Now that Wayne Root has abruptly discovered he's a Republican (and, boy, wasn't that a shock to the entire Libertarian Party), we are left with an at-large position on the LNC to fill.
Independent Political Report is carrying the statements of a lot (all?) self-nominees, and you can read them for yourself.
I'm not endorsing anybody here, I'm just going to make a statement from one county LP chairman out in the boondocks about what I want in the person who takes this position.
My requirements are short and sweet:
I need somebody at the LNC who is going to turn the national LP into an organization that funnels resources toward the state affiliates. That doesn't have to mean money. It could mean helping us find and negotiate places to do cheap campaign printing. It could mean providing help with generating national press releases that cover local and state candidates. It could mean running candidate boot camps ala Campaign for Liberty. It could mean a lot of stuff that doesn't seem to be a priority to the LNC right now.
I need somebody at the LNC who is going to support and help build on the amazing campaign organization that is boot-strapping itself into existence in the Gary Johnson 2012 campaign. This campaign has been an improvised (and often quite messy) mix of top-down and bottom-up, and we've both made mistakes and pulled off some amazing coups. We've undoubtedly attracted more attention than any other LP presidential campaign in history. That organization needs to become both the model and the basis for continuing endeavors at the national level.
I need somebody at the LNC that will actually tell people that nobody out here trying to elect state representatives actually gives a shit about an LP headquarters building, or the ridiculous bylaws requirement that prevents anybody who cannot fund thousands of dollars of independent travel each year from being part of the LNC. There is no damn reason that many LNC meetings cannot be held online via video conferencing, and that the money thus saved cannot be turned back into support actual campaigning and issues advocacy.
I need somebody at the LNC who actually brings a strategy that will get Libertarians elected. It is not f--king brain surgery. We need to analyze our state LPs and find a district in Texas or Arkansas or Colorado or wherever where we have (a) a strong, committed candidate; (b) a weak incumbent; and (c) local activists, and then the LP needs to coordinate pouring in a shitload of money and expertise to go all out to win an election to a state legislative position. In many states this will only require a few thousand votes. The amazing failure of vision of the LNC to pursue this sort of strategy appalls me.
I need somebody at the LNC who will organize issue advocacy and actually USE the damn internet and new media to do issue advocacy tied to the Libertarian brand 24/7/365 even in--especially in--the off election years.
It's that damn simple. If I had a vote (which I never will), you'd need to impress me with four out of five or I'd vote for "None of the Above" and save somebody the plane fare.
Independent Political Report is carrying the statements of a lot (all?) self-nominees, and you can read them for yourself.
I'm not endorsing anybody here, I'm just going to make a statement from one county LP chairman out in the boondocks about what I want in the person who takes this position.
My requirements are short and sweet:
I need somebody at the LNC who is going to turn the national LP into an organization that funnels resources toward the state affiliates. That doesn't have to mean money. It could mean helping us find and negotiate places to do cheap campaign printing. It could mean providing help with generating national press releases that cover local and state candidates. It could mean running candidate boot camps ala Campaign for Liberty. It could mean a lot of stuff that doesn't seem to be a priority to the LNC right now.
I need somebody at the LNC who is going to support and help build on the amazing campaign organization that is boot-strapping itself into existence in the Gary Johnson 2012 campaign. This campaign has been an improvised (and often quite messy) mix of top-down and bottom-up, and we've both made mistakes and pulled off some amazing coups. We've undoubtedly attracted more attention than any other LP presidential campaign in history. That organization needs to become both the model and the basis for continuing endeavors at the national level.
I need somebody at the LNC that will actually tell people that nobody out here trying to elect state representatives actually gives a shit about an LP headquarters building, or the ridiculous bylaws requirement that prevents anybody who cannot fund thousands of dollars of independent travel each year from being part of the LNC. There is no damn reason that many LNC meetings cannot be held online via video conferencing, and that the money thus saved cannot be turned back into support actual campaigning and issues advocacy.
I need somebody at the LNC who actually brings a strategy that will get Libertarians elected. It is not f--king brain surgery. We need to analyze our state LPs and find a district in Texas or Arkansas or Colorado or wherever where we have (a) a strong, committed candidate; (b) a weak incumbent; and (c) local activists, and then the LP needs to coordinate pouring in a shitload of money and expertise to go all out to win an election to a state legislative position. In many states this will only require a few thousand votes. The amazing failure of vision of the LNC to pursue this sort of strategy appalls me.
I need somebody at the LNC who will organize issue advocacy and actually USE the damn internet and new media to do issue advocacy tied to the Libertarian brand 24/7/365 even in--especially in--the off election years.
It's that damn simple. If I had a vote (which I never will), you'd need to impress me with four out of five or I'd vote for "None of the Above" and save somebody the plane fare.
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