1998-2000 – Bergland As National Chair

It has been said that some people run for office in order To Do while others run for office in order To Be. Some people want the responsibilities of a job because having the job helps them reach their real objectives. Other people want the title of a job because the title makes them feel important. Bergland made clear he was not running To Do; he planned to appoint Dasbach CEO. Bergland did not appear to be running To Be, either. He performed the National Chair’s narrow responsibilities but didn’t appear to want the title for an ego trip. For example, the Party’s press releases more often came from Dasbach than from Bergland. Why, then, did Bergland run for National Chair? There is no obvious personal motive. Perhaps he chose to help a friend. Perhaps other matters still remain unseen.

Only rarely was Bergland visible as CEO. In 1999, controversy arose over the use of one of Harry Browne’s books as a premium distributed by the National Party. Distribution of the books was a National Party activity that transparently served to promote Browne’s nominating drive. Bergland ordered Dasbach not to answer questions from members. Bergland’s letter to Dasbach and the LNC, as circulated widely to Libertarians across the United States, read:

Message from the National Chair:

During the past couple of weeks an issue arose regarding the continued use of Harry Browne’s book as a premium for larger contributors responding to Archimedes mailings and also using Harry Browne’s photos, ame or comments for other Party mailings, promotions, etc. This issue came up on LPUS and resulted in extended discussion among EC members and the National Director. On May 28, 1999, I sent the following message on this subject:

Dear EC and National Director:

I have read with interest the voluminous exchange of information and views regarding the above subject. Mr. Dasbach has answered all the questions well and, indeed, spent an inordinate amount of time dealing with this set of issues. He has also been prudent in the past several months in moving toward phasing out the use of Harry Browne’s book as a premium for Archimedes and also phasing out the use of Harry Browne’s name and photo in general.

Having said that, I now put on my Chief Executive Officer hat, and take gavel in hand.

RULING: The use of Harry Browne’s book as a premium for contributions, whether for Archimedes mailings or otherwise, is completely proper until such time that Harry Browne announces that he is seeking the Party’s nomination as its presidential candidate. The National Director is authorized to exercise his judgment on whether or not to use the book for that purpose and in what manner.

COMMENTS: The decision made in the above ruling is solely within the jurisdiction of the Chair acting as Chief Executive Officer under the existing Bylaws and policies of the LNC. It is improper for members of the EC, or anyone else, to engage the National Director in extensive discussions and arguments of how best to implement policies, or projects undertaken consistent with those policies, established by the LNC. (The temptation to micromanage should be resisted whenever it rises.)

In my view, the value of continuing to use Harry Browne’s book as a premium in accordance with the National Director’s plans far outweighs any negative consequences that might result from its continued use. As Chief Executive Officer, I will take full responsibility for the outcome of my ruling and the National Director’s conduct in compliance with it.

David Bergland

National Chair and Chief Executive Officer

Libertarian Party

When questions were raised about the $20,000 the LNC spent in 2000 on the Howell campaign, Bergland tried—reports then-National-Treasurer Mark Tuniewicz—to force LNC Executive Committee discussion of the matter into executive session. We’ll return to LNC support for Browne 2000 and Howell 2000.

The Browne campaign got what it wanted out of the National Convention, namely a supportive National Chair and a National Staff whose leaders owed their jobs to Harry Browne. Project Archimedes would be launched immediately. The Browne Campaign would be given a reasonable shot—except that the objective was not vaguely attainable—of gaining 100,000 members by the next National Convention.

To this author, the Bergland campaign appeared to have one other major consequence: It kept Gene Cisewski out of the National Committee. The local organization strategy would have no exponent in the Party Leadership. Instead of an active National Chair with a political program, party activists voted for a passive National Chair who let his staff do direct mail recruitment.