Madison NORML

Gary, Jim and Cheryl prepare to head over to the Capitol.

It was an exciting and emotional day, speaking at a medical marijuana press conference inside the U.S. Capitol. NORML took excellent care of us, putting us up in suites near their office.

The next day, before we headed home, Ron Crickenberger came to the hotel and filmed footage for Libertarian TV ads. Ron shot footage of me as part of an ad that included other patients like Angel Raich and Steve Kubby, then moved on to filming an ad he’d written for Cheryl. The ad, titled "Why Would You Do That To Me, Bob (Barr)?", spotlighting Barr’s opposition to medical marijuana, was for use on behalf of Libertarian Carole Ann Rand running in the race for U.S House in Georgia against Republican Bob Barr, who also faced a Republican primary opponent, John Linder, due to redistricting..

The LP’s Film News Archive for 2003 noted the ad was later named "Most Dramatic Political Ad of 2002" by the influential National Journal magazine.

-- Congratulations to the Libertarian Party for creating a political advertisement just named "Most Dramatic Political Ad of 2002" by the influential National Journal magazine. Per the LP News, the 30-second spot, entitled "Why Bob," was broadcast by Libertarian Carole Ann Rand against Republican Bob Barr in the race for U.S House (District 7) in Georgia. The ad--written, directed, and filmed by LP Political Director Ron Crickenberger--was selected from among 1,868 political ads by the National Journal for this top honor. It featured medical marijuana patient Cheryl Miller, who suffers from multiple sclerosis. In the ad, a wan Miller addresses the camera from a hospital bed and says "Bob Barr thinks I should be in jail for using my medicine. Why would you do that to me, Bob?'" The Libertarian Party broadcast the ad about 4,000 times on CNN, TNT, Comedy Central, MSNBC, and other cable networks in the Georgia district. Bob Barr was soundly defeated. The LP took aim at Barr as part of its "Incumbent Killer" strategy, which targeted the worst drug warriors in Congress for defeat. (Source: click here).

Even today as a proclaimed supporter of medical cannabis, Barr has yet to acknowledge it was the power of Cheryl Miller that made him a former Republican congressman and a Libertarian Party candidate for president.

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The late Ron Crickenberger films Cheryl as Jim looks on.(Photo by Gary Storck)
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The ad that ended Bob Barr's congressional career and set him on the road to being a Libertarian.
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VIDEO: WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME, BOB (BARR)? " This commercial is a scathing indictment of the most rabid Drug Warrior in Congress," -- former Libertarian Party Political Director Ron Crickenberger. Crickenberger produced this devastating ad for the LP's Carol Ann Rand, who ran against the Georgia Republican in an election in which the newly redistricted Barr lost the GOP primary to John Linder, sending him back to the private sector. (2002, Running Time: 1 minute).
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Free Republic: Medical marijuana ads play role in defeat of U.S. Rep. Bob Barr: click here.