By LNC Region 5 Rep John Jay Myers; sent to IPR by LNC Region 2 Alternate Scott Lieberman:
To: the LNC
Subject: Possible agenda items in the future
This morning I sat down and tried to come up with a quick list of some things I believe are important.
I will try to present them with as little bias as possible, however, some of them still upset me just to think about them.
Floor Fees
-Make floor fees $0 if you have been a registered member of the party for more than 6 months prior to the convention, and then a lower number like $25 if not. All delegates should be members of the party.
Oregon
-Get out of it, let the state sort it out with a minimum of leadership and guidance on our part, this appeared to be a takeover on our part, and we need to recognize that, and then figure out how to have good will on both sides, and not get voted out next election.
Transparency
-No more secret ballots on matters that are of interest to the members of this party. If you believe your stance will get you in trouble with the party, don’t take the stance. Or do and explain it, but no more of these shenanigans.
2016 Convention location
-Dallas Texas
Johnson sub-Committee
-set up a small committee that interfaces with the Johnson campaign to help get counties set up around the country that aren’t already started, and “piggy back” off of his media appearances, getting other Libertarians (besides Wayne) on TV.
We do not have that much time before the election, and therefore not that much time to capitalize on whatever we can from this campaign, this small sub committee would be more agile and would not require all members to participate.
Counties counties counties
-We need to make sure every state has a county chairs handbook, and someone to prospect for possible chairs of those counties (I realize some states do not have counties, but you get the
idea)..
Website
-2 years ago I campaigned for chair on a website idea that would link counties to state and national, it would create clean candidate websites, and remind candidates of their deadlines etc, it is time to dust that off, and see if we can get donations to implement it.
Message
-Make sure we are getting a great message out there, and standing behind it. We need to promote members of the party that effectively communicate the message without coming across as a jerk and get them on TV.
LNCC
-Most of the members of this group were completely repudiated at the last convention, and some at the convention before that. It needs to be evaluated, possibly disbanded and or rethought.
Doug Craig’s Commercial idea
-We are currently paying an employee just to make videos, it is time we start sharing them. We need to make some really great videos, and then use low cost cable local markets to play these videos, when I say low cost, in some areas we are talking $3 to run your commercial in certain areas. But, we make the commercials and allow the members to donate money to play them in their area. Donators can choose the commercial they want to run and how often they want to play it.
John Jay Myers, Regional Representative, LNC
Some nice recommendations.
Ballot Access needs to be #1 now until Labor day. A 51 year would be exciting considering AE has unlimited funds, but ZERO message so far, LP has limited funds but the BEST message of ALL the competitors. Fair for all, no special interest control here ! Yes 50 plus DC in 2012 would be nice. Can we make it so ?
The Ads on local/cable stations is a excellent plan that would mean increased LP votes up and down the ticket plus new members. TV/Radio/Newspaper ads plus Road/Yard Signs and bumper stickers along with precinct canvasses is the only way we can reach the masses when the MSM blackout or brownout comes. We must go around the MSM to get the message to the masses. Local/cable TV ads are cheap and can reach different demagraphics than just 24/7 news networks. Something that definitely needs pursuing…
Obama’s hypocrisy on marijuana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJguYhe6kww&feature=relmfu
…”I want to debate whether it makes sense to legalize marijuana and I’m ready to take on Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on this issue, but I need your help.
Won’t you rush a check for $25, $50, $100, $200 or $500 for my campaign today, or simply go to http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/marijuana?
Money is urgently needed for printing, postage, Internet TV ads, candidate travel, office space and advertising. My pro-pot campaign must raise $149,422.00 ……. to insure that my name can appear on the ballot in all 50 states!
This is your opportunity to put the case for ending the government harassment of medicinal marijuana, legalizing marijuana and ending the waste of billions of dollars on for the “war on drugs” before the American people.
The big pharmaceutical companies will spend millions to fight the re-legalization of Marijuana. Huge corporate donors will bankroll Obama and Romney. I must count on hundreds of thousands of smaller donations from people like you to fund my campaign to tell the TRUTH about Marijuana and the need for drug law reform.
Won’t you send me a check for $25, $50, $100, $200 or $500 for my campaign today? Of course if you could give $1000, $2000 it would be a huge help. Go to http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/marijuana
Please rush me your answer today.”
Gov. Gary Johnson
PS- There will be no better way to put the issue of re-legalizing Marijuana before the people than this year’s Presidential campaign. I’m ready to make the case. Can I count on you?
^ * ^ * ^ * ^
Gary Johnson 2012: End the Drug War Now – http://www.youtube.com/user/govgaryjohnson?feature=BF#p/u/16/MBOXUjHhrVM
impossible is a slight overstatement. Both groups had to be FEC-filing PACs.
MM@25: +1 for updating dues, restoring UMP, and in-kind dues.
I agree as well. I’ve heard, however, that UMP was made impossible under BCRA…true or false?
I didn’t see any door “guards” checking badges.
I did – a bunch of times.
One could have wandered into any number of breakout speakers or on the floor during the nominations, etc. without challenge.
Not true.
I suppose the drawback was that you couldn’t actually be a delegate without having first paid the $94?
Yes. Bear in mind however that I paid $495.
However, someone told me they got a delegate badge and voted without paying.
Did someone else pay it for them? If not, I’d like the details.
MM@25: +1 for updating dues, restoring UMP, and in-kind dues.
There should never be a “Floor Fee” for dues paying Members of the LP to conduct the Party’s business. Marc is also correct that people who volunteer to work for the LP should have this count toward membership.
Floor fees? With the exception of the Saturday night banquet, I didn’t see any door “guards” checking badges. One could have wandered into any number of breakout speakers or on the floor during the nominations, etc. without challenge. I suppose the drawback was that you couldn’t actually be a delegate without having first paid the $94? However, someone told me they got a delegate badge and voted without paying.
@23 Steve, we do the same thing in Virginia. As long as I have any say in it, our **Business Session** will always be free.
I will make one proviso, however — I think national dues should reflect the reality that when they were set at $25 in 1991, the same buying power would be about $40 now. At the very least dues should be increased to be consistent with inflation.
I also wish to see a return to a “Unified membership Program” or UMP — however, if that is adopted, dues really need to go to $60, $75, or even $90; either in cash of in in-kind donations (collect 100 signatures, or man an information table for a day, and you’re credited with membership).
Lots of ways to pay for conventions … corporate sponsorships, vendors, membership dues, selling packages, fundraising at banquets, selling event tickets, collection plate…that’s just a partial list.
Steve, sorry I forgot to sign you up for IPR, still interested?
Starchild is correct on the floor fees. I had to chuckle when Michael Cloud’s keynote talked about the ways government wastes money, one of them being “paying champagne prices for champagne quality when all you need is beer.”
Our state has what I think is an acceptable compromise. Conventions are one day with the morning session featuring speakers, awards, etc and includes a catered lunch. There is a reasonable fee for that. In the afternoon is the “business session” that is free to all members.
Just to clarify – Mr. Myers gave me permission to forward his list of possible LNC Agenda items to IPR.
“George Phillies // May 10, 2012 at 6:47 pm
Ballot Access
#1 What is your plan if Bill Redpath and Richard Winger suddenly croak? People our age do do this, you know.”
Well, the Libertarian Party is fortunate to have people who are younger than that who are ballot access experts such as myself.:)
Was about to applaud Scott Lieberman for taking some strongly bottom-up stances not in keeping with his usual voting pattern, but then I realized the list was John Jay Myers’s, and Scott simply posted it. Oh well.
I do think it’s important we get rid of floor fees entirely, not just scale them back or impose them on people with less of a say. We must not allow ourselves to become a pay-to-play organization! Asking new members to pay special fees is not a good way to build our party or movement.
Floor fees, as I have often said, are an inappropriate subsidy to those who insist that LP conventions must be held in upscale hotels where there are significant overhead costs.
There is such a thing as a free lunch, but catered meals at hotels are not free. If we held conventions in places where the party could sell its own food and drinks, or charge outside vendors to do so, these things could become income-generators for the party, instead of costing us money.
TANSTAALFF – There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Legitimate Floor Fee!
Didn’t you also try frantically to get inside a womb not too long after that?
I am truly laughing out loud at that one Paulie.
I can attest to that. Just the other night I saw Matt sucking on a bottle 🙂
Kevin Knedler, you are dead wrong. I AM getting younger!
I would be happy to help in any way I can that would not create a conflict of interest for me as a contractor.
I pointed out at the last meeting I was in with LNC that we needed a ballot access committee for exactly the reasons pointed out by Dr. Phillies. None of us are getting younger.
Now to the 2016 convention. For goodness sakes, if you are going to dump Orlando, FL which is holding dates at attractive pricing, at least give the courtesy to Helms Briscoe Meeting planners and allow them to negotiate in Texas for you. They have been working for 5 months and have spent hundreds, possibly more, in work hours, printing, and travel to find us convention sites. They don’t get paid until the contract is signed. They are tough negotiators! They are a world class operation with a bigger hammer than the LNC. Let them finish the project we hired them for. Again, they get paid by the hotels after the contract is signed. They will follow the guidelines as set by the LNC. It is the honorable thing to do. And by the way, there were multiple sites presented from Texas but none of them were as attractive as Florida or even the Los Angeles Westin. That is why Jacksonville, Orlando, and Los Angeles were in the final three. We even went so far as to re-open the nominations so another Texas property could be put in. I hope at very least you use that wonderful and expansive spread sheet which helps in the planning. And Anaheim has an offer on the table also with a deadline of this week or next week.
@2: the national office does have those breakdowns and timelines developed by staff.
@5 It appears to have ended up poorly for Massachusetts, but you did not know the backstory, as we discussed off line.
Doug,
Did you ever tell Red Rock to turn over the room to me? I called them and they had no record of either of us. I ended up splitting a room with Bodenhausen. He said he told them to add me to the room but they did not have any record of that, or could not find it, when I arrived.
thanks for looking at the t.v. Ads. I hated missing Vegas but I will be back in two years to run again. Right now I am fired up wanting to help my state and show that a radical can grow his state into a top 3 state.
Lee Wrights and his stock commercials with fillers per candidate is a great idea for impact, but the cost expense needs to remain greater than the production.
Reach is the other part to success in advertising. Spend money on marketing and the reach to the customers may reap rewards long run.
Just my two cents.
“Website
-2 years ago I campaigned for chair on a website idea that would link counties to state and national, it would create clean candidate websites, and remind candidates of their deadlines etc, it is time to dust that off, and see if we can get donations to implement it”
To some degree that is already happening, with the Saratoga project over at the LSLA (Libertarian State Leadership Alliance).
Thanks Chuck!
I fixed the new line problems in this post.
Most of these seem like pretty good ideas to me.
George at 4 re “bizarre” action by New York.
You are correct and we will chat about it sometime, but all’s well that ended well, especially for MA, NH and VT whom I really did not want to end up abandoned. You have a great new region and your very able state chair is the region alternate, so kudos to you guys!
I am reasonably sure that I am not the LNC Executive Director, but thank you anyhow.
NY maneuvering to form the NE/NJ region and then bailing out was a bit bizarre.
George, et alia:
New York’s petitioning dates are July 10-August 21.
While the law requires us to submit at least 15,000 valid signatures, we really need at least 25,000 to survive likely Republican challenge.
I remind Bill Redpath and Bob Johnson frequently so they’re aware.
BTW, congratulations on your region. Good to see all of NE back together!
The Executive Director’s office needs a huge wall chart with time lines, requirements, etc. and a full database, maintained, on how we get on the ballot in each state.
Ballot Access
#1 What is your plan if Bill Redpath and Richard Winger suddenly croak? People our age do do this, you know.
#2 The LNC should be getting much more detailed reports state by state. I have been telling people since last year that the $25,000 for Massachusetts appeared inaccurate, not to mention too small. I will not state which senior person in the LNC was subject ot the misapprehension that I would be runnign our drive this year. Apparently my actual position did not reach beyond my state.