Related

• Political and campaign coverage, including multimedia, resources, endorsements, maps and more

roanoke.com/politics

• State, local and national political coverage, Virginia General Assembly and gubernatorial politics

Most of the television sets in the upstairs room at Corned Beef & Co. on Monday night were tuned to the American League Championship Series baseball playoffs.

A commercial for a sketch comedy show aired during one of the breaks and two comedians, portraying Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, peered down toward the bar, their expressions exaggeratedly hopeful.

"There they are," said Steven Godkin, of Roanoke, his voice tinged with weariness and an air of restrained tension.

Godkin was one of about 30 people who turned out for a Roanoke appearance by Bob Barr, the former member of the U.S. House of Representatives who is the Libertarian Party nominee for president. An Oct. 9 Associated Press report said Barr has for months held steady with about a 1 percent share of support.

In 1998, Barr attained national prominence when he launched an effort to begin an inquiry into whether to impeach President Bill Clinton. His appearance in Roanoke came one day after Clinton, campaigning for Obama, drew a crowd of about 3,500 to downtown Roanoke.

The Libertarian party is known for its advocacy of small government, civil liberties and increased personal privacy, and its opposition to income taxes and acts of coercive physical force.

"We take what's best about the two major parties," said Jeff Bowles of Fincastle, who is the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Virginia. "Republicans have always been seen as fiscally responsible. Democrats ... care about people or have a reputation for caring about other people. We're looking to get tax dollars back in Americans' hands. I think a lot of people are frustrated by the overreaction of government to problems created by previous overreactions."

William Kesler of Roanoke said he has attended rallies for both McCain and Obama. He disagrees equally with both but feels McCain represents a greater threat to American liberties.

"I don't think either one of the major party candidates represents what we need to get back to what America was founded on," said Kesler. He added that he understood why some people might consider voting for a third party candidate "a wasted vote, but if it's what you believe, that's where your vote needs to go."

As he waited for Barr's appearance, Godkin defined Libertarians as "constitutionalists."

"Both parties have lost it, what our forefathers intended for us to become," he said. "I believe in this movement. I am done voting for the lesser of two evils."

Jocelyn Casto of Roanoke said she showed up because she heard about the gathering on the radio. She declared herself an independent, a voter undecided between McCain and Barr. She said she has objections to Obama's positions on health care and foreign policy.

"I think he'd be better with the economy, but the economy's not everything," she said.

Barr showed up about 7:30 p.m. Dressed in jeans, a striped shirt and a navy sport coat, he sat at the bar, ordered a Newcastle ale and casually fielded questions from the crowd on subjects ranging from education, welfare, the bailout and health care.

He said were he elected president, his first actions would be to restrict privacy invasions by the government, cut 10 percent of the executive office, submit legislation to undo the bailout and challenge Congress to cut its budget by at least 10 percent.

Bowles was optimistic but practical about his candidate's chances for success in the current race.

"We might not win, but we're going to raise ideas and bring forth concepts that aren't being discussed," he said.