July 14, 2008
It should've been my guy Ron Paul, but now I'm voting for Bob Barr by Avery Knapp
Of course it should have been Ron Paul. As the only truly limited-government Republican in the race, the only Republican who believed in a humble, conservative foreign policy (not a Wilsonian one of nation building and wasted money overseas), the only Republican to oppose eliminating the D.O.E., D.O.A., the I.R.S., the 16th amendment, restraining the Fed, and the only Republican candidate to both speak and understand the language of Reagan circa 1975-9, Ron Paul would have been the best choice. But despite late success (coming in 2nd place in 12 states, 3rd in 17) and reigniting a limited-government freedom movement, Paul withdrew on June 12 and ruled out a third party run and went on to found the Campaign For Liberty.
So now I'm left to choose amongst the 2nd tier. Obama, Nader, McCain and Bob Bar. A vote for Obama and Nader is a vote for economic socialism at home and they would probably, despite the rhetoric, continue the Wilsonian foreign-policy of Clinton and George W. Bush, and therefore I cannot vote for them. McCain, while he occasionally sounds conservative, seems as though based on his past instincts and mindset he views the federal government as the solution to every problem - (steroids in baseball, 1st-amendment conflicts [McCain-Feingold], ultimate fighting, interventionalist-nation building, mistakes in advising and consenting to judicial appointments [as one of the Gang of 14]). I don't trust him on the 2nd amendment, the 4th or 5th amendments, the 10th amendment, and he seems to strongly support the 16th amendment and favors a unitary executive. Plus, McCain has basically no chance of winning California, being 20 points down, (or New York), where I vote. Therefore I won't even attempt to decide whether McCain is slightly less big-government than Obama (although he probably is). I will vote my conscience - I will vote for Bob Barr.
Despite changing stances on a number of positions, Bob Barr is promoting a pro-freedom agenda - rather similar to Paul's. He strongly supports economic freedom, in supporting repealing the 16th, eliminating corporate welfare, and drastically cutting government spending. Unlike the other candidates, Barr promotes individual liberty and social freedom - viewing the Nanny State that has so seduced our friends across the Atlantic as weakening the American spirit of freedom. He supports a humble foreign policy of no nation building and no policing the world - things Republicans used to believe in and I still do. He's likely to get more votes than any Libertarian candidate ever (unfortunately though not a high hurdle to jump), thanks to Ron Paul, and in view of the other candidates' strong beliefs that big government can solve most (McCain) if not all (Obama) problems, Barr is the only choice for me.
In these days of politicians promising the world and then delivering more regulation, red-tape, corporate and social welfare, corporatism, inflationist monetary policy, interventionalist meddling nation-building foreign policy, and assaults on the Constitution and on the ideals of individual liberty, it is refreshing to see politicians with somewhat of a mainstream presence advocating a return to the beliefs that made America free and hence great. Ron Paul and Bob Barr.
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Avery Knapp is a radiologist "and grassroots organizer for the true conservative, Ron Paul."
Technorati Tags: Ron+Paul
This is exactly the same argument my good friend in AZ gave! You're right. I'm thinking about doing the same. I'm in a "red" county in the blue people's republic of Illinois. With a seated crooked governor; No constitutional way to recall him; Who just cut off his own Democrat attorney general at the knees! I feel sorry for Lisa Madigan, I really think she's honest! They do eat their own! The governor's bagman: recently sentenced to jail, Tony Rezko, is Barack Obama's next door neighbor, realtor, etc. Marxist policies have driven out commerce, bankrupted the state, and we're somewhere in the bottom 40's out of 50's in economic output. . The voting machines in C(r)ook county are provided by Sequoia Systems of Venezuela: A Hugo Chavez company. So, we know how that vote will go.
This is a winner-take-all state, so as C(r)ook county goes, (sigh) the electoral votes will follow. If I vote for Bob Barr, then I don't have to worry about vise-grips for my nose. It will send a message to the repubican party in this great blue state that we need REAL CHANGE. Not just words.
Posted by: batman at July 14, 2008 02:13 AMIs "radiologist" the new term for people who wear aluminum-foil hats?
Posted by: CrazyJoe at July 14, 2008 10:03 AMThat's fine -- and better late than never on the guy seeing the libertarian light (all cynicism aside) -- but if you vote for Bob Barr, you can't possibly call someone else a flip flopper.
Posted by: Joe Grossberg at July 14, 2008 02:47 PMYeah batman. We all know the GOP is oh so honest in the Land of Lincoln. Next time I'm at Camp Fed in Indiana, I'll have to say hi to George Ryan. And whose firm is handling the Ryan case probono? Yep, Big Jim Thompson. While I liked my time in Oak Park, almost everybody in Illinois politics is a crook.
This is an interesting post despite the odd claim that Nader is a Wilsonian (I think Nader has Wilson's faith in world federal organizations but does not have Wilson's faith in wars to spread democracy-I mean really, do you think President Nader would have sent Black Jack Pershing south of the border, down Mexico way?). I'm in a bit of a bind. If I was in a deep red or blue state, I would vote for Barr or Baldwin and not think twice about it. The problem is I am in the land of purple (to steal the name of a place in Mr. Rogers and the land of make-believe). So I am leaning towards McCain despite my problems with him on a host of issues-namely I don't trust McCain on who he would elevate to join the Nazgul, our nine masters in black robes.
Posted by: Von Bek at July 14, 2008 03:21 PMWhy, Joe? Flip-flopping is a Clinton-esque "I voted for the war but oppose it," Kerry-esque "I actually voted for the $87 billion before voting against it," "holding up your wetted finger" way of saying whatever you think will get the most votes. A sincere change of heart, though, is not flip-flopping.
Bob Barr did not flip-flop on the Patriot Act or other things, if that's what you're referring to by the flip-flop reference. He simply became a libertarian, as I have.
Posted by: Perry Eidelbus at July 14, 2008 05:30 PMRadiologist is a term for a physician who directs medical imaging technologies to diagnose and sometimes treat diseases. For more information about this speciality, wikipedia might be helpful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiology
As much as "crazy joe" might find it disconcerning, Paul's message of limited-government isn't crazy or even unusual - its quite traditional.
Posted by: Avery Knapp at July 14, 2008 10:39 PMA vote for a republicrat is asking for more of what you got. I have to go with someone different.
Posted by: daddysteve at July 14, 2008 10:55 PMMe too. I'm a Ron Paul guy who could have gone for Fred, or Rudy, or Mitt. But Gramps? Never.
Posted by: W.C. Varones at July 15, 2008 12:28 AMYou can't say that Ron Paul fans don't have a sense of humor. Actually, it seems people say that a lot. I blame the Jews!
Posted by: CrazyJoe at July 15, 2008 11:21 AMFunny that McCain is referred to as Gramps, since Ron Paul is actually OLDER than John McCain. :)
Posted by: daniel at July 15, 2008 03:40 PM like Ron Paul more than Bob Barr, But there is a movement growing to get these two to join forces. Two popular LP sites are both talking about a BarrPaul ticket. One is Barr Root and the other is Barr Paul 08. This ticket would spell trouble for the Gop for sure. I will leave the link if anyone wants to see
http://www.BarrRoot08.com
http://www.BarrPaul08.com
I would probably vote for a Barr Paul ticket. Because I lean conservative. John McCain hasnt done much to get my vote. If he would be Huckabee on the ticket I would give him serious consideration. I am not excited about anyone yet. No candidate has a sound Energy Plan either. This is disturbing, seeing how we are in an energy Crisis. I am starting to come around to the Pickene Plan (energy Plan.) You can compare his plan to some of the candidates Plans at http://www.tboonepickin.com
Posted by: paul at July 16, 2008 10:33 AM
