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Bob Barr = Objectivist?

Article written by Bob Barr:

http://www.bobbarr2008.com/articles/93/pro...ting-terrorism/

Quote from article:

Liberty is not an afterthought, but the very essence of our civilization. The philosopher Ayn Rand spoke of "the process of setting man free from men." Our Founding Fathers understood that. The Bill of Rights protects it.

But the current administration and many others, including Sen. John McCain, appear to disdain it. Only the American people can truly re-establish our society's foundation of freedom. That is the American Solution.

Bob Barr is a former member of the House of Representatives and is running for president as the nominee of the Libertarian Party.

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From Wikipedia:

Barr also joined the Young Democrats of America, and rallied against the Vietnam War. His parents disapproved, and threatened to cut off financial support if he continued his "flaming liberal" activities. During this time, Barr's mother introduced him to the work of Ayn Rand. This fostered a new-found appreciation for conservatism, and prompted Barr to join the Young Trojan Republican Club.

Barr advocates the repeal of the 16th Amendment, which gives the U.S. Congress the power to levy an income tax without apportionment. As an alternative, he proposes a form of consumption tax, such as the FairTax.

He also favors drastic reductions in government spending and the elimination of corporate welfare.

On December 12, 2006, Barr became a regional representative on the Libertarian National Committee, representing the Party's Southeast Region. Barr said: "I'm happy to announce that I am now a proud, card-carrying Libertarian who is committed to helping elect leaders who will strive for smaller government, lower taxes and abundant individual freedom."

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Also from wikipedia:

Barr would later reverse his position on medical marijuana, joining MPP as a lobbyist five years later. In a June 4, 2008 interview with Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report, Barr confirmed that he now supports ending marijuana prohibition, as well as the War on Drugs for which he once vehemently fought.

At the 2008 Libertarian National Convention, he apologized for the part of the Defense of Marriage Act which prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages.

He now opposes the Federal Marriage Amendment, contending it is a violation of states' rights.

Edited by turboimpala
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Also from wikipedia:

Barr would later reverse his position on medical marijuana, joining MPP as a lobbyist five years later. In a June 4, 2008 interview with Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report, Barr confirmed that he now supports ending marijuana prohibition, as well as the War on Drugs for which he once vehemently fought.

At the 2008 Libertarian National Convention, he apologized for the part of the Defense of Marriage Act which prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages.

He now opposes the Federal Marriage Amendment, contending it is a violation of states' rights.

I can empathize with completely switching your views in a short period, as I've done so myself on my trip around the political compass. The problem is that with politicians, it's hard to tell if they're just being pragmatic about it - ditching any and all principles when it is convenient (such as, say, if you're looking for a party to promote you as a presidential candidate). For him to get my vote would require him to explain in detail why (not how) he switched his views so dramatically.

Edited by brian0918
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I can empathize with completely switching your views in a short period, as I've done so myself on my trip around the political compass. The problem is that with politicians, it's hard to tell if they're just being pragmatic about it - ditching any and all principles when it is convenient (such as, say, if you're looking for a party to promote you as a presidential candidate). For him to get my vote would require him to explain in detail why (not how) he switched his views so dramatically.

That's true. We can't be sure if Bob Barr turned over a new leaf, or if he's paying lip-service to individual liberty just to further his career.

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Does anyone know why Barr claims to have changed his mind about civil liberties? When he was in congress, he did try to decrease government spending, but he was ridiculously socially conservative and apparently even ran on a family values platform.

As a Representative, he was incredibly pro-life, and I haven't seen anything about him changing his mind about abortion. Does anyone know his current stance?

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Does anyone know why Barr claims to have changed his mind about civil liberties? When he was in congress, he did try to decrease government spending, but he was ridiculously socially conservative and apparently even ran on a family values platform.

As a Representative, he was incredibly pro-life, and I haven't seen anything about him changing his mind about abortion. Does anyone know his current stance?

He has changed all of his positions in order to fit those of the Libertarian party.

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Ron Paul held a press conference a while back, where it was believed that he would officially endorse Bob Barr for President – something that would have given Barr's campaign a considerable amount of libertarian voters and greatly added to his fundraising. To Barr's credit however, he denied to show up once he learned that the socialist Ralph Nader and the environmentalist Cynthia McKinney would also be present (Paul decided to endorse them all as viable candidates, to draw more votes for third parties). Barr also refused to show up at a recent "third party debate" when he learned that he would have been obligated to debate Cynthia McKinney and Chuck Baldwin, who he considered to be insignificant candidates (he only wanted to debate Ralph Nader, who is his equal in the current polls). The majority of the Ron Paul Revolution activists now hiss and spit at Barr, calling him a selfish traitor to the "Revolution".

These events give me a bit of respect for Bob Barr.

Edited by JMartins
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He has changed all of his positions in order to fit those of the Libertarian party.

That doesn't really make sense. Libertarians never get elected and receive basically no media attention. Had he stayed Republican, he might not have gotten elected again, but he would have had a better chance of getting political power than he has now. I just don't see how becoming a Libertarian would further his career, unless he is really stupid, which could be the case.

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Thing is, he claims to be heavilly influenced by Rand (as is evident by his myspace and his wikipedia page).

So while he may be pretty far from a real Objectivist, I don't think he has specifically changed his views to fit in with the Libertarian Party. I do believe his views are his own.

Edited by Grant
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That doesn't really make sense. Libertarians never get elected and receive basically no media attention. Had he stayed Republican, he might not have gotten elected again, but he would have had a better chance of getting political power than he has now. I just don't see how becoming a Libertarian would further his career, unless he is really stupid, which could be the case.

Bold mine. He absolutely has switched positions that were once profoundly anti-Libertarian and now he's their nominee.

Edited by Ordr
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