Bob Barr in Texas: Shot Down

So much for Rep. Barr's challenge to McCain and Obama's ballot status in Texas. The court dismissed his petition without comment. After all, how can you comment on such presumption? How dare someone suggest that neither the Republican nor the Democratic candidate should be on the ballot because they broke a rule? Wouldn't that be like saying that the House and Senate are illegal conspiracies?

I exaggerate, but what we see here is a clear case of deference to the Bipolarchy when both parties were caught with their pants down due to holding their conventions so late. Since the court will have nothing to say, I'm left to conclude that Texas regards the Bipolarchy as above the law -- ballot laws, existing, after all, mostly to make it hard for others to challenge the big two. In many ways, the concept of the ballot as a physical list of legitimate candidates is the leading obstacle to independent voting. Independent candidates are forced to waste assets fighting for ballot access and against challenges from Bipolarchy lawyers. But hasn't technology brought us to a point where we could actually do without the ballot by adopting voice-recognition voting or something similar, with proper provisions made for deaf-mutes? That way, in effect, everyone would be a write-in candidate and no candidate could depend on brand-name recognition inside the voting booth. This would be just one of several reforms needed to level the playing field, but each of them is essential if we really want to be rid of the Bipolarchy.

At least Barr got his name in the news a little bit more than normal, -- and who has a problem with that? Barr is no more an attention seeker, as some have suggested, than Senator McCain or Senator Obama or anyone else in the race. As a candidate, Barr's job is to call attention to himself. To condemn his efforts is really to question his right to run for President. If anyone would care to do that, step right up.