Chat Details

Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr 07-17-08

This chat will begin at 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 17, 2008.

Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr will be taking questions at 1 p.m. on Thursday.

Transcript

1. • Mr. Barr, how exactly does your position on immigration differ from Sen. McCain's? He supports legalizing nearly all of those currently in the country now, regardless of their legal status. Do you support this? Under what circumstances would you permit a legalization of those who have entered the country illegally -- after the border is deemed secure by border state governors (as Sen. McCain vows), or would you set a higher bar, or would you oppose any such step? If you stake out an immigration position that is sufficiently distinct from McCain's and the campaign on this issue, you could well get close to 10 percent of the vote this year. by
   • Answer: Immigration is certainly an important topic during this campaign season. To be certain, I do not support amnesty. Our immediate duty is to secure the borders quickly and efficiently. To enter our nation, you must identify yourself, prove you're not a criminal, prove you're not infectious and when you are in our country legally, you cannot receive any of the benefits from our system unless you're paying into them. Let me emphasize that we must end government benefits to those who enter our country illegally. Obviously, there is much more to address on this topic. by
2. • Dear Mr. Barr, what is your ultimate goal in running for president? What is it that you most want to highlight or accomplish as a high-profile member of the Libertarian Party? Thanks! by
   • Answer: My ultimate goal it to win and to change the direction of our government. We need to maximize individual liberty and minimize government power. For far too long, we've been on the wrong track. I do realize that my candidacy is a long shot, but I will run a competitive campaign as I have been. Our campaign staff includes the leaders from Perot's run, Reagan's 1980 run, and even Ron Paul's team that lead to his online successes. I'm going to do all I can to become the next president of the United States and work to send a message to Washington that real change is demanded by the citizens of this country. by
3. • In how many states will you have legitimate organizations set up? by
   • Answer: We plan to be on the ballot in at least 49 states and have regional and state organizations setup in many of them at this stage. The Libertarian Party also has active affiliates in nearly every state and we're using their organizational structure to a great degree. by
4. • Isn't your VP choice, Wayne Root, a Las Vegas Odds maker? Please explain this choice. by
   • Answer: Wayne Root is a small businessman, a home-schooling father, author and above all else, a man of great energy and ideas. The Libertarian Party nominating process decides the vice presidential candidate separate and apart from the presidential nominee. The delegates decide, however Wayne Root was my choice for VP and I'm happy to have him on the presidential ticket. by
5. • How much money have you raised for your campaign thus far and what is your "pitch" to donors? by
   • Answer: As of this minute, we've raised $463,777. That's just about all organically raised over the Internet. But as you know, that's not a great deal money on which to run a presidential campaign, but we're making headway each day. With the addition of fundraising staff and a development director, I'm confident that we'll be able to raise several millions dollars and become much more competitive. My pitch to donors is simple: "Send a message to Washington that REAL change is necessary." By donating to my campaign and building upon our strength we will send that message and put this nation back on the right track to prosperity and freedom. by
6. • If you were not a candidate for president, who would you support in this year's election and why? by
   • Answer: If I were not the candidate this election . . . well . . . I would support the Libertarian nominee of course! As I did in 2004 with my endorsement and vote for Michael Badnarik, I would do so again and again in order to support that real change that we need. The Libertarian Party is the Party of Principle and can always be relied upon to put forth a pro-liberty candidate. by
7. • As a politician from Georgia, do you think that with Paul Broun's (GA-10) has now overcome most of the criticism of the "establishment" and can be fairly confident of a long career in the Congress? by
   • Answer: Broun's easy victory in his primary race indicates that a candidate who supports the Constitution and is willing to vote against any measure that goes against the powers of the government as defined by the Constitution is not only viable, but also desired. It just goes to show that candidates like Ron Paul and myself are being demanded more and more by voters as they realize establishment candidates only look after their own power, and not the power of the people. by
8. • Some Republicans have suggested that you could serve as a spoiler for John McCain by poaching some of his would-be supporters. Would you feel comfortable knowing that this could throw the race to Barack Obama? by
   • Answer: Carrie, that's the most asked question of the season for me and I'm happy to answer it. It's unfortunate but a reality of our two-party political climate that if you are not either a Republican or a Democrat you are automatically considered a spoiler. But in the free market when we see competition, we encourage it. We can choose from 100 or so different brands of cereal – from the store brand to Rice Crispies. Does anyone complain that we have too many choices? Does purchasing one brand "spoil" the market for another? Of course not, we encourage competition in all places except when we decide upon political leadership. We need to encourage more competition in the political process by throwing out McCain-Feingold and creating more reasonable ballot access thresholds. by
9. • You've called the Fannie Mae-Freddie Mac Rescue unfair to taxpayers. What about the IndyMac Bank bailout? What if it could be shown that the economic crisis would quickly deepen in the absence of these actions, even though they are of dubious long-term wisdom? Would you change your assessment? I'm no fan of these bailouts or the bloated financial establishment that drives them, but I'm curious what you think would happen in their absence. by
   • Answer: Any restructuring to financial institutions that have long been shielded from competition and real market forces by government regulation is not going to be easy. This is especially true when the problems reach critical mass such as in these situations. However, I think it is clear that by failing to address these problems, and restructure GSE's like Fannie and Freddie, we're only delaying the inevitable by putting a Band-Aid on a mortal wound. While it may be harder in the short-term to begin downsizing and privatizing these institutions, the taxpayers will be better off in the long-term. One thing is for sure, these government-backed structure is impossible to maintain. by
10. • In a January 2007 Senate hearing on the privacy implications of data mining, Sen. Arlen Specter characterized your treatment at the hands of Sacha Baron Cohen in the making of the 2006 movie "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" as "an invasion of privacy." You didn't object. Do you still believe that "Borat" invaded your privacy when making what Sen. Specter called "about the only part of the movie worth seeing"? (For the record, Sen. Specter is onto something. You were great.) If so, can you respond to the argument that, well, you assented to what you believed was a routine media interview. Didn't you forfeit your privacy expectation? Certainly the journalistic rules were clearly broken, but isn't that different from privacy? Lastly, if I can sneak in a PS: You told Sen. Specter back then that you hadn't seen the movie and didn't plan to. Still true? by
    • Answer: Yes, it's still true that I haven't seen the movie. I also hear that he's making another film so we're on the lookout to make sure that we don't get taken again. ;) My staff does its best to get as much background information before an interview takes place. They did the same for "Borat's" interview. They called the numbers provided, found a web site through a search and felt it was legitimate. Clearly that was not the case. While it was in good fun and no harm was done, I'm not a fan of this style of movie making as the terms are not honestly presented to the person or group being interviewed. by
11. • If your presence in the race doesn't force McCain to take a more conservative stance, does he deserve to lose? by
    • Answer: I'll say that if Sen. McCain continues his current path of ignoring the very large base of Americans who do want a small, less intrusive federal government, then he's making my job much, much easier. The same goes for Sen. Obama. Both Senators McCain and Obama have completely lost sight of the big picture when it comes to governance. They are perpetuating this notion that the best solution to the many problems that we face is a government solution. I disagree. I believe that the solutions to our problems at home are best led by individuals and businesses. I believe the solutions to our problems abroad are best led by a free market without government interference or military intervention. My party and I are unique in that we trust you to live your own life as you see fit. You can decide what is best for yourself, your family and community. The other candidates believe they can handle it for you. Who do you trust? by
12. • What do you think will happen first: A female president, minority president, or a 3rd party president? by
    • Answer: That's a pretty big hypothetical. Keep in mind that the Republican Party was technically a third party when Lincoln was elected. Also, don't forget Teddy Roosevelt. I'll say that regardless of party, gender, racial or ethnic lines, I hope we can have a president very soon that will honor the Constitution of the United States. by
13. • Why do you think that John McCain had no answer for the birth control/Viagra question that was posed to him recently and what are your thoughts on the issue? by
    • Answer: I'm not sure why he didn't have an answer for the question. Ideally, insurance providers should have the ability to decide what coverage they will provide and consumers/employers should have the ability to decide which providers they will use. Unfortunately, we have intertwined the health industry with government too deeply and so these issues are no longer so clean and simple but it needs to be. We need to get the government out of the equation. by
14. • What are your thoughts on libertarian-minded Rep. Ron Paul? Would you ever consider wooing him over into the Libertarian Party and would he be an asset? by
    • Answer: I would love to have Dr. Paul back in the LP. He was our 1988 presidential nominee. In December of last year as a member of the Libertarian National Committee, I proposed a resolution that passed unanimously that urged Dr. Paul to seek the nomination of the Libertarian Party. He respectfully passed on the request. It was several month after that when I decided to throw my hat into the ring at the urging of many libertarians and Americans. by
15. • Mr. Barr, thank you very much for your time and for taking questions here at WashingtonTimes.com. Do you have any final thoughts? by
    • Answer: I appreciate the time! For more information about my stances on the issues, visit www.BobBarr2008.com. by