Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr talks to WSLS

Former conservative Congressman Bob Barr (R-GA) is running to be your next president. Barr, who left the Republican Party several years ago to join the Libertarian Party, is the nominee of his new party.

Barr made a campaign swing through Central and Southwest Virginia this week with stops in Lynchburg and Roanoke.

He talked with Jay Warren Tuesday morning. Here’s a portion of their interview.

WARREN: “Why are you doing this?”

BARR: “Because it’s important to have someone out there reminding the American people that they have a real choice; that they don’t have to go in and vote for the lesser of two evils, the big government candidate or the really big government candidate. They have a candidate that truly stands for smaller government and more individual liberty.

WARREN: “Let’s talk about the economic bailout plan. Would you have voted for it as it passed the US House and Senate?”

BARR: “I would not have voted for it and if I were president I would have vetoed it. I think it is very bad public policy.”

WARREN: “Let’s talk about little bit about the Libertarian Party and your affiliation with it. It’s generally known as more socially liberal and fiscally conservative. You would seem to fit half of that, at least your prior record does. Would you agree?”

BARR: “At my core I have always been opposed to massive government intervention. In years past I was much more willing to let the government have more leeway in interfering than I am now. That’s because of the massive government growth in spending and intervention in the growth of government powers since 9-11.”

WARREN: “Should prostitution be legal?”

BARR: “That’s an issue for the people. It’s not an issue I’m running on and it’s not an issue important to the president.”

WARREN: “It is an issue that the Libertarian Party would seem to support.”

BARR: “And if you want to talk with the Libertarians about that’s fine. But I’m running for president.

WARREN: “Of their party?”

BARR: “I’m running for president as the Libertarian nominee.”

WARREN: “A lot of people say marriage should be up to the states, yet you authored the Defense of Marriage Act. Do you regret that?”

BARR: “No, I don’t regret that.” He went on to say, “There are two parts to the act. The first part is the defense of marriage part; that is that each state can set its own definition of marriage free from being forced by another state to change it. The second part is a federal definition for federal law purposes. In so far that that part of the act has been used a club to dictate state policy, that part should be repealed.”

WARREN: “Immigration: what’s your stand on that?”

BARR: “The Libertarian stand is very clear. We believe in very robust immigration, but lawful.”

WARREN: “What about the war in Iraq. You voted for it. Do you regret that vote now?“

BARR: “The vote that I took was based on very bad information presented to Congress by the Administration.”

WARREN: “If you knew what you know now, you would not have voted for it?”

BARR: “Certainly not, as it turned out he neither the capacity nor the capability and not the intent to use weapons of mass destruction against us.”

WARREN: “It seems to me that a lot of your views are at odds with the Libertarian Party. Would you agree?”

BARR: “What I’m doing is running for president of the US on the Libertarian ticket. It doesn’t matter that my views are at odds with some members of the Libertarian Party any more than it does that John McCain’s views might be at odds with some members of the Republican Party.”

WARREN: “How do you go from being one of the most conservative members of the US House to being the presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party?”

BARR: “By stressing constitutional issues. What I have been doing since leaving Congress has brought me together with both the ACLU and the American Conservative Union. The common ground is the common principles of our Constitution that is that the government needs to operate inside the bounds of the Constitution and the rule of law. We need to respect those principles.”

Barr admitted that he has long odds of winning on November 4th, but stressed that a strong showing would help get his message out and secure ballot access for future Libertarian candidates.