Taking your ball and going home at the last minute is not my idea of leadership of any sort, much less 'principled'. When you don't get your way, and walk out, is just not what I want to see in the potential leader of the free world. I think, this close to the event, Bob Barr ought to have gone, and then made his point in a different way. This move doesn't seem either gentlemanly, nor very diplomatic either. Both of which I demand from Libertarian Candidates. Sure, a 'Hail Mary' pass is called for when you're running so far behind, as we are. But, you have to have all your bases and fundamentals covered first. And, as any poker player will tell you, it has to have some shot of succeeding. Who ever thought there was the smallest chance of Ron Paul accepting the VP slot from Barr? Or more obviously, that it would give us good PR in any venue for pulling out 30 minutes from game time? Furthermore, insulting Ron Paul and snubbing the event like this, isn't going to make any points with a soul, much less Ron Paul and his supporters. I think it was an honest mistake by an overwhelmed and discouraged staff, and Bob Barr, in his defense, did what a good Candidate ought to, he listened to his Management team. If they just start calling themselves "Libertarian" on their website, e-mail and Press Releases, I will be willing to overlook this major whoops. (One might note that Wayne Root somehow manages, every time, to clearly state his party affilliation.) When they were going in, remember, we were sold the ideas of:
Building the party Building the brand Making alliances Gaining respectablity I don't see these things happening with the current strategy, and worse yet, I don't see an effort in the direction of any one of the four, much less all. The problems at the campaign aren't ones we would expect from professionals. Yes, I am going to vote for Bob Barr. Yes, he's still the best Candidate. But the LP signed on for not the best Candidate, but rather the best campaigner. Unfortunately, we have yet to see this. I'll leave it at that, but the post-game analysis is not going to be pretty, folks. --- On Thu, 9/11/08, Guy McLendon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: From: Guy McLendon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Libertarian] FW: Principled Leadership in Times of Crisis To: [email protected] Date: Thursday, September 11, 2008, 11:07 PM My Friends, There's obviously a lot of angst going around as a result of Russ Verney's decision for the Bob Barr campaign to not participate in Ron's press conference of September 10th. Right or wrong, good or bad . that press conference is now "water under the bridge". Weighing the merits of Russ' decision, Ron Paul's announcement and inclusion of non-liberty oriented candidates is all outside the scope of this note. My note is a call for unity. Ron Paul is a wonderful friend to liberty as is both Bob Barr & Russ Verney. For those who purchased Ron Paul's book "The Revolution, A Manifesto" . you can see Bob Barr's name in the top paragraph of page 44. Obviously, Ron would not have put Bob's name in his book, and invited him to the press conference, unless Bob wasn't a clear advocate for liberty. In the words of Ben Franklin, now is the time to hang together, or hang separately. Please keep cool and an open mind as we all work through this challenge. There is no doubt, both LP members & Ron Paul supporters are all in this struggle together, and now is the time to come together in the struggle against tyranny . just as Ron wisely counseled in his press conference. A disagreement or difference of opinion between Ron's staff & Mr. Verney is discussed below. After meeting Mr. Verney on several occasions during the LP National Convention, and having had numerous exchanges with him during the Barr campaign, I've developed a profound respect for Russ' professionalism & integrity. Ron Paul, Bob Barr & Russ Verney all have my highest level of respect, and I ask you to give them all the benefit of any doubts. Staff members may become over zealous and even emotional in the pursuit of their leader's interest; we're all human, and the parable "He with no sin cast the first stone" applies. Clearly from the testimony below, at least one of Ron's staff members became emotional as he/she made remarks to Mr. Verney. However, I strongly suspect such remarks as described below would not have been sanctioned by Ron Paul himself, and were possibly the result of emotion and lack of time. Let's just forgive & forget. In any case, now is the time to pull together, and defend liberty. Please stop any counter-productive fighting amongst ourselves, and focus on fighting tyranny. Let Freedom Ring . Guy McLendon Vice-Chair Libertarian Party of Texas 2007-2008 Ron Paul Activist 2008 Bob Barr Campaign Coordinator, Harris County, Texas Chair Harris County Libertarian Party Houston, Texas www.HarrisLP. org <http://www.harrislp .org/> _____ From: Russ Verney, BobBarr2008. com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] com] Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2008 12:21 PM To: Guy Subject: Principled Leadership in Times of Crisis Dear Guy, Before I move forward with an important report for today, I would like to recognize and remember the 2,819 men and women who lost their lives seven years ago. As a result of the attacks of September 11th, Americans came together, setting aside differences in order mourn our shared losses and assist our neighbors in need. May we never forget . . . In times of crisis, strength in leadership requires boldness of character, clear direction and firm resolve. As we witnessed after the attacks of September 11th, President George W. Bush showed incredible leadership as he stood atop a fire truck amidst the rubble of the twin towers to rally America. While the quality of leadership is rare enough, principled leaders are few and far between. Those who do appear to posses the traits necessary to lead, for reasons only known to themselves, frequently choose not to stand on principle. Yesterday, our vice presidential candidate, Wayne Allyn Root, offered to step aside to allow Congressman Ron Paul an opportunity to serve on the presidential ticket of the Libertarian Party and move the agenda of Liberty forward. On the surface, a simple offer was extended. In fact it was principled leadership at its finest. Wayne Allyn Root showed his deep commitment to the principles of our cause. Without hesitation or regard to the effort, time and personal funds he has committed to the issues of freedom, smaller government, less taxes and the Libertarian ticket, Wayne offered to step aside to allow another leader to step up. I could not be more proud of his actions and selflessness. As America is hurling towards crisis on many fronts, we need principled leaders like Bob Barr and Wayne Allyn Root. We have no time to waste on anything other than spreading the message of smaller government, less taxes, and more personal freedom issues across this nation. That brings me to my next point. Today our campaign is being criticized by a few people for my decision to not attend a press conference sponsored by Ron Paul's political action committee. I thought I would take a minute to explain to you why I made that decision. It became evident to me after meeting with Ron Paul's staff that this media event was not about promoting the liberty agenda; it was about promoting a man. That's not what we're in this for. After rumors were spread in advance of the news conference that Bob Barr was dropping from the race - just to hype the event - I became even more hesitant to attend. Those tactics were unacceptable and when asked about it, Ron Paul's staff simply smiled and said it would attract the press. When I was provided a copy of Ron Paul's prepared remarks just hours before the start of the planned news conference it became clear to me that the message Ron Paul intended to deliver was essentially to scatter the votes for the liberty agenda to the four winds. His remarks not only encouraged anyone listening to support any one of four candidates, he also applauded 'non-voters' . To me encouraging people not to vote is not principled leadership for the Liberty agenda. I made the decision that attending that news conference was not consistent with Bob Barr's principled leadership for the Liberty agenda. Once I informed Ron Paul's staff of my decision I was rudely informed that my decision would have permanent ramifications, I was personally threatened and Bob Barr was politically threatened. That's a far cry from principled leadership. One thing that did occur as a result of yesterday's events is a clear separation of certain factions. Up until now, we have been dealing with two groups, those who want to advance the issues of liberty and those who have been drawn into a cult of personality. There are those who support a specific politician and then there are those who support the liberty agenda regardless of standard-bearer. Bob Barr, Wayne Allyn Root and the Libertarian Party stand for the issues of personal freedom and responsible government. As they have proven, both Bob and Wayne are willing to lead or follow for the advancement of our issues. Now is their time to lead. As we move into the final 50 days of the campaign we are in place to make a strong impact on the future of our country. At the end of the day, the number of votes cast in support of the Liberty agenda in the General Election will influence the national political agenda of the next four years. If we do our jobs, work hard and give us much as possible until Election Day, our voices will be heard and our agenda of smaller government, lower taxes, more personal freedom and government accountability will be on the table for years to come. I appreciate your commitment and dedication. Sincerely, Russ signature <http://www.barr08. com/img/russ- signature. jpg> Russell Verney Campaign Manager <http://cp20. com/Tracking/ t.c?1Rsm- 27g8-5bBHO4> To donate by mail: Barr 2008 Presidential Committee P.O. Box 725007 Atlanta, GA 31139 To donate by phone: Call 1-800-Bob-Barr Paid for by Barr 2008 Presidential Committee. Federal law requires us to report the name, address, and name of employer and occupation for any individual whose aggregate contributions total over $200 in a calendar year. Corporate contributions and gifts from foreign nationals are prohibited. Personal Credit Card gifts only. Contributions are not tax deductible for income tax purposes. 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