The McClatchy newspapers have an assessment of Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr’s impact so far. I think it’s half right — (1) Barr is having a great deal of trouble raising money, but it’s (2) not because he’s in Paul’s shadow (as quoted political scientist Steven Schier contends).
I think a commenter remarking on the McClatchy story has it right:
Ron Paul is not in Bob Barr’s way. Quite the opposite is the problem: Bob Barr continues to keep his distance from Ron Paul.
The bigger problem for Barr is that Paul has already set a higher standard for libertarianism, one to which Barr, as a former conservative, is not quite ready to commit to. Ron Paul inspires people with his integrity and commitment to that standard. Barr on the other hand turns people off with his mushy, kinda-sorta view of liberty.
Note, that I was not a Paul supporter, but I see the truth of the remarks — Barr just doesn’t seem like a libertarian to some libertarians.