Emailed to [email protected]:
Even as pendulum of partisan politics continues to swing back and forth between the incumbent parties of big government, this year freedom finally has cause to rejoice. More and more people in Dallas and nationwide are beginning to see through the “two-party system”, and they are increasingly seeing the Libertarian Party as a viable alternative. The LP has fielded more candidates, organized more activities, and involved more volunteers than ever before. The incumbent parties have done everything possible to limit ballot access and discourage candidates, but freedom always finds a way to flourish.
The most visible signs of growth come from our candidates. The Texas Libertarian Party had five people register as gubernatorial candidates, and the ultimate nominee, Kathie Glass, has run an impressive campaign. She recently appeared in a televised debate with the candidates from other parties (minus incumbent Rick Perry, who shied away from the chance to make his case to the Texans he works for). She also received an astonishing 8% in a poll conducted by the Texas Tribune, a significant number considering that the Libertarian result was less than 2% in the last two elections.
Other candidates, such as John Jay Myers, are setting records for fundraising and activity. Mr. Myers crossed the $5000 FEC reporting threshold and raised over $7000, a record among Libertarian candidates in the 32nd district. He has aired television ads, sent out 8000 mailers, and participated in countless events. Throughout Texas there is a Libertarian challenger against each U.S. House incumbent (with the exception of Ron Paul, whose positions often match the Libertarian platform). Nationwide, there are about 800 candidates in races at all levels. This is up from approximately 600 in each of the past two election cycles.
These candidates are getting it done, but they are not alone. From top to bottom, more Libertarians are stepping up and taking on leadership roles, including high school and college students. Both Lake Highlands High School and SMU have Libertarian student groups, and they both boasted more members this year than their Democratic and Republican counterparts combined. Leadership at the statewide level has increased as well with more executive committee seats filled this year than for the past six years or more. Also, the state party recently upped its paid staff by hiring a new membership coordinator and two regional directors in the North Texas and the Gulf Coast areas. Having more people who can conduct outreach and fundraising full-time greatly increases the LP’s competitiveness.
Finally, the party’s online infrastructure has matured as well. Our online presence is starting to rival that of the other parties. For example, the national Facebook page now has 119,000 fans, compared to 155,000 and 187,000 for the Democrats and Republicans respectively. Those numbers have risen dramatically, with only 40,000 reported just six months ago. Locally in Dallas, our meetup group was almost non-existent two years ago, but it has swelled to over 200 participants, volunteers, and organizers who are active at our events. These online groups provide valuable resources for campaigns to reach voters, volunteers, and donors.
In short, we are seeing more leaders, more interest, more active candidates, and better results than we have seen in the past. Not only are people realizing the failure of government wars, bailouts, and controls, but they are also seeing that BOTH incumbent parties are the problem. The future is bright for the Libertarian Party and we will continue to build on the foundation we are setting now.
~Dallas County Libertarian Party
Posted on facebook, sent to me by Erik G. This may or may not become its own post later.
http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=143100765736596¬es_tab=app_2347471856
We Support a DFW, TX LP National Convention in 2012
Friends,
As many of you know our LNC is currently working on a location for the 2012 National Convention. The 2 contenders are DFW, TX and Las Vegas, NV. As you can imagine I am admittedly for DFW. Not just because I am a native, but looking at the reasons it seems the most logical choice. I have included both my comments to LNC and the report from Doug on the search committee. I would encourage you to look at the info in front of you and then contact the LNC sharing your support. Just like any other elected official they are there to listen to the will of the people. (ME AND YOU!) I have also included their emails!
To the Distinguished Chair of the Libertarian Party,It’s Officers, Representatives and Alternates,
I am writing you today to encourage you to vote FOR DFW, Texas hosting the 2012 National Convention. All bias aside, as a native Texan, from the report I read, DFW is the strongest choice. Central Location, Media Coverage, Local Affiliate Strength and Lowest Hotel rates were all listed as great reasons for hosting in DFW. The quad, Dallas County/Tarrant County/Collin County/Denton County, are some of the strongest parties in Texas. There are many Libertarians here, like myself, that are committed to facilitating a strong, successful convention in 2012. Again, I hope you will vote FOR a DFW, Texas 2012 National Convention!
For Liberty,
— Zachary Smith
Founder- Young Libertarians of Texas
http://www.yltexas.org?
IT’S WORKING! The following is a message recieved from one of the Alternates and my response follows:
With all due respect, we are being flooded with repetitive emails from your fine state. I understand that this is an important matter, but speaking for myself, as I can’t speak for other LNC members or alternates, the more emails I receive, the less happy I become. I understand the great things about Dallas; I’ve been to conventions there in the past. I think we all understand. But at this point, I’m feeling spammed and I know one other person feels the same. Less is more at this point, please.
Marakay Rogers
Alternate 5S
Marakay,
I am the one who started the Facebook Page and the Email campaign. While I fully understand that a barrage of emails can be a little overwhelming, I must remind you that you are a representative of the people. That means that you must be open to the voice of the people. This is very similar to campaigns in which we Libertarians contact our State or Federal representatives on bills and legislation that we support or oppose. Clearly it is important to many not only here in the great state of Texas, but all over the US to see a DFW NatCon. We are taking time out of our busy lives to send you and other members of the committee support letters for something that is very important to us. The goal here is not to frustrate, inundate or intimidate, but to make sure that the voice of the people are heard. I appreciate your commitment to the LP and to her members and hope that you will listen to our call!
Thank you for your service and your time!
— Zachary Smith
Founder- Young Libertarians of Texas
http://www.yltexas.org
[email protected]