As I said in my last Loose Ends post, I was looking forward to the Ron Paul (R-TX) press conference. As of Sunday night, it was looking like both Chuck Baldwin and Bob Barr would be joining Dr. Paul at the press conference. These are the three leading, liberty-loving politicians out there with Paul having done what he did in the Republican primaries and the other two receiving nominations from parties which espouse similar values to Dr. Paul's philosophy. Many people hoped for, or perhaps expected, an endorsement. Other, more dreamy Ron Paul-o-philes, were hoping that Baldwin and Barr would step aside and let the good doctor step in for November. What did happen was probably not expected by anyone...
First, it was reported that Cynthia McKinney and Ralph Nader also received invitations. Then on Wednesday morning, Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty (his newly formed political action committee a.k.a. PAC), released the statement found here.
I did not have the opportunity to watch the press conference live, but tried to keep an eye on the reports which followed online. Dr. Paul's basic message was to shun the two-party duopoly and encourage everyone to vote for a third party. There would be no endorsement from him for any candidate (including his public rejection of McCain... again...), but a unifying message that these four candidates, all of whom have enough ballot access to win an electoral majority, stand united on four major issues which are opposing viewpoints of the establishment candidates: McCain and Obama. Except for one thing...
Bob Barr was a no show.
Ron Paul was visibly angry. It's unclear whether this was due to the "snub" by Barr, or just him being fed up with the games and nonsense that is the current system, or that he is a grumpy old man from time to time. Who knows for sure? What is certain is that Barr was a no-show. Where was he? In the same building preparing for his own press conference! Huh?
Bob Barr was holding a press conference on the same day, at the same place (the National Press Club) to announce, among other things, that he has formally asked Ron Paul to serve as his Vice Presidential running mate with Wayne Allyn Root graciously willing to step down. It is unclear to me after some bit of research as to who scheduled which press conference first. It is clear that the VP offer came on Tuesday (or earlier), and I do recall seeing an event on Barr's calendar of events on his website - however, I and others speculated that this was just evidence that Barr would be at Dr. Paul's event.
So, the Ron Paul people are pissed at the Barr people.
The Bob Barr people seem to be equally pissed at the Paul people.
Barr has certainly lost a good deal of potential Paulites by his snub. There is certainly a faction of Paul supporters who are rabid loyalists. Barr has also come off as a bit arrogant in his statements, but I can see the angle he is playing. In fact, to a degree, I felt Nader was trying to play the same angle in the Paul press conference. At one point, a spokesman from ThirdPartyWatch.com asked if the candidates would be wiling to participate in a series of fifty debates in fifty days. Nader basically expressed that he wants in on the major debates - no minor league stuff. I think Barr's no-show was his way of saying that he wants no part of this minor league stuff and that he's competing with the big boys (well, and Palin).
1. Here is statement of agreement on the four important issues which the third party candidates and Ron Paul agreed upon (Barr is not listed, however did express his support).
2. Here is a LONG list of reactions and comments from everyday people on Campaign for Liberty (you can find my comment from Sep. 10 at 12:26pm).
3. Here is an example of the reaction from prominent, anarcho-capitalist, Ron Paul supporters. (There is a lot of heated, anti-Barr opinion here.)
4. Here is Bob Barr's press release from his news conference.
5. Here is an open letter from Barr's campaign staff to his (would-be) supporters.
6. Here are two statements from the Libertarian Party website.
7. Here is a link to (Part 1 of 9) the Ron Paul press conference.
There is a lot to read and digest. I'll summarize my thoughts briefly...
Ron Paul energized tens of thousands of people to his message of freedom and change. I am one of them. I'm not sure if I'd be typing this today without his inspiration. But, he ran a lousy campaign. He is not a great leader. He is a great voice, a great man, a great congressman, a great thinker, and a great inspiration. But, for a variety of reasons, most people who have heard of him still think he is a great big kook. If Paul somehow entered the race (which, at this point is nearly impossible due to ballot access laws) as his supporters dream, he would still lose. He would get, at best, and I mean with a complete alignment of the stars and certainly a new campaign staff, 10-15% of the popular vote.
There is a old-guard, libertarian friendly, anarcho-capitalist and paleoconservative movement who respect Ron Paul dearly. They, for a variety of reasons, seem to really hate Bob Barr. Barr, in return, probably doesn't like them very much either. I happen to believe that Barr is truly out there to be a voice of change and to push libertarian principles. He's not even close to being an anarchist. Many of the Ron Paul folks who are (not that there is anything wrong with that!) see Barr as a statist.
The events of the last two days seem to be a culmination of an underground war between the Barr camp and factions of the Ron Paul camp. I'm not sure whether there is true animosity between Barr and Paul, but it really doesn't matter to me either. Thousands of Ron Paul supporters - those who are new to the movement - will be dejected because their man did not tell them what to do. They might just stay at home, or maybe vote for Baldwin... or maybe write-in Ron Paul as an act of loyalty (and futility). I'm not sure these are the people who really have what it takes to really change the system - not now.
I will be voting for Barr. He is the candidate who I believe will be the best next President based on his platform, ideals, and his ability to get stuff done in Washington. And no... I don't really think he'll win. But, if Dr. Paul got anything right yesterday (which I happen to think he got a lot of things right), it is that voting for a third party candidate is NOT throwing your vote away. It's a principled decision. Quoting Chuck Baldwin from the press conference: "it's not the lesser of two evils; it's the evil of two lessers." That is wasting your vote.
In closing, I hope this was more interesting than the ridiculous media coverage of lipstick and swine.
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