Ganley hires man who inspired Obama's win
Top Democratic fundraiser joins Libertas team
Tuesday March 17 2009
LIBERTAS founder Declan Ganley has hired the man who inspired Barack Obama's successful fundraising campaign to help his drive to secure up to 100 seats in the European Parliament in June.
Mr Ganley, who announced his intention to run for Europe in the North West constituency at the weekend, revealed yesterday that long-time Democratic campaign worker and consultant Joe Trippi is on his team.
Trippi, who ran Howard Dean's fundraising campaign in 2004, which used the internet to generate support and raise over $50m in nine months, will begin work for Libertas this week.
"In terms of design and approach of how you run these campaigns, Trippi is developing our internet fundraising strategy which is going very well," Mr Ganley said yesterday.
He is not the first political figure to attempt to tap into the Obama magic. Fianna Fail recently drafted in the expertise of Blue State Digital, which helped President Barack Obama to victory, to assist in redesigning the party's website.
Mr Ganley said that no individual could, or should, fund the Europe-wide campaign in which Libertas is targeting over 30 and up to 100 seats in its bid to become the first "real political party" in European politics.
"They go around calling me a billionaire and saying, oh, that fellow doesn't need the money. It doesn't matter how successful a businessperson you are, or anything else, nobody is capable of running something like this on their own, nor should they be doing it," he said yesterday.
He stressed that the key was in collecting donations as small as €1 through the website at www.libertas.eu
"It is essential for the Libertas campaign for me to get elected and for Libertas to get elected. We cannot do this without raising money so we can ensure the people's voices are heard," he said.
On a tour of local radio stations, Mr Ganley was keen to proclaim himself a man of the west. "I spent many a day on the bog. I worked in the Halal meat factory in Ballyhaunis in the 80s. I fished in Achill. I turned hay with a hayfork. I cleaned out stables more times than I can remember. There is nothing elitist about me," he said.
Mr Ganley also insisted that the party was over for what he termed the political cartel which had guided the country into an "economic hurricane".
- Anita Guidera
