'Leadership meltdown' cited
Barr says national financial crisis has breathed life into presidential campaign
Wade Spees
The Post and Courier
Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr took several questions from the audience Tuesday after his speech to the Charleston Rotary Club, including this one from Citadel business professor W. Earl Walker.
Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr said the current financial crisis has breathed life into his Libertarian bid for the presidency because many people think that party's philosophy of less government and free markets is far superior to the $700 billion bailout plan that failed on Monday.
"It's provided me an issue that we have some credibility on," he said Tuesday after one of several campaign stops in Charleston.
Barr spoke to the Charleston Rotary Club at lunch, and his remarks largely centered on the historic financial and political events of the week.
He held up a copy of Tuesday's edition of The Post and Courier newspaper and took exception to its banner headline that read "Financial Meltdown."
"What we don't have is a financial meltdown," he said. "What we have is a leadership meltdown."
Barr, who was a Republican when he represented Georgia in Congress, said he began to become disillusioned with the GOP after 1998, when party leaders worked with Republican incumbents to ensure that a spending bill had projects they wanted for their home districts.
Asked what he would do to address the current financial mess, Barr said he would hire a new Treasury secretary more familiar with Main Street, that he would veto any bail-out bill and that he would encourage the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute financiers whose fraudulent dealings led the nation to this point.
The Rotary crowd gave Barr a polite, but not enthusiastic, welcome. He drew little applause, but some members and guests approached him afterward to chat or shake his hand.
Leslie Fellabom, a real estate agent who described herself as a political independent, asked Barr about his running mate and later said, "There was very little that he said that I could argue with."
Rotary President Andy Brack said a lot of people would agree with Barr's condemnation of the lack of leadership in Washington "regardless of what party you're in."
Barr said he hopes to be on the ballot in as many as 47 states, but South Carolina is one of a dozen states that his campaign is concentrating on.
He acknowledged the long-shot nature of his bid but hopes to do well enough so that the Libertarian Party candidate won't have to jump through onerous hoops to get on the ballots of certain states in 2012.
Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or at rbehre@postandcourier.com.
E-mail this story 
Printer-friendly version
Notice about comments:
The Post and Courier is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. The Post and Courier does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "suggest removal" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our Web site.
Full terms and conditions can be read here.
Comments
This article has 17 comment(s)
Posted by lillycollette on October 1, 2008 at 4:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Quote: … "What we have is a leadership meltdown. … [H]e would -- encourage -- the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute financiers whose fraudulent dealings led the nation to this point.”
I don’t believe that the phrase ‘encourage the DOJ to prosecute’ carries the—FULL FLAVOR—of my feelings on this issue of fraud -- but (LOL) it will have to suffice.
The excuse that white-collar fraud is too costly to establish and prosecute is just that -- an EXCUSE. (It would not have cost the $700 billion that tax payers are now expected to underwrite in this bailout -- now would it.)
Posted by iceman1978 on October 1, 2008 at 9:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I like the Libertarian party. I've read their platform and there's parts of it that I have trouble with, but I tend to agree with most of it.
Posted by 3olivesmike on October 1, 2008 at 9:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Barr "would hire a new Treasury secretary more familiar with Main Street, that he would veto any bail-out bill and that he would encourage the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute financiers whose fraudulent dealings led the nation to this point."
In other words the Treas Sec would be an ideological zealot completely ignorant of finance and economics whose only goal would be to punish those "pushy" New Yorkers on Wall Street. I can see why you idiots would be attracted to this agenda.
Posted by KidYendor on October 1, 2008 at 11:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Like Mr. Barr said yesterday morning, the difference between the Democrats and Republicans is that the Dems will tell you they are going to tax you more and want bigger government. The Reps tell you they are going to cut taxes and government size. Of course, after all is said and done the Reps are just like the Dems after they get elected. The Reps and Dems then blame each other and others after they screw everything up. I am not going to waste my Presidential vote on the main candidates. Both of them know the outrage of us against bailout bills but both of them keep up their rhetoric that they are going to vote for it to bail their parties out. Write your senators today and tell them vote no on bailout bills and when November comes vote for Bob Barr.
Posted by palmettotree on October 1, 2008 at 12:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Now the Dems are trying to get away with voter fruad in Ohio, (thank you ACORN) and this bias idiot is goig to moderate the VP debates;
what in the heck is ACORN? I keep hearing and reading about it but I don't know what it is. Help?
Posted by gneubeck on October 1, 2008 at 1:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It’s called LEADERSHIP. Barack “ACORN” Obama continues his well established characteristic of voting “PRESENT”, while McCain, who had earlier warned the Congress of this eventuality, has been visibly out front trying to cooperate on the construction of a prudent “bail-out” measure. Notice that Obama consistently lags in his offering of any sustentative policy proposals; and, AFTER-THE-FACT rides to the rhetorical rescue. What a FARCE. It's of note that Obama's Congressional Black Caucus voted against the bailout proposal. Hillary Clinton frequently nailed Obama on his inability to demonstrate essential qualities of leadership; but, the MSM continued to cover for Obama. Greg Neubeck
Posted by UrGatorbait on October 1, 2008 at 2:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Direct from the Senate version of the bailout bill:
Check these earmarks out:
New Tax earmarks in Bailout bill
- Film and Television Productions (Sec. 502)
- Wooden Arrows designed for use by children (Sec. 503)
- 6 page package of earmarks for litigants in the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident, Alaska (Sec. 504)
Tax earmark “extenders” in the bailout bill.
- Virgin Island and Puerto Rican Rum (Section 308)
- American Samoa (Sec. 309)
- Mine Rescue Teams (Sec. 310)
- Mine Safety Equipment (Sec. 311)
- Domestic Production Activities in Puerto Rico (Sec. 312)
- Indian Tribes (Sec. 314, 315)
- Railroads (Sec. 316)
- Auto Racing Tracks (Sec. 317)
- District of Columbia (Sec. 322)
- Wool Research (Sec. 325)
What do they have to do with the Bailout? Leadership failure? You bet.
Link to pdf file of bill here(451 pgs long):
http://senateconservatives.files.wordpre...
Posted by palmettotree on October 1, 2008 at 4 p.m. (Suggest removal)
gneubeck and Jane thank you for the clarification. Now I am not in the dark on the matter. :) I wasn't going to vote for Obama the idiot anyways but reading what Jane wrote would definitely have me going the other way.
Posted by samthefreethinker on October 1, 2008 at 4:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Spreading your wingnut lies, again, I see, Jane.
Posted by samthefreethinker on October 1, 2008 at 4:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Jane, I can use The Google as well as you can. I promise. For some reason, I get better information. The only sources I see supporting the view you espouse are sources I'd term "wingnut." Hence the name.
There is no doubt you're posting misleading information. The only thing you're nailing on the head are lies.
Maybe you should read from a wider variety of sources.
Posted by samthefreethinker on October 1, 2008 at 4:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
There you go. Your sources are some guy's blog and an article by an ultraconservative talk-show host.
Jane, you can't believe everything you read on the Intertubes. And shame on you for spreading misleading information.
Posted by samthefreethinker on October 1, 2008 at 4:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Nah, Jane. Your referring to the MSM is another clue. You've got to simply stop parroting what you read on those sites. C'mon. You can do better. I believe in you.
And if you don't like being called a wingnut, stop acting like one.
Posted by SCdeacinNYC on October 1, 2008 at 4:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Bob Barr is a joke, and was a divided choice for the Libertarian party ticket from what I heard. But I did see a funny bumper sticker in GA a while back, where it said "Bob Barr--the 'other' black candidate" I found it hilarious because it only validated what many people in GA have been saying for years, which is that either Bob Barr is passing or no one has really explained to him that he has some Black in him. Considering his racist tirade a few years back, I wouldn't be surprised at either explanation.
Posted by MyView on October 1, 2008 at 5:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Sam,
If Jane is so wrong, where's the evidence from your side?
This big mess is caused from people believing that everyone should be entitled to things regardless of how lazy, apathetic, or ignorant they are. Guess what, now the lazy, apathetic non-deserving people are walking away from things they didn't have to work for like houses ........gee what a surprise.
Free thinker............replace that philiosphy with work hard ethic and you'll think more like Jane and the world will be a better place.
Posted by SCdeacinNYC on October 1, 2008 at 5:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
MyView Please...Jane is a paid propagandist and everyone on this site with half-way decent sense knows it. What she does best is replicate the most vile and unsubstantiated rumors on the Web and from fellow far right pundits and repeats it here.
It's not possible to "think more like Jane" when she obviously doesn't "think" herself.
Posted by UrGatorbait on October 1, 2008 at 6:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Jane keep up the fight, the "progressives" only want to hear what they want to hear when they want to hear it. Facts are irrelevant unless they come from the Messaih himself. The ACORN is a an example of what helped spur the fine mess we are in now. They don't want to hear it because it skews their 20 something entitlement view up.
Now what about those earmarks on this bogus recovery/bailout fiasco? Somehow that'll completely escape the MSM.
It's obviously easier for the "progressives" to call names then to fight facts. It's how little kids operate when they don't know much else. That's why OB appeals to them, empty suit for empty heads.
Posted by UrGatorbait on October 1, 2008 at 9:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
BTW Graham voted yes on teh senate version with all those earmarks as well as those two fools McC and OB.
DeMint voted nea.