It was reported over the weekend that Bob Barr, the former congressman from Georgia, has formed an exploratory committee and may be entering the presidential campaign as the Libertarian Party’s candidate. While I understand the frustrations that led Barr to leave the Republican Party and that are apparently motivating him to seek the Libertarian Party’s nomination, I wonder whether his entrée into the race could do more harm than good to the values Libertarians like him espouse.
There is no chance Barr can win the general election. He may intend his candidacy to “Send a Message” or to raise issues he and other Libertarians consider important , but neither Barr nor anyone else can seriously believe that his campaign can or will do much else.
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If his candidacy diverted enough votes from John McCain to change the course of the election (its most likely result), Barr and his supporters should ask themselves whether the country would really be better positioned to solve “Big Government and Big Spending — The Root of all Problems” with Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton in the Oval Office. Would we be better able to “secure our borders from criminals, terrorists and those seeking to take advantage of the American taxpayer” with a President Clinton or Obama than with a President McCain? Could Bob Barr be the Ralph Nader of 2008? If you’re a Republican or a McCain supporter, or even a Libertarian, let’s hope not.