United Liberty

This November, Ford is expanding their slate of vehicles to include the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, a sporty five-seater that gets a whopping 65 miles per gallon. This is great news for those of us that want to combat higher gas prices when the time comes to replace our current vehicles. It is very reasonably priced, and it will be available for purchase in the last quarter of this year.

During the Republican Primary Debates, Governor Mike Huckabee frequently demonstrated his affable sense of humor and talent of delivering witty one-liners.  Though no longer on the political forefront, that doesn’t mean Huck has given up hopes of a life of fame and influence, but he seems to be seeking it on a different stage.  He made a recent appearance at the DC Improv Theater to participate in the 15th Annual Funniest Celebrity in Washington Contest, and ended up stealing the show.  Like most comedy routines, very little is considered off-limits, so Huckabee

The media is addicted to the facade of the bipartisan effort. However, often this notion of ‘reaching across the aisle’ results in a big win for government - and a big loss for the American people. Consider this quote from McCain on his bipartisan cabinet:

“It’s going to be the best people in America, the smartest people in America,” McCain continued. “So many of these problems we face — for example, energy independence, what’s partisan about that? In other words, we’ve got to have people who are the best and the brightest. And I’ll tell you, some of them I’ll ask to work for a dollar a year.”

John McCain of course is talking about the “best” at implementing massive government programs - and “smartest” at deceiving the American people into accepting them.

Recently, I was asked who I planned to vote for in November.  Since my preferred candidate, Ron Paul, is no longer an option after the spring primaries, I have spent a lot of time studying both presumptive nominees for the status-quo parties, John McCain and Barack Obama.  The person who asked me was a very conservative Republican, so I talked first about why I could not support Obama.

I pointed out the lack of substance I have witnessed from his campaign from its start over a year ago.  At first, his message of “Change We Can Believe In” was certainly something that I could get behind, as I have been dissatisfied with the direction in which America has been led for over eight years.  But the problem I see with Obama’s message of “change” is that he does not define what it is he opposes in the current situation.   What exactly does he want to “change”?  Since there is not a well-defined starting point, I think it would be hard to pin down what he wants to “change” to.

As I followed the primaries and the campaign, I found that his charisma and emotional speeches drew nothing but compliments from pundits and those swayed by one of those powerful, well-written oratories.  What I couldn’t find was any amount of substance in what I can only describe as a short political career.

Periodically I come across a horrific story about some lowlife who is trying to save his (or her) ass, so he becomes an informant for the police.  He feeds information, usually about drugs or drug-related activity, and the police act on this info, with no guarantee of it’s veracity.  This informant is not a police officer, nor does he have any training to determine illegal activity.  He is not accountable to any authority, and for his “protection” his identity is rarely revealed.  With the promise of a more lenient or nonexistent punishment, what motive does the informant have to tell the truth?  The police then use this sketchy information to obtain warrants, specifically no-knock warrants, to search and seize what they have been told is illicit material.

I’m beginning to wonder what Obama has against the American flag.  Stories of his refusal to wear a flag lapel pin have abounded on the internet, but I’m not sure if I’ll hold someone’s choice of fashion accessories against them.  I don’t go around wearing one, so judging a person’s patriotism based on this criteria appears to be a slippery slope.

But Obama’s dismissal of this American symbol goes farther than his on-again, off-again jewelry.  The Seattle Times has reported that the flags used by attendees of Obama’s acceptance speech were found in several trash bags located around dumpsters at Invesco Field.  They were rescued by veterans and given to the McCain campaign.

While there were a few “Bob Barr REVOLution” T-shirts produced, it seems the move from Paul support to Bob Barr support among libertarians and conservatives hasn’t been a smooth transition.

As reported here, Bob Barr’s absence at a Ron Paul press conference hasn’t been taken to well by Paul supporters. On libertarian talk shows like “Free Talk Live” and “Common Sense with Dan Carlin,” dismissal of the Barr nomination has been strong and passionate.

Barr seems to be a genuine convert to libertarianism, or at least to small government conservatism. The regular YouTube videos that he has released jive fairly well with the message of Ron Paul. However, he has never really addressed his checkered record on civil liberties while he was a Republican congressman. He has not really been able to articulate why he is a better choice for conservatives than John McCain. The latter is not really his fault, since he has not been given the sort of attention and airtime that Barack Obama and McCain have enjoyed.

Early pipe-dreams of Barr’s mainstream appeal resulting in a substantial effect on the election may turn out to be just that. Barr likely won’t break 3%, since he doesn’t seem to have the support required for presence at the presidential debates.

What this means for the future of the Libertarian Party is unclear, but it does appear to back up Ron Paul’s proposal to push forth the message of liberty within the Republican Party.

Despite the drama that ensued from Dr. Paul’s press conference and his missing guest, Ron’s deep concern for this country and the direction we’re going is evident in his tone and expression.  All of Ron’s supporters commend him for his principled stand against the status quo, even when it means bucking his own party.  Check out this first video of Ron’s press conference and be reminded of how he refuses to put politics above principle.  The second video is Dr. Paul and Ralph Nader appearing in the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.

The Barr Campaign’s decision to shun Ron Paul’s press conference, hold their own and denigrate Ron’s efforts will have lasting effect- but will any prove positive for the Barr Campaign?

In the interest of full disclosure, I know Bob, like Bob, worked for his campaign up until a few weeks ago and planned on voting for him- a decision I’ll have to reconsider.  I also know Ron, like Ron, worked for his campaign and would still vote for him today if he were on the Alabama ballot.

If the Barr Campaign’s actions today has possibly lost the support of someone who knows and likes Bob, I imagine the fallout among the Libertarian Party members and Ron Paul supporters will make them regret their actions today.  Continued derisive actions and words from the campaign staff will only make things worse.

I called the Barr Campaign Headquarters and spoke to LP Communications Director, Andrew Davis, asking for an official statement from them.

Sources say that Libertarian Party Candidate Bob Barr did not make an appearance at Dr. Paul’s press conference as agreed and is instead having his own press conference, per a flyer being handed out by LP Communications Director Andrew Davis.

As much effort as Dr. Paul put into promoting this press conference, one has to wonder what effect this will have on his relationship with Barr and how Ron’s supporters will respond.  If the reaction at Ron Paul Forums is any indication, missing this press conference was a mistake.

Update:

Reason’s Dave Weigel at Hit and Run is now reporting this-