[Lnc-business] Social Media Messaging Recommendations

Wed Apr 19 01:46:20 EDT 2017

I would agree with some fine tuning to social media realities, but it is
bold, it is libertarian, it is worth having.  But let me raise two issues
(one that has bothered me since the meeting and one raised here):

We were exhausted on Sunday and I came in late to the discussion (the
amount of time for people to check out was NOT long enough - I have a bad
back and going down with two pieces of luggage, a line at the front desk,
and then stowing the luggage with the attendant was not speedy speedy for
me) - I am unclear and I think the committee itself is unclear on what its
scope is.  I hope next time we give a larger window of time to check out.
Women in particular *generally* need longer.  We have earrings and other
misc item that we need to make sure are not left in the room and are often
in heels.

My understanding - the committee scope is to recommend *oversight* *only *NOT
to determine our messaging strategy.  Three LNC members and two non-LNC
members* have not been empowered* to determine our messaging strategy.
Though I have gotten an impression that some think that is not what is
happening.  The immediate crisis was oversight - a post that most of us
believe should have not went through, went through.  Our system failed.
The messaging strategy is a larger issue that the oversight will serve.
Nick is already taking decisive steps on instructions to the volunteers.

If we are going to have a strategy discussion, this needs to be the full
LNC.  Perhaps... it *gasp* needs to be a special meeting.  In person or
online I don't care.  *Arvin is doing the precisely right thing by making
this a full LNC discussion.  *

But if we followed this never have one kind of libertarian against another
is impossible.  Rather than wording it that way, let's word it to the end
game of the Statement of Principles must never be contradicted. Government
must never grow.  But sometimes there are disagreements on paths, and that
is okay.  Our bylaws don't place the arbiter on whether or not libertarians
may disagree.  It places it on the Statement of Principles.  That is the
reality of our Purpose per our Bylaws- *to implement and give voice to the
principles in the Statement of Principles.*  I know some people prefer the
much more malleable (and I don't mean that in a positive way) of "moving
policy in a Libertarian direction" (also in the Bylaws but *subservient to
the Statement of Principles) *which has been massaged by some (not saying
here, I am speaking of the wider world) to mean sacrificing the rights of
the few for the benefit of the many in some kind of net utility calculator
when our Statement of Principles says we defend the rights of the
individual.  Not just ones we deem expandable for the good of the
collective.

;tldr I like what Arvin said.  Messaging strategy is not the job of the
committee this weekend (it was OVERSIGHT and it was in oversight that
failed this past week).

-Caryn Ann

On Tue, Apr 18, 2017 at 11:13 PM, Arvin Vohra <votevohra at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi All -
>
> As we look to revamp our social media in the context of greater exposure,
> here are my recommendations for messaging strategy for facebook and other
> forms of social media. This also applies to traditional media. Most of this
> is based on the Libertarian Solutions model created by Carla Howell.
>
> 1. Set the debate.
>
> We can set the debate topic. We can make it minor, esoteric stuff around
> the edges of liberty. Or we can go for the heart, and make a debate worth
> having.
>
> Examples of debates worth having: Government out of education, government
> out of healthcare, end the drug war, end the income tax, military for
> defense only, end the patriot act, abolish the FDA, end corn subsidies.
>
> Yes, we'll get pushback, but that's the whole point. The pushback turns it
> into a debate, and makes the question about the very existence of, for
> example, government schools, rather than something minor.
>
> We're going to get pushback on everything now. We're in the mainstream. So
> let's make the debate worth having.
>
>
> 2. Give your team the ammunition to fight the battles they actually want
> to fight.
>
> The ammo we post on social media is what Libertarians use in their
> personal debates. If we give the right ammo, we'll help the win the debates
> they want.
>
> For example, anyone who wants to End the Fed actually wants to end the
> income tax. The latter is a harder debate to have, so they go with the
> easier one. Since no statist knows what the fed is, they don't push back.
> Similarly, it's easier to argue in favor of charter schools than in favor
> of abolishing government schools entirely. But the debate worth having (and
> the one set forth in our platform) is abolishing government schooling.
> We'll get the same pushback either way. Let's make the pushback worthwhile.
>
> Ammo, btw, isn't just a funny meme. It's a meme, essay, or video that
> people can use as part of a debate. It's not just for morale boosting; it's
> ammo to actually use. Don't worry - winning a debate boosts morale plenty.
>
> The ammo should target the end goal. There are many brilliant people who
> have written about ending government schooling. Many are former government
> school teachers. Finding them and quoting relevant parts is the type of
> research we can do that will help our people spread real liberty.
>
> 3. Stay on the offensive.
>
> It's not enough to block new government. We should be blocking and
> attacking. Instead of "No new wars," it should be "No new wars, shut down
> foreign military bases, bring the troops home, cut military spending by
> 60%, and cut taxes accordingly." Instead of, "Don't raise taxes", it should
> be "Stop this tax increase, and also eliminate the income tax, which will
> grow the economy, increase the number of jobs, and attract entrepreneurs to
> America."
>
> 4. ABC - Always Be Cutting
>
> Every image, essay, video, should have at least one cut, and it should be
> big, bold, and comprehensible. You can post them in the comments. The cut
> can be eliminating an agency or tax, or simply reducing the size of an
> agency or tax. Not every cut needs to be enormous, but it does need to be a
> cut.
>
>
> 5. NBG - Never Be Growing
>
> Huge one: a cut should be a cut only, not a cut here with a growth here.
> "Lower property tax and increase sales tax" is not a cut. "Lower property
> tax" is.
>
> "Cut military spending to spend more on government schools" is not a cut.
> "Cut military spending and cut taxes accordingly, so people can pay for
> better education" is.
>
>
> 6. Avoid grey areas.
>
> Grey areas are interesting late night discussions. They are terrible
> political strategy. If there is no obvious libertarian fact of the matter,
> skip it. There are plenty of things that can stir up controversy. Ending
> government schools, ending the FDA, ending all censorship, getting the
> government out of marriage are all obviously libertarian. Let's create
> controversy where it's libertarian vs. statist, not libertarian vs. a
> slightly different libertarian.
>
> 7. Benefits.
>
> Always mention benefits to normal people.
>
> WRONG: "Ending the war on drugs will lower the price of cocaine, so you
> can sprinkle it on your pancakes."
>
> RIGHT: "Ending the war on drugs will reduce violence since drug businesses
> will be able to settle disputes by using dispute resolution services from
> companies like Amazon, eBay, and Visa instead of resorting to violence."
>
> In Liberty,
>
> Arvin Vohra
> Vice Chair
> Libertarian National Committee
>
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>
>

-- 
*In Liberty,*
*Caryn Ann Harlos*
Region 1 Representative, Libertarian National Committee (Alaska, Arizona,
Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington) - Caryn.Ann.
Harlos at LP.org <Caryn.Ann.Harlos at LP.org>
Communications Director, Libertarian Party of Colorado
<http://www.lpcolorado.org>
Colorado State Coordinator, Libertarian Party Radical Caucus
<http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org>
Chair, LP Historical Preservation Committee

A haiku to the Statement of Principles:
*We defend your rights*
*And oppose the use of force*
*Taxation is theft*
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