Following a state convention of the LP Oregon, State Chair Jeff Weston resigned, handing the chairmanship of the State Party over to State Vice Chair Wes Wagner. Wagner proposed that there should be an effort to negotiate differences rather than to seek power through enhanced supporter counts. The following discussion did not exactly encourage the belief that his approach would be rapidly accepted.
And from IPR comments:
Courtesy of Wes Wagner, here is their State Convention on video.
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13286925
While they adjourn earlier, there is a major newsworthy part about 45 minutes in, where their former state chair announces that he is resigning.
Roberts Rules are designed to sustain an established grouping as to avoid a tyranny of a few within said grouping.
It makes no sense to have Roberts Rules held above LP states wherein they are struggling to get a foundation set.
Roberts rules happens after the foundation is ready. The rules are not meant for growth.
I think most of the article linked on those pages are free to be reprinted anywhere, you don’t have to actually rewrite them, just suggest they should be included in LP News.
I know but I don’t consider myself knowledgeable in some of these area to write about them. Need someone who has this kind of experience, or either crib them from the web.
Wes Benedict, I should say, since we are commenting on an article about Wes Wagner.
I am aware of that but how many of the 14, 000 people receiving the LP News are? It might help to write about some of these how to issues in there on a regular basis.
I know Wes is always looking for ready to print articles….
Btw PAC @ 10 this link http://libertarianmajority.net/tools
has been listed in our news letter for about a year.
Re PAC @ 10. I am aware of that but how many of the 14, 000 people receiving the LP News are? It might help to write about some of these how to issues in there on a regular basis.
I believe I have these two links bookmarked and have for sometime. Periodically I try to cover something like this in our news state letter.
Michael
Many of the things you ask are covered at
http://libertarianmajority.net/tools
and
http://www.lp.org/campaign-resources
One other thing of many that we need is some guidance on writing letters to your representatives. I’ve spent some time on the phone today and want to follow up with letters to my state reps. Doing so from what experience I have is a little different than writing the regular business letter.
An activist who is damn good told me that for every letter the Reps get they figure there are 400-500 people that have similar opinions but don’t write for one reason or another. Writing to our Reps is another tool we need to use and encourage.
One page of not more than three short paragraphs is the best. What experiences do other have with this?
That’s fine, but they could still have precinct conventions leading up to county conventions, and probably something in between in larger counties like Clark especially.
Regarding paragraph as thread: I’m fine with that.
Regarding last paragraph: The assumption is that, as a major party, the LP wouldn’t be allowed to restrict voting members to “dues paying members” anymore, so voter registrations would be the only criteria in place.
@5 middle paragraph of that deserves its own thread IMO. What do you think?
Re last paragraph:
For example, if the LP-Nevada was a major party here, we’d presumably have 750,000+ “members” (i.e. Libertarian-registered voters that could vote in our primary). Does this mean we needed to take over Black Rock or some other large, empty desert so we could have enough space to host the 325,000+ needed to hold quorum?
No, you would have precinct conventions elect delegates to …however many layers needed…until they get to your state convention.
The number of delegates at the state convention would be capped at whatever number you chose. They would then be actual delegates in a real sense, not just members who happen to show up.
Additionally, if all registered voters with the LP counted as members and if you needed a majority of them present to hold conventions, you would already be unable to hold conventions now. I think you have several thousand registered Libertarians, correct?
Speaking as a local chair, I’m a little curious what our members are supposed to expect of us, too.
Regarding parliamentary rules, I find it absolutely amazing how, at every Libertarian event (and this is a personal observation, not an official one), the probability that an LP meeting will devolve into rules lawyering approaches 1 given enough time. I don’t know if it’s a personality situation or a design flaw in Robert’s Rules themselves but it’s absolutely maddening. It makes sense in Congress – real money, real issues, and, sometimes, real lives are at stake. None of this is true in any Libertarian Party meeting. Don’t like who was elected or what bylaws provision was approved in the last meeting? Get over it, spend the next year or two building up support to do something about it, then try again then. Trust me, it doesn’t matter how good or bad your officers are and it doesn’t matter how good or bad your bylaws are – either your party has good people in it that will keep things going because of/despite those issues or it doesn’t. There isn’t an Executive Committee officer alive or a bylaw amendment in existence that will change that. Besides, there isn’t a single local, state, or national bylaw on the books that’s binding to any member’s life more than, oh, 1% of their day anyway. Use the other 99% to do something productive and keep that 1% in perspective.
Having said all that, I am rather curious how state LPs are going to honor Robert’s Rules while also holding conventions once they get big enough to run credible conventions? For example, if the LP-Nevada was a major party here, we’d presumably have 750,000+ “members” (i.e. Libertarian-registered voters that could vote in our primary). Does this mean we needed to take over Black Rock or some other large, empty desert so we could have enough space to host the 325,000+ needed to hold quorum? Could one person out of 325,000+ hold up our convention on division? Would the LPNV just not have conventions anymore? It makes me wonder if Robert’s scales properly.
What to do about the problem?
National needs to help.
First – every copy of the national news letter should have some info on what the membership in each state should expect of the state and local officers and representatives. In my work there are expectations I am measured against and I am sure most workers have something similar. The LP needs something similar for its management team.
Secondly – there should be a running column in the LP News on how to use parliamentary rules to run a meeting. Keep It Simple Stupid and let everyone have a voice. The rules are meant to encourage people to speak not to allow one person or group to dominate.
Third – states should get and use the non profit bulk mail permit. Those states that allow Libertarians to register by party should be using those lists where they can get them to do regular mailings to voters on the list who are not already party members.
I think that will do for starters.
MW
I spent a number of years working with the LP in Oregon and can only say that all the work Tonie Nathan put in has been pissed down the drain. The party was well thought of, the numbers were growing and the word was getting out. Then a group of people came along who were going to professionalize the party. Well they were rather conservative had no experience in sales and little or none in purchasing and public relations. Let’s put it this way. They were conservatives, sympathetic to the Republican Party who had poor work habits and little experience, but the con was on. Some fellow travelers were found in California and it was off to the races. The disease spread. Even the LNC was infected. Now the LPO is on the ropes so to speak.
The people who don’t have the stomach for it are rapidly driven away from the party, leaving it only to the ones who can put up with it.
Well, it certainly starts out like any good state LP convention should – mired in enough parliamentary intrigue and dross to kill, mutilate, or otherwise alter a herd(?) of horses or any other group of herbivorous frequently domesticated land mammals. What is it about libertarians that causes this, I wonder?