From the desk of George Phillies:
Where Barr’s money went:
People:
James Bovard — authoring fee $15,000,
Doug Bandow — Political Consultant — $10,000,
Steve Sinton $4000, and
Robert Stuber $4000
Field Consulting cost $9161, including payments to Mike Ferguson, Andrew MacPherson, Ashley Petty, Jason Pye, and John Seewoester.
Groups of people, including Legal Fees for $11,850, not to mention Liberty Strategies Contract Services $11,000, Advocacy Ink — Media Consulting — $4185,
Prime One — political consulting — $2500, and $5250 for compliance consulting.
Real estate so these people have someplace to be, namely Rent for $16,429, Office Equipment and Furniture at $5628, Office Supplies for $1522, Utilities for $1246, and Cell phone charges of $974, totalled over $25,000.
Going places, including Travel Expenses $23,005 (airlines, hotels), Limousine $3194, Events $2594, and Meeting Expense $1028. That’s just under $30,000
IT of all sorts included $17,184 almost all to Thru Tech, $10,916 in Transaction Fees to Terra Eclipse,
Software for $2490, and a $240 computer monitor. That’s over $30,500.
Getting on the ballot cost $17123 for ballot access.
Expenses potentially related to marketing the candidate to the electorate, aggregated, included
Advertising — $2824
Direct Marketing 13316.09
List Rental $1073
Order fulfillment $6648
Postage, printing and Promotional Items $9896
Shipping $2188
Signs $989
Telemarketing $240 to Winning Edge International, Las Vegas
T-shirts $129
Other Transaction Fees came to $3760.
27 responses so far ↓
1 inDglass // Sep 21, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Was it that $10,000 political consultant’s bright idea to snub Ron Paul and basically the rest of the progressive and pro-liberty movements?
2 TheOriginalAndy // Sep 21, 2008 at 7:47 pm
“Getting on the ballot cost $17123 for ballot access.”
Since the petition drive to get Bob Barr on the ballot in West Virginia failed due to mismanagement, none of that $17,123 went to ballot access, it went to ballot FAILURE.
(Unless of course some of it went to a state where the petition drive was successful, but I’m pretty sure that money was spent on West Virginia.)
3 paulie cannoli // Sep 21, 2008 at 7:48 pm
As far as I know, WV was the only state the campaign handled ballot access in directly.
4 Steven R Linnabary // Sep 21, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Hmm
I don’t see any $18,000 air conditioners listed.
PEACE
Steve
5 paulie cannoli // Sep 21, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I think this may have just been August. The air conditioning thing was before that, right?
6 George Phillies // Sep 21, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Yes, This was just August. George
7 JimDavidson // Sep 21, 2008 at 10:55 pm
The payments for West Virginia are evidently not complete. I meet tomorrow night with an Oklahoma activist who encouraged one of her friends to get involved with the LP there. Her friend went to West Virginia as a paid petition gatherer, and did not get paid.
I don’t have the details yet, but it is another woman named Angela (not our heroine Angela Keaton obviously) who seems to be missing her pay. And when she asks for it, is told they don’t have any money.
Obviously, this sort of behavior is not libertarian. I don’t think my comments here are an indictment of the LP nor of the Barr campaign at this point, but I plan to get more details when I meet with my friend.
The way ballot petition signature gatherers have been treated this year is quite a story itself.
8 VTV // Sep 21, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Recently I have been given information that states that Matt Hariss, the LP Chairman was embezzling funds from the WV LP. An email was supposed to be sent to the LP about this. I wonder if that has anything to do with it?
9 G.E. // Sep 21, 2008 at 11:04 pm
LPHQ will probably want to hire him. Criminality seems to be the #1 thing they look for in employees.
10 VTV // Sep 21, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Well between that and stabbing his wife recently, one would have to wonder if he would fit in.
11 sunshinebatman // Sep 21, 2008 at 11:35 pm
So is Bovard writing most of the press releases?
Bandow is doing the foreign policy ones?
12 G.E. // Sep 22, 2008 at 12:33 am
Whoever’s doing the foreign-policy press releases is doing a good job. I wish Barr was on the same page as the press-release writer.
The economics press-release writer should join the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
13 G.E. // Sep 22, 2008 at 12:42 am
David Nolan defends Barr’s expenditures here:
FFT
14 paulie cannoli // Sep 22, 2008 at 3:02 am
Recently I have been given information that states that Matt Hariss, the LP Chairman was embezzling funds from the WV LP. An email was supposed to be sent to the LP about this.
Please CC me. Or just post it here.
I wonder if that has anything to do with it?
Highly unlikely, since the money went through the Barr campaign, not the WVLP.
Well between that and stabbing his wife recently, one would have to wonder if he would fit in.
Details?
I do know that he ran off with your [ex] wife, but beyond that this is the first I am hearing of any of this.
15 paulie cannoli // Sep 22, 2008 at 3:03 am
David Nolan defends Barr’s expenditures here:
Where?
16 TheOriginalAndy // Sep 22, 2008 at 3:07 am
The petition to put Bob Barr on the ballot ended on August 1st. I know that vetran Libertarian petitioner Jake Witmer just got paid from the West Virginia petition drive last week, the only thing was that they stiffed him out of $900 in pay.
17 G.E. // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:25 am
I pasted his comments.
18 darolew // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:42 am
I think paulie wanted a link.
19 G.E. // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:44 am
It was from an email.
20 George Phillies // Sep 22, 2008 at 9:43 am
G.E. Quotes a message I cannot find here:
“These are pretty much chicken feed for a Presidential campaign.”
Well, no. These are totally off the top of the chart for a Libertarian campaign, and appear to set new records for amounts paid.
” Bovard is a good libertarian with established credentials. If he wrote much for the
campaign, the $15K was probably well-spent. ”
Let us see some impact analysis.
“Bandow is pretty sharp and respectable too,”
For a contrary opinion http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Doug_Bandow
” so $10K is not a lot for his skills, if he did much …
although I wonder if he was consulted before some of their bonehead moves.”
$10K a month is more than the campaign chair or associate chair appear to be being paid.
21 paulie cannoli // Sep 22, 2008 at 9:53 am
I think paulie wanted a link.
That’s what I meant, but the explanation is good enough, thanks.
22 VTV // Sep 22, 2008 at 1:08 pm
paulie cannoli can you please give me an email to send you those details to? The person informing would rather not be publicly known at the moment.
23 paulie cannoli // Sep 22, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Email sent to the address you used for that comment. Subject: cannoli
24 G.E. // Sep 22, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Come on, George. I said it was from an email from David Nolan.
25 songster7 // Sep 22, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Deja vu all over again … most of the money is being spent on consultants and travel expenses (limousines, etc.) … The only difference is, when Browne did that, it was out of about $5 million raised (1996, IIRC), not the one mil BobBarf has managed so far from his allegedly deep pocketed colleagues …
Bottom line: It may be not much to spend for a Presidential campaign; however it is excessive
for one as low-dollar as this has been …
As for stiffing the petitioners in WV (and the other side-stories, embezzlement, etc.) … plus ca change …
So glad I’m a BTP elector
26 VTV // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Sent paulie
27 George Phillies // Sep 22, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Browne did not raise 5 million. For actual numbers, read my book Funding Liberty, available from Third Millennium http://3mpub.com/phillies
In 2000, Browne raised 1 million post-nomination, meaning he roughly tied–actually he was slightly behind–Badnarik.
How you spend the money matters.
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