“Last Free Voice” Blog Details Contributions by Bob Barr to Republicans in 2007
May 10th, 2008The blog “Last Free Voice” has this research, showing that Bob Barr made contributions to various Republican Senators during 2007. These are contributions to Senators whose term is ending in January 2009; presumably they were all running for re-election when Barr made the contributions. The last contribution shown was to Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss, made in January 2008. Of course, Barr was not then thinking of running for the Libertarian presidential nomination. Presumably, in retrospect, if he had known he would be doing that, he might not have made those contributions.
May 10th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
If Bob Barr is really a Libertarian why would he be donating to these Republicans regaurdless of whether or not he is running for President?
May 10th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
why not? one may be an outsider but you got to be a player and support those who support you. After all it isn’t like he was donating to Democrats. He was a Republican after all. Bob Barr will be the best thing that happens to Libertarians and really third parties as a whole if nominated. Please donate http://www.bobbarr2008.com Without Bob Barr the Libertarians can look forward to their usual 400,000 votes. Now a BARR/GRAVEL ticket would garner 2 million votes easily appealing to a wide spectrum of voters.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
The $10,000 listed as Barr contributions to various Republican members of Congress, if instead contributed to the national Libertarian Party, could have paid for the South Dakota Libertarian petition. The national party dropped that drive because of a lack of money. It is also a lack of national LP funds that has prevented the Libertarian Party from qualifying in West Virginia and Oklahoma.
May 10th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
The Libertarian Party should nominate Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez for president and vice president!
May 10th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
if he had known he would be doing that, he might not have made those contributions…
I was prepared to support Congressman Barr enthusiastically. But this is just bad news: both for his credibility and for his prospects of getting the nomination. $10K is big bucks in the LP. Is there any chance that he can explain this? Like he didn’t have control over the PAC decision-making process or something?
I know; that sounds pretty lame…
May 10th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Gravel/Barr as the Libertarian nominees, or Barr/Gravel will get some attention! Already FOX business channel is sponsoring a debate.
Gravel has a change at Prez nomination for Green Party also. Some excellent possiblities.
…Senator Chambliss is is another chicken-hawk. Another warmonger, who refused to serve in the military when it was his time. It’s disgusting Barr gave Chambliss a donation.
May 10th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
BOB BARR IS THE BEST AND ONLY HOPE THIS YEAR.
May 10th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
“The $10,000 listed as Barr contributions to various Republican members of Congress, if instead contributed to the national Libertarian Party, could have paid for the South Dakota Libertarian petition.”
The LP not making the political party petition deadline in South Dakota was a major screw up because it would have given them ballot status there for 4 years. Now if they want to have any candidates on the ballot in South Dakota this year they will have to petition to get on the ballot as independents, which puts them on the ballot for that election only and with no party label.
May 10th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Andy said:
“The LP not making the political party petition deadline in South Dakota was a major screw up because it would have given them ballot status there for 4 years.”
Not surprising, though. The LNC hasn’t made ballot access a priority since 2000. Sadly, there are LNC members who view the national party helping states qualify for the ballot as “welfare”.
The LP qualified for every state ballot in 1992, 1996, and 2000. Failing to qualify in every state in 2004 and 2008 was a choice that the LNC made — it was not inevitable.
May 11th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Bill Crain: “… Like he didn’t have control over the PAC decision-making process or something?”
Even “named” political committees are run by a Board of Directors, which may not include the named person at all.
For example, I was surprised to find out that Ron Paul had no legal control whatever over the “Ron Paul for President Committee.”
I’ve written to the Barr PAC asking for information on their governance and Barr’s authority.
May 12th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Westmiller wrote:
I’ve written to the Barr PAC asking for information on their governance and Barr’s authority.
Any news on that would be appreciated, either here or over at Third Party Watch.
Richard Winger has anointed TPW “today’s substitute for those old-time national Libertarian internal discussion groups.” So the discussion continues :-)
May 12th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Why don’t they, then, call it Libertarian Party and Constitution Party Watch? Better yet, how about Bourgeois Conservative Parties Watch?