Libertarian National Committee Chair Angela McArdle appeared to withhold immediate support for the Libertarian Party ticket of Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat on Tuesday, instead urging members to prioritize the potential benefits of a 2024 Trump administration.
“Everyone is understandably flipping out right now. I will have more to say this weekend,” McArdle said on Tuesday. “For now, I will say that I delivered an incredible convention, with the help of my amazing staff and volunteers. All of my critics were WRONG. I made the right call to invite Donald Trump and if libertarians can behave themselves, he will free Ross Ulbricht and put one of us in his cabinet. Ball’s in your court, libertarians. We are getting in that administration.”
McArdle is referring to a series of promises made by former Republican President Donald Trump during the Libertarian National Convention. Trump, who spoke at the convention last Saturday in an attempt to win party support for his campaign, told Libertarian delegates that he would free Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years for his creation of the Silk Road. Trump also committed to appointing a Libertarian to his cabinet as well as to senior posts.
While McArdle did not explicitly endorse Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, the ambiguity of her statement and her reluctance to support the Libertarian Party ticket have led critics of her leadership to suspect she is leaning towards aligning with Trump’s promises for the 2024 administration. When pushed by 2022 Libertarian Party of New Hampshire gubernatorial nominee Karlyn Borysenko in the comments of her statement about whether she would endorse Oliver and ter Maat, McArdle additionally did not give an immediate response.
“Hi [Angela McArdle]: Will you give your full endorsement to [Chase Oliver] as your party’s candidate for President and commit to voting for him in November?” Borysenko asked. “This should really be a simple yes or no, with no elaboration required, just so it leaves no confusion.”
McArdle simply responded, “When I’m ready.”
William,
Thanks for the technical points. Good summary. Much appreciated.
–MG
Actually, thanks.
And, yes, she lives in Tex-a** (have to bowdlerize because of the censorship filters).
Shock me.
I’m doing a third party presidential candidate roundup on my blog Friday. I’ll be sure to add that!
Update:
https://thirdpartywatch.com/2024/06/03/mcardle-on-endorsing-chase-oliver/
Basically, she endorsed Oliver in “blue” states, Trump in “red” states (she lives in Texas, last I heard) and ignored “purple” or battleground states.
She also confirmed that Trump asked to be invited and takes his vague off the cuff statements about a “libertarian” cabinet post and freeing Ulbricht as if they were the tablets of Moses.
Quite clearly, she is the tool of a disloyal internal faction or Republican fifth column, not legitimately the chair of a whole national party separate and distinct from all others.. In particular, an arm of the Lew Rockwell cult.
Libertarians in red states might wish to consider her legitimacy as chair much as she does Oliver’s legitimacy as presidential candidate – after all, both won narrow majorities.
Has she done an endorsement yet? McAwful’s blocked me on Twitter, so dunno.
McArdle was absolutely right to bring Trump and RFK to the convention. There was a multitude of major national press coverage mentioning the (at the time) potential LP presidential candidates. The story about Trump getting booed down by Libertarians was the headline on Drudge Report throughout Memorial Day weekend, and was also covered across numerous major national publications. The overwhelming takeaway in the public optics was “Donald Trump claims to be libertarian and asks for LP nomination; gets resoundingly rejected.” It was an absolute home run.
Having said that, it is not McArdle’s place to withhold support from the party’s actual nominee, even if it is supposedly in pursuit of a vague, nonbinding promise made by Trump (for example, did he mean he would appoint a registered Libertarian, or anyone he thinks is a small-l libertarian? Huge difference there). You would NEVER see the RNC or the DNC Chair do or say anything even remotely like this and they would be run out of office almost immediately if they did. Michael Steele was rapidly ousted as RNC Chair for simply suggesting at a public event that the Afghanistan war may have been a mistake. But a national chair not supporting the party’s own nominee in their official capacity? That is beyond the pale.
How she votes at the ballot box is her business, but in her role as a national party officer she is required to support the nominee. It’s explicit in Articles 2(4) and 14(4) of the LP National Bylaws, as well as implicit in DC law. Asking members to give money to sue other members in Michigan, while at the same time not supporting the presidential ticket, is nuts.
You don’t agree with Chase on everything? Me either. He wasn’t your first choice? Me either. But taking your ball and going home is simply not an option if you’re going to serve in national party leadership.
Hi Chuck,
McCarthy spoke to several state gatherings and I believe also around 1972 and 1977 to national gatherings.
Reagan and LBJ spoke on an invitation-only call to LP leaders. McGovern also was in another call and this ended up with his joining LIO.
Reagan took the pledge, was an early LP member, was invited to speak at a national convention I think in 1977 era on space privatization. Ted Kennedy also expressed interest. Rothbard screwed it up, though I didn’t get the details until much later.
Reagan also got us the documentation that showed most of the membership and registered were police agents or foreign infiltrators after we were getting stalled by FOIA. Hence the great purge of the early 1980’s.
Fun times.
-MG
Angela McCardle’s hesitance to back the nominee of The Libertarian Party, and her continuing favorable attitude toward Donald Trump has one antecedent in American politics.
In 1896, Sen. Marion Butler was elected Chair of the National Committee of The People’s Party, after arranging an alliance with the Democrats in support of William Jennings Bryan. Butler was still Chair of The People’s Party in 1904, when the People’s Party ran Tom Watson of Georgia as their candidate for President.
During the first months of 1904, Butler organized The People’s Party support for the campaign of Tom Watson. But in the middle of 1904, Marion Butler publicly quit as Chair of the party, and announced his affiliation with The Republican Party, and his support for Theodore Roosevelt for President.
In addition to the parallels between a disloyal chair of an alternative party, there is another parallel. Theodore Roosevelt was a big government Republican, like George W Bush and Donald Trump. Roosevelt supported protective tariffs, restrictions on immigration, and enhancing the power of the Presidency, much like Donald Trump.
History repeats itself, often as farce.
Dr Moulton, I believe that Eugene McCarthy spoke at The Libertarian National Convention in 1977 or 1979, maybe both. McCarthy was out of the Senate by that time, and of course he was never elected President.
According to Roger MacBride, he and McCarthy became friendly in 1976 when MacBride was the LP candidate for President, and McCarthy was running an Independent campaign. McCarthy wrote the introduction to Ed Clark’s campaign book in 1980, and appeared in campaign ads for Clark, before he endorsed Ronald Reagan for President. McCarthy did praise The Libertarian Party in his statement endorsing.
Ronald Reagan never spoke to a Libertarian Party gathering. Some years before he ran for President, Reagan did speak at one or more events for the New York Conservative Party. I don’t believe he addressed the Conservatives after he was elected President,
MG,
I would like to hear more details about the history mentioned in your comment. When, where, and to whom did Ronald Reagan, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Eugene McCarthy speak to the Libertarian Party? This seems like important information which should be in the hands of the historical preservation committee.
Walter Ziobro,
I don’t have my own “Overton Window.” We each may have a sense of what is plausible in the next 5 years or so. Personally, I ID as a theoretic asymptotic anarchist/applied lessarchist (TAAAList). In theory, it’s hard to argue that taxation isn’t (I’d say) extortion. However, do I think taxation could be abolished in the next 5 years? No. Would it even be desirable to abolish all taxation in the next 5 years? I’d say no as well. Vast swathes of the population would be thrown into life-threatening poverty.
Heck, even Rothbard acknowledged the need for transition periods.
I think that any real Libertarians on the LNC should move to vacate the Chair at the next LNC meeting, and at any LNC meeting after that until Angela McArdle agrees to leave the LNC.
If that does not work, the next national convention will have to replace her, as she is clearly not qualified to lead an independent Libertarian organization.
“We are getting in that administration.”
If, at all, most likely for some sub-assistant secretariat, who, if they actually say or do something consequential, will be tossed right out.
@ RCC:
Is “Taxation is Thief” outside your Overton Window?
If so, what should a Libertarian tax policy be?
Robert Kraus,
I dropped out of the LP some years ago, mostly because of its dogmatism and willingness to operate far, far outside of the Overton Window.
I’ve seen some of the leaders of the Liberal Party are foreign policy hawks, and that’s’ a non-starter for me. My other feedback is attempting to reclaim the label “Liberal” is poor marketing. Why adopt a word that is associated with a bigger, more intrusive government?
“I made the right call to invite Donald Trump”
Maybe, but not for the reasons she imagines.
Bylaws say, but who will make it stick and when?
As said elsewhere, I appreciate & applaud the LP’s Chair’s transparency that she is clearly for the candidate of another party & for telling her followers to support the opposition. It is beyond clear that Chase Oliver-Libertarian for President is NOT going to get any support from their National Party. If you – like me – are sick of the LP & fed-up with their BS – there’s a welcoming accepting place for you here: https://www.liberalpartyusa.org/
PS to those who remain hopeful & are disillusioned enough to feel the LP has been “saved” then by all means appeal to your LNC & Regional Reps to have the Chair removed for cause: supporting a candidate of another party, multiple violations of the bylaws, multiple violations of the policy manual & breaking multiple DC Non-profit Laws.
Article 14, Section 4, of the LP Bylaws state: “The National Committee shall respect the vote of the delegates at nominating conventions and
provide full support for the Party’s nominee for President and nominee for Vice-President as long as their campaigns are conducted in accordance with the platform of the Party.”
I consider libertarianism inside the Republican Party at this point to be pretty much a failure. Yes, there are libertarians there, but when you see the current state of the party, it’s clear they’re being ignored when it comes to decision-making. Massie is elected and has a profile, he’s also a gadfly as much as Paul was when it comes to influence on legislation. Any idiot can write a bill, End the Fed bill has the exact same status as a reparations bill. You really want to impress me? Make your bill become law.
Joshua is part right and part wrong. Trump constantly changes on some things. Many of his promises don’t pan out. His cabinet picks often don’t get approved, get made and remade, etc. There’s a Republican “liberty” and “freedom” caucuses. If Angela wants to be part of a Trump administration, if there will be one, she and others of similar mind should join those. But should and will are different things. Heise is withdrawing from politics because his wrecking mission succeeded.
Chair McArdle seems to be getting the USLP back on track as advisor to the other parties on libertarian/Bill of Rights opportunities. Good for her. In the early ears Both Reagan and Johnson addressed my Tiger Team LP self-leadership circle. Eugene McCarthy also spoke to state LP’s and I believe national LP. We’re not trying to oppose these people but redirect them to more voluntary paths.
It should be a regular thing to invite to speak/meet (and before agree to come common opportunities as was done on I believe 11 issues with President Trump) candidates and dignitaries from other parties and movements every cycle. State parties have done this for decades, though it has declined in the last few years I think.
Should , yes. Will, unlikely.
IMO, if any Libertarian Party office holders endorse Trump, they should resign from their positions.
They certainly SHOULDN’T want to become accomplices of a Trump regime, exactly for the reasons Joshua just gave.
Face plant x infinity. The trump invitation had upsides – lots of media about libertarians booing him, and convention revenue. It had downsides. Trump promises are 1) far from reliable 2) he said libertarian, not libertarian party member 3) cabinet members have to be confirmed by congress 4) etc etc. The promise was allegedly in exchange for something. It’s not clear that the L.P. is in a position to deliver that something, and even promising to do so violates the party’s own rules.
It’s broken, and almost certainly can’t be fixed. Intractable self contradiction, infinite Gordian slipknot of a cosplay political party . Get out before it gets worse, because it only gets worse from here.
“Ball’s in your court, libertarians. We are getting in that administration.”
Do Libertarians really want that?
Donald Trump had 4 years to free Ross Ulbricht and didn’t. He could have pardoned Julian Assange and Edward Snowden and he didn’t. Donald Trump had 4 years to appoint a Libertarian to his cabinet, instead he feuded with and refused to endorse the most Libertarian member of Congress during the entire run of his presidency. (Justin Amash.) Donald Trump is not Libertarian and doesn’t believe in libertarianism. He’s an authoritarian. He’s made that clear. He sincerely believes that only people who agree with him and support him deserve liberty. That’s the bottom line.