LP’s bi-annual convention was held in Portland over the July 4th weekend, and it’s generated a bit of buzz in the libertarian blogo-sphere. The biggest bit of news is the Libertarian Reform Caucus’s (LRC) successful attempt to gut the LP Platform. However I think other business might have more significance to what I hope will be the sooner rather than later death of the LP.

The LRC was formed as a sister organization to the Real World Libertarians which , and myself formed in the spring of 2004. Talks were underway with Carl Milstead, LRC founder, regarding a merging of our two organizations when I finally gave up on the LP. I thought Carl was a bit too obsessed over his pet ideas regarding holistic libertarianism, but all in all he was trying to do good.

Convincing the Libertarian National Committee, LNC to hold the event in Portland was important. Excluding that freak of nature known as Starchild, the CA and OR LP were much more pragmatic than the LP affiliates in the southeast. The average CA and OR LP member was also more affluent. Holding the convention in Portland was designed to limit attendance by the povertarians in the southeast. M Carling was the chair of the site selection committee and did a pretty good job in that regard. That I think is the biggest reason for the success of the LRC last week. The kooks couldn’t afford to fly and the drive was too long.

The deletions of the platform planks will make for an interesting 2008 convention. 2008 will most likely be held in the center of the country, allowing all the kooks to drive. It will also have the benefit of being a Presidential nominating convention. The timing could not have worked out better. More kooks will be there in 2008 to counter-attack against the LRC and the LP platform will be a major topic for LP Presidential Nominee candidates. All this will lead to the nomination of a purist radical for President. With open primaries for both of the parties that actually have a chance, there will be even less LP coverage until after the conventions in late summer.

More important than the platform changes, I think the news that will lead to the ultimate downfall of the LP is who was elected to their National Committee. The new chair, Bill Redpath, is obsessed with 50 state ballot access. A large chunk of the LNC’s discretionary budget goes towards getting their presidential wannabe on the ballot. In the past the LNC has avoided financial disaster by restricting projects to spending only the money they raise and limiting the number of times they can mail the ever-decreasing donor base. However the LP’s bylaws are setup to give the Chair a lot of authority in the running of the party. Redpath could easily bypass the safeguards should he so desire.

Chuck Moulton, the new Vice Chair is a good guy, hard worker and knows a political party needs to involve itself in politics. And I don’t just say that because is reading this. But I do think Chuck will lack the age and wisdom to be able to reign in Redpath.

Their new Treasurer will be a disaster. Neale was chair from 2002-2004 and pissed off the entire committee. Neale is also the person who forced the new database down the throats of the 2002-2004 LNC which I’m sure will make the DB-Anger freaks dig the pitchforks out of the closet.

Which might make for interesting fireworks at meetings because the SO of one of the DB-Anger freaks is the Rep from the Northeast region. It looks like all the same folks from CA are back: M, Aaron and Scott. They added Richard Burke to that delegation which will be of benefit to the LP.

I don’t know much about the SE region Reps, other than Bodenhausen is close to LP Communications Director Stephen Gordon (who was the man behind Aaron Russo’s campaign). The other guy is from South Carolina. I don’t know if Panos is still chair up there, but I hope he’s influencing the LNC is someway or another.

All in all I think they’ve elected an LNC that is a recipe for disaster. Now, those of you of the libertarian bent reading this might be wondering where all this vitriol against the LP is coming from. Those of you who worked with me in the LP probably think you know. But I don’t have hatred for the LP as an organization (although I have plenty for certain people in it). No, I have distain for the LP. Radley Balko put it best:

“Ultimately, I think the LP is bad for libertarianism. I think that when the LP embraces an otherwise good idea, it often attaches an air of wingnuttery to that idea, which makes the idea more difficult to sell to the people in power who actually make the decisions.”

The LP gives libertarianism a bad name. I left the LP when I realized that for every new person I manage to bring into the party a blue, pot-head
with a ring who runs for office as a libertarian will drive away 10.

Now I suppose there might be merit in keeping all the freaks trapped together in the same organization, but really, does it have to be the organization with the name the same as my political philosophy? Couldn’t they form an American version of the Monster Raving Loony Party? I also don’t like the bait-and-switch fraud the LP perpetrates. The LP sells itself as a party
for people who are both economically and socially small government.

But what you realize when you join and become active is that they aren’t small government. They are NO government. And they treat heretics worse than the Medieval Catholic Church. If you believe the US has a right to protect itself against a nation who has called for your destruction and demonstrated their ability to do so, you are a neo-con traitor. If you support the FairTax as a method to cut government spending as waste you aren’t a libertarian. If you believe that Social Security benefits should be preserved for people who have already retired you aren’t a libertarian. If you believe that zoning laws are a good thing you aren’t a libertarian. Libertarians take their “party of principle” so far that they would oppose a law against selling crack and alcohol in vending machines to minors in a private school.

I think the LP needs to either die or completely fade into oblivion. It is damaged goods and its presence will hinder the creation of a new third party that will stand for individual liberty, responsible economic policies and a secure nation for us all.