Region 1 alternate Craig Bowden to LNC list:
…
It has come to my attention that there is an element within our party
that is actively working to recruit Mitt Romney to the Libertarian
Party. That we are seeking him out during an election in which there is
a Libertarian candidate facing him, and he is one of the least
Libertarian politicians out there right now.I was informed this was one of the reasons why Bill Weld would not
endorse my candidacy. Because we had to be “politically correct” and not
rock that boat.I find this beyond disturbing and I am not going to stay silent on this
any longer. Screw the boat. It is going to get rocked.It is part of why I have felt resentful toward others because I do not
know who to trust. I do not know who this individual(s) is trying to go
behind the back of a Libertarian candidacy, but it would have to be
someone at a higher level doing the negotiating to try to bring him in.Part of trust is that I also need to communicate with people who are on
the same team, so that is what I am doing today.I apologize if I have offended anyone in the wake of trying to deal with
this.Respectfully,
Craig Bowden
Region 1 Alternate
Yet again the shiny badge caucus wants to jettison libertarianism from the libertarian party in hopes of “winning”.
I’d be fine with a Romney who made wholesale issue position changes, but I don’t think that’s what we are talking about here.
Permanent ideological incompatibility?
I’m all for proper vetting, as opposed to summary rejection.
In any case, I’d prepare for the former. If past history is the judge, and given the two-party system in this country, when the light bulb over people’s heads goes off, defections will be a deluge. Insisting on strict ideological conformity now will actually only insure your worst case scenario, by virtue of sheer numbers.
I see other scenarios, such as trying to peel off the whole “NeverTrump” wing of the NSGOP into the LP with Romney at its head. Aside from ideological incompatibility, there’s also the problem that Romney is one of many so-called NeverTrumpers who relented and kissed the golden (orange? brown?) ring post-ascendancy.
Very good analysis, and I must agree the former scenario is far more likely than the later.
On the other hand, Romney is a successful politician, which means he’s good at keeping his options open. Given the current hyper-partisan political climate that so much of the public finds distasteful , one can’t rule out the latter.
I can see two scenarios here.
In the more likely scenario, Weld is planning to run for the LP Presidential nomination in 2020. Romney stated in 2016 that he would have endorsed the LP ticket if Weld had been at the top instead of Johnson. Weld wants Romney’s endorsement in 2020 and endorsing Romney’s opponent in 2018 could throw cold water on that.
Keeping the door open for Romney’s endorsement down the road does not mean he is trying to recruit Romney into the LP. And, let’s be realistic – not one single additional person in Utah would vote for Craig Bowden because Bill Weld endorsed him. For practical purposes, it would be entirely meaningless. But some people would very likely give Weld a serious look if Romney endorsed Weld.
In the less likely scenario, Weld really is trying to recruit Romney into the LP. This has nothing to do with the Utah Senate election. Weld’s intention would be to get Romney to switch parties sometime after the election. Weld, I’m sure, is aware that he is considered borderline libertarian, and that Romney is even further away than he is. And that could be the point. If Weld brings Romney and a bunch of Romney like people into the LP, suddenly Weld isn’t at the margins of a small LP, he’s at the center of a much larger LP. That positions him to not only more easily secure the nomination, but also to perform better in the election.
Yet another strike against Bill Weld.
Yes, he’s the Republican nominee for Senate and Bowden is running against him as a Libertarian in Utah. Bowden is apparently saying here that some people are trying to recruit Romney into the LP in the future and that is why Weld declined to endorse Bowden, due to Romney also being in the same race.
Isn’t Mitt Romney the Republican nominee already?