by R. Lee Wrights
Hearing my name placed into consideration for the Libertarian Party’s nomination for President of the United States was the proudest moment of my life. It was a privilege and an honor for me to be considered for that august office by my family — the Libertarian Party.
When I started my campaign for the nomination I said that I was determined to ensure that whatever else happened the Libertarian Party would talk about war during the 2012 national convention. We did that. Every American who watched the presidential candidates debate or the convention proceedings on CSPAN heard that message loud and clear – stop all war.
They also were treated to a fine example of how political discourse should be conducted in America. During the debate, they didn’t witness the spectacle of two men going after each other, out for blood and tearing each other apart. They saw two rational and reasonable people discussing alternative ways that liberty and freedom can bring peace and prosperity to our nation.
Yes, there were contentious debates and votes – several votes – over electing members of the national committee. But no blows were struck, no blood was spilled, and no one stormed out of the room. We resolved our differences peacefully and nominated candidates for President and Vice President every Libertarian can and should support.
We showed America that Libertarians are not the bogeymen the mainstream media and establishment politicians make us out to be. We showed America why libertarians are different and how, by being different, the Libertarian Party will make a difference in the 2012 election. I left the convention proudly wearing a Gary Johnson for President button.
My entire staff and I are unwaveringly committed to working for the Johnson-Gray ticket, and continuing the Million Vote March to get one million votes for the Libertarian candidate for President of the United States – to get one million votes for peace, prosperity and progress.
Even after taking off a week to rest and recuperated in Vegas, I’m still at a loss for words to express how grateful I am to the members of my staff, all the volunteers who worked so hard on this campaign, the donors and supporters who made this campaign possible – and my family, the Libertarian Party. I could not have done anything without your hard work, dedication, and perseverance.
I would thank you all from the bottom of my heart … but for you, my heart has no bottom.
R. Lee Wrights has resumed his career as a writer and political activist living in Texas. He is currently the vice chairman of the Libertarian Party national committee. He is the co-founder and editor of the free speech online magazine Liberty For All. Contact Lee at [email protected].
Andy did not directly allude to Haugh using his authoritah as national political director to tell Mass LP officers to burn thousands of valid signatures of Mass voters to put the LP on the ballot because of who happened to collect those signatures. It’s true that the Mass LP officers at the time had the good sense not to commit such a crime, which was nevertheless solicited and which some other LP officers may have made the mistake of thinking Haugh had the authority to order them to commit.
He alluded to comments on Haugh’s article justifying this at LFA being taken down. Lee said this was due to technical glitches; Andy says the comments were being deliberately removed, and thus is questioning the free speech part of the description of LFA.
Personally I’d rather put all of that in the past and move on.
None of us are perfect, and we’ve all done things we wish we hadn’t. Haugh wrote about some of my major fuckups in that article.
I try my best to forgive myself and to forgive others, and to thank them for the good work they have done despite whatever bad things they may have done as well. I hope others do too. War stems from the opposite impulse. Peace begins within ourselves and our immediate circle of influence. Increase the peace!
@6, @18,
Pot/kettle/black, splinter v. beam, etc.
You frequently make assertions as to events for the actual occurrence of which you produce either no corroborating witnesses, or only one unreliable corroborating witness (Fincher).
Those events — entirely coincidentally, I’m sure — always seem to involve situations where you thought you should have made money and didn’t, or thought you should have made more money than you did.
In the particular case you allude to, you accused Haugh of committing a crime in a state he wasn’t in (Massachusetts), said crime consisting of doing something there was absolutely no way he could have done (“ordering” people over whom he had no authority whatsoever to do something) and that they did not in fact do (destroying government paperwork).
Thank you Lee for an inspiring campaign. Never let the haters bring you down.
Andy: “Go back and read what I said in comment #6 again. Then think about how you’d feel if somebody had done this to you. Then tell me what you’d think of the person who did this, and how you feel if you heard or saw others acting like the individual in question was a great, noble individual.”
I didn’t say that you should feel one way or another. I just said that the thread was going to really bother you & it does.
Have to agree with Be Rational: It sure would be nice if Andy and Lee could bury the hatchet.
Obviously, I only know about Lee what I see and hear from him. But what I have seen and heard sounds very admirable! Even admirable people have flaws, but it sure would be nice if they could find a way to row in the same direction.
And while I would rather have a “Lee Wrights for President” sign in my front yard, I’m happy that we have a great candidate like Gary Johnson to support!
I too want to thank Lee Wrights for all your hard work and your high class campaign.
Hopefully Gary Johnson can back away slightly from the Fair Tax and its prebate and suggest that he is open to other versions and other people’s ideas regarding a consumption tax to replace all other Federal Taxes and end the IRS.
And a special note to Lee Wrights:
Despite this public airing of personal laundry and all the nasty attacks you are receiving from Andy above, and without knowing anything about other sides of this story, I suggest that you should reach out to Andy, and any others involved, and do a little fence mending. Have an intermediary make the first contact if needed.
It’s time for some peacemaking on the inside of the LP, a bit of consideration and forgivenness … Let’s see if we can arrange for some healing of ourselves and healing of our party so we can get on with Healing our World.
“JT // May 12, 2012 at 3:54 pm
I think this thread is going to kill Andy.”
Go back and read what I said in comment #6 again. Then think about how you’d feel if somebody had done this to you. Then tell me what you’d think of the person who did this, and how you feel if you heard or saw others acting like the individual in question was a great, noble individual.
This seems to me to be much more unifying then the disaster that was 2008. If we Libertarians unite behind Johnson, and he gets extensive media coverage, and he starts polling well…who knows, we might surprise ourselves!
Thanks Lee Wrights for making Johnson a more hardcore candidate. It was a dirty job but someone had to do it. I know I’m a rotten radical for being overly enthusiastic about Johnson-Gray, but I know I would not be able to support them at all if you weren’t out there for a year kicking butt. When I win the lottery I’ll make a big posthumous donation or hire you to do something FUN from home…
As a supporter of Gary Johnson (MD director) I have great respect for the way Lee Wrights campaigned and presented his ideas at the convention. I made a point of thanking him on the first day of the convention and I’ll do so again. Thank you Lee Wrights, I am very happy that you are on my side, fighting for me, fighting for my liberty, fighting for a better future.
I strongly support all those active in Lee’s campaign to now join in their state’s efforts for the general election campaign, not just as volunteers, but as leaders. For my part, I will tell anyone and everyone in the Johnson campaign to welcome Wright’s supporters with open arms and to give them equal voice as we proceed. While all Johnson volunteers are expected to speak in support of, and not on behalf of the candidate, letting him set the message, there is so much work to be done that we volunteers no longer need to focus on our differences in messaging. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and do the hard work of a ground game.
It isn’t that we should just gloss over the differences between the candidates–they were there, they will remain. But those differences are mostly differences of emphasis or interpretation of foundational principles. Partisans will naturally be drawn to emphasize differences during the competition of a campaign, but in the broad scope of the political spectrum, those differences were rather small. As Lee stated numerous times from the convention floor, ‘we are family’.
Again, thank you Lee Wrights.
Just a flesh wound 🙂
I think this thread is going to kill Andy.
I wish Wrights had won. Hopefully he will consider a presidential run in 2016.
SS @ 10: Please assure your wife that there are many Libertarians completely committed to the cause of PEACE. She’s welcome any time!
Lee,
I came from the “left”, my wife is still there unfortunately. Unbeknownst to me she tuned into C-SPAN for their coverage of the LP (to see if she could see me). She texted me the following: “Aww, I wanted Lee Wrights. R U Happy?” I was surprised by this and asked her why. She said she liked your message of Peace. It’s clear to me that “Stop All Wars” is a message that resonates.
I’m glad Lee Wrights made the peace issue and undiluted libertarian views a central part of the campaign/debate. I think it will influence the Johnson campaign in a positive direction.
Thank you Lee Wrights for representing the Libertaian wing of the Libertarian Party!
To Lee Wrights,
For a long time now it has been almost impossible to find anyone at the national level who cared about freedom and who fought for freedom. For a few years it seemed to be infected with selfishness and arrogance.
I can say in this moment that you brought something back to the LP. Humanism.
For your effort and devotion I thank you. I wish you the best in your next endeavor.
PS…In my own campaign I carry over the message “End all War”.
“He is the co-founder and editor of the free speech online magazine Liberty For All.”
Free speech online magazine. LOL! When Sean Haugh posted an article where he slandered myself, and some other Libertarian petitioners, myself and the others tried to post responses to Sean Haugh, and Lee Wrights took the comments down. He did this multiple times, and then he lied about it two well know Libertarian Party members.
Thank you Lee for all you have done for our Libertarian Party and the way you conducted your campaign up through the convention. I have great admiration for you.
Lee you are a gentleman. Thank you for the time and effort you and your staff put in.
I stand with Gary Johnson’s brother — you won that debate. You’re a gentleman and a scholar of all things libertarian and Libertarian. Lee Wrights for Secretary of War (let’s call it what it was, is and should be; and then let’s Stop All War!)
See you at the Texas convention (I just signed up), and hope they’ll add you to the schedule. I’d sure love to hear another one of your speeches!
Honored to have been a Wrights for Pres supporter…..proud to be his friend for a long time to come
This is how a high quality person accepts a loss.
Thank you for being such a class act, Lee.