First let me say that I respect, revere and maybe even love Ron Paul. He has stood for many years as the de facto leader of the freedom movement in this country and his contributions to libertarian thought and his courage in walking the walk as well as talking the talk is an example we can all (including Bob Barr) learn from. I supported his campaign both financially and at the ballot box and was overwhelmed at the response, particularly from young people, to his message. Even this morning I still hoped (dreamed) that today’s press conference would be to announce an Alliance for Freedom that would unite several disparate parties behind a platform that the nation’s voters desperately need to hear and that America desperately needs to enact. I had hoped that Dr. Paul himself might lead that effort and it seemed such a ticket would have a chance to make an unprecedented impact on this election. That, of course, didn’t happen.
Now there appears to be feud (at least over tactics) between the Bob Barr campaign and the Ron Paul people. Barr’s refusal to appear alongside the other candidates today may be a bad move politically but I believe it is the right move ideologically. Libertarians who have accused Barr of being unprincipled and willing to sell out libertarian ideas for political gain should be pleased that he refused to appear on stage for this sort of “group endorsement” put on by the Congressman. Of course, they won’t be. He will be “spit-roasted” for daring to go against Ron Paul. But, no matter how badly the Barr campaign may have botched their handling of today’s events, Bob Barr was right to stand outside this press conference.
Nothing will be gained this November by marginally increasing the vote totals of Chuck Baldwin, Cynthia McKinney or Ralph Nader (or, for that matter Bob Barr) and today’s press conference would seem to suggest otherwise. A truly united front behind one candidate might have done that and I would have supported such an effort, even if it meant holding my nose and voting for a candidate who holds many positions I find politically (and morally) repugnant. But splitting the pro-freedom vote three or four different ways only makes it less likely that the message of freedom will be heard. Nothing was accomplished today and, whether Bob Barr said precisely that or not, he was right to separate himself from this little love-in. Today’s events make it less likely that any one candidate can raise their campaign to a level where the media and McBama can no longer ignore it, a level where it could make a real difference in this election and maybe even (gasp) have a chance to win.
That being said, it would have been much easier for Bob Barr to show up and he probably should have done so, particularly after committing to being there. And it might have simply been personal anger that Ron Paul did not endorse him alone (which, as a life member of the LP, one might imagine that he would do) that kept him away. All in all, I’m disappointed in the way both Paul and Barr have acted today and I’m afraid that these events may have crippled any momentum that Barr might have and may doom the party to (another) dismal showing in this election. Of course, Bob Barr will be blamed for that because he dared defy Ron Paul. I think much of the blame lay elsewhere.
Most truly successful movements have had both a inspirational leader and a practical one. I think of both Christianity and Communism in this way. The life and message of Jesus may have inspired Christianity but it was St. Paul who truly spread the Christian message beyond a small sect of Jews. Marx may have thought the thoughts and written the words that inspired Communism but it was Lenin who put that it into practice. I will not compare Dr. Paul to either Marx or Jesus because either comparison is offensive. Yet, he has truly inspired a small group of Americans to devote their political lives to seeking freedom. What he has not and I think will not be able to do is to spread that message into the broader political community and give it a chance to truly win out. Bob Barr may not be the man to do that but I think he understands that such a broadening of the movement must take place and is at least trying to make that happen. I, for one, will continue to support that effort, whether it succeeds or fails. I urge all libertarians to do the same.
