As Wayne Allen Root threw his support to Barr on the 6th ballot, he explained that he had not left the Republicans at all, only that “the Republican Party left me.” Barr seconded, “Boy, me too.”

No word yet whether conservatism has left either of them.

Drink up.

Restore ‘04 Gaining Support - But We Can’t Let Up

The effort to restore the planks that were stricken from the Libertarian Party’s national platform in 2006 is off to a good start, but the battle is far from over. In fact, it’s just beginning!

More than 100 Libertarians signed up on the Restore ‘04 website in the final week of 2007, and the total is now more than 150. But the people who want a vague platform that takes few if any stands on specific issues are also on the move, and dominate the platform committee. So we need to build our numbers, make our voices heard, and turn out in Denver to make sure that the Libertarian Party’s platform pulls no punches.

You can help by doing two things, right now.

First, contact Libertarians you know who are likely to support our efforts, and urge them to join the Restoration Caucus at http://www.Restore04.com . Most of you receiving this message must know at least three people who favor a strong platform, and almost everyone knows at least one person who will join our cause IF you take the time to contact them personally. So please, do it today! If you have a blog or belong to an online discussion group, use these
venues also.

Second, please participate in the online survey currently being conducted by LP National HQ, asking for feedback about the direction our platform should take. Many of the questions offer false “either-or” choices, with neither option being satisfactory. But there’s a place (question 14) where you can add your own comments, and that provides an opportunity to promote Restore ‘04. Just a few words will suffice. Here’s a link to the survey:
http://www.lp.org/phpQ/fillsurvey.php?sid=20

If the link doesn’t work, go to the Libertarian Party’s home page
http://www.LP.org , and you’ll find a link there.

Thanks again for your support!

(text lifted from Restore 04 list)

Writes Angela Keaton:

Angela Keaton sent a message to the members of Libertarian Party Rothbard Caucus. ——————–
Subject: Restore 04 is Live

(Lifted directly from Mr. Nolan’s email)

Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2007 13:00:54 -0700
Subject: Re: When may we tell others about your site?
From: dfnATalum.mit.edu

A group of Libertarian Party members who believe that the Party’s 2004 Platform better represents the libertarian vision than does the truncated version adopted in 2006 have formed the Restoration Caucus, and will work to restore the earlier version at the upcoming LP convention in Denver next May. Their first step will be to petition the members of the 2008 Platform Committee to adopt the 2004 Platform as the starting point for their deliberations, rather than trying to create a new platform based on the “butchered” 2006 version.

According to the Restoration Caucus website – www.restore04.com - the founding members of the Caucus “believe that the wisest and most effective course the 2008 Platform Committee can take will be to restore the 2004 Platform, which evolved over three decades and includes contributions from many of our Party’s greatest thinkers. Any attempt to thoughtfully and carefully address each of the issues we need to address, starting from scratch, will be laborious and contentious. And a hastily conceived document is likely to be rejected in its entirety by the delegates in Denver.

“The 2004 Platform offers a time-tested basis for future platforms. Clearly, there will need to be changes, and the 2008 Platform Committee must address them on a plank-by-plank basis. But the obvious first step they should take is to revert to the 2004 Platform as a starting point.”

Early signers of the petition to restore the 2004 platform include David F. Nolan (a founder of the Libertarian Party), David Bergland (former VP and Presidential candidate, and former National Chair), 2008 Presidential hopeful Steve Kubby, current LNC member Angela Keaton, and former California LP Chairs Ted Brown and Mark Hinkle.

In urging their fellow Libertarians to support the Restore ’04 drive, the petition’s signers note that the 2006 platform was adopted at “the smallest national convention since 1973,” which was “less than half the size of the 2004 convention in Atlanta.” They also state that “We do not see this proposal as being either ‘radical’ or ‘reformist.’ It is simply an attempt to restore our party’s long-standing stance on the key issues facing America.”

LP members who would like to support the Restoration Caucus can sign the petition at www.restore04.com