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<p>The Convention Committee has chosen Larry Elder to serve as the
moderator of the Libertarian Party presidential debate, March 28,
at our national convention in Orlando.<br>
</p>
<p>Mr. Elder, a long-time radio and television host, is an
interesting choice. Not everyone was for it. He's been a fairly
strong supporter of libertarian principles on many issues over the
years, and voted for Libertarian Harry Browne for President in
2000. However, when it comes to foreign policy, he's been rather
hawkish, and he voted for Bush in 2004. Some would also have
differences with Elder on some civil liberties issues. <br>
</p>
<p>Mr. Elder has recently tweeted positive comments about Donald
Trump. I should note that, once it became clear on May 3rd that
Donald Trump would be the Republican nominee, our new dues-paying
memberships at <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.lp.org/membership">https://www.lp.org/membership</a> started skyrocketing,
and people were leaving negative comments about Trump. We're
picking up a lot of the anti-Trump folks, and I don't want people
to mistakenly associate Libertarians with Trump. <br>
</p>
<p>On one hand, you might think we shouldn't invite someone like
Elder to our convention, and find someone more consistently
supportive of the Libertarian Party. On the other hand, the
Republican and Democratic nominees routinely face hostile debate
moderators. I wouldn't call Mr. Elder a hostile interviewer. He
might be tough on some issues, but I'm confident our candidates
can handle it. <br>
</p>
<p>Mr. Elder was recruited by a Libertarian who also found a donor
to cover the entire cost of having Mr. Elder attend. I point that
out because I know that some of our members would be upset if they
thought their contributions were helping to fund Mr. Elder's
participation in our convention.</p>
<p>The decision was not mine. I just want to let people know in
advance, so it's not a big surprise to everyone at the last
minute. <br>
</p>
<p>Finally, I encourage all of our candidates for President to be
prepared for tough questions, especially on foreign policy, and be
prepared to knock them out of the park!</p>
<p>You can purchase a ticket to the debate for $20 here:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://libertarian.nationbuilder.com/register">http://libertarian.nationbuilder.com/register</a></p>
<p>See you in Orlando!<br>
</p>
Thanks,<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:wes.benedict@lp.org">wes.benedict@lp.org</a>
facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lp.org/membership">http://lp.org/membership</a></pre>
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