[Lnc-business] Screening Presidential candidates

[Daniel Wiener]

Kevin, I agree with you that I don't like our party being embarrassed by
fringe candidates.  I have urged for a long time that we create more
stringent criteria for officially acknowledging those individuals who've
decided to run for the LP's Presidential nomination.  (Not to stop them
from running, just not publicizing them.)  Four years ago I proposed a
Policy Manual amendment to do just that (see the email below), but it went
nowhere.  Who knows, perhaps the LNC may have more interest now than it did
then in coming up with *something* to distinguish serious candidates from
frivolous ones.

However, back in 2011 I did succeed in adding the following provision to
the Policy Manual:

*Section 2.06 PARTY COMMUNICATIONS*
*5) Assuring Quality Communications*
If a majority of all LNC members notify the Secretary of their belief that
a proposed or actual public communication is detrimental to the image of
the Party, such notification to occur no later than 72 hours after the
public communication is published, the Secretary shall inform the Executive
Director and Chair of this finding, and such communication shall not be
further disseminated, and to the extent possible, already-disseminated
material shall be promptly removed from the public sphere.


You should keep this provision in mind for any future instances in which
you've spotted something which you think is "detrimental to the image of
the Party".  Whether it's something new on the LP web site or Facebook page
or whatever, you should immediately email the LNC with your objection.  If
a majority agree with you and act fast, it can be quickly deleted.  Failing
that, four LNC members can sponsor a motion to delete it, although the
voting on such a motion will take a lot longer.

As a member of the Advertising & Publication Review Committee, I should
also mention that the APRC does look at all LP communications.  However,
its role is officially limited to assuring that the Platform, Bylaws, and
Policy Manual are not violated, and its deliberations are required to be
confidential.  So when issues arise from time to time, no one outside the
APRC sees what things are prevented from being published, nor does anyone
else hear the concerns and arguments (and disagreements) which are
expressed within the committee.  That can often be frustrating for those of
us on the committee, but those are the limitations we have to abide by.

Dan Wiener

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Daniel Wiener <wiener at alum.mit.edu>
Date: Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 9:14 AM
Subject: Policy Manual motion on Presidential candidates
To: LNC Discussion <lnc-discuss at hq.lp.org>

I haven't seen any further suggested modifications for the last five days,
so at this time I am proposing a motion to make the following changes
(underlined in blue) to Section 2.08(2) of the Policy Manual, and I am
asking for co-sponsors.

Daniel Wiener

*Section 2.08(2) Limitations on Party Support for Public Office*

*Party resources shall not be used to provide information or services or
promotional material for any candidate for public office prior to the
nomination unless:*

* • such information or services or promotional material facilities are
available and announced on an equal basis to all Libertarians who have
declared they are seeking the nomination for President or Vice-President,
providing that a candidate is qualified according to the following
criteria:*

*·      The candidate is a sustaining member of the national party; and*


*·      The candidate supplies a list of at least 100 sustaining members of
the national party who have declared that they consider the candidate to be
"acceptable"; and*


*·      The candidate has raised at least $5,000 in campaign contributions
from donors other than the candidate or the candidate's immediate family.*

*·      During the month immediately prior to the national nomination
convention, an additional criterion is that the total money which the
campaign has raised since the candidate announced **shall have exceeded
$10,000* *(from donors other than the **candidate or the candidate's
immediate family)**.*

*• or, such information or services are generally available and announced
to all party members** in the case of non-national candidates.*

*• or, the service or candidate has been approved by the state chair in the
case of non-national candidates.*


*Qualified Presidential or Vice-Presidential candidates may, with the
assistance of any LNC member, post promotional material to the LP Blog, but
the total number of such posts shall be limited to the number of 30-day
periods prior to the nomination convention (rounded up) from when a
candidate first became qualified.  A list of qualified candidates along
with links to their web pages shall be featured on the www.lp.org
<http://www.lp.org/> web site and in LP News, and may be included in
appropriate publications and mass emailings to members.  In each case there
shall be a disclaimer stating that the party does not necessarily endorse
or agree with the candidates or the contents of their web pages. *

*The above restrictions do not apply to the dissemination of newsworthy
information about candidates and their campaign activities, where the
source or the object of the information involves significant media outlets
which are not affiliated with the candidate.  Contemporaneous newsworthy
information about a candidate shall be aggregated to the maximum extent
practical. The APRC shall be authorized to resolve any uncertainties by
majority vote.*
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