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Way to go Angela!
Hooray!
My good friend, and sometimes partner in criminal/subversive activities, Angela Keaton, was elected today to the Libertarian Party National Committee.
Also, she said at least one of the whiny, pro-war, Libertarian “moderate” leaders has quit the party, I suppose to go back to the Republicans where he belongs.
It’s either my friend Ernest Hancock or Bill Redpath - who I don’t know, but they say is antiwar - for chair.
Individualism in American politics is not dead yet.
Update: Redpath won for Chair, Chuck Molten for vice-chair, Geoff Neal for Treasurer, Austinite and TXPL chair, Pat Dixon also won an at large seat while the results of Texas LP executive director Wes Benedict’s run for a regional seat is yet to be decided. Angela also reports that a substantial portion of the platform has been gutted by the Republican pro-war bitch-asses. No details yet on which parts.
Also: Check out Sy Hersh’s new one for the New Yorker. (At least they’ve taken nukes off the table.)
Update: Re: Hersh: Listen to him on NPR.
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“at least one of the whiny, pro-war, Libertarian “moderate” leaders has quit the party, I suppose to go back to the Republicans where he
belongs.”
Good riddance. He and his pro-war republicrat buddies are going to steal tens of millions of dollars from us for this (I know it’s a drop
in the ocean of money they steal from us and give to foreign governments but what the hell)….
“The Israeli strike against the main electricity plant in Gaza will produce a bill into the tens of millions of dollars for the American taxpayer.”
http://www.juancole.com/2006/07/israelis-bombard-palestinian-prime.html
Scott,
C’mon, c’mon, which whiny Republitarian quit? Inquiring minds want to know!
Angela’s election to the LNC is one of the few obvious bright spots from what sounds like a king-hell dismal convention.
Hey, Tom, how the hell are ye?
I’m told that Carl Milstead - don’t know him - is a “moderate” type and that he’s quit. I’m told by another sourse that the new vice chair is a real dick.
What about this redpath guy? Is he antiwar? Is he a “moderate?”
Goddamn Libertarians drive me crazy.
congrads angela! yoos such the diva.
now victory may be ours, and you and scott can rule the galaxy as …
Carl Milsted changed his mind. Brian Doherty\’s coverage of the Libertarian National Convention will appear in Friday\’s Reason On Line which will include quotes from Milsted.
Chuck Moulton says he is an anarchist. He strikes me as man of fairness and strong character and it will be an honor to serve with him.
While I will be blogging, I won\’t be leaving very many comments. Tomorrow, I will post a list of thank yous at the Liberated Space.
Now that I am sitting with heavy hitters like Dr. Lark and Geoff Neale, I need to act right…or at least not ask for malt liquor at the Badnarik Congressional Suite.
Angela Keaton, LNC At-Large
Scott,
You write:
“I’m told that Carl Milstead - don’t know him - is a ‘moderate’ type and that he’s quit.”
Dr. Milsted is most definitely of the “reformer” faction (de facto head of the LRC). In a subsequent comment, Angela says that he changed his mind about quitting/starting a new party if the pledge was not removed, but I’ve seen statements from him in comments on another blog that indicate he may still be considering it.
“I’m told by another sourse that the new vice chair is a real dick.”
The new vice chair is Chuck Moulton. I don’t know Chuck well enough to classify him as a dick or non-dick, and being a dick myself I’m not too worried about it. He is definitely on the “reformer” end of the spectrum.
“What about this redpath guy? Is he antiwar? Is he a ‘moderate?’”
I seem to recall someone mentioning that Redpath is anti-war. His reputation in the LP is, for the most part, as a “nuts and bolts” guy who emphasizes ballot access and other technical tasks versus ideological concerns.
Regards,
Tom
Hey Republicans: (Milstead, etc.) Get out. It is called the Libertarian Party because it’s for libertarians. Go back to the GOP where you belong.
Re: Redpath: Ballot access is important. That sounds good to me.
Re: Moulton: He isn’t going to be able to put out one of them evil “exit to Saudi Arabia” strategies is he? ; )
I am trying to be optomistic about having Angela and Steve Gordon running shit.
Tell me Tom, what is the damage from the portions of the platform that have been repealed?
Scott,
I believe it would be a big mistake to classify Dr. Milsted as a “Republican.” Actually, his past writings indicate that he believes the LP should more actively appeal to the left. His personal/political site is located at http://www.holisticpolitics.org. I disagree with much of what he advocates in terms of realpolitik, and have found some of his characterizations of “purists” and “anarchists” to be wildly off the mark, but a Bushevik he isn’t.
As far as the platform “damage” is concerned, I believe it to be considerable and possibly terminal. If my understanding of the platform is correct, then:
- The US is engaged in an illegal, unconstitutional, illegitimate and immoral foreign war (several, actually, but under a general “war on terror,” or, as the neocons would have it, “WWIV” label), and the LP has just announced that it takes no position on foreign or military policy.
- The US government has illegitimately legislated, and has been exposed in the conduct of numerous unlegislated, gross violations of constitutionally protected civil liberties pursuant to its “war on terror,” and the LP has just announced that it takes no position on internal security or (possibly — I’m not sure what language was consolidated under the “crime” plank) the rights of the accused.
That’s two of what I consider the “Big Three” issues that this November’s elections will revolve around. The third is immigration. That plank was retained but modified, and I haven’t seen the modified language yet.
In my (admittedly not humble) opinion, a political party that does not take a strong line on the war and the administration’s police state approach to “homeland security” does not deserve to be, nor will it be, taken seriously by anyone.
A mild corrective to these glaring platform omissions might have been available in the form of resolutions demanding US withdrawal from Iraq and the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. Such resolutions were not adopted by the convention, although I understand that they were considered.
My information is that the war resolution was rejected primarily because it included a bunch of self-congratulatory hooey about the US having “liberated” Iraq rather than because the delegates support the war, but that a better resolution did not make it to the floor for consideration.
I’m particularly disappointed by the failure of the resolution to impeach BushCo, not only because I’m assuming that the resolution in question was the one I authored (oh, ego massage, please!), but because its failure (especially coupled with the lack of a statement or positon on the war) tends to reinforce the false notion that the LP is just a gaggle of slightly disgruntled Republicans who were willing to move for the impeachment of Bill Clinton but who will not take on a GOP president whose conduct resembles Clinton’s on steroids.
I sympathize with Steve Gordon. It must be a bitch to take over as communications director of a party right before that party decides that it has nothing substantial to communicate.
“The LP has just announced that it takes no position on foreign or military policy.”
Great.
There is no libertarian position on war. Can’t we all just get along? Pro-war and anti-war libertarians can work together to privatize the Gulags for dissenters, and leave controversial issues off the table. Wouldn’t want to alienate any important donors, or talk show hosts.