Topic: Bob Barr
"Snubgate" redux -- Paul brushes off Barr, chooses Chuck

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Ron Paul takes the advice of He Who Shall Not be Named, and endorses Chuck Baldwin for President. More media fallout:

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by George Dance
(libertarian)
Friday, September 26, 2008

Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

Former Republican presidential candidate and Texan Ron Paul finally endorsed a candidate for president this week: Constitutional Party [sic] nominee Chuck Baldwin. Paul, who has embarked on a new effort to elect libertarian-leaning candidates, was expected to endorse Libertarian presidential nominee Bob Barr. But citing "unsolicited advice" from Barr, in which Paul said he was admonished "for remaining neutral" in the presidential race, he said he chose his friend, Baldwin.

(Anna M. Tinsley, "Paul Makes an Endorsement," Election Briefs, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Sep. 24, 2008.)
http://www.star-telegram.com/855/story/929649.html

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Indecision 2008:

Iconoclast and former GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul has made a huge announcement, and plans to change the upcoming election with his endorsement of some guy named Chuck Baldwin who is from something called the Constitution Party....

Baldwin is that one-two punch combination of Pundit and Pastor -- his evangelical church is in Pensacola Florida. His party believes in abolishing the UN, ending the Iraq War, a repeal of income, sales, and inheritance taxes, a "constitutionally limited form of government", as well as of course, immigration reform.

I'm thumbing through my copy of the Constitution right now to find the section that describes that the government must build a giant f[...]ing wall around its borders to keep the brown people out.

Wall Stret Journal:

As Paul makes clear with a statement on his website, his decision is also a pointed non-endorsement of the Libertarian Party's candidate Bob Barr, who was expected to benefit from enthusiasm for Paul's message but has riled the Texas congressman in recent weeks.

When Paul endorsed several third party candidates this month, Barr dropped out of the event at the last minute, holding his own press conference where he suggested that Paul had "dissipated" the impact of the libertarian agenda with "amorphous leadership that says all of the above or any of the above.'" Barr also had offered Paul the vice-presidential spot on the Libertarian Party ticket, which a Paul spokesman "politely declined," saying Barr had "burned a bridge."

Without mentioning Barr by name, Paul's statement addresses the former Georgia congressman: "The Libertarian Party Candidate admonished me for remaining neutral' in the presidential race and not stating whom I will vote for in November," Paul writes. "I've thought about the unsolicited advice from the Libertarian Party candidate, and he has convinced me to reject my neutral stance in the November election. I'm supporting Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate."...

Barr’s campaign manager Russell Verney dismissed the importance of Paul’s endorsement to the Libertarian Party candidate. "Whatever he’s doing, it’s had no effect on us. Our support is growing every day," he said. "If Ron Paul made a decision, I’m sure he made it on the merits rather than any reaction to any event."

"He’s now chosen to show leadership. That’s what we called him to do," said Verney.

(Brad Haynes, "Dismissing Bob Barr, Ron Paul Endorses Constitution Party Candidate," Washington Wire, Wall Street Journal, Sep. 24, 2008.)
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/09/24/dismissing-bob-barr-ron-paul-endorses-constitution-party-candidate/

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The American Conservative:

After the press conference, Paul’s supporters, not to say Paul himself, were furious with Barr. And now, as a result of all of this, Paul is officially giving his blessing to Constitution Party nominee Chuck Baldwin. Here’s Paul’s statement. I don’t think Paul wanted to choose between Baldwin, who faithfully supported Paul’s Republican presidential bid earlier this year, and Barr, the nominee of the party whose ticket Paul had headed in 1988. But Barr’s behavior forced a decision, and the Libertarian Party is the loser for it.

I say Barr’s behavior, but it has to be kept in mind that Barr has some rather nefarious characters working for him, starting with campaign maestro Russ Verney, who made his name as a top adviser to Ross Perot, but who is also well known to some of us for helping to turn the Reform Party into a radioactive environment for Pat Buchanan in 2000. Verney, who thinks George W. Bush "showed incredible leadership" by standing atop a firetruck on 9/11, is not known to be a libertarian, big "L" or small. He’s a political mercenary who, at best, utterly misunderstood how a Libertarian nominee should relate to libertarian voters.

(Daniel McCarthy, "Bob Barr Implodes," The American Conservative, Sep. 24, 2008.) http://www.amconmag.com/blog/2008/09/22/bob-barr-implodes/

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Nolan Chart:

There can be no doubt Ron Paul believes in individual liberty, freedom and limited government. But it is hard to see how Chuck Baldwin and the CP advance these beliefs.

It appears that Paul has taken a perceived slight from Bob Barr personally, and in a fit of pique, endorsed a religious zealot, intolerant of non-Christians and a believer in government authority to implement a Christian theocracy.

And that's too bad

(David K. Williams Jr., "Why did Ron Paul endorse Chuck Baldwin?", Nolan Chart, Sep. 23, 2008.)
http://www.nolanchart.com/article4975.html

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Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Some of you are asking why all this fuss about a third-party presidential bid. Who cares? you ask.

Barack Obama cares.

The Insider had occasion to talk to one of his supporters today about the Democratic presidential candidate’s diminished — at least for the moment — prospects in Georgia.

When the Obama campaign went into Georgia this spring, three ingredients were eyed, this supporter reminded the Insider: Money, volunteers and Barr.

Obama found cash enough in Georgia. Volunteers were no problem. But what’s been missing is a Barr campaign capable of wheedling from Republican John McCain enough votes of protest to put the state in play.

That was never in Obama’s control. In large part, Barr’s fate has been in Paul’s hands.

In Georgia and elsewhere, the economy could yet give Obama an edge that Barr hasn’t been able to. But it would be a much easier road for Obama were Barr the candidate that Paul might have made him.

The Liberty Papers:

So, there’s obviously something personal going on in the fact that Paul didn’t end up endorsing Barr, but that doesn’t make his endorsement of Chuck Baldwin any less troubling for libertarians who actually hoped his campaign, and the Campaign for Liberty, would amount to something....

So, Paulistianians, this is what the vaunted r3volution has come to. Your candidate has endorsed the nominee of a party that opposes the right of gays to marry, thinks the drug war is a great thing, and wants to restrict speech based on what it considers "obscene."

(Doug Mataconis, "Ron Paul Takes The Last Step Into Irrelevance," The Liberty Papers, Sep. 25, 2008.) http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2008/09/25/ron-paul-takes-the-last-step-into-irrelevance/

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Independent Political Report:

The Crossed Pond:

Ron Paul’s endorsement of Baldwin is a disastrous, petulant, ill-considered act that taints his legacy and hinders any positive impact he might provide for the libertarian movement. He has, in either a fit of pique or a conscious revealing of his actual leanings, endorsed a true horror show. Rather than allow the slow healing of the libertarian rift by endorsing the odd and politically bumbling, but at least defensibly libertarian candidate Bob Barr, he has reopened the wounds by endorsing a "loopy ‘America is a Christian nation’ paleo-conservative" Rather than signal his continued opposition to the GOP foreign policy and economic agenda as well as rejection of fringe element mediocre candidates by remaining out of the endorsement business altogether, he has stated his support for a "Theocratic Homophobic Lunatic for President." Rather than retain some semblance of legitimacy as a libertarian elder statesman and an alternative rallying point for a GOP opposition element in Congress, he has lessoned his cross cultural appeal and potential political leadership by endorsing a candidate with this abortion for a party platform....

I take exception to some of the "in your face" crowing and hyperbole going on at some of my favorite libertarian blogs, but I won’t even address those misgivings in this post so as not to defensively dilute my disgust. What a waste.

(Jack, "Ron Paul’s Revised Legacy," The Crossed Pond, Sep. 24, 2008.) http://thecrossedpond.com/?p=5259

Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic:

It's deeply depressing and dumb. Ron Paul's message turned out to be far superior to Ron Paul's candidacy.

(Andrew Sullivan, "Ron Paul Squanders his Candidacy," The Daily Dish, Atlantic.com, 23 Sep 2008.)
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/09/ron-paul-squand.html

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Ron Paul:

I’m convinced that problems like this always seem bigger at the moment, yet things usually work out in the end. Recovering from the mistakes and shortcomings of all that we do in this effort is not difficult if the message is right and our efforts are determined. And I’m convinced they are. That’s what will determine our long-term success, not the shortcomings of any one person.

("A New Alliance - By Dr. Ron Paul," Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty, Sep. 22, 2008.) http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog/?p=582

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The "Snubgate" saga

"Snubgate" – Barr skips Paul’s press conference

"Snubgate" scandal spreads

"Snubgate" redux – Paul brushes off Barr, chooses Chuck

http://www.nolanchart.com/article4986.html

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©2008 George Dance, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Friday, September 26, 2008
Last modified: Sunday, November 2, 2008

The views expressed in this article are those of George Dance only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. George Dance 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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