Not just for Libertarians

October 7, 2008

In the election issue of Liberty magazine, J. Bradley Jansen makes the case for Bob Barr:

Barr, of course, is the candidate most likely to follow a noninterventionist foreign policy and keep America out of unnecessary wars. He not only voted to stop Clinton’s military strikes in Yugoslavia but joined a few other congressmen in suing the president for peace. The man who led the impeachment against President Clinton also led the charge against the lawlessness of the Bush Administration.

One of the main functions of the federal government is to protect our national security, but a Barr presidency will keep us safe and free. Barr understands that the two go together. He rejects the false dichotomy that makes people think we need to choose between them.

Turning to economic policies: Barr’s background is that of a fiscal conservative. He came to Congress as one of the Republican revolutionaries voting to get rid of whole cabinet departments — a position not articulated again in national politics until Ron Paul’s run in the Republican presidential debates. The growth in government spending under President Bush denies Republicans running on his record any right to be rewarded. The Bush record on fiscal issues is certainly not one that deserves to be renewed.

We need a change, not warmed-over New Deal redistributionist policies. Unfortunately, however, the two major parties offer only small variations of more of the same. One of President Clinton’s greatest achievements was the far-reaching welfare reforms that gave states more power to try new policies. Escaping the one-size-fits-all approaches from major party candidates continues to be crucial.
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If you approve of the status quo, vote for one of the two major party candidates. They are the candidates of the status quo. But if you want real change based on a new framework, vote for Bob Barr. Only a vote for Barr is a vote for smaller government and respect for individual rights, privacy, and civil liberties. The other choices offer parts of what the country wants and needs. Only Barr offers the best of the two other choices, and the long overdue political realignment that we need.

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