[Lnc-business] [Statechairs] National Party Membership

Sun Feb 15 19:37:46 EST 2015

I take Gary Johnson's comments, in context, to be a compliment to the
Libertarian party.

He is simply expressing a truth; the very basic reality is that:

1> Gary Johnson wants to run for president and needs ballot access, and
2> The LP will most likely want Gary Johnson to be our candidate and all we
have to offer is ballot access.

This is simple logic; it's often called "win-win".

Gary may not pass the Libertarian test of everyone in our party, but he said
it very well when he said:

"Whatever party you run for - Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green -
you're carrying baggage that, whether you think you're carrying it or not,
you are, because you are the representative of that party. I always tell
people that running as a Libertarian, I have the least amount of explaining
to do."

Norm

PS> Gary is a self-made man of means and lives the life style he chooses
without cost or expense to others or infringing upon the rights of others to
do likewise. I find this to be very Libertarian.  I'm disappointed that a
Libertarian would choose to criticize that.

--

Norman T Olsen
Regional Representative, Region 1
Libertarian National Committee
7931 South Broadway, PMB 102
Littleton, CO  80122-2710
303-263-4995

-----Original Message-----
From: Statechairs [mailto:statechairs-bounces at hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Daniel
Hayes
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2015 6:32 AM
To: George Phillies
Cc: State Chairs Libertarian
Subject: Re: [Statechairs] National Party Membership

Maybe Sustaining memberships are down nationally because we have Gary
Johnson the person that ran as a Libertarian in 2012, saying he is going to
run as a Libertarian in 2016, traveling around to various National talk
shows saying things like:

"The ideal political affiliation right now is independent," Johnson said. "I
would be that, but to get on the ballot in all 50 states would be a $10
million endeavor. Running as a Libertarian, with all the volunteers, they
cover that base. They make that happen." - See more at:
http://libertarian2014.com/2014/11/24/former-gov-gary-johnson-talking-16-pre
sidential-run/#sthash.EeabJxef.dpuf

It is my understanding that Mr Johnson was on Neil Cavuto's show on Fox just
this past Wednesday and said the same thing.  How many resources are being
misdirected away from National and the states and put into Our America
Initiative, which looks like the framework for a new Political Party to me
and not just a PAC like some have claimed.  I think people need to start
asking themselves this question.
Also, How many state chairman or vice-chairman and other leaderships are OAI
directors? Maybe if people were not putting their energies and efforts of
their state organizations into the coffers of OAI and it's Honorary Chairman
Climbing Mountains in Antarctica, living a Rock Star lifestyle building a
national movement directed towards one person, things might be better for
the National party membership.
When there is an argument in a state between various factions, OAI often
seems to be there to take a side and/or fuel the dissent.

Since 2012, Gary Johnson has been CONSISTENTLY been a poor advocate for the
National Libertarian Party on the national level. Obviously, we don't have
someone else that can be put out there to counter him, but do we really need
to have our State Organizations directing their volunteers and members in
his direction?

Also, In 2014, the LSLA comped the premier booth they were selling to OAI.
That was nearly $1000 lost for the LSLA coffers. We have a consistent
diversion of Party resources away from building the party to support one
person that is not truly supporting us. We need to stop supporting people
that don't truly support us.

Daniel Hayes
LNC Region 7 Representative Alternate

"The ideal political affiliation right now is independent," Johnson said. "I
would be that, but to get on the ballot in all 50 states would be a $10
million endeavor. Running as a Libertarian, with all the volunteers, they
cover that base. They make that happen." - See more at:
http://libertarian2014.com/2014/11/24/former-gov-gary-johnson-talking-16-pre
sidential-run/#sthash.EeabJxef.dpuf
"The ideal political affiliation right now is independent," Johnson said. "I
would be that, but to get on the ballot in all 50 states would be a $10
million endeavor. Running as a Libertarian, with all the volunteers, they
cover that base. They make that happen." - See more at:
http://libertarian2014.com/2014/11/24/former-gov-gary-johnson-talking-16-pre
sidential-run/#sthash.EeabJxef.dpuf

"The ideal political affiliation right now is independent," Johnson said. "I
would be that, but to get on the ballot in all 50 states would be a $10
million endeavor. Running as a Libertarian, with all the volunteers, they
cover that base. They make that happen." - See more at:
http://libertarian2014.com/2014/11/24/former-gov-gary-johnson-talking-16-pre
sidential-run/#sthash.EeabJxef.dpuf

> On Feb 8, 2015, at 8:33 PM, George Phillies <phillies at 4liberty.net> wrote:
> 
> Everyone else has been discussing this in terms of sustaining membership,
which is now under 13,000, according to official LNC documents. Sorry that
you completely missed the point of the conversation, but then you also are
not a state chair.
> 
> On 2/8/2015 9:29 PM, Scott L. wrote:
>> The number of "members" of the National LP was right under my nose, 
>> and I didn't know it.
>> 
>> Here is the exact number from the latest membership report:
>> 
>> *January 31,2015 -  National LP Membership Report*
>> 
>> **
>> 
>>    Lapsed & Zero Dues MEM = 121,666
>> 
>> Hat Tip:  Paul Frankel
>> 
>>   Scott Lieberman    Region 4 Alternate, LNC
>> 
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>> ---
>> 
>> "ARTICLE 5: MEMBERSHIP
>> 
>> 1.Members of the Party shall be those persons who have certified in 
>> writing that they oppose the initiation of force to achieve political 
>> or social goals."
>> 
>> IIRC, the National LP has at least 80,000 "members" as per number 1 
>> above. I assume most of them are lapsed Sustaining Members who have 
>> not renounced the membership oath certification.
>> 
>> Scott Lieberman     Region 4 Alternate, LNC
>> 
>> 
>> 
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>> 
> 
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