Barack Obama isn’t the only one who is trying to figure out how to step out of the shadow of Sarah Palin. I think Bob Barr and Ron Paul have to be concerned, as well.
I was among the Republicans who might have cast a vote for Bob Barr in November had John McCain picked a liberal VP nominee. If Bob Barr had siphoned off enough Republican votes, Barack Obama could win the election with a minority of the popular vote, just like Clinton did when Ross Perot was in the running. I think the Republican base has been so energized now, with Palin on the McCain ticket, that Bob Barr will lose traction with those who had entertained thoughts of defecting.
By all accounts, Ron Paul had a successful convention of his own in the Twin Cities. But when the roll call at the RNC was taken, there were less Ron Paul delegate votes than anticipated. Ron Paul supporters certainly recognize that Washington has gone astray. By choosing Sarah Palin, John McCain has underscored his message that Washington is wayward, in dire need of reform. John McCain’s acceptance speech included barbs against the Beltway Republicans that were every bit as stinging as Ron Paul’s barbs. There are still vast areas of disagreement between the McCain camp and the Paul camp, but I think Paul supporters have to feel a bit more reassured about McCain after the Palin pick than they were before the Palin pick.
McCain’s Republican base has clearly become more solidified and energized, stealing thunder from Barr and Paul, thus allowing McCain to turn his attention toward independent voters and give Obama a run for his money.
Buckeye RINO 
September 6, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Mrs. Palin energized the religious right in the Republican Party, but her lack of experience, her desire for earmarks as Mayor of Wasilla, her anti-abortion views, her hypocrisy on marijuana (she smoked it but still wants a drug war), her abstinence sex ed while having an unwed pregnant daughter, has guaranteed the election of Barack Obama as president. I can’t see one single Hilary supporter going to the McCain/Palin ticket. Not a one. Those votes are just went to Obama for sure.
The Republican convention was like a Communist Party gathering. All the Ron Paul delegates were harassed, abused, cheated and in 10 cases, the state delegate head refused to read the Ron Paul votes into the microphone and the official record. That is where Ron Paul’s 35 delegates went – fraud! John McCain is John McSame (as Bush), supporting the worst President ever (save maybe Nixon) in 95% of his votes in the Senate. Some Maverick! And what about that alcohol peddling wife. The volume of alcohol Cindy McCain’s company slings across America is responsible for approx. 28,000 deaths every year when Mrs. McCain’s alcohol business is apportioned into the total alcohol fatalities in America each year. Oh, what a fine first lady she would be!
Don’t drink and drive kids, wink, wink.
Every genuine Ron Paul supporter would be sickened at the choice of Mrs. Palin as VP. The woman had never left the US in her 44 years except to go to Canada once and visit the Alaska Guard in Iraq. That is very typical of Americans who tend to have very limited knowledge of the rest of the world. I got more votes running for my City Council than Palin got as Mayor, I daresay we are both equally skilled for the task as President.
The publicity all week for McCain and Palin was bad publicity. Both Ron Paul and Bob Barr were on many media and their coverage was all good.
Watch the polls in 10 days, Obama will lead McCain/Palin by 8 to 10 points and hold it till Nov. 4.
Even though Obama is a socialist Liberal, he is not as loathesome or hypocritical as either McCain or Palin. I am supporting Bob Barr in the absence of Ron Paul on the November ballot, but I am sure Obama will bring more good to America than McCain could.
September 6, 2008 at 7:35 pm
The only change we are going to get is if WE THE PEOPLE change it. It’s not going to happen with Obama or McCain. Federal spending is out of control with no end in sight. For either one of them to continue down this road will mean a tax increase on all of us. I don’t believe anything either candidate says. You watch and see if taxes don’t go up on everyone…
September 6, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Mr. Emery, I see you are very susceptible to propaganda. Instead of rumor-mongering to slime reform-minded politicians like Sarah Palin, I recommend we compliment them. We need more politicians who take on the good old boys, not fewer. I like Ron Paul’s views on the economy, but I hate his views on foreign policy, wherein the USA would no longer play the leading role among nations. Bob Barr, though he talks a good game, is a creature of the Beltway, himself. It’s a breath of fresh air to bring a reformer from outside DC, like Sarah Palin, to signal that real change is on the way.
September 6, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Mr. Pitchfork, I hope you stay informed of down-ticket election races. I agree that we, the people, have to be the change agents, but often mistakes are made at the most local levels of government, as voters are relatively uninformed about the candidates they choose, and then we have a poorer pool of talent to draw from for the races at the top of the ticket.
I, myself, take the time to examine everybody on the ballot, all the way down to the local school board level. I think if all voters did the same, we, the people, could take our government back.
September 6, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Buckeyerino, you have hit the nail on the head and that is exactly what the “Campaign For Liberty” is going to help us do. Be sure to look at the information on it and when the site changes on October 1 be sure to sign up as a precinct leader. There are onlly 180,000 precincts in the country and if we can get someone in each precinct who will walk and talk with their neighbors we can certainly get our country back. We the people are ultimately responsible for the mess our country is in because we have not been doing our job on the local level. We need everyone who understands the importance of getting our Republic back needs to step up and help.
September 6, 2008 at 11:58 pm
“I can’t see one single Hilary supporter going to the McCain/Palin ticket. Not a one.” Unless Lucas County is some type of an anomaly, I know quite a few Clinton supporters who are voting for McCain. Some decided it before Palin, for some the Biden selection was the last straw, they held out hope that he would pick Hillary.
A few decided after Palin that was either the deciding factor or made them more sure they are voting for McCain. There are a variety of reasons, gender, experience, trustworthiness, etc. The main problem as I see it is the attempt to make this about one particular reason when just as the reasons were varied as to why women supported Hillary, so are the reasons why some are not supporting Obama. But I can assure you…they exist…
September 8, 2008 at 2:42 am
Good point on Barr.
I think it is to say he is not going to win many votes.
September 8, 2008 at 10:50 am
Buckeyerino, without detracting from Palin, no VP has any real role in any administration. She will not change anything McCain has done before and will do in the future, he is a socialist lite politician.
You offer yourself as nothing more than a lemming just like Ben Keeler. Read what you wrote, you are going to vote for McCain because the base is energized. How about voting on your ideals for once.
September 8, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Ben Keeler Lite? LOL! Whatever!
October 31, 2008 at 11:23 am
[…] though McCain himself had a pro-life record. McCain had assured us that he would. The pick of Sarah Palin definitely helped solidify the base. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)HOPE ON Part 1: Obama is part of the Fannie […]
October 31, 2008 at 2:23 pm
[…] too. Some of my blog entries touched on the presidential candidacy of Libertarian Bob Barr (here, here, and especially here and here). Karen Kasler asks why the blogosphere is so polarized and why […]