I Met a Presidential Candidate!!
Tonight, I got to meet, shake hands with, talk and listen to Bob Barr, the Libertarian Presidential candidate for over an hour!! No kidding, I got to stand no more than 5 feet from the guy for over an HOUR!!
Here are a couple of pictures (sorry, I think the cameraman was nervous) :
Also, I officiated another wedding ceremony for a wonderful couple on Friday. Here's the pic of the lady I had the honor of having on my arm for much of the evening:
So, to Bob.... Though I dislike the fact that he's not a pacifist like Ron Paul and that he doesn't believe in completely open borders and he's anti-same sex marriage, he still utterly believes and is committed to small government. Liberty is at the root of our country and neither of McCain or Obama have even the slightest passing acquaintance with the concept (though both seem to be worlds better than the big government, anti-personal freedom current resident of the white house).
In answering a question from a fellow attendee, he spoke beautifully and extemporaneously tonight that "in the breast of every single American is a heart that beats for liberty". That truth is transcendental. Big government is fundamentally at odds with liberty, and no one other than Bob Barr and Ron Paul match up with this idea.
Secondly, I asked Bob, "given that the electoral college favors a two-party system, that many Republicans are *actually* Libertarians in Republican clothing yet they don't want to move their vote to the Libertarian Party so as not to throw their vote away for the slightly-better Republican candidate, what must the Libertarian Party do in order to attain the critical mass to get over the tipping point?". His answer was simple, "get me into the debates". To a similar question, he later responded, "remember, I became a Libertarian just two-and-a-half years ago". He then seemed to say that when liberty is articulated, people are naturally drawn toward the Libertarian ticket. Only when the idea of big vs. small government is articulated do people see that neither the Republican nor the Democratic parties come anywhere near the level of government non-interference that creates an abundant, happy society.
So, although it was nice to flex my civic duty muscle and engage the process if only a bit, I fully stand resolute in my prediction that Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States. America, be ready for greatly expanded government wherein the tax-and-spend decades past will seem like the rugged individualism of the West by comparision.
Love,
- Greg
PS. Happy Birthday, I love you mom.
