RLC-Action : Messages : 1306-1335 of 2938

Philip,

Yea … sorry about that. After I became chair of Harris County Libertarian Party and Vice-Chairman of the LP National Platform Committee, I think my RLC membership grade went down to being a sub-member. So, I couldn’t vote if I went. How many total attendees do you expect yall will attract?

Also, I’m very disappointed that RLC of Texas refuses to endorse Bob Smither, and is apparently still sitting on the fence. If RLC can’t endorse an obviously deserving LP candidate when your bylaws would permit it, then it’s gonna be difficult or impossible to propagate a broad program for LP folks to stand down when RLC has a worthy champion. Developing such a broad program was the main thrust in my efforts as your “RLC National Liaison”.

On a personal basis, Texas statewide land commissioner Jerry Patterson endorsed Bob, and I understand Jerry has a libertarian philosophy. During the next LP of Texas State Convention, I plan to support NOTA in LP convention if Jerry is running again for that office … I try to help friends when I can.

Sincerely,

Guy McLendon

Chair Harris County

Houston, Texas

Posted by: "Philip Blumel" pblumel@... pblumel

Thu Aug 31, 2006 8:06 pm (PST)

I'll take it this means you won't be at the RLC national convention
Sept. 15-17 in Orlando...

Philip Blumel
www.rlcfl.org

#1307

From: westmiller@...
Date: Sat Sep 2, 2006 3:12 am
Subject: Congratulations to RLC Member Henke

RLCers,

If you hadn't noticed, RLC member and QandO.net

blogger Jon Henke has been hired as "Netroots

Coordinator" for George Allen's Senate campaign in

Virginia. Congratulations to him and best luck to

Allen, endorsed by the RLC.

Another RLC member, Nicolas Mikulicich, Jr.,

is working for Vernon Robinson's 13CD campaign

in North Carolina as Volunteer Coordinator. As

some may know, Robinson was a member of the

group that first called itself the "Republican Liberty

Caucus" in 1976.

Bill

#1308

From: AULibertarians@...
Date: Sun Sep 3, 2006 7:38 pm
Subject: John Tierney: Can the GOP be saved?

libertarian17

September 2, 2006 - The New York Times
Op-Ed Columnist
Can This Party Be Saved? By JOHN TIERNEY

Republicans in Washington did not abandon their principles lightly. When
they embraced "compassionate conservatism," when they started spending like
Democrats, most of them didn't claim to suddenly love big government.

No, they were just being practical. The party's strategists explained that
the small-government mantra didn't cut it with voters anymore. Forget
eliminating the Department of Education — double its budget and expand its
power. Stop complaining about middle-class entitlements — create a new one
for prescription drugs. Instead of obsessing about government waste, bring
home the bacon.

But as long as we're being practical, what do Republicans have to show for
their largess? Passing the drug benefit and the No Child Left Behind Act
gave them a slight boost in the polls on those issues, but not for long.
When voters this year were asked in a New York Times/CBS News Poll which
party they trusted to handle education and prescription drugs, the
Republicans scored even worse than they did before those bills had been
passed.

Meanwhile, they've developed a new problem: holding the party together. As
Ryan Sager argues in his new book, "The Elephant in the Room," the G.O.P. is
sacrificing its future by breaking up the coalition that brought it to
power.

A half-century ago, during the Republicans' days in the wilderness, a
National Review columnist named Frank Meyer championed a strategy that came
to be known as fusionism. He appealed to traditionalist conservatives to
work with libertarians. It wasn't an easy sell. The traditionalists wanted
to rescue America from decadence, while the libertarians just wanted be left
alone to pursue their own happiness — which often sounded to the
traditionalists like decadence.

Meyer acknowledged the fears that libertarianism could lead to "anarchy and
nihilism," but he also saw the dangers of traditionalists' schemes for moral
regeneration.

"If the state is endowed with the power to enforce virtue," he wrote, "the
men who hold that power will enforce their own concepts as virtuous." The
path to both freedom and virtue was the fusionist compromise: smaller
government.

The coalition started with Barry Goldwater but persevered to elect Ronald
Reagan and take over Congress. But then Republicans' faith in small
government waned, partly because they discovered the perks of incumbency,
and partly because they were outmaneuvered by Bill Clinton, who took their
ideas (welfare reform, a balanced budget) and embarrassed them during the
government shutdown of 1995.

The shutdown didn't permanently traumatize the public. In poll after poll
since then, respondents have preferred smaller government and fewer
services. But the experience scared Republicans so much that they became
big-government conservatives.

Soccer moms were promised social programs; the religious right got moral
rhetoric and cash for faith-based initiatives. Meyer's warnings about
enforcing virtue were forgotten, along with the traditional Republican
preference for states' rights. It became a federal responsibility to preach
sexual abstinence to teenagers and stop states from legalizing euthanasia,
medical marijuana and, worst of all, gay marriage.

Big-government conservatism has helped bring some votes to the G.O.P.,
particularly in the South. But as Sager writes: "It's not as if the
Republican Party could do much better in the South at this point; it's not
really the ideal region to which to pander."

The practical panderer should look West — not to the Coast, which is
reliably blue, but to the purple states in the interior. Sager notes that a
swing of just 70,000 votes in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico would have
cost Bush the last election, and that he lost ground in the Southwest
between 2000 and 2004.

The interior West is growing quickly, thanks to refugees from California
seeking affordable housing. These Westerners have been voting Republican in
presidential elections, but have also gone for Democratic governors. They
tend to be economic conservatives and cultural liberals. They've legalized
medical marijuana in Nevada, Colorado and Montana. They're more tolerant of
homosexuality than Southerners are, and less likely to be religious.

They're suspicious of moralists and of any command from Washington, whether
it's a gun-control law or an educational mandate. In Colorado and Utah,
they've exempted themselves from No Child Left Behind.

They're small-government conservatives who would have felt at home in the
old fusionist G.O.P. But now they're up for grabs, just like the party's
principles.

-- end --

Sincerely,
... Aaron

Director of Chapter Development,
Republican Liberty Caucus USA
www.RLC.org

"Those who have been once intoxicated with power and have derived any
kind of emolument from it can never willingly abandon it."--Edmund Burke

#1309

From: DGHarrison <DGHarrison@...>
Date: Mon Sep 4, 2006 1:29 am
Subject: Re: John Tierney: Can the GOP be saved?

huaruisheng

Can the GOP be saved? A better question is, should the GOP in its current permutation be saved? I was immediately alarmed by the president's choice of the term "compassionate conservatism." I knew then that he was pandering and that it could only mean more entitlement spending. It's like saying, "My! Look at the pretty skunk!" Calling it pretty isn't going to make it any less stinky. By adding the prescription drug benefits and not eliminating the Department of Education, the president and his advisors were perhaps hoping to give the Democrats programs they'd embrace in exchange for their support of the legislation needed to prosecute the "War on Terror," (regrettably, another poor choice of words). What folly! Democrats will never be bought by Republican pitch men. It is sad to say that the reverse is not also true. Should a party that doesn't play to win be saved?

Doug Harrison
Minnesota

�

--- USFamily.Net - $8.25/mo! -- Highspeed - $19.99/mo! ---

#1310

From: Dave Nalle <dave@...>
Date: Mon Sep 4, 2006 3:49 am
Subject: Re: John Tierney: Can the GOP be saved?

ragnarokpress

I always found 'compassionate conservatism' more than a little creepy
myself, but I expect a lot of hot air and silliness from my
politicians.  The question is whether they're rotten to the core or
just have a little surface mildew going on.  And BTW - true story -
skunks smell good to me, rather like a tasty garlicky salami.

Dave

>Can the GOP be saved? A better question is, should the GOP in its
>current permutation be saved? I was immediately alarmed by the
>president's choice of the term "compassionate conservatism." I knew
>then that he was pandering and that it could only mean more
>entitlement spending. It's like saying, "My! Look at the pretty
>skunk!" Calling it pretty isn't going to make it any less stinky. By
>adding the prescription drug benefits and not eliminating the
>Department of Education, the president and his advisors were perhaps
>hoping to give the Democrats programs they'd embrace in exchange for
>their support of the legislation needed to prosecute the "War on
>Terror," (regrettably, another poor choice of words). What folly!
>Democrats will never be bought by Republican pitch men. It is sad to
>say that the reverse is not also true. Should a party that doesn't
>play to win be saved?


--

Tasty Thoughts from the Elitist Pig
http://www.elitistpig.com

#1311

From: AULibertarians@...
Date: Tue Sep 5, 2006 1:12 am
Subject: State legislators join RLC eGroups

libertarian17

Several RLC state legislators have joined our eGroups. Among them:

-- State Sen. Bob Beers (Nevada)

-- State Rep. Harriett Cady (New Hampshire)

-- State Rep. Rich Cebra (Maine)

-- State Rep. Bea Francoeur (New Hampshire)

-- State Rep. Kevin Glynn (Maine)

-- State Rep. Frank Lasee (Wisconsin)

-- State Rep. Ken Lindell (Maine)

-- State Sen. Lois Snowe Mello (Maine)

-- State Rep. Daryl D. Metcalfe (Pennsylvania)

-- State Rep. Toby Nixon (Washington)

-- State Sen. Jerry O'Neil (Montana)

#1312

From: AULibertarians@...
Date: Wed Sep 6, 2006 5:13 am
Subject: Republican Liberty Caucus Campus Coordinators

libertarian17

The RLC now has campus coordinators in 13 states. The goals of

the RLC campus network include: (1) Recruiting new membership
(dues-paying members, Facebook members, MySpace members,

RLC-Campus eGroup members, etc.); (2) Hosting OPH booths

(see http://www.self-gov.org/oph.html) at GOP events -- either on

campus or in the community; (3) Spreading the word about the true

principles of the GOP to members on campus and in state;

(4) Encouring young libertarian-Republicans to step up to leadership

positions (campaigns, campus positions, local/state GOP) and to

encourage these leaders to express support for the principles of
limited government, individual rights, and personal responsibility; and

(5) Pushing young people to become more involved in the state RLC

chapters. Several states still need RLC chapter coordinators. Other

states need additional leaders to step up.

--------------------

RLC-CAMPUS STATE COORDINATORS:

RLC Campus Network ... September 2006

--------------------

ALABAMA RLC-CAMPUS STATE COORDINATOR

Chase Bradstreet (UA)

rcbradstreet@...

CONNECTICUT RLC-CAMPUS STATE COORDINATOR:

Mytheos Holt (Wesleyan)

mholt@...

DC RLC-CAMPUS STATE COORDINATOR:
Emmanuel Gabriel Caudillo

ecaudill@...

FLORIDA RLC-CAMPUS STATE COORDINATOR:

James 'Chip' Bailey (FSU)
jcb06@...

GEORGIA RLC-CAMPUS STATE COORDINATOR:
Davina Jenn'ile Brown (GA Southern)
dbrown82@...

ILLINOIS RLC-CAMPUS TATE COORDINATOR:
Robert MW Stanford (Illinois Springfield)
rm-ws@...

LOUISIANA RLC-CAMPUS STATE COORDINATOR:

Kevin Boyd (S.E. Louisiana)

kboyd1984@...

MISSISSIPPI RLC-CAMPUS STATE COORDINATOR:

John Nothdurft (Ole Miss)

noth98@...

NEW YORK RLC-CAMPUS COORDINATOR:
Christopher Kulawik (Columbia)

cek2105@...

NORTH CAROLINA RLC-CAMPUS STATE COORDINATOR:

Adam Weingberg (NC School of the Arts)

aweinberg@...

OHIO RLC-CAMPUS STATE COORDINATOR:
Parker Novak (Lakota West High School)

vikingspirit80@...

SOUTH CAROLINA RLC-CAMPUS STATE COORDINATOR:
Kris Wampler (University of South Carolina)
kriswampler@...

VIRGINIA RLC-CAMPUS STATE COORDINATOR:

Steven Latimer (Virginia Commonwealth University)

latimersc@...

--------------------

#1313

From: AULibertarians@...
Date: Fri Sep 8, 2006 12:28 am
Subject: THE PRICE OF SECURITY with Ted Koppel this Sunday

libertarian17

THE PRICE OF SECURITY: Liberty vs. Security

with Ted Koppel

Sunday, Sept. 10 on the Discovery Channel

8pm (7central)

Ted Koppel begins his groundbreaking Discovery Channel series with a three-hour primetime special on the eve of the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11. Koppel’s world premiere,The Price of Security, uses interviews with current and former administration members and military and security experts to explore the dilemma the government faces in the war on terrorism.

On one hand, the administration has national security as its first obligation and has been criticized for not "connecting the dots." At the same time, the government is being assailed by civil libertarians for undermining the freedoms on which the United States was founded. Koppel will also explore the growth of technology that makes it possible to collect and sort through detailed personal data. Commercial interests now track buying and travel habits, personal tastes and reading habits through credit card data and Internet usage. The broadcast examines the debate over whether there should be limits on how that information can be used by law enforcement to preempt terrorist attacks.

Following the broadcast of KOPPEL ON DISCOVERY: The Price of Security, Koppel will host a live town meeting at the National War College with 9/11 family members, civil libertarians, administration officials and members of Congress. The town meeting will involve not only people in the audience, but also people at home. Viewers will be given the opportunity to have their own questions answered by the panel at discoverychannel.com.

#1314

From: westmiller@...
Date: Fri Sep 8, 2006 1:44 am
Subject: A victory for Sunshine!

The RLC was among dozens of organizations to
sign a National Taxpayers Union letter urging Senators
to pass a "spending sunshine" bill ... which was adopted
unanimously by the Senate today, even including two
Senators who had put anonymous 'holds' on the bill.

Bill
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
An Open Letter to the United States Senate:
Support a Full Accounting of  Federal Grants!
Dear Senator:
On behalf of the millions of taxpaying  citizens represented by the groups
signed below, we strongly urge you to support  S. 2590, the Federal Funding
Accountability and Transparency Act. The bill,  sponsored by Senator Tom Coburn
(R-OK)  ...

http://www.ntu.org/main/letters_detail.php?letter_id=446

#1315

From: "rlcmcallen" <pankratz@...>
Date: Sat Sep 9, 2006 2:13 am
Subject: Re: A victory for Sunshine!

rlcmcallen

SPEAKING OF SUNSHINE,

I was just googling around and came across evidence that Google is
indexing the messages of this group. In fact I clicked on the link and
a page of posts came up, from which I was able to access all posts
without being signed in to Google. Only when I decided to reply here
was I required to sign in.

Even as a members-only board, it is openly accessable to be read by
anybody. I write this to remind anyone that this is in no sense a
private forum, except for the ability to post.  Maybe there are
options that would include Google not indexing these pages or
requiring that one be a member to view them, but for now at least,
don't expect what happens in RLC Action to stay in RLC Action.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- In RLC-Action@yahoogroups.com, westmiller@... wrote:
>
> The RLC was among dozens of organizations to
> sign a National Taxpayers Union letter urging Senators
> to pass a "spending sunshine" bill ... which was adopted
> unanimously by the Senate today, even including two
> Senators who had put anonymous 'holds' on the bill.
>
> Bill
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> An Open Letter to the United States Senate:
> Support a Full Accounting of  Federal Grants!
> Dear Senator:
> On behalf of the millions of taxpaying  citizens represented by the
groups
> signed below, we strongly urge you to support  S. 2590, the Federal
Funding
> Accountability and Transparency Act. The bill,  sponsored by Senator
Tom Coburn
> (R-OK)  ...
>
> http://www.ntu.org/main/letters_detail.php?letter_id=446
>

#1316

From: "Ron Lahr" <rlahr@...>
Date: Sun Sep 10, 2006 6:15 pm
Subject: [Spam] RE: Update on RLC state affiliate development

pandamicron

Dear Aaron Biterman:

My name is Ron Lahr. I live in Post Falls, Idaho and am interested in forming a local chapter of the RLC. Another Republican in Post Falls, Jeff Ward, and I have been attending meetings of the local Pachyderm Club and meeting activists and elected officials. Although we both travel some for work we are ready to get the RLC going in North Idaho. We would prefer not being the coordinators for the entire state since we are so far north of Boise.

Could you advise me on what we need to do?

I am a consultant and have also started a couple of businesses here in Post Falls. Sometime next year I expect to be done traveling. When I lived in Washington state I was very active in the LP as a state officer, county officer, etc. I’ve worked on campaigns for candidates and initiatives. Jeff worked as a political consultant for George Nethercutt and others. We do have some political organizing experience.

Thank you,

Ron Lahr

From: RLC-Action@yahoogroups.com [mailto:RLC-Action@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of AULibertarians@...
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 10:35 PM
To: RLC-Action@yahoogroups.com
Cc: RLC-Campus@yahoogroups.com; RLC-Discuss@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Spam] [RLC-Action] Update on RLC state affiliate development

----------------------------

Is the RLC active?

----------------------------

You bet! More active than ever. Bill Westmiller and myself

are working to develop chapters in as many states as possible.

For instance:

Connecticut: Abe Arias has been appointed coordinator for the

state and it looks like he will be a great leader in developing the

chapter.

Maryland: Spear Lancaster and Steve Sass have stepped up to

the plate as prospective co-coordinators of the state chapter.

Massachusetts: Under the leadership of Jason Burkins, the

state just had a vote for their chartering ballot.

North Dakota: Michael Zimny has been appointed state

coordinator recently.

We have a few marginally active state organizations that are

not yet chartered in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

----------------------------

What states need assistance?

----------------------------

I'm looking for state coordinators in quite a few states, but

I'd like to start with DC, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey,

and South Carolina. If you're in one of these states and would

like to get involved in forming an active pro-liberty state affiliate

of the RLC, please let me know at aulibertarians@aol.com.

----------------------------

What are you doing to achieve results?

----------------------------

Our first priority is activating the state eGroup and providing

an activist Coordinator with our data files. We assist state

coordinators wherever possible in recruiting officers and Board

members to get the state chartered. Over the past two years,

we've chartered or re-chartered more than a dozen states, with

four being finalized in 2006 alone.

----------------------------

Candidate endorsements -- only the best ...

----------------------------

Bill Westmiller has done an excellent job keeping up with

candidate endorsements. Over 100 RLC recommendations can

be found at http://www.republicanliberty.org/candid/. Our

recommended candidates represent the only hope our country

has to be free. A few highlights of our endorsed candidates:

MARK SANFORD for Governor of South Carolina. An RLC

favorite -- and the best Governor in the nation -- Governor

Sanford has a fairly easy re-election campaign. Still, we can't

help but love his pro-growth, pro-liberty policies.

JOHN DENDAHL for Governor of New Mexico. An RLC

member who doesn't mind being labeled "libertarian-Republican,"

former state GOP chairman Dendahl is taking on 2008 Dem.

Presidential hopefully Bill Richardson and needs our support.

TOBY NIXON for State Senator in Washington state. Rep.

Nixon, RLC Washington State coordinator, is attempting to

move to the upper chamber of the legislature. If you look at

the endorsements tab at https://www.tobynixon.com/, you'll

see just how talented Rep. Nixon is -- to maintain principle

yet also work with others to achieve real, pro-liberty results.

MIKE HEWITT for State Representative in Michigan. Mike

is in a tough GOP primary, but his chances of winning are

excellent. Contribute at http://www.mike4staterep.com/.

BOB COLLISON for State Representative in Wisconsin.

President of the Independent Business Association of
Wisconsin, Bob is in a brutal five-way GOP primary. The

primary winner will win the general election. Bob's main

opponent is a Jim Sensenbrenner hack. Contribute today

at http://www.bobcollison.org/Pledge.php.

----------------------------

Project: Identifying former LP'ers who have switched affiliations

----------------------------

One project I've been working on, in addition to chapter

development, is ID'ing former active LP members who have

switched political affiliations. By reaching out to these folks,

I've managed to find some very interesting, very talented former

LP'ers who have decided to join the RLC.

If you have any tips in this regard, please let me know at

aulibertarians@aol.com.

----------------------------

RLC on MySpace, Facebook, and Essembly

----------------------------

As part of my job of recruiting members and state affiliate

coordinators, I've started an RLC group at Essembly and
Facebook. Sean Grebey started an RLC group on MySpace.

Sean's group has about 100 subscribers. The Essembly

group has 30 subscribers. I'm proud to report that the

Facebook group, which I created within the last month, has

213 college-aged subscribers.

----------------------------

RLC-Campus Taking Off ...

----------------------------

Finally, the RLC-Campus eGroup has taken off, and now

has over 100 members. If you're a college student or college

professor, please join us today by logging on to

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RLC-Campus/.

----------------------------

Make sure to join the RLC today!

http://www.rlc.org/?p=Join

----------------------------

Save the dates September 15 - 17, as the RLC 2006 National

Convention will take place in Orlando, Florida.

----------------------------

--- end of message ---

yours for liberty,
... Aaron

Director of Chapter Development,
Republican Liberty Caucus USA
www.RLC.org

"There is a significant difference between genuine liberty and
moral fascism. Barry Goldwater understood this; Tom Delay
and George Bush do not." Join the Republican Liberty Caucus!

#1317

From: AULibertarians@...
Date: Thu Sep 14, 2006 12:41 am
Subject: Human Events interview with Ryan Sager on libertarian-GOP

libertarian17

Is the GOP's 'Big Tent' Getting Too Big?
by Kevin Combest
Posted Sep 12, 2006

Ryan Sager has a warning for the Republican Party: After years of relative harmony among libertarians and social conservatives, the two factions are starting to grow wider apart.

In his new book, “The Elephant in the Room: Evangelicals, Libertarians and the Battle to Control the Republican Party,” Sager documents what brought these two groups together under a big tent—and what is today driving them apart.

Sager, a columnist and blogger for the New York Post and RealClearPolitics.com, has served on the editorial board of the New York Post and formerly worked for the New York Sun.

The following is an interview with Sager about his new book.

Is it possible that the War on Terror will unite traditionalists and libertarians in a similar fashion as the Cold War?

Sager: That’s a question I posed to virtually all of my interview subjects when researching the book, especially to the Republican Party elders and conservative-movement historians. The short answer is: no. The somewhat longer answer is that while the Cold War by-and-large tamped down tensions within the conservative movement, the War on Terror is almost forcing them to the surface. Whether it’s the Patriot Act, domestic surveillance, the war in Iraq, or a host of other issues, there’s a lot about the War on Terror that gives libertarians cause to be anxious. And with the Republican Party concurrently abandoning small government when it comes to both fiscal and social policy, there’s not much about the GOP left for libertarians to love.

Can any political party ever be so persuasive as to win and maintain a majority while legislating nearly all of its most important beliefs?

Sager: No one’s asking the Republican Party to perform miracles, either politically or in terms of policy. But, as a start, they might try not legislating in a way directly contrary to their core beliefs. I spend a chapter in my book detailing how virtually every facet of President Bush’s much-touted “Ownership Society” fell apart when the rubber met the road, despite the Republican Party’s holding unprecedented power in Washington, D.C., over the last five-plus years. Sometimes the problem has been poor salesmanship, but mostly it has just been an easy abandonment of principle. Instead of real education reform, we have No Child Left Behind, which is a joke. Instead of real health-care reform, we have the Medicare prescription-drug benefit, the first new entitlement in a generation. No one’s talking about legislating all of the conservative movement’s beliefs. But how about starting with at least one or two?

Can any political party ever be so persuasive as to win a majority and maintain ideological purity without the self-destruction of the opposition party?

Sager: The Republican Party has been blessed to see the utter self-destruction of the Democratic Party since September 11, 2001. Yet, somehow, it’s managed in the time since both to abandon its principles and to put its congressional majority in mortal danger.

Do libertarians who advocate a laissez-faire attitude toward both social and economic policy have an effective alternative to the GOP? Is a defection to the Democrats even possible?

Sager: I think the question is no longer will libertarians start defecting to the Democratic Party, but how many already have, and how many more will it take before we start seeing a major upheaval. Remember, fewer than 70,000 votes among Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico would have swung the Electoral College to John Kerry in 2004. While proper, self-identified “libertarians” are not very numerous, libertarian-minded voters are a significant bloc in America’s West. The Democrats, contrary to all appearances, aren’t entirely brain dead. There are people already hard at work trying to figure out how to pick up disaffected small-government voters from the GOP.

In your “Breaking Apart” chapter, you list low taxes, less regulation of business, school choice, free trade, and Social Security Reform as some of the primary concerns of the libertarian wing of the Republican Party. What has the GOP done in the last five years on those fronts that the libertarian wing would appreciate?

Sager: At the risk of sounding a bit harsh: nothing. OK, next to nothing. Taxes have been cut, but when you explode spending at the same time, you’re just guaranteeing a future tax hike. The health-savings accounts tucked into the Medicare bill may yet prove to be a significant free-market reform of health care, or at least the seeds of one, but they could have been won at a less drastic cost. Other than that, the GOP has been busy ending free speech in America with the McCain-Feingold bill, increasing education spending without winning anything in terms of school choice, and passing massive, pork-laden bills such as the farm and highway monstrosities.

If our national legislature is meant to be an amalgamation of different interests from across the nation, and each of these interests want federal money for itself, why is pork barrel spending an impediment to our democracy? Aren’t the legislators just representing their constituents’ interests?

Sager: To loosely paraphrase the president’s favorite philosopher: The pork will always be with us. There’s no way to end wasteful spending entirely. What would politicians do all day? And to the extent a certain amount of horse trading helps the party achieve its policy objectives, well, that’s a price many would be willing to pay. But earmarks in Washington, D.C., have exploded from 1,400 in 1995 to 14,000 in 2005 -- a ten-fold increase. The Republican Congress has allowed pork to become its reason for getting out of bed in the morning. I like bacon as much as the next guy, but it’s time for these porkers to try a grapefruit.

Do you view our system of government as primarily a democracy or primarily a republic? How might this inform your views on wasteful government “earmarks” for individual states and districts?

Sager: Our Constitution establishes a Republican form of government. Though the advantages of such a system are overwhelming, and our founders were wise men, one side effect is that money gets wasted. Remarkably, less money seems to get wasted when we have divided government than when one party holds both the presidency and the Congress. The parties, in effect, serve as a check on each other. That’s something a lot of small-government voters are thinking of going into the midterms.

Were the lack of public support for and the ensuing defeat of President Bush’s Social Security semi-privatization proof that any sort of change in large-scale federal aid faces an uphill battle?

Sager: Absolutely. Any entitlement reform is going to come with some serious political pain. But, especially speaking as a member of the younger generation, it’s something that needs to happen before America’s economy is crushed by the tax-burden of caring for the Baby Boomers. In a book where I’m not very nice to George W. Bush, I feel it’s imperative to give him full credit for taking on Social Security in a politically bold and principled way. If there’s one domestic policy area where Bush has real conviction, this is it. And, while he lost the battle, he showed that the Republican Party can survive the war. Social Security is no longer the third-rail of American politics. Bush and a number of GOP congressional candidates did just fine in 2004 while taking a clear position in favor of reform.

You claim that the Republicans got beat by Bill Clinton through style, and that their substance could have (and in many ways, did) won the day. But if it takes superb style to deliver on the substance of a policy, might that amount to trickery on the part of the politician?

Sager: I don’t think so at all. Public policy is complicated stuff. Experts dedicate their lives to it and reach opposite conclusions. It takes a great leader and a great communicator to know where he believes the country should go and to convince them that he’s right. It takes an even better one of both to force reluctant congressmen to come along for the ride.

If a politician has to use euphemisms such as “preservation” and “protection” for budget cuts, as Newt Gingrich was advised to do in the 1990s, does that mean that budget cuts are unpopular?

Sager: Yes. No one likes what they perceive as a beneficial program to be cut. But they also don’t like the government running up a huge debt or raising their taxes. So, it all comes down to how you frame an issue in the public’s mind.

What is happening in the Western U.S. that should have Republicans worried?

Sager: Democrats are winning elections. That’s one thing they might worry about. In 2000, Democrats held none of the governorships in the eight states of the interior West -- that’s Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. After 2004, they now hold four, and could pick up another one or two in 2006. In 2004, Colorado sent Democrat Ken Salazar to the Senate, replacing a Republican. Salazar’s brother picked up a House seat in the state. This year, we may see Sen. Conrad Burns (R.-Mont.) lose his seat. A number of Republican House seats in the interior West are in serious danger in 2006 as well. There are a number of demographic and ideological trends at work in the interior West -- California and the rest of the Pacific Coast are already gone to the GOP -- that I go into in some depth in my book. But, basically, the region is more libertarian and less Evangelical, meaning voters there are increasingly disaffected with the direction of the GOP and open to a pitch from the Democrats.

What is the likely direction of American conservatism?

Sager: To give a bit of a paradoxical answer, if I knew I wouldn’t have written the book. My conclusion is that we’re at what Ronald Reagan might call another time for choosing. The party’s been tilting too far toward southern conservatism, concerned with religion, tradition, and morality, and too far away from western conservatism, which puts a premium on freedom, independence, and privacy. If the GOP keeps tilting toward the South, I think it’s in serious trouble. If it tilts back West, I think it can avoid catastrophe.

Will 2008 be the year that fractures the big tent?

Sager: Well, it will be the year things come to a head, one way or another.

Is there any likely candidate in the 2008 GOP field that could bring about a redirection of conservatism?

Sager: I think one promising sign is that the two leading candidates for the GOP nomination, Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, would both be likely to lead the party back in a small-government direction. Both could be strong leaders is the War on Terror. Giuliani is passionate about conservative reform, from his pioneering of welfare reform in New York City to his longstanding advocacy of school choice. McCain is a longtime crusader against pork, though he’s never shown much passion for a broader shrinking of government.

Who do you see emerging as the GOP’s presidential nominee in 2008?

Sager: Rudy Giuliani. All indications so far are that he could clean McCain’s clock in a GOP primary. The third man to watch, though, is Mitt Romney, who’s likely to emerge as the social conservative alternative to the two social moderates currently in the lead. Whatever happens on the GOP side coming into 2008, it’s going to be one heck of a show.

Mr. Combest, an intern this fall at HUMAN EVENTS, recently graduated from the University of Florida, majoring in political science and minoring in history.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=16964

#1318

From: AULibertarians@...
Date: Thu Sep 14, 2006 12:52 am
Subject: Five Vermonters secure (L) and (R) ballot lines in fall elections

libertarian17

No good results to report from Wisconsin, so I'll report on another state. ;-)

Vermont's fusion ballot access law could benefit the RLC this November.

Five libertarian candidates have secured both the (L) and (R) ballot lines

this fall. The RLC endorsed candidates are:

David Atkinson - www.DavidAtkinson.org

Hardy Machia - www.HardyforHouse.com

Bob Wolffe - www.bobwolffe.com

Ben Todd - www.ToddforHouse.com

Jeff Manney - www.manneyforhouse.com

According to VT LP Chair Hardy Machia, "These are winnable races.
Each race needs to raise about $6k additional to send out four direct

mail pieces to voters." Contributions can be made directly to candidates

or to the Vermont Libertarian Party www.vtlp.org, and the party will
handle making sure the money is directed to the candidates who will

benefit the most from the donation.

#1319

From: "R. Kenneth Lindell" <rklindell@...>
Date: Thu Sep 14, 2006 12:40 pm
Subject: RE: Five Vermonters secure (L) and (R) ballot lines in fall elections

rklindell

Congratulations all! I’m in for $100 bucks.

Rep. Ken Lindell

Frankfort, ME

From: RLC-Action@yahoogroups.com [mailto:RLC-Action@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of AULibertarians@...
Sent: 09/13/2006 11:52 PM
To: RLC-Discuss@yahoogroups.com
Cc: RLCVT@yahoogroups.com; RLC-Action@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [RLC-Action] Five Vermonters secure (L) and (R) ballot lines in fall elections

No good results to report from Wisconsin, so I'll report on another state. ;-)

Vermont's fusion ballot access law could benefit the RLC this November.

Five libertarian candidates have secured both the (L) and (R) ballot lines

this fall. The RLC endorsed candidates are:

David Atkinson - www.DavidAtkinson.org

Hardy Machia - www.HardyforHouse.com

Bob Wolffe - www.bobwolffe.com

Ben Todd - www.ToddforHouse.com

Jeff Manney - www.manneyforhouse.com

According to VT LP Chair Hardy Machia, "These are winnable races.
Each race needs to raise about $6k additional to send out four direct

mail pieces to voters." Contributions can be made directly to candidates

or to the Vermont Libertarian Party www.vtlp.org, and the party will
handle making sure the money is directed to the candidates who will

benefit the most from the donation.

--
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#1320

From: "Guy McLendon" <guy@...>
Date: Sat Sep 16, 2006 2:06 am
Subject: Reminder: Your Invitation to "Common Ground" Meeting

gmclendon

My Fellow Citizens,

You are cordially invited to our big event:  Common Ground - The US
Constitution.

Location:  University of Houston Hilton Hotel, 2nd Floor Room 210
Date:  Saturday, Sept 16
Time:  please arrive early ... speaking starts @ 4:30PM
Cost:  none
Food:  heavy hors d'oeuvres 5:30-6:30

Co-Sponsors:  Libertarian, Constitution, Green & Reform Parties

Short speeches:  each Harris County & Texas Chairpersons for sponsoring
political parties

Featured Speakers:  2004 Presidential candidates Michael Badnarik & David
Cobb, plus candidate for Tom DeLay's congressional seat - Bob Smither

Please make every effort to attend.

Please download a program, map & traveling directions listed under the Sept
16, 2006 event on our home page:

http://www.lptexas.org/harris/

Respectfully yours,
Guy McLendon
Chairman Harris County Libertarian Party
guy@...

#1321

From: AULibertarians@...
Date: Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:10 pm
Subject: Goldwater documentary tonight on HBO

libertarian17

http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/mrconservative/index.html

#1322

From: "Adam J. Bernay" <Republican-Liberty@...>
Date: Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:09 pm
Subject: RE: Goldwater documentary tonight on HBO

adamjbernay_...

I'm certainly going to watch it...

But can anyone explain to me why the trailer for a GOLDWATER documentary --
especially one called "Mr. Conservative" -- features clips of almost
entirely LIBERALS?!?

Hillary Clinton
James Carville
Walter Cronkite

WHY?!?

________________________________________
From: RLC-Action@yahoogroups.com [mailto:RLC-Action@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of AULibertarians@...
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 11:10 AM
To: RLC-Action@yahoogroups.com
Cc: RLC-Discuss@yahoogroups.com; RLCWI@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [RLC-Action] Goldwater documentary tonight on HBO

�
http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/mrconservative/index.html

#1323

From: AULibertarians@...
Date: Mon Sep 18, 2006 8:12 pm
Subject: Thanks to Phil Blumel, Lisa Bullion, Bill Westmiller, and Tom Wall

libertarian17

I tried to find a time during the latter part of the convention to stand up

at a mic and have the convention audience say a giant "THANK YOU!"
to Phil Blumel, Lisa Bullion, Bill Westmiller, and Tom Wall ... but I did

not have the opportunity.

Nevertheless, several people commented to me that it was a very well

organized, well-attended convention that was both entertaining and

purposeful.

Thank for for making it possible, Phil, Lisa, Bill, and Tom.

-Aaron

#1324

From: "Adam J. Bernay" <Republican-Liberty@...>
Date: Tue Sep 19, 2006 6:02 am
Subject: RE: Goldwater documentary tonight on HBO -- A Must See!

adamjbernay_...

Definitely, catch this film on its repeats or OnDemand!  It's worth the
money to watch it if you're not an HBO subscriber to get it OnDemand.

My reflections can be viewed on either of my blogs:

http://maccabee.livejournal.com
http://blog.myspace.com/radicalrabbi


Adam

#1325

From: "Bryan K. Donnelly" <bryan.k.donnelly@...>
Date: Tue Sep 19, 2006 12:06 pm
Subject: RE: [RLC-Discuss] Thanks to Phil Blumel, Lisa Bullion, Bill Westmiller, and Tom Wall

bryankdonnelly

I GLADLY SECOND THE MOTION!

Bryan K. Donnelly

Pomano Beach FL

From: RLC-Discuss@yahoogroups.com [mailto:RLC-Discuss@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of AULibertarians@...
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 8:13 PM
To: RLCFL@yahoogroups.com
Cc: RLC-Discuss@yahoogroups.com; RLC-Action@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [RLC-Discuss] Thanks to Phil Blumel, Lisa Bullion, Bill Westmiller, and Tom Wall

I tried to find a time during the latter part of the convention to stand up

at a mic and have the convention audience say a giant "THANK YOU!"
to Phil Blumel, Lisa Bullion, Bill Westmiller, and Tom Wall ... but I did

not have the opportunity.

Nevertheless, several people commented to me that it was a very well

organized, well-attended convention that was both entertaining and

purposeful.

Thank for for making it possible, Phil, Lisa, Bill, and Tom.

-Aaron

#1326

From: westmiller@...
Date: Tue Sep 19, 2006 4:48 pm
Subject: Re: Thanks to Phil Blumel, Lisa Bullion, Bill Westmiller, and Tom Wall

Posted by: AULibertarians@...

> ... say a giant "THANK YOU!"

You're very welcome and I'll add my thanks to Phil,

Lisa, Tom and many others who assisted ... as well

as the fine assortment of panelists and speakers who

participated.

I count it as a big success and haven't heard any

complaints (though there were failings that we'll try

to correct for the next event).

Since I was flying standby and got stuck at the

airport for more than 24 hours, I haven't had time to

post a report, but hope to do that later today.

Thanks to all those who attended and the hotel

staff for being very helpful.

Bill Westmiller

#1327

From: westmiller@...
Date: Wed Sep 20, 2006 11:37 pm
Subject: RLC National Convention Pics On-Line

Thanks to Tom Walls for some  great additional
convention pics. I've included them with those taken
by  Jeff Palmer and myself as a  webpage:

http://www.republicanliberty.org/news/conv06_pics.htm

No links to this page, but right-click on the picture
to download the  full-size image.
I'll be working on a convention summary  that will
include some of these pictures.

Bill

#1328

From: westmiller@...
Date: Thu Sep 21, 2006 12:44 pm
Subject: Jeff Flake hits a home run on wire taps, etc.

Cthies@... writes:

In the House Judiciary Cmte, Jeff Flake came up with an amendment that hits the nail on the head on wire taps, etc.

His amendment says that the President has inherent authority in intelligence, etc., under the Constitution, and that the Congress has the power to regulate these matters, reference Article 1, Section 8, "to make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces."

Joining with him were Representative Hofstettler of Indiana (the only Republican in the House to join with Ron Paul is voting against the authorization of the use of force in Iraq), and Representative Tom Feeney of Florida (another one of the good guys in Congress who was in the Florida state legislature when the Congress voted on the use of force in Iraq), as well as several Democrats.

Notice that Jeff recognizes both the authority (even the obligation) of the President to protect this country, but that this power is not unchecked (or checked only by the blunt instrument of cutting off funding).

Temporarily opposing him was Representative Don Lungren of California, a more or less unalloyed conservative. He dismissed the Section 8 authority of the Congress to regulate, and said that Congress could only check the President via the power of the purse. This, I think, is (or was) the administration's view (or one of the administration's views).

It was at this point that Tom Feeney spoke up and pointed out that the amendment affirmed both executive and congressional authorities, and basically allayed the conservatives on the Republican side of the aisle.

At that point, there was no longer opposition to the amendment, and it passed unanimously on a voice vote.

It made me very pround to be a libertarian-Republican to see that, even during a time of war, a few of us could be persuasive, and could appeal to the best concerns of both liberals and conservatives. I don't think it would have been possible for just one of us to have accomplished what Jeff accomplished, but with three libertarian voices, it was possible.

#1329

From: "Guy McLendon" <guy@...>
Date: Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:39 pm
Subject: Houston Candidate Forum - This Thursday

gmclendon

Friends,

Here's your invitation to an important candidate forum.  LP Event
Coordinator Chris Camero will have label stickers that show a LP Statue of
Liberty Logo; please wear one of these stickers to show your support for
Liberty.

A non-profit group called Southwest Houston 2000 is sponsoring a
candidate forum this Thursday.  Candidates from many races are
featured in this forum.  Republicans, Democrats and Libertarians
were invited, and we have had a a great response from Libertarian
candidates.  Thank you to all the Libertarian candidates who agreed
to participate.  The following candidates will be attending:

Scott Lanier Jameson, U.S. Senate
James Werner, Governor
Judy Baker, Lt. Governor
Jon Roland, Attorney General
Mike Burris, State Comptroller
Mhair Dekmezian, State Rep, District 134

If you are in Houston, please try to come out to this event to
support our candidates.

Southwest Houston Candidates Forum
Fondren Middle School, 6333 S. Braeswood
Sept 28, 2006 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at
chris_camero@... or 281-497-8019.

Thanks,
Guy McLendon
Chairman Harris County Libertarian Party









Yahoo! Groups Links

#1330

From: AULibertarians@...
Date: Thu Sep 28, 2006 11:05 pm
Subject: RLC at Libertarian wiki

libertarian17

http://libertarianwiki.org/Organizations

There is a section for RLC but no one has entered any info.

#1331

From: AULibertarians@...
Date: Fri Sep 29, 2006 1:10 am
Subject: Mark Sanford in trouble in South Carolina - needs your help!

libertarian17

SOUTH CAROLINA: Governor Mark Sanford (R) - 50%,

State Senator Tommy Moore (D) - 46%.

(WCSC-TV/SurveyUSA).

This poll indicates Gov. Sanford is in serious trouble.

Please donate if you have the resources:

http://www.sanfordforgovernor.com/contribute.asp

#1332

From: AULibertarians@...
Date: Sun Oct 1, 2006 9:41 pm
Subject: 2007 RLC candidate for Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island

libertarian17

http://www.harropformayor.com/

Dr. Dan Harrop has received the GOP endorsement for Providence Mayor.

We should do what we can to help Dr. Harrop's candidacy. To learn more:

http://www.harrop.org/

#1333

From: "DeWalt Alderman" <oscar98@...>
Date: Mon Oct 2, 2006 8:21 pm
Subject: Re: Mark Sanford in trouble in South Carolina - needs your help!

bulldog_game...

I hope to live in SC again one day... so I just sent him $20.  About
all I could muster at this point in the year, and with rugrat on the
way.  Good luck, Gov Sanford.

--- In RLC-Action@yahoogroups.com, AULibertarians@... wrote:
>
> SOUTH CAROLINA: Governor Mark Sanford (R) - 50%,
> State Senator Tommy Moore (D) - 46%.
> (WCSC-TV/SurveyUSA).
>
>
> This poll indicates Gov. Sanford is in serious trouble.
>
>
> Please donate if you have the resources:
> http://www.sanfordforgovernor.com/contribute.asp
>
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
> ... Aaron
>
> Director of Chapter  Development,
> Republican Liberty Caucus USA
> www.RLC.org
>
> "Those who  have been once intoxicated with power and have derived
any
> kind of emolument  from it can never willingly abandon it."--
Edmund Burke
>

#1334

From: AULibertarians@...
Date: Thu Oct 5, 2006 1:35 am
Subject: idea for RLC press release

libertarian17

This is just an idea--don't jump me for it.

I think Republicans are currently having an internal debate about

the House leadership. Wouldn't it be appropriate for a caucus

organization such as ours to chime in?

I would like to see new House leadership, with the resignation

and replacement of Speaker Hastert and Tom Reynolds. I think

Boehner may be too 'new' to throw out.

Does anyone have a take on this? I don't want to start a massive

debate that detracts us from other goals. I just think making our

voice heard may get some coverage given the status of the 'Foley

Scandal'.

#1335

From: "Adam J. Bernay" <Republican-Liberty@...>
Date: Thu Oct 5, 2006 6:41 am
Subject: RE: [RLC-Discuss] idea for RLC press release

adamjbernay_...

But who in the world could we possibly recommend that would a) be palatable to our ideals and b) actually has a shot at getting elected?

From: RLC-Discuss@yahoogroups.com [mailto:RLC-Discuss@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of AULibertarians@...
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2006 10:36 PM
To: RLC-Discuss@yahoogroups.com
Cc: RLC-Action@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [RLC-Discuss] idea for RLC press release

This is just an idea--don't jump me for it.

I think Republicans are currently having an internal debate about

the House leadership. Wouldn't it be appropriate for a caucus

organization such as ours to chime in?

I would like to see new House leadership, with the resignation

and replacement of Speaker Hastert and Tom Reynolds. I think

Boehner may be too 'new' to throw out.

Does anyone have a take on this? I don't want to start a massive

debate that detracts us from other goals. I just think making our

voice heard may get some coverage given the status of the 'Foley

Scandal'.