James Joyner notes:
Conservative firebrand Bob Barr has quit the Republican Party and become a Libertarian.
A former Georgia congressman who helped spark President Clinton’s impeachment has quit the Republican Party to become a Libertarian, saying he is disillusioned with the GOP on issues such as spending and privacy.
Bob Barr, who served eight years as a Republican congressman before losing his seat in 2002, announced Friday that he is now a “proud, card-carrying Libertarian.” And he encouraged others to join him.
“It’s something that’s been bothering me for quite some time, the direction in which the party has been going more and more toward big government and disregard toward privacy and civil liberties,” said Barr, 58, a lawyer and consultant living in Atlanta. “In terms of where the country needs to be going to get back to our constitutional roots … I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way to do that is to work with a party that practices what it preaches, and that is the Libertarian Party.”
It would be unkind to note that Barr has nothing to lose by this move, since he’s unelectable anyway. So I won’t note that.
Yes, well, I certainly will, regardless of how a tongue in cheek your comment here is, James.The bottom line is that Bob Barr proved himself to be a nut case, to say nothing of the fact that he has a long history of taking positions which don’t translate well to his personal life. He’s paid the political price several times for that inconsistency. Indeed, he lost his seat over one such inconsistency. On what basis, are we now to accept that he is a libertarian? Simply on his say so?
Other inconsistencies include his membership in the ACLU, while belonging to the Libertarian party… Two organizations which are historically at philosophical odds with each other as few others have been. He publicly supported the Patriot Act, and yet seems to have all kinds of problems with the NSA warrantless surveillance. He claims to be about individual liberty, now, but let’s remember introducing Al Gore for a speech cosponsored by the “Liberty Coalition” . I can’t think of many people that are more anti liberty, than Al Gore. Yet here’s Barr, water bucket in hand.
In the end, it is clear, that Mr. Barr is busy trying to sell himself to anybody who will pay the price of admission. Anyone who is that much all over the board philosophically speaking, is not trustworthy for any kind of office. Mr. Barr, clearly holds political power higher than he does his own principles. (Whatever those are)
As such, I am torn in the question of which is worse; his trying to join the libertarian party, or their acceptance of him. Either way, the libertarian party has now been successful in labeling themselves as worse than useless by letting this man anywhere near what little limelight they manage to scare up.
Tags: BitsBlog
