[Lnc-business] Email Ballot 2016-15: Censure John Moore

[From Jeff Hewitt]

We, as a party, as a national committee, as a group of intellectually honest individuals, are abhorred at the actions of a politician who we put our faith and our financial backing into.  Representative Moore offered a tantalizing chance to have one of "us" at the table in a state house. This opportunity rarely occurs. But like so many times before, we feel we have been played by someone who took advantage of an eager wallflower who just wanted to be asked to dance.  After humiliating us in front of our peers, we just want to key his car and make sure he can never do this again.  Why stop at censure?  Why not immediately kick any elected "libertarian" official out of the party for voting against anything in our platform?  
I hate the term "crony capitalism" much like the term "fair share" because it generalizes to the degree of being devoid of any real substance.  These are the terms used by torch carrying mobs to incite passion.  When we point out specific wrongs like the effect a hotel tax has on transient groups, we assign real harm and moral morass to a specific action.  I believe our party has a very high bar for not only principles but also character.  The other two major parties, at this point in time, show no bar at all in the acceptance of two national candidates who will do or say anything to get elected.
I have been a city councilman for 6 years and have had libertarian values all of my life.  I have made protest votes at certain times and I have voted statist in more than a few situations.  There were difficult votes that I stayed true to my values, especially on private property rights.  Every elected needs to make these decisions on their own.  I had a conversation with John yesterday and after hearing his side I told him I would probably have voted differently than he did.  Whether or not he gets re-elected, he has to live with his vote.
Regardless of the outcome, I will continue to engage with not only Representative  Moore, but with other disgruntled "duoplicrats".  Remember, when you take away the ability to fail, you take away the ability to succeed.  Let's give him a chance to succeed.  I would hope he is wiser from his experience.
I vote "no" on censure.         Jeff Hewitt    Representative Region 4




-----Original Message-----
From: Alicia Mattson <agmattson at gmail.com
To: lnc-business <lnc-business at hq.lp.org>
Sent: Fri, Oct 21, 2016 11:20 pm
Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Email Ballot 2016-15: Censure John Moore




I am as upset as the rest of you about the two votes in question, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to vote yes on this motion.


Particularly on the stadium vote, Assemblyman Moore held the power of the deciding vote.  Had he voted no, it would have failed instead of passing.  We had a Libertarian in a position to make a big real-world difference, and it didn't happen.  Facepalm.


IF it's true that his motivation was to play to his constituency in hopes of getting re-elected, I wonder how he will feel about the votes in hindsight in the event that he is not re-elected.  What's the point of being there if you can't vote your conscience?  That's why on the LNC I also vote the way I think I ought to vote even if other LNC members stage organized email campaigns from their friends.  Should we be offended at a public official playing to his constituents if we do the same thing as party officials?



I have several issues with this motion.  I particularly appreciate Mr. Moellman's questions, and I think we probably should have had a conversation with Mr. Moore before we flung a motion into the wind.  I don't think it's sufficient to just hear how other people represent his position to us.  We should get it straight from him.


I am not thrilled about the wording in this resolution.  "...convey a strong message to all and sundry..." ?  Who talks like that?  We're discouraging others from switching to the LP until they completely agree with us?  With which of us?  Because we don't all agree, either.  I probably would have added that his vote was effectively the deciding vote.  Etc.


Censure is an action taken by a group against a member of that same group.  Mr. Moore is not a member of the LNC.  Have we even confirmed that he's a member of the national party?  As of the national convention in May, our records did not yet indicate he had signed our membership certification.  We know he switched his party registration in NV, but that doesn't make him a member of the national party.  We wouldn't censure Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton because they're not members of the LNC or even the LP.


The state affiliate that nominated him has already censured him, so what does this accomplish for the LNC to pile on?  We can't make him return the money.  Is it just to make ourselves feel better?  Is the LNC going to become the purity police that monitors every local/state/federal elected official and passes resolutions about them?  I am concerned about starting such a trend.


If we hadn't already donated the funds, I'd vote to rescind that decision.  That ship has sailed.  I wouldn't vote to donate to him again.  I'm not certain that this motion accomplishes anything productive.


-Alicia








On Fri, Oct 21, 2016 at 10:20 PM, Alicia Mattson <agmattson at gmail.com> wrote:


We have an electronic mail ballot.


Votes are due to the LNC-Business list by October 31, 2016 at 11:59:59pm Pacific time.
 
Co-Sponsors:  Harlos, Demarest, Hayes, Vohra, Starchild, Goldstein, Redpath

Motion: 

Whereas Nevada Assemblyman John Moore, a former Republican who in January 2016 switched to the Libertarian Party while in office, has during the past month voted not once but twice in the span of as many days to raise taxes on his constituents, including a vote to support a "More Cops" tax which the Libertarian Party of Nevada has tirelessly and thus far successfully opposed, and a vote to provide a $750 million subsidy to finance a billionaire-owned sports stadium at the expense of, among others, indigent persons renting weekly rooms in motels; and

Whereas the elected leaders of our state affiliate party in Nevada have rightfully voted to censure Assemblyman Moore for these egregious votes; and

Whereas we wish to convey a strong message to all and sundry that while we welcome sitting legislators in the Republican or Democrat parties who decide to switch to the Libertarian Party as an act of conscience, we do not welcome them if they intend, as members of our party, to continue voting and acting like Republicans or Democrats;

Therefore be it resolved that the Libertarian National Committee hereby censures Assemblyman Moore for his recent votes in support of tax increases, requests that he return the $10,000 campaign contribution which the LNC this season voted to send him, and admonishes him to henceforward be a better champion of the values held by members of the political party with which he has chosen to affiliate if he intends to remain a Libertarian.



-Alicia






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