Third libertarian Republican elected to U.S. House

Libertarian Republicans excelled in the midterm elections - Jack Hunter, Washington Examiner:

November 7, 2018 - "On Tuesday night, Democrats took the House and Republicans kept the Senate. Expect to hear opinions and analysis of what this might mean for President Trump and the 2020 election in the weeks and months to come. But how did the small but enduring libertarian faction within the Republican Party do?...

"The most high-profile libertarian Republican in Congress, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, was not up for re-election. The next-most high-profile libertarian Republicans in Congress, Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, both won re-election by double-digits.

"Amash, who represents a purple district, has been openly critical of Trump, and his independent streak appeared to pay off for him Tuesday. Massie represents a deep-red district, hasn’t hesitated to criticize the president, yet simultaneously has been more sympathetic. Massie predictably defeated his Democratic opponent in a blowout.

"Republican novice Denver Riggleman won his race for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. 'Riggleman, a newcomer to politics, ran a positive campaign based on libertarian ideas,' reported National Review's Jibran Khan. But Khan also noted what the libertarian-leaning Riggleman was not: 'His victory, which came on the heels of Corey Stewart’s failed run for the Senate, should be a message for the Virginia GOP'....

"The soundly defeated Corey Stewart represented not only some of the worst aspects of today’s Right in his racist appeal, however intentional or unintentional those appeals were, but his competitive GOP primary opponent Virginia House member Nick Freitas was a libertarian Republican....  Even if he wouldn’t have beaten Democrat Tim Kaine, it is easy to see the libertarian Freitas having significantly more appeal to a larger swath of voters than Stewart. Hopefully this is a lesson Virginia Republicans remember.

"A similar message was sent in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, where Republican Katie Arrington was defeated by Democrat Joe Cunningham. Arrington defeated incumbent Rep. Mark Sanford in the Republican primary by touting her pro-Trump credentials.... [A] Democrat hadn’t won [there] in 40 years.... Arrington’s defeat shows that there are limits to merely hanging your hat on Trump, even in red South Carolina. It goes without saying that the libertarian Sanford would have had far more appeal.

"Another libertarian victory of sorts actually came from the Democratic side, where Colorado’s Jared Polis became the first openly gay governor. Polis is the sole Democratic member of the House Liberty Caucus founded by Justin Amash.... This is not to say that the new Democratic governor will always act along liberty lines, but the one Democrat arguably most sympathetic to libertarian ideas and issues got a big win Tuesday.

"The biggest losses for libertarian Republicans were the defeat of Rep. Dave Brat in Virginia’s 7th District, and Eric Brakey, with a failed Senate challenge to Maine’s incumbent Angus King, an independent who overwhelming votes with Democrats. Brat, also a member of the House Liberty Caucus, made waves when he defeated House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in 2014 — and his loss Tuesday was razor-thin. Brakey, a popular two-term Maine state senator, is only 30 years old, a thorough libertarian Republican in the mold of Rand Paul, and hopefully this won’t be the last we hear from him.

"Overall, Tuesday showed ... that libertarian Republicanism not only endures, but prevails, and could be the brand best positioned for future GOP victories."

Read more: https://gdspoliticalanimal.blogspot.com/2018/11/third-libertarian-republican-elected-to.html
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NH Libertarians get 1st primary in 20 years

Aaron Day files for governor, setting up Libertarian Party primary with Jilletta Jarvis - John DiStaso, WMUR:

June 15, 2018 - "The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire has a gubernatorial primary campaign. And party officials are pleased because, they say, it will raise the profile of the low-tax, small government-minded party in the Granite State.

"Aaron Day of Bedford, former chair of the Free State Project and the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, filed his candidacy for governor Friday, setting up a primary with Sandown businesswoman Jilletta Jarvis, who filed last week. The winner of the Sept. 11 primary will be on the Nov. 6 general election ballot....

"The Libertarian Party this year has major party status and will have a spot on the ballot for the first time since 1996, said Secretary of State William Gardner.... Gardner said the Libertarian Party had primaries for governor in three elections in the 1990s....

"The LPNH is back on the ballot in 2018 because in 2016, its candidate for governor, Max Abramson, received 31,243 votes, which was 4.3 percent of the general election vote, more than the 4 percent required threshold....

"In the primary, undeclared voters are free to take a ballot of the party of their choosing and then may, if they wish, change their registrations back to undeclared....

"Day, a longtime conservative activist in the state, ran as an independent for the U.S. Senate in 2016 and, many believe, spoiled Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte’s bid for re-election by receiving 17,742 votes.... But that was then. 'This time it’s completely different,' Day said Friday ... 'I’m actually running this time,' he said, adding, 'I no longer believe in the Republican Party'....

"Jarvis, who also is running a serious campaign complete with a website and a media staffer, welcomed the notion of having a primary competitor. 'I actually think it’s a good thing to have a primary because more people will take notice,” she said....

"As of Thursday evening, Libertarian candidates had also filed in both of the state’s congressional districts, three of the five Executive Council districts and two state Senate districts. Also filing were 13 Libertarian candidates for the New Hampshire House."

Read more: http://www.wmur.com/article/aaron-day-files-for-governor-setting-up-libertarian-party-primary-with-jilletta-jarvis/21566076
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Libertarian movement "on its last legs," says Campaign for Liberty official

A Revolution Squandered: National Libertarian Events Show a Moribund Movement on its Last Legs | The Liberty Conservative - Shane Trejo:

June 1, 2017 - "Back in 2013, Ron Paul had recently retired from Congress, and spirits were high.... Optimism permeated through the movement, and it was widely believed that his son, Rand, would realize its full promise....

"It took less than four years for all of those gains to be completely pissed away.... How could this movement fall to pieces so fast? The answer to this distressing question becomes self-evident when you pay attention to the actions of the Republican Liberty Caucus and the Libertarian Party. Both organizations held separate conventions this past weekend.

"The bulk of each conference consisted of nobodies telling other nobodies how not to achieve any tangible success. Reminiscent of chickens running around with their heads cut off, it is difficult to fathom what value a libertarian could possibly gain from attending one of these conferences....

"The RLC ... schedule was particularly underwhelming.... This time, the only elected official on the docket was Congressman Ted Yoho. Yoho, a Freedom Caucus member, was presumably chosen because the organization did not have the resources to fly out-of-state public officials to the Orlando event. This obvious lack of resources and functionality in the RLC is due to the gross mismanagement of the organization by the entrenched leadership.

"Of course, there was no change in the status quo.... The same officials returned to their spots despite chronic malfeasance. Most shamefully, liberaltarian crybaby Dave Nalle was retained as an 'At Large' board member of the RLC. Although he abandoned the organization and the Republican Party publicly last year ... to support his “Republicans for Gary Johnson' organization, which, like all of Nalle’s endeavors, achieved bupkis for the cause of liberty. The Gary Johnson Presidential campaign that was, of course, an incredible embarrassment that set the movement back immeasurably....

"As bad as the RLC may be, that organization still cannot hold a candle to the Libertarian Party when it comes to shaming the cause.

"The Libertarian Party held its Libertarian State Leadership Association this past weekend.... Keep in mind, this is not some ordinary event.... This is the heart and soul of the party. Always aching to put its best foot forward, here is what the official party posted on Twitter from the conference:

• #LSLA2017: Keeping the Libertarian Party an unwelcome place for the #AltRight and Nazis.
• Using fully informed juries to protect minorities #LSLA2017 panel #FIJA

"Never fear, minorities! These white people are coming to save you.

"LP members, it is time for a reality check. The organization is already doing a good enough job of keeping people out of the party. That is the last thing the LP needs to focus upon. Nobody with any dignity or self-respect wants to be anywhere near your clown show.... None of these alt-right bogeymen are ever showing up. They are already part of an interesting and vibrant movement that is gaining steam, so why would they ever want to trade down to some laughable freak show?"

Shane Trejo is the Media Relations Director of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Michigan, State Director of the Michigan Tenth Amendment Center, and County Coordinator for Michigan Campaign for Liberty.

Read more: http://www.thelibertyconservative.com/revolution-squandered-national-libertarian-events-show-moribund-movement-last-legs/
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Amash, Liberty Caucus stop Patriot Act expansion

Amash and Liberty Caucus Defeat Bipartisan Attempt to Expand PATRIOT Act Power Over Banks - Joe Wolverton II, New American:

July 13, 2016 - "Score one for the Constitution, as the House of Representatives rejected a bill that would have expanded the government’s police power under the PATRIOT Act.

"The bill, HR 5606, would have required financial institutions to inform the federal government of any transactions bank officials suspect could be connected to the funding of terrorism.

"While a majority of congressmen voted in favor of the bill — it was approved 229-177 — a procedural tactic deployed by opponents required a supermajority for passage of the measure — a bar it failed to clear.

"Leading the coalition against the bill was Representative Justin Amash (R-Mich.), a consistent foe of the expansion of federal surveillance and a consistent friend of the Constitution.

"In a statement posted on Facebook, Amash explained his position on the proposed PATRIOT Act expansion....

H.R. 5606 is not about anti-terrorism. The bill improperly extends an anti-terrorism statute, the Patriot Act, to the investigation of domestic, non-terrorism crimes. Section 314 of the Patriot Act encourages the government to share information on terrorism and money laundering with financial institutions.... Treasury regulations, however, have flipped Section 314 on its head; the department has applied the section to require financial institutions to share information with the government. If H.R. 5606 becomes law, this section of the Patriot Act will become substantially more powerful and susceptible to abuse, because the Treasury may require financial institutions to share information on countless private transactions that have no connection to terrorism.

H.R. 5606 violates our Fourth Amendment-secured right against unreasonable searches and seizures. Under the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, the government may not conduct unreasonable searches and seizures. With limited exception, a search or seizure is unreasonable if it occurs without probable cause and a warrant. Section 314 of the Patriot Act attempts to sidestep this constitutional protection by treating a domestic criminal investigation like a foreign terrorism investigation, and H.R. 5606 extends the applicability to a much wider range of criminal investigations....

"Fortunately, H.R. 5606 did not become the law, an accomplishment Amash says was 'against all odds.' Amash went on to thank his 'amazing staff for their tireless work.'

Read more: http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/23622-amash-and-liberty-caucus-defeat-bipartisan-attempt-to-expand-patriot-act-power-over-banks
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Republican Liberty Caucus endorses Rand Paul

Rand Paul wins support of GOP ‘liberty’ caucus - The Washington Post - David Wiegel:

January 12, 2015 - "The Republican Liberty Caucus, a 25-year old union of the GOP's libertarian-leaning activists, has endorsed Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) for president over Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). Coming just hours before Paul gets a Senate vote on his legislation to audit the Federal Reserve, his campaign is calling this a victory in the 'liberty lane' of the Republican primary.

"'Senator Paul is the candidate of choice among our state charters and membership at large,' said RLC National Chairman Matt Nye in a Tuesday morning statement. 'Senator Paul has been a consistent favorite with our members since he announced his candidacy."

"As Paul's presidential campaign has worked to regain footing in the primary, it's beseeched libertarian-leaning Republicans not to join Cruz's bandwagon. That effort has largely succeed, with some close calls. In October, the Paul campaign worked hurriedly to win a straw poll at the RLC's New Hampshire-based convention, where Cruz made a surprise appearance. When a confusing two-ballot system handed Paul the win, Cruz's campaign declared partial victory anyway, noting that "51 percent" of the combined ballots were marked for Cruz.

"In the ensuing weeks, despite well-received debate performances, Paul continued to lag behind Cruz. On Jan. 3, RLC National Director Steve Hoffman told the blog Conservative Fifty that he was personally switching from Paul to Cruz....

"Paul has sharpened his rhetoric about Cruz; in a series of half-festive, half-revealing New Years tweets, he resolved 'to give @TedCruz more lead time before I announce my policy positions, so he can replicate them faster.' Had the RLC issued no endorsement, after endorsing Paul's father in the 2012 primaries, it would have hinted at serious defections from his base. But two-thirds of RLC members, many of whom entered or re-engaged with politics because of Ron Paul's presidential campaigns, prevented catastrophe.

"Cruz's campaign, which has alerted reporters to any defections from Paul's camp, was sanguine about the RLC vote....

"Paul's campaign, meanwhile, was boasting of an unconditional victory.

"'As the only liberty-minded candidate,' said Paul spokesman Sergio Gor, 'Senator Paul is very pleased and grateful to the Republican Liberty Caucus.'"

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/01/12/rand-paul-wins-support-of-gop-liberty-caucus/
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Paul wins RLC straw poll, Cruz second

Rand Paul, Ted Cruz top straw poll at New Hampshire libertarian gathering - POLITICO - Katie Glueck:

October 10, 2015 - "Sen. Rand Paul on Saturday won the straw poll at a major libertarian gathering, with Sen. Ted Cruz coming in a close second.

"The poll, held at the Republican Liberty Caucus convention in Nashua, N.H., allowed attendees to vote for multiple candidates -- an effort to show which candidates would earn the approval of libertarian voters.

"Paul, the Kentucky senator and libertarian-leaning Republican, was voted the 'most-preferred' presidential candidate, pulling in 57 percent of the vote. Cruz, of Texas, came away with 51.2 percent of the vote, meaning that both candidates were considered acceptable by more than half of those who voted.

"The two candidates at the RLC, which endorsed Ron Paul in 2012, were separated by only 46 votes out of about 800 cast.

"The Paul campaign insisted that the Cruz campaign bussed in supporters and still fell short in the poll, a charge the Cruz campaign denied. However, it was clear from the convention that both campaigns had organized heavily for the event, and Cruz and Paul were the only major candidates in attendance.

"No one else came close to cracking 50 percent: in third place was Ben Carson with 18 percent, followed by Carly Fiorina and Marco Rubio at about 10 percent. Donald Trump registered 7 percent."

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/paul-cruz-straw-poll-new-hampshire-libertarian-214643
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Los Angeles RLC calls for immigration reform

Libertarian Republicans Split from National Party on Immigration - Rebeca Morla, PanAm Post:

February 26, 2015 - "The Los Angeles chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) has issued a stinging critique of immigration policy in the United States — targeting both the measures taken by President Barack Obama to address illegal immigrants, and the stance of the GOP itself.

"'When a staggering 52,000 kids (toddlers to teenagers) were detained by US Customs and Border Protection last summer, it was an unprecedented crisis in American history.... [Obama] actually gained popularity in his handling of the migrant/refugee situation. How could conservatives and Republicans drop the ball?' the briefing released on Sunday, February 22, asks lawmakers.

"The article, titled 'The Immigration Crisis Solved: A Liberty Republican View,' first appeared in Voices of Liberty, a media network promoted by former US Representative Ron Paul (R-TX). It states that 'not a single elected Republican voice of rationality offered the pro-liberty alternative,” and tasks liberty-conscious Republicans with “rais[ing] the level of the immigration crisis debate.'

"Preventing 'yet another unmanageable influx of migrants' should be a priority, the RLC chapter argues; but they reject policies such as the mass deportation of immigrants, or Obama’s 'irresponsible allusions to amnesty' without deeper reform....

"The RLC chapter assert that the US Constitution grants no specific authority to the central government to regulate immigration — although Article I Section 8 does note a uniform rule of naturalization — and that 'every single person now on American soil who isn’t a criminal ultimately has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — altogether that’s the right to work.'

"As a result, the group advocates for states taking the lead on proactive immigration reform, by offering residency and work permits to illegal immigrants."

Read more: http://panampost.com/rebeca-morla/2015/02/26/libertarian-republicans-split-from-national-party-on-immigration/
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GOP libertarian elected to Nebraska legislature

Laura Ebke a libertarian voice in Legislature : Politics - Don Walton, Lincoln Journal Star:

February 06, 2015 - "Laura Ebke is in the arena now.

"A political scientist who has taught American government classes at Southeast Community College and other institutions, Ebke was elected to the Legislature in November and is the student now.

"'It's a learning experience,' she said during an interview in her Capitol office....

"Ebke is a libertarian. 'Small "l",' she emphasizes, 'I'm a Republican and a conservative libertarian.'

"Ebke is state chairwoman of the Republican Liberty Caucus, which supported Ron Paul for president in 2012.

"Her legislative votes 'may fly in the face of the views of some traditional Republicans' at times, she said.

"For instance, Ebke is a co-sponsor of legislation to legalize the use of medical marijuana....

"A glimpse of Ebke's libertarian viewpoint is this assessment of proposed legislation to increase the fee for marriage licenses: 'I question whether we should ask the state's permission to get married. I'm not sure it's practical, but it would be better to just report the marriage after the fact for legal purposes.'

"Ebke has introduced a legislative resolution that calls for convening a U.S. constitutional convention confined to imposing fiscal restraints on the federal government, limiting federal power and requiring term limits for federal offices.... Ebke said, she became convinced that a convention with a limited mandate is needed and that the requirement for ratification of amendments by three-fourths of the states is a sufficient safeguard."

Read more: http://journalstar.com/legislature/laura-ebke-a-libertarian-voice-in-legislature/article_67877cbd-4ed5-5f1e-a103-d6876100985c.html

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Liberty Caucus only voice against 3rd Iraq war

House Liberty Caucus Republicans Stand Strong Against Third Iraq War - Thomas R. Eddlem, New American:

September 13, 2014 - "Members of the U.S. House of Representatives' Liberty Caucus have become the sole congressional voice openly speaking out against President Obama's proposed third war in Iraq.

"In a Facebook posting after Obama’s September 10 speech, Michigan Representative Justin Amash strongly condemned the president's violation of Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution's reservation of the war powers to Congress: 'The president boldly claimed, contrary to the Constitution, that he alone can order our Armed Forces into a protracted war. And he left unanswered the basic questions responsible Americans and their representatives must ask before going to war. Whom, specifically, will the mission target and what, specifically, is the threat to our homeland?'...

"The anti-war Left has faded into insignificance since the election of a president from the Democratic Party, but the anti-war Right has become more vocal and numerous since its halcyon days of the lone calls by Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) against war in Iraq in past decades.... Amash does not stand alone in his opposition to the war, as Ron Paul once did. Other members of the Liberty Caucus have openly questioned Obama's policy of arming the Free Syrian Army, the same organization that first kidnapped U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff and later sold him to the ISIS terrorists who beheaded him. 'I disagree with the president,' fellow Liberty Caucus member Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) told the Washington Post on the day after Obama's speech.... Fellow House Liberty Caucus member Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) likewise counseled a cooler debate in Congress on MSNBC's Morning Joe before any war starts....

"Against this contingent of liberty-loving congressmen is the leadership of both parties in Washington.... The media propaganda effort toward war has even swayed the rhetoric of Amash's closest allies in the U.S. Senate. Leading Senate Tea Party/liberty senators such as Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) have backed the war, but unlike Boehner have insisted that the president follow the U.S. Constitution in pursuing his bombing campaign."

Read more: http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/congress/item/19113-house-liberty-caucus-republicans-stand-strong-against-third-iraq-war
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‘Liberty Kids’ control Los Angeles GOP

LA’s ‘Liberty Kids’ seek Republican Party shake-up | Features | The Malay Mail Online:

August 6, 2014 - "Amir Zendehnam passionately supports marijuana legalisation, same-sex marriage, abortion rights and the Republican Party.

"He is not alone. The 26-year-old aspiring restaurateur and chairman of the party’s West Los Angeles central committee, is one of a raft of ethnically diverse young libertarians who hold seats in LA County’s huge GOP apparatus, injecting youthful energy into its operations at a time when the state’s Republican Party is nearly moribund.

"After winning control [of] the executive board of the Los Angeles County Republican Party in December 2012, the “Liberty Kids,” as they call themselves, are seeing the fruits of their activism. This year one of their own is running as the Republican nominee for Congress from the San Gabriel Valley, with Zendehnam serving as policy adviser.

'The Liberty Kids are challenging the party’s social conservatives and are drawing the attention of Democrats, who see liberal youth as part of their base. And in what could be a harbinger for the GOP, they have begun campaigning in other states, aiming to increase their influence beyond California....

"The Liberty Kids hold four of seven seats on the local party’s governing board and dozens of spots on its 200-person central committee, representing a county that is home to 10 million people."

Read more: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/features/article/las-liberty-kids-seek-republican-party-shake-up
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Republican Liberty Caucus gains strength in Congress

Libertarian wing of GOP gains strength in Congress | WashingtonExaminer.com - Susan Ferrechio:

January 24, 2014 - "A few times each month, a couple dozen House Republican lawmakers gather in a meeting room in a building adjacent to Capitol to discuss ideas and legislative proposals that focus on limited government, reducing the debt and maintaining individual rights.

"The group considers itself conservative with a libertarian emphasis. They call themselves the Liberty Caucus and believe that in order for the GOP to win more elections in the future, the party must begin embracing their libertarian-minded philosophy because voters are beginning to demand it, particularly in the wake of government data collection revelations that some believe infringe on privacy rights.

"'I think you are seeing a movement in the Republican Party where it is becoming more liberty minded,' Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, a member of the Liberty Caucus, told the Washington Examiner.... Labrador said younger Republicans especially are beginning to embrace this libertarian-minded view point....

"The philosophy of the caucus dovetails with the GOP's conservative wing on some issues, such as debt reduction, reining in government spending and opposition to the new health care law. But it differs on others, in particular on national security. While many Liberty Caucus members are opposed to the government surveillance program that has permitted officials to gather huge amounts of private phone and internet data in an effort to thwart terrorism, most mainstream GOP lawmakers have shown far less opposition and have defended it as necessary for preserving national security."

Read more: http://washingtonexaminer.com/libertarian-wing-of-gop-gains-strength-in-congress/article/2542802#
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What's a Libertarian Republican? Do we need them?

What's a Libertarian Republican? Do we need them? | Washington Times Communities - Shirley Husar:

March 29, 2013 - "You might not see much of a difference between a traditional Republican and a Libertarian Republican. Both believe in the three Republican pillars of lower taxes, smaller government, and more personal responsibility. They share beliefs in the free market, property rights, school choice, repealing affirmative action, protecting gun rights, and securing the borders.

"The difference is in the scope of application. The Libertarian Republican would say that the Republican bridge only goes halfway across the river; they seek to take it all the way to the other riverbank.

"Libertarian Republicans believe that working outside of the two-party system has little effect, and therefore seek to work within the system to advance liberty and small government.... Many of them work within the Republican Liberty Caucus — the wing of the Republican party that represents that particular interest."

Read more: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/urban-game-changer/2013/mar/29/whats-libertarian-republican-do-we-need-them/
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George Will on "The rise of the libertarian strand of Republicanism" at CPAC

George Will: "What I Did See At CPAC Was The Rise Of The Libertarian Strand Of Republicanism" | RealClearPolitics:

March 17, 2013 - "GEORGE WILL: First, here's the New York Times headline on the CPAC conference 'GOP Divisions Fester at Conservative Retreat.' Festering – an infected wound – it's awful. I guarantee, if there were a liberal conclave comparable to this, and there were vigorous debates going on there, the New York Times headline would be 'Healthy diversity flourishes at liberal conclave'.

"Republicans have been arguing, social conservatives and libertarian free market conservatives, since the 1950s when the National Review was founded on the idea of a fusion of the two. It has worked before with Ronald Reagan. It can work again.

"What I did see at CPAC was the rise of the libertarian strand of Republicanism, which has an effect on foreign policy, that is a pullback from nation building and other kind of ambitions abroad that they never countenance from government at home, and a sense of live and let live with subjects such as decriminalization of certain drugs and gay marriage."

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/03/17/george_will_what_i_did_see_at_cpac_was_the_rise_of_the_libertarian_strand_of_republicanism.html
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The Libertarian Republican Heritage by Justin Raimondo - Part II

The Libertarian Republican Heritage (Part II) by Justin Raimondo -- Antiwar.com:

March 6, 2013 - "In the summer of 1983, there was a major split in the Libertarian Party.... The split took out a good portion of the Party’s leading activists, and most of the money: although at the time the internal conflict looked to be over organizational and even personal issues, the split went much deeper than that – but it took time for the differences to play out....

"In the wake of what was a debilitating split, two problems with the LP appeared insuperable: 1) it was clear to me, and a few others, that the LP had peaked. After a few years of seemingly unstoppable growth ... we saw no opportunities for further growth, which led to the second big problem with the LP: ballot access laws. More than half the Party’s resources were spent just getting on the ballot: after that, there wasn’t much left to put into actually campaigning.

"It was time, a few of us decided, to enter the Republican party – not as any kind of capitulation to conservatism, or Reaganism, but as an organized group with an ideological agenda. And so, in the summer of 1986, the Libertarian Republican Organizing Committee was born."

Read more: http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2013/03/05/the-libertarian-republican-heritage-part-ii/
Part I: http://gdspoliticalanimal.blogspot.ca/2013/03/the-libertarian-republican-heritage-by.html
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The Libertarian Republican Heritage by Justin Raimondo -- Part 1

The Libertarian Republican Heritage by Justin Raimondo -- Antiwar.com:

Part I: From the Old Right to the New Nixon: Downhill All the Way

March 4, 2013 "The Republican party wasn’t always the party of war, unlimited military spending, and reckless foreign entanglements. There is a long albeit largely unknown tradition of opposition to militarism in the GOP, starting with the so-called "isolationist" opposition to US intervention in World War II and continuing right up until the 1960s....

"The conservative wing of the Republican party had been at the center of opposition to US entry into World War II. They had rightly feared two things: 1) that the war would rescue the Soviet Union from certain destruction, and 2) that we would defeat national socialism on the battlefield, only to find it had triumphed on the home front. In his public pronouncements, President Franklin Roosevelt bowed to popular opinion, which was overwhelmingly opposed to entering the European war, while slowly but surely – and covertly – involving us on the side of Great Britain. He was opposed in this by a coalition of conservative Republicans and Midwestern progressives, such as the Democratic Senator Burton K. Wheeler, who resisted the New Deal as a quasi-totalitarian betrayal of American ideals, and who also saw foreign intervention as a way for the New Dealers to further centralize power in Washington and cement their own dominance of the political landscape."

"The major anti-war organization of that time, the America First Committee, was founded and funded by conservative Republican Midwestern businessmen, such as Gen. Robert E. Woods, the head of Sears & Roebuck, and Henry Regnery, a Chicago businessman who would later go on to establish the first large scale conservative book publisher.... At its height, the Committee had 800,000 dues-paying members, and the sympathies of 75 percent of the American people.

"In those days, it was the left that constituted the core of the War Party. While ostensibly opposed to US intervention in principle, the far-left – that is, the Communist Party and its fellow travelers – turned on a dime the moment Germany invaded the Soviet Union. From that point on, it was the Communists who were in the vanguard of the War Party: it was they who led the vicious attack [on] the America Firsters as pro-Nazi and demanded they be prosecuted for treason....

"When war finally came, the America First Committee dissolved.... Rationing was imposed: the economy was militarized, and a wave of political repression swept the nation from coast to coast, as thousands of Japanese-Americans were put in concentration camps and political dissenters from both sides of the political spectrum were charged with 'sedition.' The federal government spent 43 percent of the gross domestic product in the years 1943-45.... A country that had once been the freest on earth was now only half-free, with the rudiments of the welfare state established and thriving. Worse, the outlines of the American empire began to take shape: far from freeing the US from the alleged necessity of meddling in the affairs of other nations, our victory only presaged a deeper involvement."

Read more: http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2013/03/03/the-libertarian-republican-heritage/
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Dave Nalle on the GOP's growing libertarian movement

Dave Nalle on the GOP's growing libertarian movement | Washington Times Communities - interview by Joseph Cotto:

February 16, "It has been noted that younger Republicans are far more moderate than preceding generations on social policy. During the years ahead, might social issues fall by the wayside and be replaced by fiscal as well as national security concerns? Speaking of national security, it is a subject on which libertarians are criticized due to their almost peacenik stances. Generally speaking, do libertarian Republicans differ from the stereotype?

"Dave Nalle is the chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus, an organization devoted to promoting the ideas of limited government. He is also a columnist here at The Washington Times Communities. In this second part of our discussion, he shares his answers to the aforementioned questions."

Read interview here: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/conscience-realist/2013/feb/16/dave-nalle-gops-growing-libertarian-movement/
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Old Guard launches coup in Alaska GOP

Old Guard launches coup in Alaska GOP | Washington Times Communities - Dave Nalle:

"WASHINGTON, DC, February 1, 2013 - In a hastily convened meeting Thursday night the outgoing leadership of the Republican Party of Alaska staged what amounts to a coup to oust the incoming Chairman and seize control of the party.

"Two weeks ago, I wrote about the controversy over the election of reformer candidate Russ Millette to the Chairmanship of the Alaska GOP.  Millette is a Republican Liberty Caucus member who represents the more libertarian/conservative wing of the party and party insiders did not want him to take control of their party and institute reforms.

"During the lame duck tenure of the outgoing State Executive Committee, party insiders raised various charges against Millette and his Vice Chair Debbie Brown.... A plan was put forward to hold a hearing on the charges at the installation meeting of the Executive Committee on February 1st. Then ... the hearing was moved forward a day so that the new committee members would not yet be seated or have a vote on the accusations.

"Even more troubling to many party members was the notification right before the meeting that outgoing Chairman Randy Ruederich had cleaned out the party treasury of $35,000."

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/liberty-our-times/2013/feb/1/old-guard-stages-coup-alaska-republican-party/
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Liberty Caucus will challenge GOP Establishment at New Hampshire convention - Manchester Independent | Examiner.com

Liberty Caucus will challenge GOP Establishment at New Hampshire convention - Manchester Independent | Examiner.com - Kevin Kervick::

September 28, 2012 - "In a letter yesterday, Carolyn McKinney, Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, told supporters that the Caucus plans to stand firmly with the grass roots of the Republican Party. McKinney said the RLCNH will offer a bold resolution at the GOP state convention that condemns the establishment rules that were wrongfully enacted at the GOP National Convention in Tampa. The following statement appeared on the RLCNH website:

"'In Tampa earlier this summer, RNC management showed a blatant disregard for the party rules by removing legitimately elected delegates, removing members of the rules committee or preventing them from voting, silencing dissent, and disregarding the results of votes. Because such fraud and coercion were used to pass new rules that reduce the power and autonomy of state and local party organizations and impose a top-down structure of governance in place of the party’s traditional bottom-up structure, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire is proposing a resolution from the New Hampshire Republican Party that outright rejects the rules changes.'"

Read more: http://www.examiner.com/article/liberty-caucus-will-challenge-gop-establishment-at-new-hampshire-convention
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Former Ron Paul advisors launch Liberty Torch Consulting

Former Ron Paul advisors launch Liberty Torch Consulting | The Capitol Column - Jonathan Wong:

July 6, 2012 - "A new San Francisco based political consultancy looks to help libertarian candidates and organizations manage their campaigns, bringing together veterans of various libertarian political campaigns and pooling their experience. Recently-formed Liberty Torch Consulting, LLC, has recruited a variety of [l]ibertarian campaign veterans, including two advisors with close ties to the campaigns of former presidential candidate Ron Paul and his son, Sen. Rand Paul....

"David Adams was Rand Paul’s campaign advisor and will serve as a strategy advisor for the new group. Jonathan Bydlak, who served as a fundraising director for Ron Paul, will serve as a financial advisor....

"Mr. Adams stated ... that 'We have learned important lessons in Kentucky for winning with solid candidates determined to bust up the ruling class of politicians. Joining with these great people to form Liberty Torch and harness the power of the conservative movement is a no-brainer for me.'

"A third advisor, Dave Nalle, has experience serving as the chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus, as well as the 2012 Senate campaign of former Texas solicitor general Ted Cruz."

Read more: http://www.capitolcolumn.com/news/former-ron-paul-advisors-launch-liberty-torch-consulting/#ixzz1zxTvJcUP
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