Third Party Watch

Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party’s nominee for president, finally said what was on everybody’s mind during a recent appearance on MSNBC. While fielding a question about Palin and Obama’s experience, Barr stated that Palin needs to be ready to takeover because McCain is ‘old.’

McCain’s age has been a taboo topic for political pundits unwilling [...]

The Houston Chronicle obtained an advance copy of Ron Paul’s prepared remarks for the press conference he is holding Wednesday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Joining him will be third party presidential candidates Bob Barr (Libertarian Party), Chuck Baldwin (Constitution Party), Ralph Nader (Independent), and Cynthia McKinney (Green Party).

According to the [...]

Austin Cassidy says on Conservative Pulse:

Ron Paul will appear on the ballot in Louisiana as a Presidential candidate this November, despite never expressing an interest in doing so. It seems that there are a few states where a candidate can be placed on the ballot for President or Vice-President entirely by the actions of supporters. [...]

As we’ve reported before, both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party failed to register their candidates by the statutory deadline in Texas, presumably leaving Bob Barr of the Libertarian Party as the only candidate on the state’s presidential ballot.

Texas has 34 electoral votes, more than any other state except California. It is [...]

The Missoulian in Missoula, Montana reports on an interesting development in that state, namely that Ron Paul is presently slated to be on the presidential ballot as the candidate of the Constitution Party of Montana, which has split off from the national Constitution Party. Bob Barr and Ralph Nader will also be on the [...]

Perhaps an issue has fallen into the lap of Bob Barr that will give his little-noticed presidential campaign some traction—especially among libertarian-minded Ron Paul backers who have not exactly flocked to Barr’s banner.

So begins the Los Angeles Times politics blog Top of the Ticket. It then quotes from the Barr campaign’s media release on [...]

Speculation is rife about what’s going to happen Wednesday when Ron Paul has his press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. On their websites, both the Constitution Party’s presidential candidate, Chuck Baldwin, and the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate, Bob Barr, say they will be joining Ron Paul at the press club.

What [...]

Ballot Access News

On September 5, U.S. District Court Judge John Copenhaver upheld West Virginia ballot access laws for president. Barr v Ireland, 2:08-0990.

The decision is 34 pages long. It puts heavy stress on the problems that a later deadline than August 1 would cause elections officials. Of course, if the state didn’t require so many [...]

National Journal, covering Bob Barr at the GOP convention, reports:

“Bob Barr is a friend of mine; he’s a good guy,” said former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican. But Hastert declined to forecast Barr’s November performance, instead saying, “The Democrats have the Green Party, and the Republicans have the Libertarian Party.” The comparison may [...]

The Boston Globe reports that “Libertarian Bob Barr has qualified for New Hampshire’s presidential ballot as an alternative to Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama.”

The third-party alternatives on the ballot in New Hampshire now include Barr, Independent candidate Ralph Nader, and another Libertarian, George Phillies.

The article notes:

Third-party presidential candidates need 3,000 certified signatures—1,500 from [...]

The following is a media release from the Barr presidential campaign:

www.BobBarr2008.com
Interview Contact: Andrew Davis
Email: Andrewdavis@bobbarr2008.com
Phone: (202) 731-0002

Obama, McCain Fail to Qualify for Texas Ballot
Barr Met Deadline, Demands Law Be Enforced

Atlanta, GA - The Bob Barr presidential campaign has stated “serious legal consequences” will occur should Senators Barack Obama and John McCain be allowed on the [...]

The following is an op-ed in the September 2 issue of the Washington Times, by Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr:

The dirty little secret about social security
The problem can be solved
Bob Barr
Tuesday, September 2, 2008

I am frustrated by the refusal of Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama to adequately confront Social Security’s looming fiscal crunch. [...]

CQPolitics found Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, where he was seeing old friends and trying to get support from the Ron Paul fans in town. Barr seemed immune to the Palinmania going on inside the convention hall:

Barr said reports of a “cursory vetting process” for [...]

Bob Barr gets an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association and is an NRA board member, while McCain receives a C rating. But few expect the NRA to buck the Republican Party in any way.

Gun Owners of America is another story. GOA makes the NRA look like the Sarah Brady bunch. [...]

ABC News’ Nitya Venkataraman reports from Minneapolis that Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr stopped by Ron Paul’s Minneapolis “Rally for the Republic” to meet and greet supporters of the Texas congressman:

“Ron has chosen to work within the Republican Party, I’ve chosen to work through the Libertarian Party through the electoral route, but we all want [...]

Ballot Access News reports that “the Republican Party challenge to Bob Barr’s Pennsylvania ballot position has been moved from September 4 to September 5 (Friday). It will be at 10 a.m. in Courtroom One, Widener Bldg., 1339 Chestnut St., Philadelphia. Experienced election law attorney Sam Stretton will be defending Barr.”

The GOP is seeking to invalidate [...]

John McCain, the Republican nominee for President, only has a “C” rating with the National Rifle Association (NRA). He has even been described as “one of the premier flag carriers for the enemies of [...]

Sandusky Register blogger Tom Jackson notes the Zogby International poll giving Bob Barr 8% of the vote in Ohio and says, “It’s just one poll, but members of the Ohio Libertarian Party are pleased and hope the poll numbers show they can become a player in state politics.”

The party’s chairman, Kevin Knedler, told me party [...]

Shane Cory, Bob Barr’s Deputy Campaign Manager, says the Barr campaign is definitely going to “make a stand in Texas.” He’s referring to the situation where both major parties failed to register for the presidential campaign before the Texas deadline, leaving Bob Barr as the only presidential candidate on the Texas ballot.

Says Cory:

This situation [...]

Bob Barr says illegal aliens should not receive Social Security benefits:

“Much of Washington’s most important work is conducted behind closed doors,” says Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr. “As was the so-called Social Security ‘totalization agreement’ reached between the U.S. and Mexico, which would make hundreds of thousands of Mexican citizens eligible for Social Security.”

Barr [...]

The following is a media release from the Barr presidential campaign:

www.BobBarr2008.com
Interview Contact: Andrew Davis
Email: AndrewDavis@BobBarr2008.com
Phone: (202) 731-0002

Barr Only Presidential Candidate on Texas Ballot
Republicans, Democrats miss deadline to file presidential candidates in Texas

Atlanta, GA - Bob Barr is slated to be the only presidential candidate on the ballot in Texas after Republicans and Democrats missed the [...]

PolitickerNV.com notes that the new Time/CNN poll shows Obama 49, McCain 44 in Nevada when registered voters are given only those two names. But when third party candidates’ names are added to the choices, this is how it turns out:

Obama 41
McCain 41
Nader 6
Barr 5
McKinney 3

PolitickerNV.com says “Ralph Nader could draw enough votes from U.S. [...]

The Raw Story reports that “Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a moderate Democrat elected in 2004 for pushing a bipartisan agenda, said some of his constituents would not vote for Republican nominee John McCain because of disagreements with the Arizona senator on issues like gun rights.”

The story continues:

While gun owners might not necessarily come into the [...]

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the terms “liberal” and “conservative” need to be retired, since they no longer mean anything (if they ever did). More and more people do not divide along those lines when it comes to issues such as the war in Iraq and our civil liberties under the Constitution. [...]

Shane Cory reports:

Tomorrow [Tuesday] night, Bob Barr will appear for his second time on the Colbert Report.

In addition to the unexpected media, we had another boost this [...]