What Your National Committee is Doing

by: AuGeo

Tue Aug 10, 2010 at 14:09:50 PM MDT

So what did the LNC do last month?  They met.  There was a long discussion of Green Party vs LP, with no one looking at the GP budget and comparing with ours.  David Nolan insulted the fine Libertarians of my region, and our representative Rachel Hawkridge, writing "The regional system has become ridiculous, with some containing states scattered across the USA."  He also correctly noted "Or we could easily find ourselves in a situation where the replacement represents views diametrically opposite the person who resigns (or is forced out, as with Angela Keaton)."

LNC Appropriates $25,000 for New York Ballot Access

by: AuGeo

Sun Aug 01, 2010 at 08:23:13 AM MDT

LNC Claims Obama is Marxist Plotting to Destroy Capitalism

by: AuGeo

Sat Jul 17, 2010 at 07:24:39 AM MDT

No one could make this up. Go look at LP.ORG.

Read: "I believe my old college classmate Obama (Class of '83 Columbia University) is a Marxist purposefully trying to destroy capitalism, "  The author is LNC At-Large member Wayne Root.

The APRC debated the publicity, as may be covered in a future issue.

Meanwhile a Bylaws amendment passed through at the last LNC meeting forbids committees larger than ten or so, such as the entire LNC, to meet by phone.  It turns out that the LNC affiliate support committee has more than ten members, so thanks to the new Bylaw it reportedly can no longer meet electronically

LNC Meets in Las Vegas

by: AuGeo

Sun Jul 11, 2010 at 10:44:48 AM MDT

Seebeck writes:  OK, finally got connection here at Ballys and we're underway. H/T to Don Wills, LPWY for the connections. Public comment.

Who's not here: Oaksun (family emergency), Olsen (4, Wills covering), Sink-Burris (3, Wolfe). In crowd, Starr, Ray Strong, me, all CA, more

Creds report by Mattson.

Setup this morning tweaked by Kraus and me, ditto getting projector going. Hotel connection sucks. Room is huge, 109 in Vegas today, yuck.

Region 5 (Karlan/Vassar) both not here.

Still getting stuff organized here on the binders, Mattson directing traffic on this, newbie instructions for this time only.

Agenda review.

Rachel Hawkridge now on board of LOLA.

4 minutes ahead of schedule. Chair's report. Liberty Links at lp.org, FreedomFest attendance & talked to Mackey who is supportive in ways.

Neale, Lark, Root, Ruwart, Hall on this cmte. Still want to be in DC for volunteers from GWU, others nearby. amt to raise TBD.

Nolan asks if presumption is HQ continues in DC if buy made. Hinkle says yes unless LNC says otherwise. (They should check nationwide IMO)

Chair report done. +16 minutes. Treasurer out, family emergency. Hinkle has Starr covering for it, maybe from transition? not sure here.

Will try to figure this out later. Thought Oaksun was going to submit a budget today, so this is off the plumbline some.

Going over numbers on screen. I need a telescope to see them from here. BBIAM.

NEW MATERIAL

BTW, I'd webcast this, but the video is upside down and the audio in here is lousy and all anyone would here is my typing. Aint tech fun?

What's confidential? Not reporting any numbers anyway.

OK, back, still in Treasurer report. I don't have a copy here so I can't really tell much about it.

Convention operations made $6K, not counting banquet donations. That's a different switch, mainly from no speaker fees.

LNC members treating Starr like he's still on the LNC? Also he's taking chair ops instead of simply giving a report? Hinkle needs to rein.   6 minutes ago via web

Treasurer report done. Still +8. Now secretary report. Motion to adopt 5-28 LNC mtg minutes, pre-convention. Seconded, objected by Hawk

The Other Side from Lee Wrights

by: AuGeo

Tue Jul 06, 2010 at 09:47:05 AM MDT

We can certainly contrast Lee Wrights' approach - grab a solid libertarian issue, actually a bunch of them - and run with them, with the latest proposals from the LNC, as leaked to Liberty for America magazine. This is a preview from our forthcoming issue, though coverage of the return of limousine Bob may tend to push it to shorter length.

The LNC email list according to my sources recently had the following dispute between Wayne Root and David Nolan. I believe that the exchange as forwarded to Liberty for America magazine, which is going to be a bit full this issue, is authentic. You may decide for yourself how this sort of discussion advances our National Committee's business. Root responded to Nolan's comments (which were in turn a response to an earlier Root post, which we'll reach separatelybecause it more or less shows stands the opposite of Wayne's.):

"On Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 9:13 PM, Dave Nolan wrote:
Wayne, I'd have a lot more respect for your unsolicited advice if you actually had a track record of winning elections, inside the LP or outside. In 2008, you ran for our Presidential nomination and YOU LOST by a large margin. You came in third, with 26%, behind both Barr and Ruwart. You just ran for LNC Chair, and YOU LOST, despite raising and spending more than all of your competitors combined (your claim). The Nevada LP begged you to run for U.S. Senate this year, and you refused. Instead, you spoke at an event with Sarah Palin, the whole purpose of which was to rally people to vote for the REPUBLICAN candidate, to defeat Harry Reid. And now you're still banging the drum for the REPUBLICAN nominee, Sharron Angle, who is not a Libertarian.

Good News on Demographics

by: AuGeo

Sat Jul 03, 2010 at 19:37:01 PM MDT

Occasionally, buried in news from other political factions is some incredibly good news for our Libertarian Party.  And here we have some, in the form of a statistical report Demographic Change and the Future of the Parties, which you can read at http://www.americanprogressact...

Much more below the fold:

LNC to meet in Las Vegas

by: AuGeo

Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 20:56:06 PM MDT

Readers may be aware that there will be a meeting of the Libertarian National Committee in Las Vegas on July 11.  This is a one-day meeting, not a day and a half meeting, so time will be tight. What will be on the Chair's proposed Agenda, which was recently circulated to the LNC by the Secretary?

For answers, see below the fold.

New LNC Elected

by: AuGeo

Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 08:28:19 AM MDT

The Libertarian National Convention met over the Memorial Day weekend in St. Louis.  An interesting time was had by many.  There were a series of bylaws and platform changes that we will need to cover in future issues.

The New Path slate, and thus, in considerable part, the plans it proposed, were almost without exception defeated.  The only declared New Path supporter who was actually elected at the convention was Treasurer candidate James Oaksun.

Oaksun, however, received by far the largest applause when his victory was announced.

Vote totals included (Counts as reported in Tom  Stevens blog:    DrTomStevens.BlogSpot.com

Carpetbaggers at the National Convention

by: AuGeo

Sat Jun 19, 2010 at 08:15:08 AM MDT

Those of you who attended the 2002 LP National Convention in Indianapolis will remember the Carpetbaggers for Eli - that was the badge several of them wore.  These were the two dozen Indianans added to the 2002 Massachusetts delegation as a dirty trick of Indiana State Chair Mark Rutherford,  to pack the National Convention in support of the (failing) National Chair campaign of Eli Israel.

The Indiana Party is up to its tricks again. This time, 15 Indianans were added to the delegations of Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and South Carolina.   Another 10 Missouri libertarians were added to the state delegations of Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, and other places.  That's convention packing, back from the dead.

Let's start at the beginning.  We return to the August 2002 Let Freedom Ring!, which you can read at cmlc.org/letfreedomring.htm.  The article is page 1, top left column.  We quote from the article:

"I was delighted to leave the surplus of my hospitality suite with the LPIN.  I am even happy to specify that that it was very generous of LPIN chair (and LNC member) Mark Rutherford to supply the LPMA delegation with a list of Hoosiers who wanted to be seated as Massachusetts delegates 'so they could attend National' because 'their state delegation was full'.  Returning the courtesy, the LPMA delegation narrowly voted (2-vote margin) to seat the 15.   Admittedly, I was busy with my own campaign, but I recall seeing only two Hoosiers at the delegation vote to admit them.  I first saw the rest of them Saturday morning at the National Chair vote... National Convention

Where Your Money Went -- LNC April 2010

by: AuGeo

Sat Jun 19, 2010 at 07:25:46 AM MDT

The LNC began April with $150,318.40 cash on hand, had $191,140.18 in income and $91,675.68 in expenditures, and ended the month with $249,782.90 cash on hand.  Total income to date for the year was $608,468.45.  However, that income number includes very considerable income corresponding to the National Convention; we must wait to see how matters ended up.

On the bright side, buried in that $91K in expenses was a Facebook Ad Charge for $229.69.  That was spending on real politics.

The Watergate Offices cost $10.5K.  

More below fold:

In Defense of Our Massachusetts Affiliate

by: Forwarder

Sun Jun 13, 2010 at 19:33:12 PM MDT

Now, I am not greatly bothered by scurrilous attacks on me personally when I am a candidate, but when you attack my state libertarian organization and the fine people who belong to it, I must take exception.

In the midst of our national convention, Texas Libertarian Nancy Neale launched a pointed attack on our Massachusetts state association. In a flyer handed out to all delegates, she wrote:

LNC Meets After NatCon

by: AuGeo

Sat Jun 12, 2010 at 18:29:52 PM MDT

First, the protagonists.  I've divided them into four groups using James Oaksun's coalition analysis.

Chair Hinkle - very long-time dominant coalition man; Project Archimedes advocate
Vice Chair Rutherford - dominant coalition; Root man
Secretary Mattson - dominant coalition
At-Large Redpath - dominant coalition
At-Large Knedler - dominant coalition; Root man
Regional Rep Karlan - dominant coalition
Regional Rep Lark - dominant coalition
Regional Rep Wiener - dominant coalition
Regional Rep Flood - dominant coalition
Regional Representative Sink-Burris - dominant coalition

At-Large Nolan - major Hinkle-for-Chair advocate; tagged by his endorsements.
Regional Rep Craig - Georgian. 2008 Barr supporter.
At-Large Wayne Root - his own man.  
Regional Rep Norm Olsen - ran against New Path supporter

Treasurer Oaksun - New Path
Regional Rep Hawkridge - New Path
Regional Rep Visek - not New Path member, but offered motion implementing two New Path ideas

At-Large Ruwart - radical
That's 10 dominant coalition people, plus four likely dominant coalition supporters.                                                                                      

New LNC Meets

by: Forwarder

Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 09:37:57 AM MDT

Chair Hinkle - very long-time dominant coalition man; Project Archimedes advocate
Vice Chair Rutherford - dominant coalition; Root man
Secretary Mattson - dominant coalition
At-Large Sink-Burris - dominant coalition
At-Large Redpath - dominant coalition
At-Large Knedler - dominant coalition; Root man
Regional Rep Karlan - dominant coalition
Regional Rep Lark - dominant coalition
Regional Rep Wiener - dominant coalition
Regional Rep Flood - dominant coalition
At-Large Nolan - major Hinkle-for-Chair advocate; tied to Hinkle by his endorsements.
Regional Rep Craig - Georgian. 2008 Barr supporter.

At-Large Wayne Root - his own man.  However, the dominant coalition has a long record of pursuing Republicans, and Root thinks we should chase right-wingers, so some lean is present.

Treasurer Oaksun - New Path
Regional Rep Hawkridge - New Path
Regional Rep Visek - not a New Path candidate, but offered motion implementing two New Path ideas

At-Large Ruwart - radical

By my count, the dominant coalition has increased its strength on the LNC.  That vote division will not protect Oaksun or Ruwart from suspension, should the question arise. Mr. Starr may not be on the LNC, but several of his friends are. It would also not block the widely-rumored motion to expel me from the party, in the case that my supporters on the committee did not honor my request that they abstain on any such motion, and vote against any effort to avoid a vote.  

National Convention Elects New LNC

by: AuGeo

Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:29:45 PM MDT

A new National Committee was elected:

More Below Fold

Afterword

by: AuGeo

Wed May 26, 2010 at 09:44:00 AM MDT

Change does not occur by magic.  It occurs when people stand together and say, "Enough!  We have been on this road too long already.  It is time to take a New Path."

The LNC's dominant coalition has presided over a dramatic decline in our Party's fortunes. They have no explanation and no defense for their actions.

In the face of a 70-plus percent decline in revenue, the dominant coalition decided that the most important thing to do to improve our Party's situation was to purge Angela Keaton.  Don't just take our word for it - their own meeting minutes tell all.

In the face of a 60-percent decline in overall membership, the dominant coalition decided the next most important thing to do to advance the cause of Liberty was to try to remove Lee Wrights from the committee.

In the face of a decline in our major (itemized) donations, to the lowest point in a decade, the dominant coalition decided the third most important thing to do to bring about a free America in our lifetimes was to have yet another endless meditation on the meaning of Robert's Rules of Order.

In the face of state parties hollowing out to shells of their former selves, the dominant coalition decided the fourth most important thing to do to bring America peace, freedom and opportunity was to massively increase the length of the policy manual and add footnotes to Roberts Rules of Order.

And they still want to be re-elected!  Well, here's what we have to say to them:

You had your chance.  You failed.  You almost killed our party. You may yet succeed--our party's life hangs in the balance.

You have not led.  

We Will.

    ...The New Path Leadership Team

The New Path Team

by: AuGeo

Wed May 26, 2010 at 09:42:38 AM MDT

George Phillies, Candidate for Chair

Experience:
State Chair, Massachusetts
State Treasurer, Massachusetts
Libertarian Author -- 8 books, including novels, textbooks, histories, and a short story collection
Editor - Liberty for America magazine
Former Editor -- Let Freedom Ring, Libertarian Strategy Gazette
Founded libertarian Federal PAC and Libertarian 527 group

What does our party need...
A party that grows
New blood, new vigor and enthusiasm
A National Committee whose members cooperate
Effective spending on real politics
Election victories

How we get what we need...
Mobilize volunteers
Do real politics
Recruit candidates
Support activists
Advertise to the public
Get 50-state ballot access
Create libertarian affinity groups and think tanks
Build active parties in every state, D.C., and Puerto Rico

New Path Financial Projection - Key Highlights:

by: AuGeo

Wed May 26, 2010 at 09:40:54 AM MDT

Although we believe there may be considerable upside potential beyond this, as a baseline we are conservatively projecting to erase the decline our party has suffered.

Part Four The New Path Business Plan

by: AuGeo

Wed May 26, 2010 at 09:38:56 AM MDT

LNC Inc. has a long list of weaknesses that have combined into a threat to its continued        existence.  If these weaknesses are not corrected soon, the National Party will cease to function in a meaningful way.  On the other hand, there are enormous opportunities awaiting an active, effective party.

What are some of these weaknesses?
Falling membership -- down more than half in ten years.
Declining income -- down nearly three-quarters in real dollars in ten years.
Shrinking donor base -- the number of large donors keeps falling.
Decreasing credibility -- fundraising appeals that were once a major income stream now sometimes lose money.
Declining activity base -- some state parties have been inactive for years; others have vanished.
Negative momentum -- the National Party is going backwards.
Treading water -- the National Committee response to the above is to keep repeating the same activities on a smaller and smaller scale
Parliamentary Paralysis -- the LNC spends its time dreaming about Robert's Rules of Order.

The LNC needs
More Resources: Money, People, Activists
Positive momentum
Credibility to regain lost members
Credibility to gain new members

There is a clear solution. (1) The LNC frees up resources and generates new resources.  (2) The LNC starts doing real politics rather than treading water. (3). The LNC is seen as being politically active. (4) Steps 1-3 generate new resources and opportunities,  allowing these steps to be repeated. We generate more activists, donors, candidates, and other resources. The LNC moves into an ascending spiral.

The Distant Prospect

by: AuGeo

Wed May 26, 2010 at 09:33:36 AM MDT

What do we need to reach our objective?

Step Seven -- Healing Our LNC

by: AuGeo

Wed May 26, 2010 at 09:30:34 AM MDT

Actually, this Step's changes start happening before any of the other changes.  To fix our Party, we first have to fix how it goes about its business.  However, if we'd started with Parliamentary Procedure rather than Quick Fixes, Real Politics, Fund Raising, and Member Acquisition, most of you would have chucked this book into the nearest wastebasket.  Or hauled it out to the firing range for some well-deserved target practice.  So the last actually shall be first.  The deeds in this last section really must start happening before anything else can.

If we want to have an effective LNC, we need to suppress the Roberts cult that tries to replace substantive discussion with hairsplitting centered on what should be entirely procedural rules. The Summer 2005 Policy Manual was 41 pages of narrow columns and large type.  The December 2009 Policy manual is 56 pages of wide columns and small type. We once had a Policy Manual that was simply an ordered set of operational motions passed by the LNC.  We now have a bloated Policy Manual riddled with footnotes to Roberts, complete with the claim that if the LNC Secretary modifies the manual, and if the LNC does not reject the changes, the changes are binding.  We need a Policy Manual that reflects LNC Policy, not a Policy Manual that reflects mind games of a few Committee members.