Here is the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s article about the results of the presidential and vice-presidential balloting at the Libertarian national convention. Normally, a minor party presidential nominating convention gets decent coverage in the newspapers of the host city for that convention, but very little coverage in other newspapers. The recent Libertarian convention is somewhat different, with better coverage in the Atlanta newspapers than in the Denver newspapers.
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
The Atlanta Communistution will most of the time be as negative as possible, but I do admit to being surprised at any coverage at all.
Its coverage of the LP convention held in Atlanta four years ago was treated mostly as a local story, printed in the Metro section.
Both surprising and gratifying, though, has been the coverage on Nasty Propaganda Redio, NPR: It has been astonishingly straight, without the usual leftish sneer.
I hasten to add, though, the coverage today, Monday, of yesterday’s nominating process I did not hear, except for a last sentence, and it was negative.
Possibly NPR is back in its usual mode, but until then, anyway, its coverage deserved praise.
it’s a shame I saw no news on cable news or local news or any news. I wonder if Libertarians emailed FoxNews and CNN on the matter.
if people son’t protest in masses it will never get covered
That is one of the many reasons why we need a mass Party of the People. I do not think that Libertarians would be comfortable in such an organization, though. Perhaps you all can be the main opposition party when a unified leftist coalition comes to power in this country.
An article in the AJC several days ago contended that a Barr Libertarian candidacy could put Georgia
in play in November; not as Libertarians and
opponents of duopoly might hope, but that Barr may
well draw enough Georgia votes from McCain to
give Georgia’s 15 electoral votes to Obama. That
may be one reason for AJC’s interest in LP events
yesterday.
I can’t recall which TV station I was watching, but the local TV station did do a five second soundbite. I guess if I had to characterize what was said, it was something like
“The Libertarian Party choose their Presidential nominee this weekend in Denver. Former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia was nominated. Barr was best known for his role in the Clinton impeachment.”
I’m not a Libertarian, so I can’t say if that is worth any compromises anyone might think were made, but to be 100% honest, there is no way my local TV station would have covered a Ruwart nomination. Not in Denver.
I think the reason the AJC has ran several stories about Bob Barr on the front page the past couple weeks since he declared is fairly simply with no secret motive. He is a well known figure in Metro Atlanta and wrote a regular editoral column for the AJC. Those are the two reasons I would say why the AJC has been giving him large amounts of coverage and will continue to.
The liberal angle doesn’t really explain why Barr is getting alot of coverage in Georgia. My local county paper is very republican leaning and it has run 2 or 3 stories about Barr on their front page since he declared and dedicated their main editoral column to his candidacy one day. Barr is just well known in Georgia. So he will get plenty of coverage here for that reason.
The AJC most certainly has an agenda. It was quite clear by their coverage of the Barr nomination. They’re using the reverse Rush Limbaugh Chaos strategy, of playing up dissension on the Right.
Agenda or no agenda, dynamics or not.
Probably what is most important to me is Ballot Access.
In GA, a Barr showing of 20% or better places the LP into Major Party status, removing the ballot access barriers for the LP at the local level. Currently signatures of 10% of registered voters are required to be placed on the ballot.
Not only GA has this opportunity. A strong Barr showing could open ballot access in several states. The focus here should be how to focus the campaign to take the most advantage of that.
Agenda or no agenda, dynamics or not.
Probably what is most important to me is Ballot Access.
In GA, a Barr showing of 20% or better places the LP into Major Party status, removing the ballot access barriers for the LP at the local level. Currently signatures of 10% of registered voters are required to be placed on the ballot.
Not only GA has this opportunity. A strong Barr showing could open ballot access in several states. The focus here should be how to focus the campaign to take the most advantage of that.
BOB BARR IS THE GREATEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE LP. I PREDICT HE WILL RECEIVE A RECORD NUMBER OF VOTES.
You are most likely correct, Bob Wayne. Bob Barr will probably be the most successful presidential candidate that the Libertarian Party has ever had.
The Libertarian Party should have chosen former senator Eugene J. McCarthy in 1980. No, he did not actively seek the nomination. However, I do think that he probably would have accepted the nod. Would not that have been something? A four-way race between John B. Anderson, Jimmy Carter, Eugene J. McCarthy, and Ronald Reagan.