Via email.
July 13, 2009
Your Monday Message from the Libertarian Party:
Dear friend,
Have you considered becoming a Libertarian precinct leader?
I’m asking because, as a political party, we have an obligation to win elections. Not only do our over 200 elected Libertarians need some friendly allies where they serve, there are many communities across America with no elected Libertarians.
We need to change that.
And successful organizations do it by organizing at the local level.
In politics, organization defeats ideology. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve opened the paper the morning after Election Day and heard my candidate’s opponent openly wondering, “How did that wacko, with his views, beat me?”
The answer is “We were better organized than you.”
So what can you do to become a precinct leader? Contact us, or your local LP, to let us know you want to volunteer. Then:
1) Find out the boundaries of your precinct.
The easiest way would be to go on the web page of your local city, town or county’s board of elections. You may also sometimes find it on your state board’s website. If they don’t have it online, you can simply call or stop by and they can provide you one for a small fee.
2) Get a list of the Libertarians in your neighborhood or area.
Every month we here at LPHQ give your state chair an updated list of Party members and people interested in the LP. Your state chair, if he doesn’t have it broken out by precinct, can give you a list of contacts in your area.
3) Get the voter registration list for your precinct.
Your state party has access to the voter registration list for your state. It’s important to contact only registered voters because, while there is some value in conducting voter registration drives, most unregistered voters are unregistered simply because they don’t care. If Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama couldn’t inspire them to vote, don’t think you’ll be much more successful.
The time you spend getting one vote out of 50 unregistered voters could have been spent getting 50 out of registered voters. YOU CANNOT RUN A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN ORGANIZATION WITHOUT AN ACCURATE VOTER REGISTRATION LIST.
4) Visit every Libertarian Party members or interested person.
Print out the list and arrange it by street address so you can simply work your way around the neighborhood. Theses are your prime targets. Rather than having to go door-to-door to find interested libertarians, these people have already told us they either are Libertarians, or want to know more. Let them know about the local LP, where and when they meet and what activities are going on right now. Be sure to invite them to the next meeting.
5) Print out a list of active voters.
While Libertarian Party members and prospects are your best targets, there aren’t enough hardcore activists in any party for them to single-handedly win elections. That’s why successful campaign organizations have extensive canvassing operations.
Arrange it by street name and house number so you can simply walk down the street. Eliminate inactive voters from the list so you don’t waste your time trying to get one vote out of 50 people who don’t care enough to show up.
6) Have information on the issues they care about.
The single most common complaint I get about the Libertarian Party from libertarians is while they agree with us completely on our most controversial issues, real issues like taxes, public safety and schools have a greater impact on their lives. They want to invest their time and energy in a party that is relevant and capable of reaching out to voters.
While issues vary from town to town, you can bet potential Libertarian Party members are more interested in what rational, practical things the local LP is going to do to cut taxes, improve schools, fix traffic and keep their neighborhood safe.
7) Don’t lecture to them. Ask them what the local LP could do to improve their lives.
One of the biggest mistakes Libertarians make is to assume voters want to be impressed by the intellectual power of a long philosophical dissertation. Wrong. They want to know what’s going to happen if a Libertarian gets elected to the local town council or school board.
That’s why I always have campaign volunteers knock on the door and ask one question. “My name is Tom and my friend Bob is running for town council because he wants to cut taxes and put more deputies on our streets. What is one thing the town council could do to make things better?”
This is probably the single most important thing you can do to be more effective. Always answer all questions honestly, but voters really appreciate candidates and activists who take a genuine interest in their well-being, instead of bloviating and pontificating about themselves.
Don’t be surprised when they invite you in for a soda, or share with you a personal story. In fact, this is what distinguishes Libertarians from the other guys. We actually care about the individual and trust their judgment, not those of self-appointed superiors. It’s about time we showed it.
8) Keep a list.
In campaigns, information is power. Write down everything, especially whether or not they want more information on the LP. I like to jot down what bumper stickers are on their cars, if there’s an NRA sticker in the front window and what campaign signs they have on their lawns. Make sure you give that information to your state and local LP.
9) Stay in touch, and keep visiting.
Make sure to stay in contact with Libertarian Party members, people
who contacted LPHQ asking for more information and those you found. Be sure to visit people who just move into the neighborhood, and keep your voter list up to date. Your local LP will need that come election time to turn out the new, bigger, Libertarian vote.
With governments at all levels jacking up taxes and escalating their control over people’s lives, the most important thing that can be done to preserve and restore liberty is to win elections. The problem is especially bad at the local level, where town councilmen and school board members have a more direct impact on your life, your property and your children.
You can do your part to help the LP win elections and restore liberty by simply becoming a precinct leader. The organization you build and information you collect will grow the Libertarian Party and put us on track to win even more elections. Get in touch with your local LP today.
With optimism,
Donny Ferguson
Director of Communications
Libertarian Party
[email protected]
Come on…be honest…You just want to cash in on those extra marriages in the marriage capital of the world… 😉
and gay marriage . If NV legalized weed and gay marriage our economy would get much better I think
yup, n now with economy circling the drain LP should be talkin nonstop about weed
Bryan // Jul 16, 2009 at 9:53 pm
LG @46…
You are ready to disregard what I feel was a very positive post, because of one phrase, in one sentence of a hypothetical situation?
In Fort Mill, South Carolina, we have ample police protection. ~12 min. away, in Charlotte NC, there are places that I would feel uncomfortable changing a tire…in the daytime…without a “hide-away” gun.
NOBODY supports the Second Amendment more than me, but….until it is legal for me to “carry” at all times, there are occasions when I depend on “the state” to provide protection that is denied me. These areas need more “deputies”.
me__ Bryan , i understand your position . I dont carry a weapon and when Im alone ( im usually with LP folks who do carry ) i too feel unsafe and would rely on the state police officers for protection .
However , the answer is NEVER more police , it is to have our brave men and women who wear a badge protecting us to be able to stop wastig their time and our money arresting people for crimes that shouldnt be crimes.
that was my biggest agrgument for legalizing weed was how mch time it would free up for officers to police violent serious crimes .
of course not prosecuting and imprisoning for crimes that shouldnt be crimes is also the answer to the evr expanding overpopulated prison system as well.
@49 ahhh , that makes more sense , for a sec i was thinking the LPC did away with county affiliates .
ms 52, methinks you’re misunderstanding my point. Randall apparently wants to oust anarchists from the party. I was asking whether you want to oust Starr from the party, or from his current role as Treasurer, given your opinion that his performance is sub-par.
The RKC view would be that full-blown ousters are very, very uncool. This is not to say that I’d never support an ouster: David Duke or Stormfronters come to mind.
LNC leadership positions are up for election every 2 years, so there’s a mechanism for showing support for a stronger candidate.
Personally, histrionical condemnation I can do without.
Gene T , i ditto your sentiments:) you are wise grasshopper:)
@52 Well, Mike, ol buddy ol pal, you say:
It comes down to a simple solution: Quit making ideology the center stage and do the work to build the damned party!
Gotta disagree with you there.
Ideology is the driving force behind the existence of the LP. Ideology and the LP are inseparable, IMO. The task of Libertarians is to take that ideology and turn it into public policy so as to shrink, shrink, shrink the state.
I am philosophically radical, but can accept the incrementalism inherent in Libertarian politics because *something* is better than *nothing*. Incremental steps are just that: steps TOWARD liberty.
The focus to BUILD the party is akin to putting the cart before the horse. Libertarians should focus on changing public policy toward a libertarian direction first. Who the hell wants to join a failed organization? Show people we can make a difference and they will follow. People want to be associated with success, not failure.
Unfortunately, we only have that for IPR editors.
Many state LPs have had difficulty in getting the lists.
LG @46…
You are ready to disregard what I feel was a very positive post, because of one phrase, in one sentence of a hypothetical situation?
In Fort Mill, South Carolina, we have ample police protection. ~12 min. away, in Charlotte NC, there are places that I would feel uncomfortable changing a tire…in the daytime…without a “hide-away” gun.
NOBODY supports the Second Amendment more than me, but….until it is legal for me to “carry” at all times, there are occasions when I depend on “the state” to provide protection that is denied me. These areas need more “deputies”.
Michael @52 said”It comes down to a simple solution: Quit making ideology the center stage and do the work to build the damned party!”
Is it just me, or did that sentence contradict the rest of the fairly long comment? Is your assumption that EVERYONE in the LP are either anarchist/radicals OR reformers? If this is true, then eliminating the reformers would make for this happy fantasy land…
I’ve asked this before, what about those who side with “radicals” on many social issues (including anti-war), who believe in limited (Constitutional) government, and who like the “reformers” attitude toward other issues including, hopefully, winning elections?
You also say referring to platform arguments and other “sideshows” …and the blame for that falls squarely on the instigators–the Reformers.
If you go back in the comments the “radicals” and/or anarchists, picked out one phrase (actually only the word deputy) and began this “sideshow”. And it holds true in almost every disputed post, the radicals/anarchists feel their version of libertarianism is the ONLY correct one, and everyone else needs to agree or get out.
If only “radicals” and anarchists, are “allowed” in this elite little group, it won’t take long before the LP can start getting together with the CPUSA and have “educational debates”, while the rest of the LP moves on toward restoring liberty.
Carpozzi strawmanned @38:
YES, duh!, for the reasons I mentioned: piss-poor management and obstructionism. He is out of his league on this stuff and it shows in his actions. He can be a dyed-in-the-wool, Ivory Pure Libertarian with a 110-110 score on the Nolan Chart for all I care, but he’s not the right person, both in competency or ego, to be in anything resembling a leadership position.
As Gene said @40, reading comphrension.
No, I don’t, because there are vast differences in the reasons. Randall makes the classic mistake of assuming an opposition between libertarians and anarchists as if they were completely different animals, and they’re not–more like different shades of gray. His reasoning is flawed, and he fails to see the anachro-capitalists that are in his own midst as well–people I have known in LPCO longer than he has (he arrived in 2003). He takes the attitude that anarchists in the LP are a problem when in fact they are not, and they are very needed in different roles than what the plumbline Reform Caucus fools envision. Randall takes the plumbline Reform Caucus talking points and repeats them quite well, too. Too bad they’re utter bullshit.
Norm Westwell summed it up pretty well in Visalia at the LPCA Convention when he was asked about it: the party needs radicals to keep the party line straight, and it needs others to do other things as well. You pick your spots, but you don’t try to force the others to act like you. If the Reformers can be competent in their management (and so far they’re not), fine, but they deserve no place at the Platform table.
IOW, the anarchists and the minarchists need each other to keep each other honest and working.
The same cannot be said for the Radicals vs. the Reformers. The Reformers can take their libertarian-lite ideology elsewhere, like the RLC.
Now you further know why I detest Platform arguments and their assorted sideshows. It detracts from doing the fundamentals that need to get done, and frankly, it has gotten to the point where it dominates enough that nothing CAN get done, and the blame for that falls squarely on the instigators–the Reformers.
We warned you about this, too.
It comes down to a simple solution: Quit making ideology the center stage and do the work to build the damned party!
“libertariangirl // Jul 16, 2009 at 1:02 pm
wanting more deputys or cops is super unlibertarian and Donny gets a failing grade for this release because of it.”
Uggggg!!!! More cops?!?!?! I totally agree libertariangirl. Screw that!
“3) Get the voter registration list for your precinct.
Your state party has access to the voter registration list for your state. It’s important to contact only registered voters because, while there is some value in conducting voter registration drives, most unregistered voters are unregistered simply because they don’t care. If Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama couldn’t inspire them to vote, don’t think you’ll be much more successful.”
This is not the best way of looking at things. There are a lot of people who are not registered to vote because they don’t think that they have anybody to vote for. Libertarian Party candidates can give these people are reason to register to vote IF they reach out to them.
I’m not saying that Libertarians are going to get all non-voters, some of them are hopeless to the cause of liberty, just as many Democrats and Republicans are hopeless to this cause, however, there ARE a good number of them that Libertarians can get so non-registered voters should not be ignored.
I think that the biggest potential markets for the Libertarian Party are independents and non-voters.
@45 County Central Committees are elected offices in California. That means taking out papers, gathering signatures from registered Libertarians and basically having your name on the primary ballot. If elected, you get to take the oath of office. It’s a great way for Libertarians to learn the basics of running a campaign. County Central Committees are supposed to be the governing body of each county party.
eg, I take your point. Who is your standard for competence in Starr’s role, then? What did this person do that made him/her a strong performer, and Starr not?
I was once the treasurer of my university’s rugby club and yet, despite no formal financial training, I performed better than others who did have said training. You tell me who was better qualified for the position (who was more ‘competent’).
wanting more deputys or cops is super unlibertarian and Donny gets a failing grade for this release because of it.
GT , when you say central committee elections to you mean for local offices of LP leadership excomms , just wondering for clarification?
‘Brilliance’ and ‘incompetence’ are not mutually exclusive terms. You can be both brilliant and incompetent.
Using Trump is a poor metaphor, in my opinion. He clearly once made brilliant business decisions, but has since obviously had troubles do to any number of issues (his ego being one of them).
I could be a brilliant medical professor, but that could still make me incompetent to perform open-heart surgery. Similarly, Starr can be as brilliant as he pleases concerning financial issues, but that doesn’t make him competent to run a political party’s finances and sit on its leadership board.
eg, alleging incompetence is the easiest thing in the world. Donald Trump is a very wealthy man, yet his companies have declared bankruptcy 2x, if I recall correctly. Is he a brilliant business man or incompetent? All a matter of perspective and opinion, I’d assert.
In the few times I’ve heard Starr, he’s explained somewhat complex financial issues exceedingly well, to people who apparently had little knowledge of financial statements.
I still wish IPR had an edit feature for comments! : P
@38 I won’t speak for Seebeck, but this tendency to purge is all just a bunch of childish bullshit. If this randall carachter wants to purge, then I say bring it on. I, on the other hand, care not to purge anyone. I’d much prefer to shine a spotlight on idiots who want to purge and let people see them for who they really are: immature morons with zero social skills who want to be a big fish in a little pond.
@35 Did I say Starr should be ousted? Did I say Starr is NOT “libertarian”? Saying that his “libertarian-ness” has been up to debate is just an observation. Reading comprehension, Mr. Capozzi…reading comprehension.
I am fine with Starr being in the LP, but to quote Mike Seebeck: “I object to his obstructionist tactics and his piss-poor management, and all of the resultant effects it has had on those around him in and out of the LP.”
That was said in jest. Perhaps placing a smiley face at the end next time would be better? 🙂
Though, for the record, I’m not exactly a fan of Starr. And no, it’s not hypocritical, because I don’t wish him to be out of the party – only out of party leadership (because he’s inept, not because of his ideology per se).
ms, I’m sure we all understand your opinion of Treasurer Starr. Do you wish to oust him?
If so, do you feel that Randall’s desire to oust anarchists is equally legitimate? If not, help us understand why not.
Having an LP membership no more makes one a libertarian than having a steering wheel makes one a car. My son has at least three steering wheels in his room but they’re Lego pieces.
Whether Starr Vader’s ideology is pure enough or not, I dunno, and frankly, I don’t care. I object to his obstructionist tactics and his piss-poor management, and all of the resultant effects it has had on those around him in and out of the LP.
Aaron Starr is definitely a Libertarian, although we disagree on various issues of strategy and tactics and fine points of libertarian ideology.
eg and gt, I find it hypocritical that some are outraged by Randall’s alleged statement and yet you two seem to question whether Starr is an L. It’s one thing to be critical of some of his positions or actions, another to “oust” him with words.
I’d like to publicly ask that Kevin Takenaga reverse Aaron Starr’s wrongheaded position on County Central Committee elections. One of the reasons I got back into the LP was because I had assurances that once Kevin was elected as LPC chair, he would indeed allow Central Committee elections to take place again. To this date, he has not. Kevin, if you are reading, please do the right thing for the party if you are truly interested in building the grassroots of the LPC. Itf you want people elected, you need to allow them to run for one of the most basic of offices available. By not allowing these elections to take place, you are robbing them of the opportunity to learn the electoral process.
@23 That’s been up to debate for a long time.
With all the troll action at IPR lately, we may not need any bridge repair, as the backs of trolls an provide a safety net.
More seriously, while technically proficient bridge repair may in some places occur as a function of a voluntary, informal or cooperative economy, I think that in most cases it would be market-based, preferably with full liability, and centered around media of exchange. But then, it isn’t really about what I think – only a free society can demonstrate what mix of economic models works best where and for whom.
In the more immediate sense, bridge repair is not high on my demonopolization priority list, but I’ll note that in one city I lived which had two bridges over the main river, a third privately built bridge was planned and constructed, and put into use, all while a long-planned additional government bridge was in yet another iteration of planning stages.
pc, I’m more than OK with that, too.
I’m not sure I’d encourage community bridge repair, for practical, engineering reasons.
I would work on instituting community self-defense as an alternative to increased police presence, along the same lines as I outlined in comment 15.
yes, more cops seems to be the intent. While I wouldn’t have said that, I don’t consider that to be a “violation.” Similarly, I wouldn’t condemn an L saying that bridges should be repaired.
I of course advocate a net reduction in criminal justice expenditures, but there are high-crime areas where more cops could well be indicated, at least for the foreseeable future.
Similarly, I advocate reductions in public works spending, but fixing dangerous bridges in the short term makes sense to me.
I’m pretty sure telling a voter that one wants “more deputies on the streets” does mean more cops. I don’t see what else it could mean in that context.
Same here.
Chris, write it up and send it over. Use the link on my name. I’d be most happy to read it!
Why not just post it here?
……… to put the “fun” back into dysfunctional!”
Oh, Pleeeeeeeeeease !!!!!!!!!!!
Chris, write it up and send it over. Use the link on my name. I’d be most happy to read it!
Bryan:
Brian Gentry was the state campaign director for the SC Ron Paul campaign and his tactics were, to put it mildly, highly questionable.
How is the progress coming along in terms of getting a new website? Last I looked, SC was only a notch above Hawaii site-wise.
I’m glad to hear things are starting to turn the corner down there.
That’s assuming Aaraon Starr is really a libertarian.
Libertarian know little about true grassroots politics. take for example California: when Aaron Starr was chairman, he declared all county central committee elections off.
@18 “Maybe it is time to remind folks to celebrate our differences, to put the “fun” back into dysfunctional!”
Well said!
You know that this kind of stuff can be done if your state party is organized. Every election that I was politically active I worked my precinct and saw a good increase of people voting for LP candidates just by doing candidate literature drops doing door-to-door work. The last presidential race I was involved with which was 2004, between my wife and I, we saw an increase of 200 percent of LP votes for Badnarik in our county and surrounding counties alone. I also did letters to the editors in some of the surrounding papers too. But it seems like every time I have a good idea I get laughed at by fellow Libertarians in my state. If you are interested in learning how to increase vote totals in your area, contact me at
[email protected] In order to achieve some kind of success you have to GOTV and walk your precincts and educate your neighbors!
Donny didn’t mean deputies like Barney Fife. C’mon now.
When we get busy building, we’ll have less time for endless circular firing squads about theoretical endpoints and alleged internal corruption.
For my part, I try to ignore the petty bickering that consumes so much time, both at the LNC and locally.
If you want something done, just do it yourself. That way you’ll know what went wrong. No amount of finger pointing will ever get anything done.
OTOH, if my plan or activity actually works, plenty of folks will step forward to claim credit!
As a matter of fact in the mid to late 90s there was more activity, less ideological infighting, and more cooperation within the party. We need to make up that lost ground and proceed much further.
I’m not so sure that is accurate. Having spent way too much time on the LNC, I can tell you there has always been rancor and division.
Maybe it is time to remind folks to celebrate our differences, to put the “fun” back into dysfunctional!
PEACE
I agree with this. Democrats and to some extent Republicans have become successful through prescinct organizing, and when the Catholic Trotskyist Party gets off the ground in a meaningful way, prescinct organizing will be very important. This is a good idea for the Green and Constitution parties too, though they still won’t win.
I don’t think it is. Honestly, it will always be premature until (more of us) start. Seebeck is correct that training materials would be helpful.
No amount of navel gazing will make those problems disappear. More actual political work will make them seem less important in the grand scheme of things though. At least that is what happened in Texas when they started making a real effort to be more organized with Wes starting in 2004. I hope he does the same thing in DC, and I hope that this will be a part of that effort.
When we get busy building, we’ll have less time for endless circular firing squads about theoretical endpoints and alleged internal corruption. As a matter of fact in the mid to late 90s there was more activity, less ideological infighting, and more cooperation within the party. We need to make up that lost ground and proceed much further.
I still think he meant Barney Fife. But let’s go with that.
You don’t have to organize every single precinct. Start by organizing just a few. Donny’s explanation of how to do it is basically pretty sound, except that I would not ignore the non-voters. Some of them just have not been given anything good to vote for. Some have just moved and not updated their registration. Some are young and we have a golden opportunity to get to them first. Some might never vote, but could end up becoming activists. I would make our goal in neighborhood level organizing setting up alternative institutions – for example, we could work with Habitat for Humanity and Food Not Bombs, help to start urban garden projects in vacant lots, etc.
The LP is a political party, but it could be more than that.
Good point. THAT would be something to get on HQ about.
That will generally be the case in cities as well. The only difference is that the precincts in cities will be smaller geographically. One person can organize a precinct. Obviously, not all will, but you have to start somewhere.
Even if the only thing one of our new precinct captains does is serve as a point of contact, the next member or inquiry from that area will have an identifiable fellow party member in their own neighborhood. Then they will be less lonely in their political consciousness and more likely to get involved, especially at the local level.
That is exactly what he is proposing.
I think I agree with Seebeck. Nuts and bolts are critically important, but is this a bit premature?
This website seems to’ve highlighted 2 key areas of dysfunction:
1 Major differences on whether the LP is revolutionary or incrementalist, and the attendant sniping.
2 Whether there has been malignant corruption in national leadership, as some suggest, for at least a decade, and the attendant sniping over that.
I’d like to see those dysfunctions healed first, perhaps in a St Louis Accord. Otherwise, I fear we may be in an intractable quagmire.
“Deputy” in this sense means leader, in the sense that George Washington, while leading and presiding over the Constitutional Convention, had the title Deputy. Not Barney Fife (We’ve got enough of those!)
But Donny’s message, while being entirely accurate, gets the cart before the horse.
Chris Agrella’s race covered 222 precincts. Did we have 222 volunteers to be precinct deputies, people who had the skill and leadership ability to do that yeoman’s work? Nope. We were lucky to have 10% of that doing everything, and I’d bet that most members, activists or not, don’t have a clue on how to organize a precinct (I know I sure don’t!). I’ve never seen anywhere I’ve been in the LP that there is any program to train that, either–if there is one, I think we’d all love to hear about it, because that’s an essential nuts-and-bolts campaigns thing we’re desperately lacking.
Plus there’s simple numbers to consider–we’re so thin in most places, especially the rurals, that there may only be one or two members per precinct, and if they’re not active, then getting them to do more than just vote is an exercise in futility.
The ONLY way to make what Donny proposes a reality is to build the Party’s active membership through the grassroots activism, one person at a time.
As a side note, in 2003, Colorado’s Legislature proposed in legislation that we do exactly what Donny is talking about by force of government–do it or lose our ballot access. We beat that bill back (with an alliance with the Greens) because we simply didn’t have the people to do it, and we knew it.
My message on this on Grassroots Libertarians yahoo list
Starchild,
I share your criticism of Donny’s release, but I think you are – or at least may have – missed that the bulk of his message here is one LP members sorely need to hear, discuss, and yes, implement.
As I said at https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2009/07/lphq-help-libertarians-win-become-a-precinct-leader/
“Some of the details here aren?t my cup o?tea (MORE deputies on the street? Really?) ?but the general concept here is one of the most basic things missing in LP and alternative party politics.
It?s a pity that it gets so little discussion here – not to mention implementation – while the threads that get triple digit comments are about whether or not we should ?oust? anarchists and the like.
Folks, precinct organizing has way more to do with political success than platforms, national committees, etc. Bank on it!”
To expand now on those remarks:
This is posted on the GRASSROOTS caucus list. Presumably that means that we believe that local activism is entirely compatible with our other values? I happen to believe that it is quite compatible with radicalism, youth-focus, left-right balance, fun, boldness and free spiritedness. It’s certainly bottom up – what can be more bottom up than organizing in your immediate neighborhood?
Indeed, if we are to create (rather than just advocate) voluntary solutions that work better than those of monopoly government, I can’t think of anyplace better to start.
And no, that does not mean that I agree with those who propose that we should stop running candidates for unwinable (at least right now) higher level offices; I think we should keep doing that too.
The Ron Paul campaign did precinct organizing. All successful major parties and major party campaigns do it. A very few local LPs are doing it, but many more should start. It’s bound to appeal to many more people than we reach through our largely passive recruiting means, and that lack of political success is what has laid the groundwork for the success within the party of the (IMO, inaccurate) view that we must moderate our stances to get anywhere politically.
I’m not saying that you would disagree with anything I said here.
I just think we should pay attention to the nuts and bolts of the strategy Donny is talking about here, not just focus on the parts which both of us disagree with. After all why should we miss out on the benefits of this important messsage/topic over a disagreement with what in fact is a small portion of the release? And no, I’m not saying we should sweep our disagreement with those under the rug – just to keep it in perspective.
In other words I think that precinct organizing (something we sorely need to do a lot more of) is the bulk of the message here; “more deputies” is an unpleasant distraction.
Let’s focus on the positives; I think we can get more accomplished that way.
-p
— In [email protected], Starchild wrote:
>
> Donny,
>
> I strongly disagree that we have an “obligation to win elections” as
> a political party. As part of the *libertarian movement*, we have an
> obligation to be true to libertarian principles. If that means losing
> some battles (elections) in order to win the long-term war, so be it!
>
> Is someone in the LP’s leadership directing you as an LP staffer to
> put out these repeated messages trying to emphasize “winning” and to
> narrowly define that word in terms of electing candidates? Is input
> from others shaping these Monday Messages, or do they primarily
> represent your personal opinion?
>
> And why on earth would you use “put(ting) more deputies on the
> streets” as a hypothetical example of an LP candidate’s message? Do
> you actually believe that increasing the number of armed government
> agents in our communities who are charged with enforcing all kinds of
> un-libertarian laws, their salaries paid for with stolen taxpayer
> dollars, is compatible with our message of freedom? Or was it just a
> poorly chosen example?
>
> Are you consciously trying to make the Libertarian Party more right-
> wing?
>
> I would be happy to help you in drafting these Monday Messages and/or
> giving you my input before you send them out so that I’m not simply
> complaining publicly after the fact. Please respond to this sincere
> offer of assistance at your earliest convenience and let me know if/
> how I can help you.
>
> Love & Liberty,
> ((( starchild )))
>
>
Erik @10…
I’m in York County. I have only been with the LP for slightly less than a year, but I understand there was some significant changes made in the last couple of years. From what I have seen the EC does a good job, and it’s really about getting more members, and getting all members more active.
I don’t recall meeting or hearing of Brian Gentry.
SC for me is South Carolina (I went to USC in Columbia and lived there for 6 years). I don’t know where you’re at in the state, but the campaign headquarters in Columbia was one of the more bizarrely run political campaigns I’ve ever witnessed. Did you ever meet Brian Gentry?
Before I start…Erik…is SC South Carolina, So. California, Santa Clara, or one of the other SC’s???
I really liked this post. It’s something that I feel very strongly about. Politics is local.
In South Carolina we are attempting now to organize precincts and Counties for 2010. Some good news, some mediocre, but in the end I think it will bring some success.
One thing I would have liked to have seen in the post…
In states that don’t require party registration…SC…there are lists available that list the voters, whether they voted in R, D, or other primaries, but most important you can find out if they voted in “special elections” or local “odd year” elections (these voters are all but guaranteed to vote in a general election) .
The emphasis that he put on “pressing the flesh”, meeting people in their “comfort zone”, and really meaning it when you show concern for their take on issues, can’t be stressed enough.
LP’s got “candidates for Governor and President who’re real”(well, sometimes). . . that ain’t what’s missing. Local activism’s missing.
Too bad Jesse went off the deep end with his truther nonsense. :/
But I agree with this release tremendously: you have to have political organization to have a realistic shot at winning. We can talk about access and other issues all day long, but precinct/county/regional/state/etc. organization is what builds party strength and, therein, attention.
Even some Republicans and Democrats go down in flames because of this stuff. I remember in the SC Ron Paul campaign, the campaign staff didn’t even tab a way to track and remind ‘committed’ RP voters by precinct – they just had huge rolls of names and addresses with no knowledge of what precinct people were in. Only the night before the election did the SC campaign chair learn the GOP produces such precinct organization and tracking tools for free. Very sad.
Politics 101 – To build a party you need candidates for Governor and President who are real and substantial citizens. They carry the flag and draw media attention.
JESSE VENTURA – He won because he was already a national figure: Navy Seal, entertainer, Mayor, radio talk show host. He was SOMEBODY before running for Governor. 3rd parties must get high profile and real citizens to run.
yeah, the “more deputies” part really confused me too. ..elsewise, I was glad to read this
I don’t live in the States, so I idly blog about, but
I wonder, what would happen if people would actually do this?
That’s how it is on IPR.
What’s with the 8 being a cool face?
Some of the details here aren’t my cup o’tea (MORE deputies on the street? Really?) …but the general concept here is one of the most basic things missing in LP and alternative party politics.
It’s a pity that it gets so little discusosion here – not to mention implementation – while the threads that get triple digit comments are about whether or not we should “oust” anarchists and the like.
Folks, precinct organizing has way more to do with political success than platforms, national committees, etc. Bank on it!
Donny, the failed reform party has gone through this entire range of ‘winning elections’ bull crap.
Political parties have an agenda of doing well in popular elections. BUT stating group opinions [smaller government] and influencing the greater culture may be just as important.
Stick to your basic message [with out the childish extreme infighting] yet do not ‘do any thing to get elected’!
Extremes do not sell well in our society. [late US Senator Barry ‘Nuke Em’ Goldwater as a conservative GOP; late VP Nelson ‘Died Having Sex with my Admin Assistant’ Rochefeller as a Liberal Republican, both are dead or dying dynasaurs ……..]
You have a wonderful message in this post war era of bigger and bigger government. But you keep on blowing it via the Kindergarten Krew of juvenile bickering and viciously driving off good hearted anti Establishment types. [Look how horrible the reformers, Greens, and Bible Thumpers have either misrepresented them selves [political sub prime mortages ????] or run off reasonable citizens.
Good luck on your quest. If you are any thing like Reform Party USA, greens, and religious fanatics you will gain tons of new, passion, interested recruits ——- only to have them walk away in disgust and bad mouth you for ever and a day.
Having been distrustful of the Duopoly Establishment since the 1960s, I have seen one alternative group after another crash and burn with self inflicted wounds.
I take no pleasure in reporting this! 2008 SHOULD have been a big time alternative political advance [1980 ???? 1992 ??????] instead of a dull thudding dud………