Bob Barr, the John Edwards of the Right
posted at 11:25 am on May 13, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Bob Barr threw his hat in the ring as a Libertarian yesterday, to the collective disinterest of everyone outside of the pundit class. About all the impact Barr will have on this election will be to provide fodder for snarky columns like this Dana Milbank entry, which covers Barr’s foibles rather definitively. Politically, though, Barr has even less credibility than Milbank reports:
As a Republican candidate for the House in 1994, he rose to national attention when reports alleged that he had licked whipped cream off the breasts of two women at a charity event.
As a congressman from Georgia, the thrice-married Barr returned attention to the whipped-cream episode when, speaking in support of the Defense of Marriage Act, he argued that “the flames of self-centered morality are licking at the very foundations of our society.”
As one of the managers of Bill Clinton’s impeachment, Barr gained enough prominence to attempt a run for the Senate in 2002. But that effort fell apart at about the time Barr accidentally fired a .38-caliber pistol through a glass door at a fundraising reception. ….
He listed his grievances: government eavesdropping, suspending habeas corpus, runaway spending. Americans “deserve better,” he said. “I believe they deserve better. And the Libertarian Party deserves they believe better.”
Barr could be forgiven the slip-up, and problems with subject-verb agreement throughout his speech. He could also be forgiven for going on too long, to the point that his wife consulted her watch and Verney studied the campaign banner. His flushed face and gyrating body made it clear that he was fired up — and ready to exploit McCain’s troubled relations with conservatives.
Barr has more problems than a little whipped-cream licking to overcome. Based on his own platform, Barr will have to conduct a John Edwards campaign, running against pretty much his entire voting record during his Congressional career. On every issue Barr names, he voted in the manner in which he now criticizes.
Let’s count them up:
- Iraq War: voted to authorize.
- Eavesdropping and “suspending habeas corpus” (which hasn’t happened — and war detainees have never had it): Voted for the Patriot Act.
- Runaway spending: voted for Medicare, Part D — which McCain opposed.
What will he use for a campaign slogan — “In hindsight, I was a lousy Congressman”? That didn’t work for John Edwards this year in a major-party primary, and it won’t convince people to vote Libertarian, either.
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Look at the bright side - he is no longer a republican…
Think_b4_speaking on May 13, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Bob Barr has always reminded me of Mr. White–the character Eddie Murphy created on SNL when he posed as a white person and discovered the hidden treasures of being a cracker. Great skit.
robblefarian on May 13, 2008 at 11:31 AM
Heh.
Hey Ed, did you see the LP’s Executive Director resigned the other day? Apparently a book by one of the candidates appeared to defend child pornography. When it was discovered, the ExDr. issued a statement saying the party opposed cp, but supporters of the candidate accused him of trying to undermine the candidate’s campaign.
amerpundit on May 13, 2008 at 11:33 AM
I say a Barr/Hillary ticket is in order
right2bright on May 13, 2008 at 11:33 AM
I’m checking my watch. Oh, nevermind, I don’t wear a watch. Dang fine wrist I’ve got there though. Except for that little mole there that I hadn’t noticed before. I wonder if I should make an appointment to have that looked at. Nah, when I get home tonight I’ll slam a beer and nip that right off with a pair of clippers. Do I have any clippers? Maybe I should stop at the drugstore over the lunch hour…
uh sorry, what was the topic?
RushBaby on May 13, 2008 at 11:33 AM
I don’t believe that’s his goal. I think the goal is to siphon a point or two — perhaps the marginal points — from McCain.
paul006 on May 13, 2008 at 11:34 AM
Look at the bright side - he is no longer a republican…
Yeah, he’s no longer a socialist.
RWLA on May 13, 2008 at 11:34 AM
From that story:
Because that worked out so well. Instead of Bush, we got 8 years of Clintons neglecting national security and not killing bin Laden.
amerpundit on May 13, 2008 at 11:37 AM
This country would be better off if we punched hippies more often.
Then the likes of Bob Barr wouldn’t need to bother anyone.
Unless he became a hippy.
Weebork on May 13, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Between the photo of this guy and the one of Ron Paul, I’m feeling the crazy emanating from my monitor.
baldilocks on May 13, 2008 at 11:38 AM
Libertarianism is nothing more than a way to poke fewer Republicans in the eye than John McCain does.
Akzed on May 13, 2008 at 11:40 AM
He still needs to win the Libertarian nomination and that’s not a sure thing. Who knows, Dr, Paul may still go the third party route again.
TooTall on May 13, 2008 at 11:40 AM
Wasn’t there something about Bob Barr and an abortion in the 80s? Or did that turn out to be just rumor?
MadisonConservative on May 13, 2008 at 11:41 AM
Between the photo of this guy and the one of Ron Paul, I’m feeling the crazy emanating from my monitor.
And every time I see a pic of McCain, I feel socialism emanating from mine. I think of McCain Feingold, I think soft (nay, non existent) on the border, the Gang of 14. I could go on and on, but I think you get it.
RWLA on May 13, 2008 at 11:42 AM
“Vote for Barr, I can lick them”
“Vote for Barr, I know both sides of the issues”
“Vote for Barr, I’ve made the mistakes, now I know what to do”
“Vote for Barr, you don’t like any of the other candidates”
“Vote for Barr, I’ve learned my lesson, I will be better this time”
“Vote for Barr, I stand for something…I will let you know what”
“Vote for Barr, I even hunt in lobby’s”
“Vote for Barr, if elected, I won’t divorce you”
“Vote for Barr, Libertarian and me, as strong of marriage as I have ever had”
right2bright on May 13, 2008 at 11:42 AM
i read that while taking strong pro-life stances, he made his wife have an abortion in his private life.
jp on May 13, 2008 at 11:43 AM
An article I read on Philly.com written a few weeks ago about Barr actually described him as “John McCain’s worst nightmare.”
Although with that face, he should really be in all our nightmares….
World B. Free on May 13, 2008 at 11:43 AM
Wasn’t there something about Bob Barr and an abortion in the 80s? Or did that turn out to be just rumor?
Bob Barr was aborted in the 80’s? I thought he was older than that. And the fact that he lived is amazing too.
RWLA on May 13, 2008 at 11:44 AM
This country would be better off if we punched hippies more often.
Then the likes of Bob Barr wouldn’t need to bother anyone.
Unless he became a hippy.
Or McCain became a socialist. Oh wait. He already is. Never mind.
RWLA on May 13, 2008 at 11:45 AM
Barr consults for the ACLU, right?
amerpundit on May 13, 2008 at 11:48 AM
Well you have to admit one thing, Barr fits perfectly into the cookie-cutter pattern of loser candidates we’ll have on the ballot this fall.
We miss you Ronnie.
fogw on May 13, 2008 at 11:53 AM
He’s the guy in Borat who eats the cheese right?
freakagriep on May 13, 2008 at 11:59 AM
Right
right2bright on May 13, 2008 at 12:00 PM
That was a Larry Flynt accusation, when Flynt was trying to dig up trash on everyone attacking Clinton.
right2bright on May 13, 2008 at 12:05 PM
Ego…
d1carter on May 13, 2008 at 12:07 PM
From Wikipedia, fwiw: “An outspoken foe of abortion, the Georgia lawmaker had acquiesced to his then-wife having an abortion in 1983.”
CP on May 13, 2008 at 12:09 PM
You say that, and it’ll be true up until McCain pisses off enough conservatives that they’ll even vote for this dirtbag in protest.
You should be telling McCain that.
doubleplusundead on May 13, 2008 at 12:10 PM
Hey, it is the lesser of two evils. At least that’s what I am hearing a lot about lately.
Valiant on May 13, 2008 at 12:11 PM
I like that licking whipped cream off women’s breasts part. He can’t be all bad. It’s not as naughty as a stained dress but it’s a start.
deewhybee on May 13, 2008 at 12:18 PM
Um, what did your response have to do with what I said? These aren’t mutually exclusive statements.
If you want to go off on a rant about McCain, that’s your business. However, here’s a bit of advice: try to respond to an actual supporter of McCain or to an actual statement which supports him.
baldilocks on May 13, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Barr always looks like he just ate a turd.
Cuffy Meigs on May 13, 2008 at 12:24 PM
OK that one did actually make me laugh out loud.
Buford Gooch on May 13, 2008 at 12:48 PM
As a libertarian, I can tell you that I have severe doubts about his credibility at this point. He should have waited another 4 years to prove hes right on the issues. Unfortunately none of the other nominees excite me either, I don’t think I’ll be voting in November.
libertytexan on May 13, 2008 at 12:50 PM
You mean “White Like Me” ?
I hafta throw in “Prose and Cons.”
29Victor on May 13, 2008 at 1:10 PM
Oh, and Barr is a self-serving, egotistical sack of crap.
29Victor on May 13, 2008 at 1:10 PM
he is creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy lookin
Drunk Report on May 13, 2008 at 1:17 PM
I think any man in business would be foolish to fool around with his secretary. If it’s somebody else’s secretary, fine.
- Barry Goldwater
MB4 on May 13, 2008 at 1:24 PM
Bingo: http://www.chbn.com/Clip.aspx?key=8BF2D6BFC8CACD0C
dont taze me bro on May 13, 2008 at 2:31 PM
Bob Barr is no more Edwardian than Mitt Romney.
flyfisher on May 13, 2008 at 2:42 PM
I don’t respect him anymore, ever since he divorced Roseann. I never thought he was very funny, although this “Pat Paulson for President” parody is pretty good..
2Tru2Tru on May 13, 2008 at 2:50 PM
Hilarious.
Can’t wait for the Mr. Black character — you know, the one where Seth Meyers poses as a black person and suddenly discovers that he can’t stop committing crimes or walk down a street without his pants hanging down to his knees, and even begins to have trouble thinking logically. What a hoot that would be!
2Brave2Bscared on May 13, 2008 at 6:15 PM
The libs have 2 candidates, McStain & Osama,
why can’t us conservatives have a candidate too.
TheSitRep on May 13, 2008 at 6:19 PM
Except Barr isn’t a conservative either; he’s just a different type of liberal.
2Brave2Bscared on May 13, 2008 at 6:27 PM
Has anyone else here checked out the other Libertarian Party candidate, Wayne Allyn Root? As Glenn Beck says, listening to him speak is like listening to a ‘conservative porno’.
Omega_Rage on May 13, 2008 at 9:43 PM
W.A.R. is somebody I reckon is worth costing McCain the election. Afterall, as Neal Boortz says, America is already a Nanny State so why not makeit official?
Omega_Rage on May 13, 2008 at 9:45 PM
Have you never heard of Gene Wilder or, more recently, Robert Downey Jr.? What whiny bi…brats we have become.
baldilocks on May 13, 2008 at 11:41 PM
My choices are in this order
Barr
Cankles
Mcstain
Obama
If it’s McStain v Obama I vote McStain.
if it’s Mcstain v Cankles I vote Barr.
TheSitRep on May 14, 2008 at 7:31 AM