Allegedly, there is a movement afoot to replace Wayne Allyn Root as Bob Barr’s running mate.
LNC rep. Stewart Flood has reportedly made a motion to kick W.A.R. off the ticket, citing some comments Root made in an interview with Reason magazine, which some consider racially insensitive.
Some are speculating that Barr wants Root out, which they say is the true reason the Barr campaign allegedly told Bill Redpath to keep Angela Keaton — a likely vote for Root’s removal — on the LNC. Theorists also suggest that Barr’s desire to have Root off the ticket played a part in his recent overture to Ron Paul.
FWIW, Gravel’s daughter, Lynne, voted for Ruwart once Gravel had dropped off the ballot.
Lynne did so because I’d asked her to.
And I know she did so, because, though I didn’t ask her to, she showed me her ballot.
Gravel, of course, is far from a pacifist. He’s a statist who would use guns to extract tax dollars from peaceful people in order to fund socialist redistribution schemes. The idea of true non-violence is more horrifying to him than what Barr stands for. Statists stick together.
Had Mike not been traitorous to his pacifist principles when he was at the convention, we could have had a Ruwart/Gravel ticket. Instead, Mike helped two neocons win the nomination.
svf – Nevermind… I misread you.
Yes, like I said: Republicans and Democrats conspired to deny a libertarian the nomination of the LP.
But Mike knew Barr was a snake the whole time.
When pressed on who he’d prefer between Barr and Ruwart by some reporter on C-SPAN, he did say Barr.
Just sayin.
svf – Wow. Where is that quote from?
Angry Republican + Angry Democrat, but not a libertarian on the ticket. Better than two Republicans, but not by much.
Jesus, why doesn’t Ron Paul just do it. Man, it would be good times.
He can even say, “Despite previously having no intention of running third party, the acceleration of our Nation’s economic crisis in recent days has caused me to receonsider… ” blah blah…
* sigh *
Trust me on this G.E., I was there. They simply would not leave us alone.
I agree that is what would of happened if Mike ever accepted. But they tried and tried and tried.
If it was sold correctly, it could of been the best unity ticket for angry Republicans, AND Democrats, AND Libertarians we have ever seen.
But Mike knew Barr was a snake the whole time. He fought against people just like him when he was in the Senate his whole career.
I HIGHLY doubt that Barr wanted Gravel. He wouldn’t even be seen on stage with McKinney. Well, Gravel is white, but I think there’s no way he’d want a real maverick on the ticket with him. He won’t even give the go-ahead for the anti-Afghanistan war resolution to appear on LP.org! You think he could censor the heroic Gravel? No way. And he knows that.
There was someone from Barr’s campaign circling around us in the Gravel camp pretty much the whole convention trying to convince Mike to go for VP.
This eventually lead to a rumor that made it’s way to the Ruwart camp that we were in some way in league with Barr.
That could not of been further from the truth. Mike wanted nothing to do with Barr.
Honestly, Barr is probably thinking the same thing McCain thought with Palin, that in order to fix some of his own flaws, he is going to have to take a VP that is more palatable. Ron Paul as his VP is the only thing that would of clinched the third party support behind Barr at this stage in the game.
I know if he calls Mike today, he is still going to be told to get lost.
Fred, I didn’t say it made sense, only that it was rumor. 🙂
Besides, if true, it’s Starr, and we already know he doesn’t make any sense anyway, so then it not making any sense would actually make sense.
Ya sense what I’m sensing?
(That I sound like Donald Rumsfeld?)
John, how do you know Root is a millionaire? Yes, he’s claimed as much. Yes, he’s gaudy and loud and flashy and ostentatious.
But how do you know there’s any substance beneath the glitter?
For all we know, Root might be “all hat and no cattle.”
Obama is a socialist imperialist, as is Palin, McCain, and Biden. Not a libertarian among them.
Obama also has his flaws. And doubtless some political scandals in his closet (few politicians don’t).
But as a man, in terms of character and integrity, with all his flaws and political scandals and dubious friends: Obama is a far better man than is Root.
Explain how Ruwart would have won absent Root’s endorsement of Barr.
For Barr to win he pretty much had to accept Root’s endorsement.
When Root realized he couldn’t win, his ego probably wouldn’t let him leave the convention without a prize, so he positioned himself for VP on ticket with Barr ( I don’t recall Barr actually endorsing Root, Root pretty much implied an endorsement- though my memory could be wrong).
Root seems obsessed with Obama, his classmate. “No one remembers” Obama at school. Though some other well-known classmates can’t recall that SOB ( “son of a butcher”!) Root either. As obsessed with Obama that Root is, I would assume they actually did know each other and perhaps Root lost a dick measuring contest or something. He is obsessed with Obama and affirmative action. For such a successful millionaire, Root sure seems bitter over his perceived racist treatment 25 years ago.
There were a lot of stupid delegates there as well who bought Root’s whole 2012 deal. I saw it on CSPAN, and I remember at least one woman in particular who was all giddy over Root and talking others into supporting Barr/Root with the hopes that we would be so fortunate to have him in 2012.
I think Root has said some pretty stupid things, and anything he does say only helps McCain, really. But he certainly hasn’t done anything more offensive than Barr. That said, ideally we wouldn’t have either of these fools.
Barr could have refused Root the endorsement. What’s the worst that could have happened? Root’s people weren’t going to vote for Ruwart — at least not many more than the 1/3 that did in spite of Root’s endorsement of Barr. I guess worst case is neither candidate being able to get a majority. But that’s not as bad as having to have Root be your running mate.
If Barr would have endorsed Kubby — even as Kubby endorsed Ruwart — that would have earned him serious cred. Kubby would have definitely beat out Root in that case, with the faction of Barr Zombies doing whatever Barr told them to do.
It was fairly obvious that Barr took Root not because he wanted him but because he felt he had to. He offered Mary Ruwart the position first, and I wouldn’t at all surprised if he was secretly hoping for Kubby to beat Root in the nominating vote for VP.
Aside from the noxiousness of Root to pretty much everyone except himself, I think having Kubby or Ruwart on the ticket would have prevented Barr from the mistakes he’s made both tactically and in the general tone of his campaign. It would have provided that much-needed voice in Barr’s ear from people who know and understand the LP and the libertarian movement’s core base in a way his all-outsider campaign staff clearly doesn’t.
In any event, it would be stupid to do this now. It’s for the most part too late for Barr to make up for the damage he’s done, and it’s too late to change most ballots any way.
Is Bob Barr the “Days of Our Lives” candidate or what?
I’m sick of that schmuck. (Not that I like Root, he’s probably worse than Barr.)
Seems like a waste of time considering he won’t be able to remove him from most ballots.
Also a rumor that Starr of all people dissed the motion.
Your comment confuses me, wasn’t Starr a strong Root guy until Barr showed up? Was I grossly misinformed?
At this point, is it even possible to replace Root on most ballots?
I don’t know what’s worse. Listening to him speak, watching him speak, or reading his words.
So many exclamation points…
What happened to commas!
Also a rumor that Starr of all people dissed the motion.
Could be, but who knows.
What were the comments Flood found offensive?