get others to help also ! The Republic we save will be our grandchildren's ! www,chuckBaldWInForum.com
Posted By: Jahfre Fire Eater
Date: 2008-06-05 17:51:20
You lost me with this line: "...Mr. Barr should not tolerate those opinions at his events."
Does this sound like a libertarian to anyone?
The ONLY reason I'll vote for Barr is because the LP is a convenient tally for protest votes. There is nothing in this world that the LP could say to "win over" me.
This article highlights the emotional irrationality that overrides reason in may LP members. The LP is a tiny blip and winning simply isn't an option. If that is your reason for being an LP member you aren't doinig yourself or the LP any favors. This kind of foolishness deserves far less respect than the "truthers".
I agree that anyone the "truthers" decide to back is doomed but the same could be said for people who don't understand the difference between a political teaspoon and a political earth mover. Hint: LP = Political Teaspoon.
Posted By: Paul Kositzka
Date: 2008-06-06 06:19:31
All those who relish the idea of voting for RP or Barr better get your heads out of the sand and look at what you'll be doing.
I know that McCain isn't everybody's cup of tea but how about Obama? It may be the lesser of evils in the eye's of some, but why cut off you nose to spite your face? McCain is far better than Obama and unless Obama completely disaffects HC's supporters, McCain is going to need the conservative vote to win. He won't be a far right candidate or President, he won't be a libertarian candidate or President but, he won't be the far left darling that Obama will be.
If you let the libertarian song mezmorize you, you will likely be handing the White House to the far left. Think about it, please.
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