Controversial Actions and Statements:

In a January 23, 2024 op-ed for Townhall, Barr wrote, “Today’s young youth are more narcissistic than ever … Of course, they are not completely to blame. Parents and adults share responsibility for creating this monster. For decades, parents were told by so-called parenting ‘experts’ that offspring would be best raised on the belief each is special and entitled to all life has to offer. Now, trophies are awarded to every child on the team or in the class so no child’s self-esteem is bruised by virtue of being ‘left out;’ letter grades from ‘A’ to ‘F’ give way to vague and slippery narratives. We encourage every teenager to pursue their passion in college—something to which they are ‘entitled’—regardless of the marketable value of the skills they gain after many tens of thousands of dollars spent on that education … It is this delusion of entitlement that served as the catalyst for the recent ‘Occupy’ movement.”

In an October 28, 2023 op-ed for the Marietta Daily Journal, Barr endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan in the November 2012 election, stating, “The inescapable and overriding importance of re-charting America’s course away from the Big Government Liberalism of the current administration has prompted me to support the GOP ticket of Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan. The stakes are simply too high to admit any degree of hesitancy in this regard. The decision I have reached, and in which I ask other libertarian-leaning and conservative-oriented voters to join, is not one based on a serendipitous view that Romney is the perfect candidate … He is not [the perfect candidate] … We cannot afford a search for perfection. We cannot afford to withhold votes from a candidate we perceive to be imperfect. What we do know beyond any doubt, is that the current course on which our nation already is well-embarked is not sustainable.”

In a June 28, 2023 op-ed for the Daily Caller, Barr wrote about a Supreme Court decision issued that morning which upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Barr stated, “By upholding Obamacare, the Supreme Court—a court nominally ‘conservative’ and supposedly ‘non-activist’—has driven the final nail into the coffin of limited government … Tragically, this foundation of sand on which [Chief Justice John] Roberts and his majority colleagues based their decision now takes on enhanced power as a basis on which the government will be able to seize freedom from the people … [2012 Republican presidential candidate] Mitt Romney has commendably asserted that if elected, his first priority will be to repeal Obamacare. Unfortunately, unless he simply declares that he will not enforce the laws of the land—as President Obama likes to do—it will be neither that simple nor that quick. Obamacare is now the law of the land and it has the Supreme Court’s seal of approval to back it up.The damage truly has been done, and we will not soon—or perhaps ever—undo it. Thanks, Chief Justice Roberts.”

In a May 28, 2023 op-ed for the Daily Caller, Barr wrote about what he called the “demonization of George Zimmerman and the deification of Trayvon Martin.” Barr was referring to the February 26, 2023 shooting of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin by concealed handgun permit holder George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. Barr stated, “Much like the Queen of Hearts in Lewis Carroll’s fable, Alice in Wonderland, many would just as soon sentence Zimmerman first and try him later, if at all.” Barr also criticized the Florida prosecutor, Angela Corey, who brought charges against Zimmerman, stating that she “based her decision on some of the flimsiest evidence and legal analysis I have ever seen.” The “latest absurd development,” wrote Barr, occurred at Malcom X Elementary School in the District of Columbia which hosted “Trayvon Martin Day.” He referred to the program as dealing with “some manufactured problem about an already highly politicized legal case in Florida … Perhaps the program honoring Trayvon Martin was accompanied by a chorus of ‘Kumbaya’ to help foster a ‘happy spirit.’”

Barr authored an October 13, 2023 op-ed for The Daily Caller about the Occupy Wall Street protests that address the issue of economic inequality in the United States. Barr wrote, “President Barack Obama is not only beloved by the current generation of protesters, but his open and repeated efforts to make class warfare and class envy of the ‘rich’ the signature issues of his first term has provided the spark for the young people (and some middle-aged hippies) railing against ‘greed.’”

Barr wrote about the financial troubles facing the United States Postal Service in a September 21, 2023 op-ed for The Daily Caller, stating, “The USPS is staring at a budget deficit of more than $9 billion and may not be able to make a $5.5 billion payment now due for the exceptionally generous health care benefits it is committed to pay its retirees, thanks largely to union pressure … Congress…should loosen the stranglehold Big Labor maintains on the USPS. Many of the agency’s problems are exacerbated by a highly unionized labor force that accounts for some 80% of its budget. Private delivery services, including UPS and FedEx, on the other hand, have labor costs that are substantially lower. The GAO has recommended that Congress eliminate ‘layoff protections’ in the collective bargaining agreements between the USPS and labor unions. The postal union, true to form, will hear no such blasphemy.”

Barr expressed his belief that bullying is “a natural rite of passage” for schoolchildren and worried that anti-bullying initiatives in schools would encourage to students to “snitch on each other” in a September 2, 2023 op-ed for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He also complained about the impetus for anti-bullying measures by writing, “Much like ‘hate crimes’ laws long-favored by liberals, New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights was passed as a reactionary measure nearly a year after a gay college student tragically committed suicide.”

In an August 11, 2023 op-ed for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution entitled “’Random Violence’ a Sign of Things to Come,” Barr compared peaceful demonstrations in Wisconsin against an anti-labor law to the “violent protests in Greece and the United Kingdom over cuts to public benefits.” Barr went on to add: “The reactions by beneficiaries of Wisconsin voters’ largesse were typical of people who have become dependent on government in one manner or another, and who view such benefits as ‘entitlements’ to which they enjoy a fundamental and irrevocable right. When any person or institution then threatens those entitlements—whether a president, a prime minister, or federal or state legislators—the reactions become very personal and potentially violent.”

In January 2011, Barr began serving as an advisor to former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier. Barr was consulted by Duvalier as he attempted to recover $5.7 million in assets frozen by the Swiss government. The assets were frozen following charges that Duvalier had embezzled $300 million from the Haitian government during his 15-year rule. Duvalier was also accused of widespread human rights abuses, including torture and murder. Human Rights Watch claims that Duvalier’s Tonton Macoutes Militia was responsible for up to 30,000 civilian deaths. Barr dismissed these allegations against Duvalier, saying, “I deal with allegations all the time. They are the cheapest commodity on the market.” Previously, Barr had visited Haiti to help Duvalier’s brother-in-law fight drug smuggling charges.

Barr’s immigration platform during his 2008 presidential run included support for eliminating the guarantee of birthright citizenship. While the Fourteenth Amendment currently confers citizenship upon any individual born in the United States, Barr proposed that children of illegal immigrants, even if they are born in the United States, should not automatically qualify for citizenship.

In 2007, Barr was paid $70,000 by the Marijuana Policy Project to lobby on their behalf in support of the legalization of medical marijuana in the District of Columbia. Previously, as a Member of Congress, Barr successfully authored an amendment that prohibited the local DC government from acting to legalize medical marijuana.

In 2001, three airport security guards filed a complaint against Barr, alleging that he used racial slurs against them during a dispute over access to a private parking lot. Barr reportedly asked the supervising guard, “When are you going to open the gate you stupid black idiot?”

On July 29, 1999, Barr voted in favor of an amendment to the yearly District of Columbia appropriations bill that would have banned adoption by gay parents in the District. The amendment failed 215-213.

In March 1999, Barr opposed expanding the federal definition of a hate crime to include crimes motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation, calling proposed legislation “a backdoor way to obtain protected status for sexual orientation and sexual deviancy.”

Barr gave the keynote speech at a white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) national convention in 1998. The event featured fellow speakers Jared Taylor, publisher of the racist American Renaissance magazine (“when blacks are left entirely to their own devices…civilization disappears”) and Brent Nelson, author of the anti-immigrant book America Balkanized. CCC has claimed that blacks are genetically inferior to whites and has also advocated homophobic, anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic ideas. The organization frequently publishes racial commentary on current events, and once blamed journalist Daniel Pearl for his own murder due to his choice to enter into an interracial marriage. When confronted with the overtly racist nature of the organization, Barr claimed he had “no idea” what CCC advocated. According to CCC chief executive Gordon Lee Baum, however, Barr “knew what we were all about before he spoke to us. We don't invite people and let them walk into the dark on us.”

In 1996, Bob Barr voted in favor of legislation that would allow states to ban children of illegal immigrants from attending public schools.