Conservative Babylon

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Not that we’re surprised; right-wingers are notorious opportunists, who will sell their souls — and sell out their empty “principles” — for ambition’s sake.

Writes Michelangelo Signorile:

Bob Barr’s Curious Flip-Flop

Some pundits have observed that former Georgia Republican Congressman Bob Barr, now running for the presidency as the Libertarian Party candidate, could siphon off votes from John McCain. But could he turn out to actually take some votes that might have gone to the Democratic nominee?

And just how did Barr go — in a time span of roughly 48 hours — from defending the Defense Marriage Act, which he wrote in 1996, to vowing to push for its repeal?

On the Friday afternoon before last (May 23), Barr came on my radio program to talk about his run for the presidency. The Libertarian Party was convening that weekend in Denver, and he was hopeful that he would get the nomination.

We spent some time discussing DOMA, which he authored and sponsored in 1996 and which Bill Clinton signed into law. He’d come out a few years ago against an amendment to the U.S. Constitution barring gays from marrying, largely because he felt DOMA took care of the problem: states would not have to recognize gay marriages from other states if they didn’t want to do so. On the show, he supported the California Supreme Court decision of two weeks ago based on the fact that California exercised its sovereign right and that other states would not have to recognize the marriages because of DOMA. We went back and forth about DOMA, the full faith and credit clause of the Constitution, and how, in my view, his position just didn’t gel with libertarian principles. Nonetheless, he staunchly defended DOMA.

Then, two days later, in his acceptance speech after snagging the Libertarian Party nomination, Barr vowed that he would work to repeal DOMA!

What the hell happened? According to Brian Miller, a Libertarian Party member and a member of Outright Libertarians, an LGBT group, Barr was told he wouldn’t get the nomination unless he changed his position on DOMA. Outright Libertarians led the charge with the leadership to pressure Barr; Miller is a listener to my show and heard me comparing audio clips showing Barr’s turnaround, and called in last week to explain what happened behind the scenes at the convention.

Listen in to the clip below of Barr on my program. And then watch the vid-clip of him accepting the Libertarian nomination two days later to see the flip-flop for yourself. …

Video (and more) at the link.

Claims to fame: Adulterer; divorcé; hypocrite

The setup: A major opponent of choice, Barr publicly stated he would do everything in his power to stop a family member from having an abortion, even if the pregnancy were the result of rape.

The spike: Ex-wife Gail says then-hubby condoned the abortion of her third pregnancy — and paid for it.

Family values in action: For Thanksgiving, 1985, dumped cancer-victim Gail and abandoned the couple’s two young sons, for third wife Jeri. Swore he wasn’t having affair with Jeri before divorcing Gail; Gail says otherwise.

Punch line #1: Was chief sponsor of federal Defense of Marriage Act.

Hobbies: Was photographed licking whipped cream off breasts of strippers.

Punch line #2: Was first rep to call for impeachment of President Clinton.

Memorable observations:

“[The] principal House sponsor [of the federal anti-gay-marriage law, 'The Defense of Marriage Act'], Bob Barr of Georgia, his district office confirms, has been married three times — which raises the question of why the act doesn’t contain a three-strikes-and-you’re-out provision.”

— Frank Rich
New York Times

“Robert Barr who wrote the Act, definitely supports the notion of marriage. He’s been married three times. He must have confused ’till death do us part’ with ’till divorce do us part.’”

— Clinton Fein
“Marriage, Once” HERO Magazine

Suggested Bible reading for Mr. Barr:

And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

— Malachi 3:5