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Last Updated: Aug 28, 2009 - 10:45:21 AM |
From all reports, Bob Barr ... is a great guy... Guess what Bob Barr's hopeless Libertarian Party candidacy will do in the 2008 Presidential Election...
As this is written, I have just read that the Libertarian Party has picked Bob Barr as its candidate for the Presidency. From all reports, Bob Barr, the former Georgia Congressman and Republican leader, is a great guy, stands for justice and is a principled man in every respect. He might make a truly fine President. That said, I wish he were not running. Ross Perot gave the 1992 and 1996 Presidential Elections to Bill Clinton when Perot ran an unsuccessful Presidential campaign which only succeeded in sucking votes away from the Republican Party. Guess what Bob Barr’s hopeless Libertarian Party candidacy will do in the 2008 Presidential Election?
Sharon and I have often been thought of as Libertarians when we attend Science Fiction Conventions and other functions of a similar nature, principally because we are Objectivists who vote Republican and we have some fine Libertarian friends. We are not Libertarians. Objectivists believe in the philosophy of Ayn Rand, a novelist, essayist, thinker and inspired logician. I’ll give you a quick example of how I interpret Objectivism. You’re walking down the street and an unfortunate person hits you up for a buck or two. He or she seems genuinely to need it. An Objectivist may choose not to give the person a hand, but likely will because said Objectivist wants to do it and feels good about doing it. Societal pressure to help the impoverished masses, religious principles about reaching out the hand of kindness to our fellow man – all very good motivations, certainly – don’t drive the Objectivist. The Objectivist does it because he/she wants to and it makes him/her happy or pleased to do so. What other people think – and I don’t mean this in any other way than as the rationale for an action -- be damned.
We are not Libertarians because, in our experience, Libertarianism, however well-intended, is never going to work. We need roads, armies, navies, even courts – but, fewer of these latter. Minimizing government is great; abolishing it is a fantasy or anarchy, neither of which holds much appeal to someone with a grip on reality.
As a Libertarian candidate for President, the truly fine person who is Bob Barr will almost certainly never win or come close to winning; if he did, he’d just have to act like a Republican when he got sworn in because Libertarianism has little basis in reality. The more likely scenario is that, if he runs a strong campaign and people are aware of what a fine fellow he is, he’ll take needed votes away from John McCain and merely help ease Mr. Obama or – possibly – Mrs. Clinton into the White House.
That’s not going to help anyone, except, of course, the enemies of The United States and the people who wish to see the Great Experiment in Individual Freedom tossed into the dumpster of History and replaced by Socialism.
Apologies to Mr. Barr and to all Libertarians, well intended men and women to be sure. I’m just telling the truth about reality the way I see it.
© Copyright 2008 by DOWN RANGE TV
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