Barr's Running

I don't know if Bob Barr will win the Libertarian Party nomination for President. And, if he does, I don't know if this will be good for the libertarian movement - whatever that is. But assuming an Obama-McCain contest in November, a vote for Barr will:

a) likely rally more disgruntled conservatives who can't stand McCain and don't want Obama either. Barr will give them a candidate closer to their values. McCain is Public Enemy #1, the world's greatest threat to peace - and therefore to liberty and prosperity. He must be defeated.

b) send a message to Obama that his program is unacceptable. The more politically weak Obama enters the White House, the less government can grow under him.

The equation would be different if Hillary Clinton is nominated, because she can't attract anti-war conservatives and libertarians they way Obama can. With Obama as the nominee, the LP and Constitution Party nominee Chuck Baldwin are actually at a greater disadvantage. Their hopes of winning votes from the anti-war Left disappear, and they will instead have to persuade the anti-war Right to vote for them instead of Obama.

However it turns out, I just want McCain and neo-conservatism to be thoroughly rejected and repudiated by the American people. Knocking Obama to under 50% of the vote, and McCain to under 40%, would be great. If Barr could get numbers in the range of Perot's 1992 total, that would be fantastic.

I'm not that optimistic. But I don't see how any other LP candidate could get more than half-a-percent of the vote. Barr has the best chance of making a difference and ensuring McCain's defeat.