McCain + Barr - Paul = Obama?
As if this election cycle weren't complicated enough, analysts like conservative commentator Tara Setmayer (interviewed by CNN's Mike Galanos last week) are saying Bob Barr could become the "Nader" of the general election, drawing enough republican votes to ensure if not augment the defeat of John McCain.*
Although I once called McCain the "most liked" of the Republican contenders due to their heated differences, many reps don't understand why he is their candidate (some attributing this to intervention by democrats) although it would be wrong to say Sen. McCain does not have widespread and deserved support within the party. People forget that 25% of the republican vote still escapes him and that much of this is still going to Mike Huckabee in the primaries. Bob Barr offers conservative voters another choice, doubly so with the endorsement of Ron Paul who carries a respectable number of republicans but will not run himself. Having done so to secure his name as a republican is Paul now hurting that party?
"Anything that pulls away from your core base is problematic." says Setmayer. "The undercurrent of Ron Paul supporters… may cause an uproar."* Other third party candidates and independents besides Paul have dropped out knowing they would be a spoiler, Mayor Bloomberg being one. It makes one wonder how oblivious or indifferent a candidate can be toward the effects of their personal ambition on their constituency (i.e. Sen. Clinton), or which is more important. There are clearly two types of contender in this race, those who weigh the political consequences of their candidacy either by stepping down or humbly taking the call (like McCain and Obama), and those who seek only their own promotion. Any number of politicians could have snatched that third seat and displayed this self-interest. Barr is a republican and so the libertarian ticket was a ripe base waiting to be claimed.
"He's going to undercut everything a libertarian would want" Galanos says, but this is the mistaken view that Libertarians naturally lean toward republicans. Not to those who see libertarian legislation and tolerance coming from the far left. Although I criticized Sen. Obama at first by saying he is not a true liberal, I have rarely seen a more upstanding candidate unwilling to get down in the dirt like his competitors, and for this he has been lambasted from everyone of fewer scruples. Originally he said no to candidacy believing it was too soon, and the people of his state convinced him to run. I also believe McCain is the least unscrupulous of his party's candidates, and a general election between these two might be the only one since I've been a voter where I don't feel there is a "lesser evil". All that can be said against them is practical preference, which will be helped by their choice of running mates.
It's a shame that private ambition clouds the process of choosing our leadership in this way, although party politics is certainly a different (if not lesser) evil. If they all respected their true influence on events there would be greater courting of the LP and independents, and the parties would truly go head-to-head with one strategy. Obama is expected to cross the needed milestone of delegates tonight and if he wins the presidency we will see a long break from imperialism. The CNN interview can be watched at www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/05/12/pn.barr.pres.bid.cnn?iref=videosearch.
*http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/05/12/pn.barr.pres.bid.cnn?iref=videosearch
If you have any opinions to add to this thread send them to russo@richmondliberty.org and they will be posted. We welcome your input!