The Last Free Voice blog, in reaction to Stewart Flood's "list of charges" against Angela Keaton, asked people to spill their guts about other top-secret and not-so-top-secret LP gossip.
So I figured "why not?"
Here you go... and remember, this is your party too... if you're not pleased with this stuff, it's up to you to change it.
(This comment was posted over there, too, but is awaiting moderation as of this posting).
While we’re busy spilling, perhaps I should start by recounting the biggest doozies of my own that I remember:
1) An e-mail where Shane Cory told Angela that she’s well-liked “despite being the representative of the Outrights and the radicals,” not because of that… Keep in mind that as an LNC member, she was Shane’s boss, and such comments are borderline insubordinate. Too bad LNC rule books only get dragged out as pillories when Angela’s involved, huh?
2) A coffee date that I enjoyed with both Stewie and Angela during the CLC in Las Vegas where, at the mere sight of Alan Hacker, Stew turned purple-faced and started ranting that “Hacker has defrauded the LNC and the LP!!!”
3) Overhearing Shane Cory curse a little too loudly under his breath when Outright showed up at the CLC event with a booth of our own
4) Watching Shane shit his pants when Angela and I grilled Bob Barr on DOMA in front of an assemblage of Libertarians and Republicans alike right in front of the Outright booth
5) Enjoying engagement from youth at various LP events, who are attracted to Angela like moths to a flame and who are attracted to Aaron, Stewie and M like gourmets to a Waffle House
And here’s a host of other entertaining (and not so entertaining) memories of the last 18 months:
1) Recalling when the LP violated its fiduciary duty by voting to make LP campaign resources available to a Republican incumbent congressman campaigning for a Republican nomination in an election contested by the Libertarian Party
2) Watching in stunned amazement this past election cycle as the Libertarian Party National Committee and web site refused to comment on California’s Prop 8 (or any similar amendments), and doubling that amazement when a vote for the LP of California to post the no-on-8 logo to its web site failed… not to mention the “fun” I had in explaining that “oversight” to all and sundry
3) Answering with a confused “The national committee is against it, I think” whenever I was asked about the LP’s position on the TARP, Citigroup bailouts, etc…. followed closely by me having to cite Bob Friggin’ Barr as the only Libertarian in national officialdom on this issue due to his proposed bill to ban bailouts
4) Showing up twice on the Signorile Show on SIRIUS Radio to comment on and defend the Barr candidacy from the righteous indignation of the LGBT community (by talking about his “evolution” on the issues and stating he’s no worse than Hillary Clinton… a world class defense of a Libertarian if I’ve ever heard one). Not to mention watching Angela struggle heroically to defend the indefensible candidacy herself without compromising her world-class integrity
5) Popping up on CBS News to talk about alternative candidacies… closely followed up by having the CBS News people inform me that the LNC members I referred them to (including Stewie) didn’t return their requests for comment… followed by complaints from some of the same people about a “media blackout” of Libertarian candidates
6) 42 newspaper and news magazine interviews in one week (mostly gay press) the week after the Barr nomination, grabbing the Libertarian Party’s Worst Ever Presidential Ticket the Best Ever Media Coverage it’s received in the LGBT community’s media
7) Watching Rob Power get profiled in the Advocate twice in a year — beating out the heads of the Stonewall Democrats and Log Cabin Republicans for coverage in 2008
8) Noting that the only significant Washington press coverage (with photograph) that the LPHQ received was an article about the Communications Director’s efforts to sell his SUV
9) Watching the Munger campaign run just about a perfect campaign with the resources they had — and watching LP national do nothing to leverage it
10) Explaining to media contacts that I had no clue why their requests for interviews with top LP officials I referred them to were ignored, and also that the full-time LP national HQ PR resource was not at HQ but working for the Barr campaign and thus was probably not returning their emails for that reason
11) Watching LPHQ celebrate an interview of Redpath in a bunny suit on YouTube as a media breakthrough less than 48 hours after a chat with a media person complaining that LNC members never return requests for interviews… and explaining to them that they’re “very busy” and “usually ignore me too.” ;)
12) Watching the idiotarians (try to) beat up on George Phillies and his team, even as they grabbed media attention and ballot access cash for the LP…
13) Reading leaked e-mails from the LNC (which is leakier than the Speedwell) defaming every candidate running for the Libertarian nomination with the exception of Barr himself… and publicly slamming the effort to defame Dr. Ruwart… and reading LNC e-mails written by the culprit trying to pin the whole Ruwart thing on George Phillies
14) Watching the LNC claim it didn’t have enough money to complete a ballot drive in WV on time
15) Watching the LNC claim it had enough money to bash Phillies in NH despite not having enough to actually get access in WV
16) Watching the LNC’s lawsuit call its effort to remove George from the ballot while Barr was already on the ballot a “substitution lawsuit” (and seeing that Orwellian phrasing repeated by Stewie in his List of Supreme Soviet challenges to Ms. Keaton)
17) Watching Mike Gravel get pissed off every time someone referred to him as a Democrat during the National Convention
18) Watching some LNC members bask with pride every time someone referred to them as Republicans during the National Convention
19) Watching Christine Smith get drunker and drunker at the Capitol Barr in Denver before losing it over only getting 6 votes
Some of this stuff would make the stuff for a funny memoir… but I have to say, it’s not making the stuff of an effective political party when the brain trust at the top is sharing but a single cell of grey matter.
Whether or not Stewie, Starr, Redpath and Carling succeed in shitting all over Angela (and us) by throwing her off the LNC (and disenfranchising those of us who voted for her), those who are left should take a look at what they hath wrought.
Is it something to be proud of?
So I figured "why not?"
Here you go... and remember, this is your party too... if you're not pleased with this stuff, it's up to you to change it.
(This comment was posted over there, too, but is awaiting moderation as of this posting).
While we’re busy spilling, perhaps I should start by recounting the biggest doozies of my own that I remember:
1) An e-mail where Shane Cory told Angela that she’s well-liked “despite being the representative of the Outrights and the radicals,” not because of that… Keep in mind that as an LNC member, she was Shane’s boss, and such comments are borderline insubordinate. Too bad LNC rule books only get dragged out as pillories when Angela’s involved, huh?
2) A coffee date that I enjoyed with both Stewie and Angela during the CLC in Las Vegas where, at the mere sight of Alan Hacker, Stew turned purple-faced and started ranting that “Hacker has defrauded the LNC and the LP!!!”
3) Overhearing Shane Cory curse a little too loudly under his breath when Outright showed up at the CLC event with a booth of our own
4) Watching Shane shit his pants when Angela and I grilled Bob Barr on DOMA in front of an assemblage of Libertarians and Republicans alike right in front of the Outright booth
5) Enjoying engagement from youth at various LP events, who are attracted to Angela like moths to a flame and who are attracted to Aaron, Stewie and M like gourmets to a Waffle House
And here’s a host of other entertaining (and not so entertaining) memories of the last 18 months:
1) Recalling when the LP violated its fiduciary duty by voting to make LP campaign resources available to a Republican incumbent congressman campaigning for a Republican nomination in an election contested by the Libertarian Party
2) Watching in stunned amazement this past election cycle as the Libertarian Party National Committee and web site refused to comment on California’s Prop 8 (or any similar amendments), and doubling that amazement when a vote for the LP of California to post the no-on-8 logo to its web site failed… not to mention the “fun” I had in explaining that “oversight” to all and sundry
3) Answering with a confused “The national committee is against it, I think” whenever I was asked about the LP’s position on the TARP, Citigroup bailouts, etc…. followed closely by me having to cite Bob Friggin’ Barr as the only Libertarian in national officialdom on this issue due to his proposed bill to ban bailouts
4) Showing up twice on the Signorile Show on SIRIUS Radio to comment on and defend the Barr candidacy from the righteous indignation of the LGBT community (by talking about his “evolution” on the issues and stating he’s no worse than Hillary Clinton… a world class defense of a Libertarian if I’ve ever heard one). Not to mention watching Angela struggle heroically to defend the indefensible candidacy herself without compromising her world-class integrity
5) Popping up on CBS News to talk about alternative candidacies… closely followed up by having the CBS News people inform me that the LNC members I referred them to (including Stewie) didn’t return their requests for comment… followed by complaints from some of the same people about a “media blackout” of Libertarian candidates
6) 42 newspaper and news magazine interviews in one week (mostly gay press) the week after the Barr nomination, grabbing the Libertarian Party’s Worst Ever Presidential Ticket the Best Ever Media Coverage it’s received in the LGBT community’s media
7) Watching Rob Power get profiled in the Advocate twice in a year — beating out the heads of the Stonewall Democrats and Log Cabin Republicans for coverage in 2008
8) Noting that the only significant Washington press coverage (with photograph) that the LPHQ received was an article about the Communications Director’s efforts to sell his SUV
9) Watching the Munger campaign run just about a perfect campaign with the resources they had — and watching LP national do nothing to leverage it
10) Explaining to media contacts that I had no clue why their requests for interviews with top LP officials I referred them to were ignored, and also that the full-time LP national HQ PR resource was not at HQ but working for the Barr campaign and thus was probably not returning their emails for that reason
11) Watching LPHQ celebrate an interview of Redpath in a bunny suit on YouTube as a media breakthrough less than 48 hours after a chat with a media person complaining that LNC members never return requests for interviews… and explaining to them that they’re “very busy” and “usually ignore me too.” ;)
12) Watching the idiotarians (try to) beat up on George Phillies and his team, even as they grabbed media attention and ballot access cash for the LP…
13) Reading leaked e-mails from the LNC (which is leakier than the Speedwell) defaming every candidate running for the Libertarian nomination with the exception of Barr himself… and publicly slamming the effort to defame Dr. Ruwart… and reading LNC e-mails written by the culprit trying to pin the whole Ruwart thing on George Phillies
14) Watching the LNC claim it didn’t have enough money to complete a ballot drive in WV on time
15) Watching the LNC claim it had enough money to bash Phillies in NH despite not having enough to actually get access in WV
16) Watching the LNC’s lawsuit call its effort to remove George from the ballot while Barr was already on the ballot a “substitution lawsuit” (and seeing that Orwellian phrasing repeated by Stewie in his List of Supreme Soviet challenges to Ms. Keaton)
17) Watching Mike Gravel get pissed off every time someone referred to him as a Democrat during the National Convention
18) Watching some LNC members bask with pride every time someone referred to them as Republicans during the National Convention
19) Watching Christine Smith get drunker and drunker at the Capitol Barr in Denver before losing it over only getting 6 votes
Some of this stuff would make the stuff for a funny memoir… but I have to say, it’s not making the stuff of an effective political party when the brain trust at the top is sharing but a single cell of grey matter.
Whether or not Stewie, Starr, Redpath and Carling succeed in shitting all over Angela (and us) by throwing her off the LNC (and disenfranchising those of us who voted for her), those who are left should take a look at what they hath wrought.
Is it something to be proud of?
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