United Liberty

The Montana Constitution Party ditched their own candidate and placed Ron Paul on their ballot against his wishes, and it seems that decision will be what decides which major party the state of Montana is carried by.

Since the selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate, John McCain has seen a massive surge in the number of election watchers who are attending campaign rallies. By some accounts his crowds have at least tripled from the level seen prior to Republican National Convention. On a number of occasions in the last couple of weeks McCain’s rallies have reached well over 10,000 - this apparently gave the McCain Campaign confidence he would easily be able to fill the 15,000 seat arena in Downtown Jacksonville, FL. Just as Wall Street miscalculated risk, McCain miscalculated his ability to draw faithful in without the supposed GOP Messiah and 2008 VP candidate, Sarah Palin. McCain filled only around 3,500 seats in Jacksonville.

Already, liberal critics are calling Gov. Sarah Palin the Teflon Candidate in her quest as running mate with Senator McCain, claiming that no criticism of Palin seems to stick. No question, the Palin candidacy has energized the GOP ticket. A few weeks ago, daily polls reported at Real Clear Politics and at Electoral-Vote.com reported a clear advantage for Senator Obama. However, the very latest polls actually give the McCain-Palin ticket the lead, albeit a small one. The news media has continued to bash Gov. Palin, seeking to unearth some issues from her administration in Alaska, and even raising issues concerning her daughter’s pregnancy. In spite of these criticisms, Gov. Palin remains immensely popular. Please consider several reasons for her popularity:

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.

It did not take the McCain Campaign long to respond to the latest Obama gaffe- “You know, you can put lipstick on a pig,” Obama said, “but it’s still a pig.”

While there is not a certain answer on the intentions of Obama in who and how he was directing the comment, within hours it has become the new Republican attack line. The debate is no longer about issues or policy, but rather about wedge issues, a tactic the McCain Camp has borrowed from both of G.W. Bush’s campaigns. This ability to change the debate and corner Obama can be credited to Karl Rove and his surrogate Steve Schmidt who have gained influence in the McCain Campaign after his horrible late spring and early spring showing. Check out McCain’s latest ad and the MSNBC’s analysis, at minimum both are entertaining to watch-

EDIT: It appears like this ad from the McCain Campaign has been removed do to copyright violations. It featured Katie Couric of CBS and CBS asked Youtube to remove it. If I find the ad somewhere else I will edit and repost. If any reader finds it please leave the link in the comment section. 

The liberal, pro-war, Independent, McCain-supporting Senator from Connecticut is living on a prayer- a prayer that McCain will win in November. If such happens he is hoping that his cross-party election support of McCain will secure him a Cabinet position. Lieberman has walked a tight line with the Democratic Party, who he still caucuses with, since his Independent run following his primary defeat by Ned Lamont. With Lieberman stating that he will no longer be attending lunch with his Democratic colleagues, those relations seem to have reached a breaking point since his speech at the Republican Nation Convention.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) will not attend the Democratic policy lunches in the Senate this month, the latest sign that he is moving away from the party after criticizing Barack Obama at the Republican National Convention.

“I think it’s probably wise for me and for my colleagues in the Democratic caucus to dine somewhere else for the next few weeks,” Lieberman said in an interview with The Hill. - The Hill.com

Since the selection of Palin and the subsequent slashing of the enthusiasm void among Republicans, the dynamics for November are sure to change in more than just the Presidential election. With the entire political establishment in an uproar, the grassroots in a much improved state of glee, and liberals running scared because of her success, Sarah Palin is changing the entire state of the ‘system’ right before our eyes. This mix of enthusiasm and curiosity may wear off before November 4th, but as for now she is the hottest thing on the wish list for Republican Congressmen, especially those engaged in fierce struggles to maintain their incumbency. The Hill.com, one of the more influential DC politico papers, is reporting on her demand - and how there is not enough Sarah to go around.

The uber-tax-and-spend-liberal Obama is now on the defensive since being shoved to 2nd place after the nomination of quasi-libertarian Sarah Palin. Whether her nomination had any major effect or not, there is a shift in the Democratic Nominee’s position on taxation. He is sliding back on his promise to immediately attempt to rescind the “Bush Tax Cuts” and is also stating any new tax hikes should be put on hold, pending the current condition of the economy. This is a shift that is layered on top of a previous tax shift concerning subjecting payroll taxes to wealthy Americans, which he now says “should be put off until years down the road, like ten years”.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrat Barack Obama says he would delay rescinding President Bush’s tax cuts on wealthy Americans if he becomes the next president and the economy is in a recession, suggesting such an increase would further hurt the economy.

The Washington times just recently released a great article on Bob Barr. Here it is:

Former Rep. Bob Barr says a number of Republicans have been trying to persuade him not to run for president on the Libertarian Party ticket, but none has given him a convincing reason.

…Mr. Barr says even people who have tried to dissuade him understand why he thinks it important to raise issues from what he calls a “genuinely conservative” perspective and to offer alternatives to the positions of the two major-party candidates.

“In the month since we formed our exploratory committee, not a single Republican who has spoken with me to try and convince me not to seek the Libertarian nomination has disagreed with my reasons for considering a run,” Mr. Barr told The Times today in an e-mail exchange before leaving London on a flight to Atlanta.

Most Republicans who asked him not to run “also said they understand why I’d run and why John McCain is not conservative and will not seriously tackle the growth in government power and spending,” he said. “Some said they would vote for me if I ran, but for the sake of the Republican Party, they would prefer I didn’t.”

Mr. Barr will be speaking tomorrow at the National Press Club, I am personally going to be attending - should be very interesting to see his final decision.

Read the full article here

I just spoke with my source from the Bob Barr 08 campaign, and they say it is highly likely Bob will discuss the upcoming Convention and his potential candidacy on Monday. Looks like Mr. Barr will be making his final decision over the weekend while he enjoys his time in Europe after the recent debate. Looking forward to an official campaign here!!

Personally, I don’t think that it hurt him all that much by waiting, he obviously has a high chance of winning the nomination.  That means a serious impact on ones life - especially if you are running to win, which it seems a few of these candidates aren’t taking seriously. Through my work with the Ron Paul campaign, I certainly saw what even a few months of “campaign time” can do to ones ‘regular’ work & family life.