The majority seem to agree that Bob Barr should be included (6 votes), but almost as many (4 votes) think he doesn’t need to be included.

It’s an especially interesting question now that the news has come out that neither the Democratic nor Republican parties managed dotted every i and crossed every t necessary to have their candidates on the ballot in Texas. It looks like the Democratic and Republican candidates will still be on the ballot, but the Libertarian Party is not too happy to be held to higher standards than the two major parties. Can’t really blame them, either.

Post from: EveryJoe

Should Bob Barr be included in the debates?

Bob Barr’s name will be on the ballot in all fifty states, come November. To say that Barr is a viable third party candidate is putting the situation mildly.

Ralph Nader was accused of ’spoiling’ John Kerry’s run for president in 2004. Nader was only on the ballot in 34 states.

I won’t argue that Barr has come near to either Barack Obama or John McCain’s numbers. But I think that his candidacy is already having a significant affect on this presidential campaign. The margin between Obama and McCain remains narrow enough that both candidates have to seriously consider the chance that Barr might have a Nader effect.

Conservatives who feel that McCain is too moderate like Barr — his voting record during his tenure as the representative from Georgia’s 7th congressional district makes that clear. He’s undergone something of a transformation to become the Libertarian Presidential candidate, but many of his actual stances remain the same. The real change is that Barr has come to the conclusion that issues like same-sex marriages should be a decision made at the state level, rather than the federal.

But because Barr believes that marriage is not a federal issue, quite a few Democrats feel comfortable with him as a candidate. There are more than a few Democrats who haven’t committed to Obama, from reasons as varied as his defeat of Clinton and his relative youth. I have a feeling that Barr could pick up a few of those votes as well.

The way that Barr is running his campaign is also worth a look. Obama has gotten a lot of praise for his use of social media, but Barr has committed himself to making connections through sites beyond the usual suspects (Facebook, MySpace, etc.). Despite having less ‘real world’ name recognition, Barr has hundreds of online friends even on Digg.

This race is close enough that I’m willing to bet that Obama and McCain’s staffs are keeping tabs on Barr, and I think the rest of us should do the same.

Thanks to Brian Layman for a head’s up on recent Barr developments.

Post from: EveryJoe

The Bob Barr Option

Image details: Bob Barr Announces Presidential Run served by picapp.com

I’m happy to report that one political party is entirely ready for November (aside from a little campaigning between now and then). The Libertarian Party confirmed Bob Barr as their presidential nominee this weekend after six rounds of balloting. Barr chose Wayne Allyn Root (another presidential candidate) as the vice presidential nominee and Barr’s running mate. Root is another ex-Republican, as well as a TV celebrity and sports handicapper.

During the short Libertarian convention, that political party also took care of some other business, including a rewrite of the party’s platform. The entirety can be found here, but the main changes include rewording their stance on abortion and personal relationships and removing a contentious statement on the liability of corporations. To sum up pretty much the entire Libertarian platform: 99 percent of all things just plain aren’t federal government issues.

Post from: EveryJoe

Barr Wins Libertarian Nomination

Allow me to interpret: nobody quite knows who will be the Libertarian nominee yet. In my opinion, no matter your political party, we’re looking at a far more entertaining convention this weekend than either the Republicans or Democrats will stage in the next couple of months.

Highlights from the Convention so far:

•  Newspapers, such as The Washington Times, are focusing on the fact that one of the first events of the convention was a reception hosted by the Marijuana Policy Project. Implications seem to include that all Libertarian candidates must smoke pot.
• A small group of Libertarian Party members have accused Bob Barr (a former Republican) of attempting to hijack the party towards more conservative values.
• Rumors are circulating about more names being tossed in the hat, including Tucker Carlson, the former host of Crossfire.
• The numerous comments on Ron Paul’s absence (he has run as a Libertarian candidate in the past).
• The rising support of a number of conservatives who don’t wish to throw in with John McCain.

The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the U.S., with over 600 elected officials to their credit. As of the beginning of May, the Libertarian Party will be on the presidential ballot in 28 states. Two lawsuits are pending against state officials (Oklahoma and Pennsylvania), meaning that the Libertarian candidate could get on the ballots in both those states — as well as others where there is still a chance of meeting ballot requirements. South Dakota residents, however, will definitely not be seeing Libertarians on their ballots.

Post from: EveryJoe

The Libertarian National Convention Is On A Roll

Image details: Prominient Conservatives Criticize Patriot Act served by picapp.com

Bob Barr may be starting a serious bid for the presidency as a Libertarian, following up on the exploratory committee he formed last month. The Libertarian party seems to be considering him a frontrunner for the party’s nomination, which will be decided at the Libertarian convention on May 22. He’s even got a site up for his run.

Barr’s political history is an interesting one. While a member of the House of Representatives — Barr represented Georgia’s 7th District from 1995 to 2003 — he lead the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. During that time, Barr was a member of the Republican Party, but left the party in the middle of the 2004 presidential campaign and endorsed the Libertarian candidate. He’s split with the Republican Party on a whole list of issues.

Personally, I’d be excited to see Barr’s name on the ticket. Whether or not I agree with all of his positions, he does clearly articulate them. Furthermore, a strong 3rd party candidate will definitely keep things interesting, especially while we have to sit around waiting for the Democratic convention to make up their minds in August.

Post from: EveryJoe

Another hat in the presidential ring: Bob Barr