I've found that the same Strategic Republican friends who voted for Hillary in the March Primary are now threatening to not vote for McCain at all... they can't stand Johnny Mac. To these folks, he's a puppy conservative without any real deep seated appeal and they accept Obama as a possibly acceptable scenario, though will NOT Vote for him.
Enter Bob Barr, whose running for the Candidacy of the Libertarian party. Recent Polling from Rasmussen is eye opening. Bob Barr creates a real opportunity for Barack Obama to pick off key votes and key states. I'm also a Libertarian leaning person, supportive of Decriminalization, which can be used as a Tax Cash Cow for general consumption as well as Commercial Hemp Farming could produce substantial ethanol through Cellulos refining. For me, it's not against my moral grain to fund and donate to any effort that pursues such a progressive policy. He also wants to restore Habeas Corpus, which is in stark contrast to the Bush/McCain GOP.
I'd like to present some reasons below and get a poll answer to this.
- Rasmussen shows a big Window Nationwide
As the current tracking shows, the race is very close when McCain vs. Obama.
Sunday shows Barack Obama earning 45% of the vote while John McCain attracts 44%. Yesterday, the numbers were reversed and it was McCain with the statistically insignificant one-point advantage. This is the ninth straight day that the candidates have been within a single point of each other
There is a Huge Shift however when the 3rd Party Candidates are added to the fold.
In a four-way race, Obama earns 42% of the vote, McCain 38%, Bob Barr 6% and Ralph Nader 4%. Given those options, 11% were undecided. Barr and Nader were mentioned as candidates of the Libertarian Party and the Green Party respectively.
Obama 42%
McCain 38% (Sub-40%)
Barr 6% (Floor)
Nader 4% (Ceiling)
These results are striking to me. It's clear that Nader represents a limited threat to Obama. He's a very known quantity. From the same poll, he has a 25% Favorable, 54% Unfavorable. With the lopsided public image he has, 4% would be damn good for Ralph.
Bob Barr however has alot of room to grow, and grow disproportionately to affect McCain. His Favorable rating isn't even registered because most Voters don't know enough about him to publish. He does have votes though.
Barr picked up 7% of the Republican vote, 5% of the Democratic vote, and 5% of the unaffiliated vote.
Barr will take the "Lesser of two evil" vote among conservative voters, white voters, unhappy McCain voters who are ok with Obama as president in theory. Obama will never galvanize the GOP base the way Clinton could of, and in the end, Bob Barr, with a little bit of money, could really damage McCain Nationwide. He also has certain regional appeal.
- Georgia (15 E-V's)
Bob Barr is from Georgia. He served the state for many years and made many many friends who will support him as a candidate over John McCain, who LOST the State on February 5th. According to Poblano, in Georgia, there is a good shot at turning the state Blue, even before Bob Barr steps on the field.
If Bob Barr is able to pull in a large enough vote, it'll drain McCain Support in a state that the Best Case Scenario seems very possible, given the incredible Strength of the Georgia Democrats who are on the resurgence. Florida is less crucial when you can get Georgia... Barr however would also help out in the Florida Panhandle.
- Alaska
Again from Poblano
Alaska is an extremely young state and could become a swing state with higher youth turnout.
McCain has a real Alaska Problem. John McCain voted against ANWAR which angered many true Red GOP, while Bob Barr Supported the same provisions. Kos knows Alaska can be competitive. I don't have any doubt that Barr could make Alaska a Deep red Toss-Up.
- Home for the Paulites
Bob Barr's immediate impact and feel will be among the Republican youth who championed Ron Paul. A similar Anti-War, Anti-Government stance creates a natural cohesion. I'd especially like to see a Barr-Paul Ticket, which could draw 7%+ Nationwide IMO.
In Conclusion.
About what I'd like to give to Bob Barr:
It will never be money that could or would have gone to Scott Kleep, Michael Skelly, Barack Obama, or Rick Noriega... Ben Chandler or anyone else I've given to already this year. I will ultimately be a max GE Contributor to Obama, once I attend the fundraisers, and I will give money to the DCCC and DSCC. However, that doesn't mean I can't afford a small amount of money given regularly to get Barr on TV and on the Ground where both he and I know he can do the best, Namely, Alaska and Georgia and other similar states... I think he'd do pretty good in Texas as well.
I suppose my donation would be modest, $25/month through October. This modest amount of money will be my defense play... and I think after having gone through Operation Chaos, and having the GOP Openly funding Nader in 2004, getting a chance to prop up a Bob Barr Kamikaze Mission is simply tempting.
So, after reviewing the facts, understanding where I'm coming from, what do you think?
I'd rather not talk about the politics of Bob Barr, I'm not talking about voting for him, this is a political decission...