Sunday, September 07, 2008

Bob Bar to Step Aside for Ron Paul?

This has got to be an idiot internet rumor.

The Economic Policy Journal is speculating that Chuck Baldwin and Bob Barr will step aside for Ron Paul next week, allowing Paul to run on both the Libertarian and Constitution Party lines.

What wrong with this rumor?

1. It's not on any LP officer's radar. The LNC just had its meeting this weekend, and no one knows about this, or was discussing it.

2. Barr's campaign people are aggressively working on Barr's campaign -- and not for Paul's sake.

3. I can't imagine egos as big as Bob Barr's, much less Wayne Allyn Root's, stepping aside for anyone.

4. I don't know that the LNC could order a substitution. Or would even want to.

5. I don't know if state laws would allow it. The LP is having a hard enough time substituting George Phillies with Bob Barr just on the Massachusetts and New Hampshire LP ballots.

6. I know less about matters at the Constitution Party, but I imagine there'd be similar problems. Their California affiliate (American Independent Party) just got through a court case over whether Alan Keyes or Chuck Baldwin was the rightful nominee.

7. Ron Paul has repeatedly said, for many months, that he will not run third party. He's kept his word, eschewing both the LP and CP nominations when they were his for the asking. Why would he change his mind now?

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