. >> you are listening to the commonwealth club of radio program and our guest is bob barr. questions about the tea party. the tea parties and the tea party movement. and, how would the federalists feel about those and how does bob barr feel about those. >> i hand been to any of the events. i read about them and see them and know a lot of the folks involved and if, in fact, these movements, and i guess they are careful not to call themselves a party, republican party, would like to co-opt them and that is the greatest danger to the tea party movement, is being co-opted by the republican party and that seems to be a danger. if in fact, though, these movements are truly grassroots movements, to educate themselves and their fellow citizens, as to what is going on, in washington, particularly, at the federal level, to educate people as to the real issues, to talk about the constitution, in a meaningful, substantive way, then, i think it is good, and i think our framers would agree with that. they had very serious concerns, and, if not disdain to some extent, with formal politica

. >> you are listening to the commonwealth club of california radio program and our guest is bob barr, former libertarian candidate for president. there are some questions about you and your conversion from being a republican to being a libertarian. why that happened, what you left behind. >> i left behind in 2006, when i was invited to and gladly accepted an invitation to join the libertarian party is a member of its national committee what i left behind was a party that bore no relationship to do the party that i had been a member of for many years before that. a party that not only does not object to a president of its party violating or appearing to violate the law and decimating the civil liberties of the citizenry, but applauds it, is a party to me that has lost its roots, does not care for the constitution and certainly does not practice what it preaches. i certainly have very serious concerns and objections to the manner in which george w. bush had expanded federal spending, that it was really the former president and his administration , the republican administration, the dep

[applause] >> our thanks to bob barr former u.s. congressman and former libertarian party candidate for president. it's now time for our audience question period and mr. barr we have quite a number of questions as you can see so we're going try to get to a good smattering of them. they break down into several categories. questions about the federalists. questions about political issues in general and questions about yourself. so we'll try to cover a few of everything. let me start with a question about the federalists. this is a question that asks are politicians just simply much more ignorant today than they used to be? is that why they can't concentrate on the writings of the federalists and harkin back to what was originally intended? >> that's certainly part of it. i have to tell you i can -- i served on three different committees when i was in the congress the judiciary the government reform and the financial services. the judiciary committee and i think our counterpart over on the senate side the same would hold we did have in

. >> bob barr who ran for president as libertarian party candidate in 2008 spoke about what he sees as the weakness of the two-party system. mr. barr was a four term republican member of the u.s. house from georgia before becoming a libertarian four years ago. he spoke at the commonwealth love in california in san francisco for just over one hour. >> thank you george, and thank you to the commonwealth club for the temerity of inviting me back or go i think this is perhaps the third time i've had the honor in the pleasure of being with you all to share what far too few of our fellow citizens engage in, and that is ace here did that simple debate on current issues, public concern, public policy matters. i think the work that the commonwealth club does is not unique certainly is among the most important than a civic organization in our country and it is indeed a real honor to be with you all. one week ago today, i was in quite a different environment. i was over at oxford in the u.k. , speaking over there. and, the audience was somewhat small compared to the audience that i have enjoyed l

. >> our thanks to bob barr, former libertarian candidate for joining us today. [applause] >> thank you. [applause] si mccuish thank the audiences here and on the radio and television internet. this meeting of the commonwealth club of california, the place where you are in the know is adjourned. [applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >>> flexible policies actually make employees more, not less productive because as you all know spending time worrying about what's happening at home, your employees have the support and peace of mind that they desperately need to concentrate. >> watch something on c-span that he would like to share with friends? at the new c-span video library you can search, watch it, put it and share it. over 160,000 hours of video from yesterday or last year. every c-span program since 1987. the sec and the delivery, cable's latest gift to america. >>> this year's c-span studentcam competition asked middle and high school students to create a five to eight minute video dealing with one of our country's greatest strengths o

. >> john, at this stage the white house counsel, bob barr, fight it or is it something they might haveo go along with? depends on what the judge says? >> i don't want to -- i want to label it as speculation because i don't know their strategy, but i would be stunned if this white house, like any white house, doesn't vigorously resist efforts to bring the president or people around him into any kind of legal proceeding, criminal or civil. in fact, they have a responsibility to do that. >> i totally agree. i think you can expect the government to resist this on several counts. first i'll say he doesn't have that important an evidence. secondly they say it's an inconvenience to the president. they'll think of all sorts of reasons to have this not happen. i think you have to say going into this, and you never know what will happen, going into this, the odds that they would ever get what they want are very low, but, i mean, they're trying what they can. it's a vigorous defense of rod blagojevich. >> i'll say. thank you very much, pete williams with the breaking news. jon harris, let's talk