<div dir="ltr"><div><div>Wes,<br><br></div>I'm not wedded to any particular set of criteria, and I'm all for simplicity. I'm open to any set of standards which will weed out those candidates who are pretty clearly fringe/frivolous -- the ones who have no hope of seriously competing for our nomination, and are either delusional or just in it because they think it would be neat to declare themselves to be Presidential candidates.<br><br></div>Dan Wiener<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Feb 9, 2016 at 9:11 AM, Wes Benedict <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:wes.benedict@lp.org" target="_blank">wes.benedict@lp.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
Dan,<br>
<br>
Just to be clear on the Presidential candidate listings, staff
follows the instructions of the chair and LNC. If the criteria is
changed, we'll try to follow the criteria. However, if you do change
the criteria, I hope you can find a way to do it that doesn't create
a lot of busy work for staff, the LNC, the candidates, or the state
chairs. Requiring a certain number of supporters to be listed,
(e.g. chairs, members, LNC members, etc. ) is the kind of busy work
I'm hoping is avoided. <br>
<br>
Conducting, for example, an approval voting process at the upcoming
LNC meeting, where those with more than 50% support by LNC get
listed, would not involve a lot of busy work. It's still objective
criteria, just not overly engineered and time-consuming, and
amendable by email ballot after the fact if necessary, such as if
someone new files.<br>
<br>
If a few were pulled off our current list, I don't think there'd be
a lot of comlaints. There'd be a lot of people happy about that. If,
on the other hand, most were removed and only a few remained, then
you'd probably see a lot of complaints.<br>
<br>
<pre cols="72">Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
<a href="tel:%28202%29%20333-0008%20ext.%20232" value="+12023330008" target="_blank">(202) 333-0008 ext. 232</a>, <a href="mailto:wes.benedict@lp.org" target="_blank">wes.benedict@lp.org</a>
<a href="http://facebook.com/libertarians" target="_blank">facebook.com/libertarians</a> @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: <a href="http://lp.org/membership" target="_blank">http://lp.org/membership</a></pre><div><div class="h5">
<div>On 2/9/2016 12:51 AM, Daniel Wiener
wrote:<br>
</div>
</div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div class="h5">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>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 <u>something</u>
to distinguish serious candidates from frivolous ones.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>However, back in 2011 I did succeed in adding the following
provision to the Policy Manual:</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<blockquote style="margin:0 0 0 40px;border:none;padding:0px">
<div><strong style="font-size:12.8px">Section 2.06 PARTY <span>COMMUNICATIONS</span></strong></div>
<div><strong style="font-size:12.8px">5) <span>Assuring</span> <span>Quality</span> <span>Communications</span></strong></div>
<div><span style="font-size:12.8px">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.</span></div>
</blockquote>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>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.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>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.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Dan Wiener</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>
From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Daniel Wiener</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:wiener@alum.mit.edu" target="_blank">wiener@alum.mit.edu</a>></span><br>
Date: Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 9:14 AM<br>
Subject: Policy Manual motion on Presidential candidates<br>
To: LNC Discussion <<a href="mailto:lnc-discuss@hq.lp.org" target="_blank">lnc-discuss@hq.lp.org</a>><br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
Daniel Wiener<br>
<div class="gmail_quote"><br>
<blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right:0px">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><font face="Calibri"><b>Section
2.08(2) Limitations on Party Support for
Public Office</b></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><span style="line-height:115%"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><font face="Calibri"><b>Party
resources shall not be used to provide
information or services <u><font color="#3333ff">or promotional material</font></u>
for any candidate for public office prior to
the nomination unless:</b></font></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><b><span style="line-height:115%"><font face="Calibri"> </font></span><span style="line-height:115%"><font face="Calibri">•
such information or services <u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)"><font color="#3333ff">or promotional material
facilities</font></span></u> are available
and announced on an equal basis to all
Libertarians who have declared they are seeking
the nomination for President or Vice-President,
<u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)"><font color="#3333ff">providing that a candidate
is qualified according to the following
criteria:</font></span></u></font></span></b></p>
<div>
<div>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><b><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span> </span></span></span><u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%"><font color="#3333ff" face="Calibri">The candidate is a
sustaining member of the national party;
and</font></span></u></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><b><u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%"><font color="#3333ff" face="Calibri"><br>
</font></span></u></b></p>
</div>
</div>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt 0.5in"><b><font color="#3333ff"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span> </span></span></span></font><u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%"><font color="#3333ff" face="Calibri">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</font></span></u></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt 0.5in"><b><font color="#3333ff"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span> </span></span></span></font><u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%"><font color="#3333ff" face="Calibri">The candidate
has raised at least $5,000 in campaign
contributions from donors other than the
candidate or the candidate's immediate family.<br>
</font></span></u></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt 0.5in"><b><font color="#3333ff"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span> </span></span></span></font><u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%"><font color="#3333ff" face="Calibri">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 </font></span></u></b><b><u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%"><font color="#3333ff" face="Calibri">shall have
exceeded $10,000</font></span></u></b><b><u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%"><font color="#3333ff" face="Calibri"> </font></span></u></b><b><u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%"><font color="#3333ff" face="Calibri">(from donors
other than the </font></span></u></b><b><u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%"><font color="#3333ff" face="Calibri">candidate or
the candidate's immediate family)</font></span></u></b><b><u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%"><font color="#3333ff" face="Calibri">.</font></span></u></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt 0.5in"><b><u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%"></span></u></b></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><span style="line-height:115%"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><font face="Calibri"><b>•
<u><font color="#3333ff">or,</font></u> such
information or services are generally
available and announced to all party members</b></font></span><span style="line-height:115%"><font face="Calibri"><b>
<font color="#3333ff"><u>in the case of
non-national candidates</u>.</font></b></font></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><span style="line-height:115%"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><font face="Calibri"><b>•
or, the service or candidate has been
approved by the state chair <font color="#3333ff"><u>in the case of
non-national candidates</u>.</font></b></font></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><b><u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%"><font face="Calibri"><font color="#3333ff">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 </font><a href="http://www.lp.org/" target="_blank"><font color="#3333ff"></font></a><font color="#3333ff"><a href="http://www.lp.org" target="_blank">www.lp.org</a></font><font color="#3333ff"> 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. <br>
</font></font></span></u></b></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><span style="line-height:115%"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><u><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%"><font color="#3333ff" face="Calibri"><b>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.<span> </span>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.</b></font></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><u><span style="font-size:8pt;color:rgb(31,73,125);line-height:115%"><span style="text-decoration:none"></span></span></u></p>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<fieldset></fieldset>
<br>
</div></div><pre>_______________________________________________
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</blockquote>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><font size="1"><i>"In general, we look for a new law by the following process. First, we guess it (audience laughter), no, don’t laugh, that’s the truth. Then we compute the consequences of the guess, to see what, if this is right, if this law we guess is right, to see what it would imply and then we compare the computation results to nature or we say compare to experiment or experience, compare it directly with observations to see if it works.<font size="2"><b> If it disagrees with experiment, it’s WRONG. In that simple statement is the key to science.</b></font> It doesn’t make any difference how beautiful your guess is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are, who made the guess, or what his name is. If it disagrees with experiment, it’s wrong. That’s all there is to it.”</i> -- Richard Feynman</font> <font size="1">(<a href="https://tinyurl.com/lozjjps" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/lozjjps</a>)</font><br></div></div>
</div>