Georgia Barr the Door

He’s raised just $300,000 dollars. He has a staff of only six people working out of a non-political public relations firm office. He’s not even on the ballot in 20 of the 50 states. So why does Bob Barr have so many people looking nervous and edgy? Sometimes the answer lies in the margins. As this New York Times article points out, people are already casting a wary eye at Mr. Barr’s home state of Georgia, among others.

The Republican Party and the McCain campaign have swatted away the Barr candidacy, but some Republicans are taking it seriously. If the early polls hold up, and Senator Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic nominee, pours heavy resources into Georgia, that state could be up for grabs, said Senator Johnny Isakson, Republican of Georgia.

“If Barr got 8 percent, and you’ve got the higher African-American turnout from Barack Obama, then you’d have a significantly close race in the state,” Mr. Isakson said.

Analysts are also looking at the potential for Barr to do well in Alaska, New Hampshire, Colorado and other western mountain states which are increasingly looking as if they will be in play. Like Georgia, Barr doesn’t need to actually win any of these states to have a huge impact on the race. He simply needs to drag the GOP vote down enough – when combined with increases in African American and youth vote turnout – to push any potentially close races over the edge to the Democrats.

What does Bob Barr think about his potential position as a spoiler for John McCain? He seems to be enjoying it.

None of it bothers Bob Barr, the former Republican congressman from Georgia turned Libertarian Party candidate for president, who gleefully recounted what he says a group of Republicans told him at a recent meeting in Washington: Don’t run.

“ ‘Well, gee, you might take votes from Senator McCain,’ ” Mr. Barr said this week, mimicking one of the complainers, as he sat sipping Coca-Cola in his plush corner office, 12 stories above Atlanta. “They all said, ‘Look, we understand why you’re doing this. We agree with why you’re doing it. But please don’t do it.’ ”

As the article also notes, money will be a large issue if Mr. Barr hopes to mount a large scale attack. Barr’s team is hoping to latch on to the significant fundraising potential and rebellious discontent of Ron Paul’s supporters. The “Ron Paul Army” demonstrated the ability to raise ten million dollars in a single day – some thirty times the total amount Barr has raised thus far. Paul’s enthusiastic supporters also built a widespread, powerful presence on the internet which Barr has thus far not managed.

For more information, visit the Bob Barr Campaign Home Page.

e-mail the author: jazzshaw@gmail.com