CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
May 22, 2008 – 2:17 a.m.
Recent Converts Are Top Contenders for Libertarian Nod
By Eric Pfeiffer, CQ Staff
There are 14 candidates running for the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination, although none of them seriously expects to win the general election this fall. But what stands out is that the three top contenders are ones that do not have a long history of Libertarian credentials.
The trio are former Republican Rep. Bob Barr, former Democratic Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska and internet gambling entrepreneur Wayne Allyn Root of Nevada: all of whom were making their pitches this week for support at a debate hosted here in Washington by Reason, the nation’s largest and most influential libertarian magazine. The event took place in advance of the upcoming Libertarian Party nomination convention in Denver, which runs May 23-26.
Previous Libertarian Party successes have been mostly symbolic. In 1972, the ticket of John Hospers and Tonie Nathan actually won an electoral vote in the party’s first presidential try when a Republican elector in Virginia broke ranks and supported them. And in 1996, the Libertarian Party became the first third party to get on all 50 state ballots for two consecutive elections.
Last election, the party got on the ballot in 48 states but polled only 397,265 votes – a hair below Ralph Nader’s tally.
Even though Barr entered the race less than two weeks ago, he is currently considered the race’s frontrunner, with most of the media attention centering on whether he might “Naderize” Arizona Sen. John McCain , the presumed Republican nominee, by peeling away votes from independents and Republicans in Barr’s home state of Georgia.
Barr’s chances to affect the general election are a long shot at best. And while there are plenty of Republicans who say they aren’t entirely satisfied with McCain, Barr is opposed to the Iraq War, the one issue where McCain does best with those same skeptical conservative voters.
In an interview with CQ Politics, Barr rejected the “spoiler” notion, just as Nader did when asked about his impact on Al Gore’s campaign in 2000, arguing if McCain couldn’t win the presidency on his own, it wouldn’t be Barr’s fault. (Watch the video at Trail Less Traveled)
The 800-pound gorilla in the room was not McCain, it was Texas Rep. Ron Paul , who has received more than one million votes in the Republican primaries and raised more than $30 million dollars. Paul has been a favorite of libertarians for years, and ran as their presidential nominee in 1988, but has so far declined to make another third party run.
Each reference to Paul received cheers from the crowd, many of whom sipped on cups of wine provided by Reason’s staff. “ Ron Paul has shown us the way, but we need to move way beyond that,” Barr said.
The candidates made so many positive references to Paul that they sounded almost like Republicans lauding former President Ronald Reagan.
In fact, there was one reference to Reagan as well. “I’m a Ronald Reagan for the Libertarian Party,” said Root, a self-described former neoconservative, drawing laughs from the audience. Waging an uphill battle against the better known Barr and Gravel, Root said he could win the support of an estimated 12 million online gamblers and fans of his regular television appearances.
One thing all three candidates have in common is their recent conversion to libertarian positions and, more specifically, to the Libertarian Party itself. Barr has been active in supporting libertarian causes since 2006, but announced his presidential campaign less than two weeks ago. Gravel left the Democratic Party a few months ago, but participated in five of the Democratic presidential debates before doing so. And Root published a book in September 2006 entitled “Millionaire Republican.”
Gravel’s appearance seemed especially out of place, with at least one observer describing him as a “socialist.” Gravel’s most recent attention-grabbing stunt was appearing in a dance video with the self-described Obama Girl, who has filmed several web videos supporting the Democratic frontrunner.
Recent Converts Are Top Contenders for Libertarian Nod
“She’s very . . . dynamic,” Gravel said with a wry grin. With his wife standing just a few feet behind him, he continued, “I may be old, but I’m not too old to appreciate that.”
Gravel then used another unconventional metaphor to describe his recent conversion to libertarian thought. “It’s like a gay person coming out of the closet and it feels great!”
While many in the audience were clearly interested in what unusual things Gravel might say, there were some serious questions about how the candidates’ background with the two major parties meshed with their new libertarian platforms.
In what may have been a counter-intuitive notion for some libertarians, both Barr and Gravel cited their previous experience in the federal government as the primary reason why they should be the Libertarian Party’s nominee.
The Libertarian race has been a chance for the three candidates to get on the political stage, however small that stage might be.
Gravel was mostly a novelty in the Democratic Party primary. His candidacy had less to do with positions than his ability to get laughs from both debate audiences and from viewers of his YouTube videos. Barr seems equally unlikely to make much of a stir if he wins the nomination. He was voted out of office in a 2002 primary race by fellow Republicans; a year when their party enjoyed exceptional popularity at the ballot box in the wake of September 11th, 2001. In fact, Barr is perhaps best known for leading the House impeachment against former President Bill Clinton, not for supporting libertarian principles.
Barr was asked why his PAC, The Bob Barr Leadership Fund, has donated to both Democratic and Republican candidate. “We don’t let party label stand in the way of supporting freedom,” he said. Barr said he has been welcomed into the fold by Libertarian Party members and that Republicans have privately told him “they understand” why he left the Republican Party.
Root was asked about his past $1,000 donation to Connecticut Senator Joseph I. Lieberman , whom moderator David Weigel described as the “worst” of the nation’s 100 senators. Root acknowledged the campaign contribution was nothing more than quid pro quo, dismissing the donation as a favor to an individual who had made a $1 million dollar investment in Root’s private business.
Still, there was at least one thing all three candidates could agree on. Answering a question from an audience member about whether they would legalize the sale and ownership of child pornography, all said that would not be the best platform on which to run.
Here’s how the candidates responded to a “lightning round” of libertarian issues.
How Would You Solve the Nation’s Immigration Problem?
Root: Seal the borders
Gravel: European Union style open borders
Recent Converts Are Top Contenders for Libertarian Nod
Barr: ID check and path to citizenship for immigrants already in U.S.
Which Wars since WWII do you believe were worth fighting?
Root: Supported the first Gulf War, but said, “You can’t be for gallivanting around the world.”
Gravel: Said the Korean War was arguably worth fighting, but said even the first Gulf War was not. “We could have negotiated Hussein out of Kuwait.”
Barr: Did not give specifics on actual wars, but said, “We need to put defense back into national defense. Candidate George W. Bush got it exactly right. President George W. Bush got it exactly wrong.”
Which federal agency would you eliminate as president?
Root: Education Department
Gravel: Internal Revenue Service, “Our system of revenue has to change.”
Barr: Education Department. “All they do is spend money and interfere.”
Would you support the legalization of drugs?
Root: Said, “You have to give people something they can get their heads around. It’s always about medical marijuana.”
Barr: Said he would not make immediate changes to federal drug laws. “You can’t do it in one fell swoop.”
Gravel: [The war on drugs] “Is the stupidest thing this country has ever undertaken.”
Recent Converts Are Top Contenders for Libertarian Nod
Who is Your Favorite President of all-time?
Barr: George Washington
Gravel: George Washington
Root: Thomas Jefferson
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Comments
Weren't you going to list all 14 Libertarian candidates or did I miss it? Who are they all?
Suddenly Mike Gravel seems more libertarian than the others. Hmmmmm.
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