GordonUnleashed

National Libertarian Party Jumping on the Ron Paul Bandwagon

November 19th, 2007 by Steve

It looks like the Libertarian Party has recognized that most of their members support Ron Paul’s Republican campaign for president. On Friday, I announced that the LP had launched a new online program called Liberty Decides ‘08. It allows people to vote, with their dollars, for the LP presidential candidate of their choice. Additionally, one can vote for NOTA (none-of-the-above) or for a future, yet unannounced candidate. The proceeds go to help the eventual nominee and the party in general.

I indicated that the support for NOTA and Future Candidate was probably mostly for Congressman Paul:

Because I suspected that most of the NOTA and Future Candidate donations came from Ron Paul supporters, I asked Libertarian Party Executive Director Shane Cory if this was indeed the case. He told me that they had just sent out a Liberty Decides fundraising letter and (I believe) have only included one day’s worth of donations to the current totals. He confirmed that most of the NOTA and Future Candidate donations were marked with Ron Paul’s name.

Now, the Libertarian Party has taken what seems a pretty unprecedented step and pimped out Ron Paul in an e-mail they just sent out. Here’s the pertinent section:

Now, due to the quantity of respectful e-mails, letters and phone calls that I receive from our own members, even if I tried, I could not ignore the fact that many Libertarians are excited about the candidacy of Dr. Ron Paul for the Republican nomination. In no way, shape or form, can I ignore the positive impact Dr. Paul’s campaign is making on America. I’m not asking you to do that either.

If you are a supporter of the Paul campaign and you want to send a message to the delegates of the 2008 Libertarian National Convention, you have the option to do so with this new program. If you are hopeful that Ron Paul (or another candidate) will seek the LP nomination, even as a “Plan B,” you can make a donation to show your support for a future/unannounced candidate (please include your preferred candidate’s name in the comment box when donating). Also, if you feel that the LP should not run a presidential candidate in 2008, you can put your support behind NOTA (none of the above).

Either way, your funds will be used to support a party that has served as a champion of Liberty for over 35 years.

Nothing like this has happened since the LP fielded their first presidential candidate in 1972. It’s pretty rare to see one political party promoting the campaign of a candidate from a different party. It’s even more rare to see this when the party has active candidates for the same office. However, there are a lot of unique things happening with the Ron Paul campaign. It will prove interesting to see how people respond.

The entire e-mail from the LP is provided below the fold.

FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY:

Dear Libertarian,

Want to send a message to the men and women who will select the next LP presidential candidate?

Now you can!

This past Friday, we launched an exciting new program, Liberty Decides ‘08. The program is a bold one, as it establishes a competitive process for our pre-nomination presidential candidates.

The rules of the program are pretty clear. To participate and be considered a Liberty Decides ‘08 “qualified” candidate, individuals must meet three criteria:

• They must be constitutionally qualified and be willing to accept the LP nomination per our national bylaws.
• They must have filed with the Federal Election Commission.
• They must have raised at least $5,000 for the LNC or for one of our state affiliates for ballot access purposes.

Once qualified, candidates will be promoted through the Internet, mail and within our publication, LP News. Qualified candidates will be ranked in the order of the funds they have raised for the program.

Additionally, 40% of funds raised through the program will be set aside for 2008. Once our delegates decide the presidential candidate in our national convention next year, the funds will be used for promotion and media in coordination with our presidential nominee.

If all goes well with this program, we’ll have a small chest of funds set aside to be used as soon as our presidential candidate is chosen. I’m excited about this, as we’ll be able to kick-start the campaign on our own, since we know the mainstream media won’t do it for us.

Liberty Decides ‘08 is a win-win for our delegates, the LP as a whole and our candidates.

• Delegates will benefit from this “interview process” and will be able to make a deeply informed decision. A significant reason why we run a presidential candidate is to grow the party. This is done by fundraising and attracting new members to the LP. Liberty Decides ‘08 tests the skills of our candidates BEFORE our national convention.
• The Libertarian Party will benefit as state parties and the national party will receive fundraising and recruitment assistance from the field of candidates. While 40% of the funds raised for the LNC will be set aside, the remaining 60% will go toward “core functions” such as ballot access, media and new member recruitment.
• Our presidential candidates will benefit because they are now in a transparent, competitive process that Libertarians can get excited about. Candidates qualified for the program will receive more promotion and, if they win the nomination, their campaign should get more help than ever before from the national party.

Please take the time today to visit the Liberty Decides ‘08 page on LP.org. You can find it by navigating to www.lp.org/libertydecides. Once there, show your support for a pre-nomination presidential candidate by making a donation to the LP. You can donate by clicking on the candidate’s photo on the page or on their custom donation link.

Now, due to the quantity of respectful e-mails, letters and phone calls that I receive from our own members, even if I tried, I could not ignore the fact that many Libertarians are excited about the candidacy of Dr. Ron Paul for the Republican nomination. In no way, shape or form, can I ignore the positive impact Dr. Paul’s campaign is making on America. I’m not asking you to do that either.

If you are a supporter of the Paul campaign and you want to send a message to the delegates of the 2008 Libertarian National Convention, you have the option to do so with this new program. If you are hopeful that Ron Paul (or another candidate) will seek the LP nomination, even as a “Plan B,” you can make a donation to show your support for a future/unannounced candidate (please include your preferred candidate’s name in the comment box when donating). Also, if you feel that the LP should not run a presidential candidate in 2008, you can put your support behind NOTA (none of the above).

Either way, your funds will be used to support a party that has served as a champion of Liberty for over 35 years.

Please be sure to check the Liberty Decides ‘08 page frequently, as results will change regularly. Any contributions that you can make to the program will be deeply appreciated.

Also, I’ll send you a note later this week to announce a Web chat with one of the three candidates currently qualified for Liberty Decides ‘08.

In Liberty,

Shane Cory
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee

Posted in Ron Paul, National Politics, Libertarian Party, Libertarian Movement

19 Responses to “National Libertarian Party Jumping on the Ron Paul Bandwagon”

Jake Porter wrote on 11/19/07 at 6:20 pm :

The Republicans also did a great job with the Ron Paul outline for future candidates in their mailing.
Jake Porter wrote on 11/19/07 at 6:22 pm :

It’s pretty rare to see one political party promoting the campaign of a candidate from a different party.

It’s pretty damn stupid also. Shane Cory what the hell were you thinking?
Eric Dondero wrote on 11/19/07 at 7:06 pm :

I think some “I told you so’s” are in order here for some of us, especially those of us who have been advocating this strategy for years.

Look, what’s the big news here?

The Libertarian Party was founded by the Chairman of the Colorado Young Republicans.

All past Libertarian Party Presidential candidates, save one, have been Republicans, and some of them have returned to the GOP.

Every single elected Libertarian State Legislator in New Hampshire and Alaska were affiliated with the Republican Party.

I’ve been saying this for years, screaming it at the top of my lungs:

THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY NEEDS TO BE EXACTLY LIKE THE NY CONSERVATIVE PARTY, ONLY WITH LIBERTARIAN IDEOLOGY AND ON A NATIONAL LEVEL.

This means, basically the LP should be an offshoot of the GOP, nominating good strong LPers when the GOP screws up, and nominating weak candidates or none at all, when the GOP moves in a more libertarian direction.

Looks like Shane Cory has become a die-in-the-wool “Donderian” with his latest announcement. I’m pleased.

Eric Dondero, Founder
Republican Liberty Caucus
Thomas L. Knapp wrote on 11/19/07 at 8:00 pm :

Of course it’s no surprise that Ron Paul is well-liked in the LP … and if the members don’t feel like their own party is offering them better candidates, who can blame them for looking elsewhere? And it would certainly be interesting if he came back over to the LP.

BUT (as Peter McWilliams liked to say, everyone’s got a big but), it’s enormously disheartening to see individuals in internal offices or other positions of trust in the LP betraying their fiduciary duty to the organization they accepted those offices/positions in.

Ron Paul is a candidate for the nomination of an organization which is inherently in competition with the LP. It’s no more possible for an LP party official or employee to ethically support Paul’s GOP candidacy than it would be for Bill Belichick to stand up in the first quarter of a Rams/Patriots game and announce to the crowd that he’s going to go over to coach for the Rams for the rest of the half because that Marc Bugler is just such a dreamboat — but to hold his spot, because he’ll be back after the halftime show if things don’t work out.
Carolyn Marbry wrote on 11/19/07 at 11:30 pm :

On this, I must agree with Thomas Knapp and Jake Porter, at the risk of me-tooing.

I understand that many Libertarians are jumping on the Paul bandwagon because quite frankly, they are tired of always backing a losing horse. They want to put up someone electable, and they see Ron Paul’s dazzling GOP fundraising and visibility and can’t escape the fantasy. It’s hard to stick with one’s principles election after election.

So they turn a blind eye to Ron Paul’s pandering to the Christian Right with his abortion stance and his position on the Defense of Marriage and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and his belief that the inerrant Bible (in his opinion) trumps the Constitution and tell themselves that well, at least he SAYS he’s a Libertarian sometimes.

I would much rather see those donation dollars and all that volunteer energy that is clearly there for a Libertarian-minded candidate go into an actual Libertarian candidate’s campaign. Paul’s success to this point should show us that yes, Americans are ready to support a Libertarian. It’s just a shame that they’re supporting a frankly GOP candidate instead. I cringe to think what would have happened if Senator Clinton had presented herself as the “Libertarian Democrat” — wonder how many Donderians would have “died in the wool” as Democrats instead.

Shane Cory might be a dyed in the wool Donderian, but he should not call himself a Libertarian, not if he would essentially hijack it to support a Republican.
GTFO wrote on 11/19/07 at 11:41 pm :

Stephen, excuse my language and I won’t be mad if you delete my comment but…

Eric Dondero…SHUT YOUR FUCKING PIE HOLE. Everyone knows you’re a fucking fraud masqerading on the internet as some concerned “mainstream libertarin”. SHUT YOUR FUCKING HOLE ALREADY YOU PATHETIC SCUMBAG.

That is all.
Anonymoose wrote on 11/19/07 at 11:50 pm :

It’s not about labels…it’s about supporting the best candidate. Thomas, apparently you’d rather choose party over actual politics. I applaud the LP for this.
leavingtheLP wrote on 11/20/07 at 2:42 am :

WOW, I’ve never taken the time to actually post here and now i know why. Paul has ran as a libertarian, and his views are still pretty similar. Ever think if he makes the office of president he could open up some of the regulations for third party candidates. I thought I was part of the LP Party, but I can see now its party over politics. Thats ashame too, at least for me. I dont have to live under the “party” system but I do have to live under the political system. You play the hand that dealt, and the cards have been dealt. If you dont see who this can help the LP party long term, this party will remain a novelty.
Kaligula wrote on 11/20/07 at 3:17 am :

I received the same email from the LP today and was glad to see acknowledgement of the obvious 800 pound gorilla in the room with respect to Ron Paul. I don’t understand the likes of Knapp and Marbry… i got the same Liberty Decides 08 in the mail and though i would prefer Steve Kubby, the only candidate with any hint of viability is Wayne Allyn Root, who is basically a republican and a lot more hawkish on the War on Terror than most libertarians.

Meanwhile Ron Paul is going to raise 25 million dollars going into next years GOP primary and already–according to Rasmussen–polling close to 10% nationally as LP candidate in a 3 way race involving Hillary and Rudy. If he runs as 3rd party/independent(which I believe he will, though I’m not sure he will do as a LPer), he would have a decent shot at getting at the magical 15% mark to get included in the debates and would have an a nationwide army of volunteers and the ability to raise real money. What else could you ask for?
Thomas L. Knapp wrote on 11/20/07 at 4:09 am :

Anonymoose,

It’s not about “party over politics.” I acknowledge that the Libertarian Party is not OWED the support of its members/voters, etc. It has to EARN that support, and if they find Ron Paul more attractive, that’s their call.

Party OFFICIALS, on the other hand, are in a different situation. It is not a matter of the party earning their loyalty — they implicitly stated that it already HAD earned their loyalty when they ran for that party office or accepted that party job.

If you can show me a state chair, LNC member, etc., who ran on a “I’ll serve the LP loyally unless Ron Paul runs, in which case I’m GOP for the season” platform, or the LP employee who has a “bear truth faith and loyalty to my employer unless Ron Paul decides to run on another party’s ticket” clause in his contract, I’ll be glad to acknowledge that that person is acting within ethical constraints by supporting Paul while retaining the office or the job. You can’t show me any such person, because no such person would have been elected on that platform, or hired with that contract requirement.

Political parties, like stores are competitive organizations. It’s just that simple.
Sean wrote on 11/20/07 at 8:23 am :

Hello.

Is it possible for multiple political parties to nominate the same candidate? A coalition of sorts?
Sue Eissinger wrote on 11/20/07 at 1:33 pm :

Being that Ron Paul is the champion for the United States Bill of Rights, is there any wonder that citizens from all parties are now supporting him? At this crucial point in our history, America dearly needs a true Statesman of the likes of Ron Paul. Can you imagine, no more prying into citizens’ private records? No more secret prisons? No more torture? May God Bless and Keep Ron Paul as our next President.
Gerri wrote on 11/20/07 at 2:05 pm :

Dear Fellow American Patiots for Liberty:

PLEASE support Ron Paul for President - he is our only hope!

This not a time for inaction - we must all join together to reclaim this great nation!

We must ask ourselves, “What have you done for Ron Paul’s campaign today?”.

God Bless America and Ron Paul!

Gerri A. Weits
North Palm Beach, FL
Joseph (J.D.) Self wrote on 11/20/07 at 4:48 pm :

The “Founding Fathers’ Form of Government” can live again, with Ron Paul as President. The opposite of “Voting for the lesser of two evils,” irrespective of party IS Voting for the TRUE American Candidate, irrespective of party.

It would be AN EARTHQUAKE in the history of statecraft for The LP to officially declare for Ron Paul despite his Republican label. Note:: All establishment Repubs & Demos dismiss Dr. Paul. This real American is an outsider — what does that say about the Establishment??

This country needs a Doctor NOT a Lawyer (Hitler-y); And, to get him in we need a political EARTHQUAKE; We need an EARTHQUAKE to defeat Clinton-Bush CABAL.
GordonUnleashed » Blog Archive » Ethical Considerations re: Ron Paul and the Libertarian Party wrote on 11/20/07 at 5:45 pm :

[…] the general topic of Ron Paul and the Libertarian Party, my old colleague and friend Tom Knapp wrote: It’s not about “party over politics.” I acknowledge that the Libertarian Party is not OWED […]
Caleb wrote on 11/20/07 at 7:47 pm :

Ron Paul is the only choice. Freedom in 2008.
Eric Dondero wrote on 11/21/07 at 10:11 am :

This will open up the door to other future LP endorsements for GOP candidates. And it’s about fucking time. So, in that sense Ron Paul has served a useful purpose in this election cycle.

For example, Jeff Flake scores #1 on the Liberty Index, even beating Ron Paul as Congress’s “Most Libertarian” three times in a row. Does it make any sense at all for the Libertarian Party of AZ to run someone against him?

The Libertarian Party of California has for years, held off in running state legislative opponents against Tom McClintock.

Even the Libertarian Party of Texas, has kept off potential candidates against Ron Paul off their ballot.

This is not anything new. The LP has been doing this for years already in limited instances. It’s just now greatly expanded with Ron Paul.

Here’s hoping that the LP continues down this path and endorses more libertarian-leaning GOPers.
Eric Dondero wrote on 11/21/07 at 10:13 am :

Note, that there are numerous former LP members just like Ron Paul who are now running on the Republican line for various offices.

Take Ben Brandon in Georgia, for example. Two years ago, he was the LP’s highest elected official in the entire US as Dane County Executive. A few months later, he joined the GOP. He’s up for reelection.

Doesn’t it make sense for the LP to endorse Ben, as they are now doing for Ron Paul?
Carolyn Marbry wrote on 11/21/07 at 9:32 pm :

The Bill of Rights includes such things as freedom of religion, if I’m not mistaken, yet he says laws that contradict “God’s law” are not laws.

The bill of rights, along with the other amendments, are part of the Constitution which Ron Paul seems to believe can be ignored at his whim. Supreme Court rulings are not “suggestions” but binding rulings, and for him to have said, as he did in his recent interview on The American View, that a Supreme Court ruling he disagrees with should simply be ignored (not overturned, which could be considered a legitimate Constitutional stand, but IGNORED) and that cases involving that ruling should be barred from appeal to the federal level to keep it from coming into play is very disturbing in your so-called champion of the Bill of Rights. Maybe he only supports part of the Bill of Rights and would pitch the rest of the constitution right out, is that it?

The Defense of Marriage Act is also arguably unconstitutional, given that it flies in the face of Loving v Virginia (another pesky Supreme Court ruling) that defined marriage as a basic civil right of man, and it disregards the Constitutional directive that states must honor contracts made in other states. Including marriage.

He’s GOP. He simply is.

Now, for all the Paul supporters coming out of the woodwork to defend your boy, understand this: This isn’t about whether or not Libertarian voters should or should not support Ron Paul. Vote as you will, donate as you will, support whom you will.

This is about party leadership betraying its duty and selling out itself and the party membership to another party that we are arguably running against. Imagine if the Democratic Party leadership started encouraging its voters to vote Communist and give money and support to the Communist Party.

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National Libertarian Party Jumping on the Ron Paul Bandwagon

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