A Libertarian Surge?
Bob Barr will be dry-eyed if his candidacy is to John McCain what Ralph Nader's was to Al Gore in 2000.
By George Will
Newsweek
Compact and Feisty Bob Barr, 59, probably will seek and get the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party, which convenes in Denver on Memorial Day weekend. Given the recent fund-raising prowess of a kindred spirit—Ron Paul's campaign for the Republican nomination siphoned up $35 million, mostly off the Internet—libertarians are feeling their oats. Come November, Barr conceivably could be to John McCain what Ralph Nader was to Al Gore in 2000—ruinous. Nader was a weak third-party candidate but was the most consequential in American history. He won only 2,882,955 popular votes nationwide (2.7 percent), but 97,488 of them were in Florida, where, because of Nader, George W. Bush won by 537 votes.
By George Will
Newsweek
Compact and Feisty Bob Barr, 59, probably will seek and get the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party, which convenes in Denver on Memorial Day weekend. Given the recent fund-raising prowess of a kindred spirit—Ron Paul's campaign for the Republican nomination siphoned up $35 million, mostly off the Internet—libertarians are feeling their oats. Come November, Barr conceivably could be to John McCain what Ralph Nader was to Al Gore in 2000—ruinous. Nader was a weak third-party candidate but was the most consequential in American history. He won only 2,882,955 popular votes nationwide (2.7 percent), but 97,488 of them were in Florida, where, because of Nader, George W. Bush won by 537 votes.
posted by Andy W. Rogers | 8:00 PM
1 Comments:
I hope Will is right. McCain scares the hell out of me. I'm not particularly fond of Barr, I think he gets side-tracked on single issues too much, but if he can be a McCain spoiler, he's got my vote.
This article also illustrates the degeneracy of the American political system and its faux democracy in several ways. Ideologically, Barr should have just as much a negative effect on Clinton as he does McCain, but people don't vote on issues or candidates any more, they vote on party or some other equally superficial nonsense.
Post a Comment
<< Home