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Do Not Support Bob Barr
Libertarians become ecstatic whenever a Libertarian politician with some name recognition campaigns for president. It happened with Ron Paul earlier this year and now it is happening with Bob Barr. However, in every case, without even analyzing the politician’s platform one can find several rotten planks. This was true for Paul, and it is true for Barr.
The fact that Barr is campaigning for president is the first reason not to support him. No individual actively seeking political office should receive support. The problem with political offices is that they are positions within an institution that has a monopoly on using force. Though the institution, government, is only supposed to use force for defending natural rights, it invariably initiates force, violating natural rights.
Government initiation of force is so prevalent it is essentially common knowledge. Therefore, most political candidates are aware they are seeking participation in a vicious institution. Barr is undoubtedly included in this group, for he is a Libertarian; his entire platform is based on curbing government vice.
However, this does not make Barr virtuous. In order for him to curb government vice, he must partake in it for some time. Furthermore, Barr will not curb every government vice. For example, taxes – government sanctioned armed robbery. Therefore, he will always be participating in some government vice. Barr is well aware of this; thus, he is seeking vice.
Additionally, if Barr was able to remove all government vice, he would have violated the Constitution to do so. Legislators have the most power in reducing government vice, for they pass and repeal laws, which initiate force. The President cannot repeal laws. Therefore, if Barr did remove all government vice, he would once again be vicious.
The other problem with seeking political office is that it includes seeking power or control over others. Only vicious men seek power; thus, politicians should never be volunteers. Even Barr is seeking power. Reducing the government’s infringement upon men’s lives means the reducer has control of men’s lives. For example, a firefighter, though reducing the flames, has control over whether or not the flames’ victims live.
The second reason not to support Barr is that he is going to lose, and that Barr knows he is going to lose. Barr is obviously intelligent. Therefore, he realizes he is a third party candidate lacking the support to win states and electoral votes; thus, he knows he will not win the presidency. However, he is still asking people for support, donations, campaign volunteering, etc. He is asking people to invest their time, money, and labor in a campaign he knows will lose. This is comparable to a businessman asking people to buy stock in his company that he knows is unprofitable. Barr is essentially asking people to buy something he knows is broken. This is a mark of skewed reasoning. A man, who knows he cannot achieve something, yet pursues to achieve it, and asks others to help him, is truly irrational.
The final reason not to support Barr is because he is religious. Government employment should not require passing religious tests because that would make the government a theocracy, which is just another way to spell tyranny. However, political candidates should have to answer for their religious beliefs. They should explain why they believe in something without any evidence. Of course, there is no logical explanation; religion is inherently irrational. Therefore, Barr is irrational, especially in regards to his morality.
The core of a religion is its moral code. However, religion is irrational; thus, the morality that follows is irrational. Since every action is a moral action, every action committed by a religious person is based on irrationality. Consequently, supporting religious candidates for political offices is to support irrationality within the government – an institution requiring the utmost reason to function properly and virtuously.
Barr is clearly infinitely superior to the presumptive alternatives, Barack Obama and John McCain, but these points alone make him imperfect. Therefore, though Barr is the lesser of the evils, he is still evil; thus, supporting Barr is supporting vice.
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