A Message From the Chairman of the Libertarian Party
Posted November 21st, 2008 by xntryk1
output
----- Original Message -----
From: The Libertarian Party
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2008 6:35 PM
Subject: A Message From the Chairman
Nov. 20, 2008
Friend of Liberty,
As I recover from Election Day and my US Senate campaign that preceded it, it is time to take stock of where the Libertarian Party stands and what we accomplished in the election season just passed.
While I know that we are disappointed that more of our candidates did not win, and that the Barr/Root presidential ticket and our other candidates did not win as many votes as most of us thought they would get, there is much that we gained in 2008 and a lot to be proud of for the Libertarian Party.
First, I think Bob Barr and Wayne Allyn Root were outstanding candidates that represented the ideas of individual liberty in an exemplary manner. There was not a single time that I saw them on television or looked at their Web sites where my reaction wasn’t, “Right on!” They represented our message of individual liberty and responsibility in an outstanding fashion, and I want to thank them for that. I also have personal knowledge of diligently the campaign staff worked—Russ Verney, Shane Cory, Mike Ferguson, Andrew Davis (on loan from LPHQ) and others. Thank you for dedication to the effort in the face of many challenges that were outside the control of any of us.
Two of our candidates for office earned over 1,000,000 votes. They were John Monds, who ran for Public Service Commission, District 1, in Georgia. His was a two-way statewide race (even though he going to represent a particular district). Also, William Bryan Strange polled a seven-digit number of votes for Judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9, in Texas, in another two-way statewide election.
And, speaking of Georgia, our US Senate candidate in the Peach State, Allen Buckley, forced a nationally publicized runoff election between the two major party candidates. Also, Brandon Givens, Public Service Commission, District 4 in Georgia, forced a runoff election for the major party candidates for that office.
We came out of the 2008 election with ballot access for the presidential ticket in 27 states—the same number as at the end of the 2004—and more than any other minor party. However, one of those states that we gained was North Carolina, where Duke University professor Michael Munger earned nearly 3 percent of the vote for Governor, qualifying the Libertarian Party of North Carolina for the ballot for the next four years. That alone will save the LP about $200,000 in ballot access expenses—not to mention that it will allow more LP candidates to run for office over that period. We also achieved major party ballot status in Massachusetts, while we lost it in South Dakota.
Even though some people reregistered Republican to vote for Ron Paul in the presidential primaries, the number of voters registered LP nonetheless increased from 225,229 in February 2008 to 243,293 in October 2008. (Those numbers are from the 23 states that allow voters to register Libertarian and that report those numbers.)
The sustaining membership (those giving at least $25 over the past year) of the LP also increased; it is up over 22 percent from this time last year.
There is indisputably much that was accomplished this year for which we can all be proud.
...
Thank you for all your support of our candidates in 2008. Because of your efforts, the candidates of the Libertarian Party received more than 13 million votes! This is a record for the Party, and it is all due to our wonderful donors, volunteers and candidates across the country. I emphatically thank you all.
Sincerely,
William Redpath
National Chairman
Libertarian National Committee
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Is there any way we can post
Is there any way we can post a Laugh Track to announcements like this? Because it cries out for one.
SUPPORT OUR FOUNDERS' AMERICA
Support the Constitution of the United States
www.ronpaulkid.blogspot.com
Its hard to nominate a good libertarian because they know they are not going to win. I hope Ron Paul runs again in 2012 or at least for a senate seat. Too bad he is in his seventies. I really think that if he runs again he will have at least double his acquired support in 2008. His network of supporters has yet to dwindle. Ron Paul 2012!!
I seriously doubt
there will be a next time. What a waste....
NOMINATE A REAL LIBERTARIAN NEXT TIME!
or else...
This is EXACTLY why the LP is DEAD
"I think Bob Barr and Wayne Allyn Root were outstanding candidates that represented the ideas of individual liberty in an exemplary manner."
Simply unbelievable :-(
Not dead, just in a coma
And very few in the LP take Redpath seriously, since he is an incompetent tool in that spot. His re-election in Denver was by accident, a trade-off by the Barrflies.
Peter Schiff For prez!!!!!!
Peter Schiff should be the next nominee!!!!! He will be looked at for his economics and not for war and peace. It might be an easy win.
I can't believe so many here are so naive
When you got these evildoers from the caves who are about to blow up America.
Who are these evildoers
from the cave? It is more like....why are we willing to cook Houston?
Apply pressure, but remain coolly indifferent
The fact is, whatever one thinks of it, we have a 2 party system. This fact has implications, the most obvious being the necessity of choosing a lesser evil party to ally with as necessary.
But it's not an either/or thing. 3rd parties act as special interest groups, ironically enough. We can use them to apply pressure from the outside, while simultaneously pushing from inside the 2 parties. Yes, plural. We need allies inside both parties, as well as allied 3rd parties from both sides.
Realistically speaking, the only political hope we have is to use every means available to nudge all factions toward our "middle."
Nudge the Republicans from inside: http://www.rlc.org/
And outside: http://www.lp.org/
Nudge the Democrats from inside: http://www.democraticfree...
And outside: http://www.gp.org/
Do we entirely agree with the above organizations?
No.
Do we entirely agree with the following organizations?
http://www.gop.com/
http://www.democrats.org/
No.
Can the former influence the latter in a positive direction, if we apply pressure?
We can "hope."
Meanwhile, we should adopt a mostly indifferent view of politics, because that's the view it has of us. We can and should do all the above, but we shouldn't stress over it. We're bound to suffer prolonged derailments, from both within and without. But there's plenty we can do in spite of government, and that's where the real hope lies. Because the less we need them, the stronger our hand becomes.
Down here in Chile, there
Down here in Chile, there were 2 new parties that were created just recently: Chile First and Independent Regional Party. Both parties have Congressmen and Senators that were elected in other parties. Now, they're running for re-election as either Chile First or IRP. They try to press the two big alliances, Alianza and Concertación from the outside but also look to reach agreements with either one on certain issues. OK, in the USA, it could work like this. Let's say that the Libertarian Party decides to use a two-street strategy. That is, try to bring libertarian ideas to the mainstream a la Ron Paul, without compromising on principle, in both the Republican and Democratic parties while also keeping the LP as the big cheese. However, I think a more gradual approach to issues could be ideal. For example, the income tax. The ideal libertarian stance would be to just get rid of it over night. However, instead of giving up and selling our stance, we can sell a libertarian approach without giving up our principles.
bravo
And for the love of all that is rational, we have to stop circulating FRNs and telling ourselves we are Ending the Fed...
Exactly
http://www.dailypaul.com/...
bah
Many would claim being a true libertarian also means being an anarcho-capitalist. These libertarians would hold the Libertarian Party as an oxymoron.
I think Wayne Allen Root is libertarian enough...Barr not quite, but he's still better than most major party shills.
I think libertarians should run under the Republican banner, simply because it is harder to exclude libertarians from public debate in this manner. The GOP would welcome us if we translated into democratic wins.
unless, of course, you are a true libertarian and are instead building up black and gray markets instead.
Being a libertarian and being a Libertarian are different things
You can be authoritarian as a manager, a parent or a person. You can be libertarian as a manager, a parent or a person. You can believe in an authoritarian God or choose an authoritarian spouse. All these types of people could decide to join the Libertarian Party by pledging they "don't advocate the initiation of force to acheive social or political goals."
This is why there are so many different types of people in the LP.
You certainly don't have to be an anarcho-capitalist to believe that you and other people have a right to be free from the use of government force.
You don't have to be a libertarian in your whole life to belong to the LP. You only have to be a libertarian, politically.
And, yes, it's the party for people who hate poltics. Which makes it an oxymoron, but an oxymoron you can love! FREEDOM!
IMissLiberty
Voting for the Lesser Evil? http://www.inductionworks...
My reply to the Libertarian Party after I got this email.
I appreciate your efforts this year. It's just a shame that Bob Barr didn't keep his promise to Ron Paul and left him hanging at the National Press Club in D.C.
I was at a park in Minneapolis on Sept 1st (The day before the Rally for the Republic) where Bob Barr showed up and gave a speech right before Dr. Paul arrived to give his own speech. Barr was happy to get some attention there while using Ron Paul's fame. I didn't have a problem with that and Barr actually gave a good speech.
But then he couldn't keep his word when he apparently felt it wouldn't bring him as much benefit at Ron Paul's D.C. event.
So, I just voted for Baldwin. But initially I wanted to vote Libertarian. And I had even joined the Libertarian Party this year.
Oh well. It didn't really matter anyway. And now the 3rd parties are as fractured and divided as ever. Just the way the two corrupt major parties like it.
I think I'll just go back to what I've done for the last 30 years--not wasting my time on voting.
Paul B Seattle
Will the real Libertarian Party please stand up?
They just ran two non-libertarians for President and Vice-President of the United States.
The word 'libertarian', long co-opted by Leftists like Bill Maher and Camille Paglia, has become a complete abstraction in the post-Bush era.
SUPPORT OUR FOUNDERS' AMERICA
Support the Constitution of the United States
Your wish...
http://www.k12.nf.ca/acre...
“The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.”
-- Herbert Spencer
Funny
.
see... that goes for just
see... that goes for just about every party. When you read what Robert Taft had to say about republicanism, it has nothing to do with the modern word Republican... while democrats, were originally endorsed by Marx, so.... they're mostly on track... except for the total absence of grass-roots influence, which would define a democracy. Any time in politics that a party becomes popular, those who are influential, make moves to take over, and change the meaning of the words.
The silver lining is, that if they are fighting this dirty already, it may show signs of fear.
I agree...
I was going to re-register as a Libertarian after this cycle... but I will not unless they remove Bob Barr from the party.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
“Liberty without learning is always in peril... and learning without liberty is always in vain”
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Even Ayn Rand disliked the LP
I'm taking her good advice, and Ron Paul's - and taking the Republican Party back to it's paleo-conservative roots!
(Though I may continue to vote CP/LP in protest when the Republican candidate for any office is unacceptable to my paleo-conservative standards)
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. “ - Thomas Jefferson
Who gives a shit about Rand?
She's overrated and dead.
A fate soon to be shared by the GOP.
Guess you missed the poll a fair while back.
Rand was the key that unlocked the door for many of us, potty-mouth.
Then people need to read more.
Objectivism is not libertarianism. The sooner people figure that out, the sooner the myth of Rand can finally be laid to rest.
The Supreme Law of the American People, the Constitution states;
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union, a republican form of government...
Nowhere does it have the word democratic, or libertarian.
Afterall, the country was founded as, and is supposed to be a republic.
I agree, I think Dr. Paul still has got it right.
The Republican Party is not very republican because it has been taken over. But it's definitely the best party name a republic could have.
How long it will take to restore is another question.
The Constitution Party has a great name, unfortunately, they should wake up, listen to Chuck Baldwin, and remove any religious preferences from the party literature and platform in order to properly follow the Constitution.
Ron Paul's Convention Speech
Yes but she liked Alan
Yes but she liked Alan Greenspan and look where he got us.
--
http://georgedonnelly.com
Mr. Greenspan...
Talked a very different game when he was chillin' with Mrs. Rand.
Tilt at windmills if you like with the LP, just be aware that in todays political environment that is exactly what you are doing.
Ayn Rand was, and Ron Paul is, simply being realistic - Libertarians do not greatly influence the public or win elections, while Libertarians working within the Republican party do - on both accounts.
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. “ - Thomas Jefferson
Nope.
RLC in the GOP is like the Log Cabins--a group with a name that is ignored.
maybe next time they'll try nominating a libertarian
----
"An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it. Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self sustained." -Mahatma Gandhi
LOL
Good answer. What is wrong with this person? Doesn't he know they nominated a troll?
Ooooo...
The Libertarian Party is so cute! Isn't it adorable when they act like a REAL party? It just makes you want to squeeze their little cheeks! Isn't that sweet? He thinks he matters!
------------
:::::www.campaignforliberty.com - sign up or shut up::::::
Ok, having been a
Ok, having been a Libertarian for years I am used to such letters after the election posting the great job a few libertarians did...5% here, 8% there...good job and all of that, if he would've come out and said "we blew it" he wouldn't get very far.
I've fought the two party system for so long thinking that if only we got into the debates we would turn things around. After seeing how Ron Paul was treated at the debates I am not as optimistic.
I was a Libertarian Party candidate for US Congress, the only thing I needed to do was get a signature of 5% of the registered voters (mind you only about 20% of them actually vote) to even get on the ballot. Needless to say, I didn't get on the ballot. I could've run in the primary on the Republican ticket quite easily...actually one corrupt Republican candidate/ex Democrat I could've run against was for castration of sex offenders (in a state where having sex in any position other than missionary is a sexual offense). As a Republican I could've had a chance...not as a Libertarian. But I couldn't bring myself to join such a big government group that was no different than the Democrat Party. I would've been a hypocrite to stand by my principles of small government and yet pledge my support to the party of big government.
Ron Paul changed all of that, he opened a small door where I could support the Republican Party...Ron Paul's Republican Party. I can call myself a Ron Paul Republican and not feel like I'm a hypocrite.
Ron Paul gave us a way to put libertarians in DC. I know it's hard for true libertarians to leave the LP, but the LP left the true libertarians when they wiped the party platform of our principles leading to putting someone like Barr in our highest candidacy position. Why fight to clean up a party that has such a natural disadvantage of ever getting an elected official. Let's fight to clean up a party that already has the groundwork laid for getting candidates elected.
In pennsylvania Libertarian candidates
Statewide Received between 2 and 3% of the vote (~120,000 votes).
RP received over 129,246 votes in the republican primary. Barr received 19,436 votes - only 15 percent of what RP got in the primary (and of the other libertarian candidates.)
Now explain to me how that is a "Good Showing" - I know that sometimes people in leadership positions lie about things like this - lets hope this is a retirement party for speech for Barr - Good job Bob, see ya.
Couldn't read past the first couple of paragraphs
This guy's praise for the two imbeciles Barr and Verney was about to make me vomit. I'm sure he means well and given his position as chairman of the LP I understand why he took this position. But the presidential ticket was anything but "outstanding".
---
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms - should be a convenience store, not a government agency!
Represented message......???
Yes Barr represented a message alright...he represented what a turn coat he is when he turned his back on Ron Paul...
If all the smaller parties whould have given a damn about the Constitution..the votes would have gone to Paul..or Baldwin as Dr.Paul did ask our votes be cast for him....And the message would have been heard clearer over the shouts aand chants of Nobama.
Freedom is another way to God...A corrupt government is a straight way to hell.
yup
Ron Paul is My President
Change the name
I just wish you would change the party's name. I would like to call myself a libertarian (small el), but I do not wish to be associated with unprincipled and dull-witted neo-cons like Bob Barr.
ditto!
Ron Paul is My President
I am Proud to Be a Libertarian Party Member
and Bill Redpath is a great guy who has worked for many years to keep a party advocating individual freedom and small government on the ballot. He is a champion who personally gathered thousands of signatures on petitions to make sure an alternative was provided to voters. Good luck on changing the Republican Party. But just like 72, 76, 80, 84, 88 (Ron Paul), 92, 96, 00, 04, and 08, the Libertarian Party will be back in 2012 to provide freedom lovers a way to vote for what they want. Learn more at http://www.lp.org
Thanks for all you do for liberty and best regards.
Nice spin.
Redpath may be good on ballot access, but as chair he's a incompetent tool of the Starr Chamber, who screwed up LPCA before taking his shuck and jive national. And note that as chair, the LP made critical ballot access errors this year (Louisiana, West Virginia) and actually sued another candidate in New Hampshire.
Ditto
It's not perfect, but out of all the registered political parties, the LP represents my political beliefs most accurately. I joined them in 1992 due to the actions of the excellent Advocates for Self Government in Georgia and have continued to support them and identify with them since. The only time I changed was when I temporarily switched registration to Repub so that I could vote for the great Ron Paul in my state's primaries. Once it was clear that the Repubs were not going to have anything to do with Paul as a nominee, I switched back to the LP and voted for Barr/Root. I stand by this decision, I feel totally comfortable with it, and unless RP runs in 2012, I will continue to support and advocate the LP. They're certainly more consistent ideologically than the Demopublicans and the Republicrats. Also, I'm completely turned off by the social "conservatism" that predominates in the GOP - these people should mind their own damn business.
I will still continue my newly-adopted practice of providing financial and moral support to "Ron Paul Republicans", though.
Long live the Libertarian Party of the United States of America!
well, then you have my sympathy!
the lp is a far cry from being "libertarian".
maybe once upon a time but no longer.
they blew it big time this year with barr.
the guy is a snake.
Ron Paul is My President
More data, please
You throw out this accusation without giving any examples.
Did Barr advocate government force? Or did he advocate freedom? If he advocated more government and less freedom at any time during the campaign, I sure missed it.
And what about all the other candidates we ran at all levels? What about that was "a far cry from being libertarian?" I don't understand how you came to this conclusion.
Note that the LP purposely allowed Ron Paul to run for his district unopposed and its members contributed heavily to his campaign.
Freedom brings us together.
IMissLiberty
Voting for the Lesser Evil? http://www.inductionworks...
Barr was a lousy candidate
Plenty of post-mortem on that over at Reason. Brian Doherty breaks it down well there,
The downticket candidates, when not disassociating themselves from Barr, suffered.
And Dr. Paul running without an LP opponent has been normal for years. Dr. Paul is, after all, a life member of the LP.
Hear, hear
Well said.
Thanks, Mr. Redpath
You just saved a lot of us $25 by once again failing to recognize the colossal blunders made by the party this go-around. The biggest of them being Bob Barr, a man who is as much a Libertarian as George W. Bush is a saint.
Also, tossing out most of the principles the party was supposed to stand for wasn't all that helpful either. Maybe the new slogan should be "The Party of Some Priniciples (Which We Throw Out The Window As Needed)".
Good luck there with what's left of the Party. I'm sure you and Sisyphus will have a grand ol' time with getting ballot access and promoting neocon candidates.
you might consider me
you might consider me extremely libertarian but i plan to work within the GOP because i believe i am a traditional jeffersonian republican of the day
i am following paul's example
I am a Libertarian, but I know reality
All you need to do is take a first year course in statistics to understand a normal distribution. There is always a small statistically insignificant 2 1/2% at either end of a normal distribution, beyond the third standard deviation. The Libertarian Party plus all other deviant parties added together usually get this 2 1/2% at the positive end of the distribution.
What does this mean to those not so inclined to the numbers? It means that Libertarians and other rebels are abnormal; not mainstream; not even close. Libertarians live out in the netherworld beyond the third standard deviation, not even noticeable, only noticeable to themselves. In the general election at least 97 1/2 % of the votes went to the Republican/Democrat control group.
So quit this bull about the success of those who believe in freedom. Libertarians, above all others are not stupid enough to buy this delusion.
Face reality.
Those who have a moral system where freedom is a high value only second to life itself are an insignificant minority. Plunder and control motivate the small group who truly are in power, and the vast majority are too stupid to know better.
So if Liberty is so popular, please explain to me why Ron Paul, one of the great libertarian figures in history, never received more than a statistically insignificant portion of votes.
Is the head of the Libertarian Party so out of it that he would give us such an out of touch assessment? Either he, or we are playing the fool.
The tragedy is that advocating freedom is considered "abnormal"
And that 97.5% of the voters go for statism in some form, which is really voting against their best interests,