Topic: Bob Barr
Where Your Money Went - Barr to July 2008 I examine how the Libertarian Presidential campaign of Bob Barr spent its money through July 2008, notably on office space, internet services, staff and consultant salaries, and travel.by George Phillies
(libertarian)
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Where Your Money Went: Barr Spending through July 2008
From its inception through the end of July 2008, the Barr campaign had raised $632,862, slightly less than half the $1,372,108 it was to have raised by late November. Many political campaigns peak in income as election day approaches; Barr's was not to be one of these.
For July, that income included $10,000 from the Libertarian National Committee. One might wonder what the LNC thought it was buying with its money, but the financial disclosures will tell us what was actually purchased. The LNC has since lamented that it had not contractual arrangement with the Barr campaign, as a result of which Barr (unlike past Libertarian Presidential candidates) did not share his list of new contact names with the National Party. The time to settle on such an agreement was, of course, before rather than after giving the Barr campaign a sum of money that was larger than the yearly budget of many Libertarian State parties.
So where did the Barr campaign spend its money up to the start of August? To its credit, the campaign had spent over $20,000, about 3% of income to date, on ballot access. Nearly $50,000 had been spent on various sorts of advertising efforts, including $6250 to very far right internet news source NewsMax. Advocacy Ink for Media Consulting had received so far $32,446.
Much modern campaigning is one via the internet. The Barr campaign had thus far spent $61,686 for information technology, largely to Terra Eclipse, $13,355 for software, bought or rented computers computers and the like for $2,922, and paid $327 for cable. This is a remarkable sum of money for a web page.
All that computer equipment had to sit someplace. The Barr campaign had already spent over $83,000 on office space and office equipment. That includes $56,045 on rent, $25,732 for office furniture and equipment, and $2175 for building repairs.
There's no point in having an office without having people in or near it. Former LNC Executive Director Shane Cory was paid $18,000 in July. His pay wandered remarkably from month to month, so inferring that he was being paid at a $216,000 annual rate would be unjustified. Former Cato writer Doug Bandow was up to $27,000 so far for the year. Nominal campaign manager Russ Verney was not paid from early June through to the end of July. Total spending on everyone came to over $100,000.
By the end of July, travel costs were approaching $120,000.
Multiple people had received $23,537 for field consulting and another $10,652 for political consulting, not to mention $11,661 for legal fees. Liberty Strategies, a firm with strong ties to Barr, had received $27,500 for contract services.
There had also been $6,163 in meeting expenses and $3,088 in catering expenses, not to mention $1,097 for car rental.
Weighing on present and future potential campaign efforts were some of Barr's interviews, such as the one he gave to KIRO 710, the Dori Monson show. Most of the way through the show, just after discussing FISA, he was asked about drug legalization:
Interviewer: I understand the argument in favor of legalizing drugs. I understand it; I've never figured out why it was as prominent as it is within the Libertarian Party.
Barr: It isn't. It is not...
Interviewer: It has been in the past..
Barr: Oh, it absolutely has been, and that's one of the reason why the party has not been able to do as well as it should be doing, in terms of the mainstream message that is the heart of Libertarianism.
That is: smaller Federal Government, more individual freedom, more power to businesses and individuals to control their lives. That's the heart and soul of the Libertarian message and it's very mainstream.
Barr: The party from time to time has gotten off on these tangents.
Barr: My view is: Get the Federal government out of these issues. Leave them to the states. That is not a Federal responsibility. The people of the states, whether it is defining marriage, for example, or defining the extent of their criminal laws in a state, that is up to the people of the state.
Barr's remarkable positions -- for a Libertarian -- on these traditional libertarian issues seem unlikely to have advanced him with building a stronger party.
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The views expressed in this
article are those of George Phillies only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. George Phillies is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
Posted By: Walt Thiessen
Date: 2009-05-24 11:45:26
What, exactly, does the Barr campaign financial report for July 2008 have to do with the KIRO interview? You drew no connection in your article between them, other than to say that it cost money for Barr to appear on that program and to complain that Barr's position on drugs does not help build the party. These seem like highly disconnected points, in my opinion. Draw me some connections within your article if you think they're related.
Posted By: Walt Thiessen
Date: 2009-05-28 16:37:46
George: if your point was that Barr contributors (of which I was not one) paid for the radio interview, why was it necessary in your article to break down the various ways that contributions were spent, such as office equipment, software, computers, catering, meeting expenses, etc. Those seem completely irrelevant to what you now claim is the point of your article.
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