Libertarian Party | Liberty on the Rocks™ Denver

A proposal to my Republican friends

If the federal budget is one cent smaller in 2012 than it is in 2010, I’ll register Republican and run for precinct chair.

If not, y’all register Libertarian.

“Ah, but Dave, you crafty fellow, two years isn’t enough time to make a difference,” you say? Then how about four years? I’ll make the same deal.

Still not enough? Is eight sufficient? Ten? How many? You pick the time frame.

I’ll make the same deal.

Any takers? If not, why not? You claim to believe that the GOP believes in smaller government, yet given the chance to tell me how long a time frame is sufficient for them to make good on this belief, you still do not have faith in them to deliver on this claim?

And you call Libertarians unrealistic? Oh, the irony.

Better late to the dance than to miss it entirely.

I am amused at the tremendous amount of support many Colorado Republicans are giving a third party candidate for governor when they decide they don’t like the GOP nominee.

Welcome aboard.

Some of us have felt that way for decades.

Leadership Program of the Rockies – apply now.

Even established, successful leaders can learn more and meet new, emerging leaders they otherwise would never know. The time and money invested in the program pays off quickly and the dividends last decades.

Deadline for nominations and applications is August 31, 2010. You can apply online at LeadershipProgram.org

As a 2009 graduate and the Chair of the Libertarian Party of Colorado, I can assure those sympathetic to the small government movement that the LPR is not part of the GOP machine. It is about ideas and principles and leadership. There are speakers from across the center-right. Yes, there are neocons, but there are also speakers from the libertarian Cato Institute and the objectivist Ayn Rand Institute. The class members are just as diverse.

I highly recommend it.

It’s your party. You clean it up.

Asking Libertarians to join the GOP and help “fix the party from the inside” is like inviting someone to your house for a party but telling them they have to clean the bathrooms first.

Big government ain’t the Democrats’ fault. It’s the Republicans’.

For example: The race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Colorado is between Jane Norton and Ken Buck.

Jane Norton supported Ref C and Ken Buck was the Weld County Chairman of Romney for President in 2008.

Ref C put Colorado state “government growth in overdrive.”

Romney brought us state run health care before Obama.

And the Republicans are the “small government” party?

Am I the only one that finds this laughable? What am I missing, people?

(The race between Norton and Buck is just a current example. I’ll be glad to provide a list of Big Government Republican programs, but most Republicans acknowledge their failure.)

When so-called conservatives vote for big government politicians, they perpetuate the problem. They are the problem. It’s not the fault of “progressive” Democrats. It’s the fault of “conservative” Republicans.

Until Republicans stop this inconsistency, they have no one to blame but themselves.

We must reject the big government two-party duopoly. Don’t waste your vote on the status quo, because the status quo means more government. The Republican excuse that they don’t grow government as fast as the Democrats is not good enough.

We get the government we ask for. I implore you to quit asking for big government. I implore you to quit voting for big government politicians, whether or not they have an “R” by their name.

I only have suggestions. I don’t have a magic solution. But I know continuing down this path is pure folly.

I suggest joining a third party. I suggest supporting approval voting. If you don’t like those ideas, come up with something else, I implore you. I beg for your creativity in solving this problem. Republicans have a 150 year record of failing to shrink government. Thinking they’ll start now is belied by history.

I don’t want a flame war. I’m not trying to gore anyone’s ox. I’m desperately looking for an answer to save this country. Give me some ideas. Please.

The Big Government Republican Politburo has made its selections, but they’ll let you vote anyway.

Each wing of the two-party duopoly will hold its statewide caucuses tonight.

Nothing unusual will happen with the Democrats.

Unfortunately, I predict nothing unusual will happen with the Republicans, either. (Of course, I also predicted that North Carolina would finish in the top half of the ACC, so my clairvoyance is quite limited.)

I foresee that, despite the recent “Tea Party” and related phenomena, it will be business as usual for the Republicans. All of the Tea Party support for governor candidate Dan Maes will be dwarfed by the establishment support of Scott McInnis. Likewise for Tea Party favorite Ken Buck in the Senate Race. The grassroots support for Buck will be stomped on by the Republican establishment support for Jane Norton.

The status will remain quo.

As a Libertarian, I find it amusing when Republican Dan Maes’ supporters tell me I’m wasting my vote because Libertarians “can’t win.” There is no more accurate description of Dan Maes than “can’t win.”

The Republican Politburo has annointed Jane Norton and Scott McInnis as the candidates that will represent the party. And they will. The Soviet Union had elections, too, and the outcome was just as certain.

The sad part is that all too many Maes’ supporters will then perpetuate the problem by holding their noses and voting for Big Government Republican Scott McInnis. Likewise for the Ken Buck supporters (and Tom Weins and Cleve Tidwell supporters) that decide they owe their vote to Big Government Republican Jane Norton out of some misguided sense of “party loyalty.”

Loyalty is owed to principle, not party. Loyalty is owed to the country, not party. Loyalty is owed to the Constitution, not party. Loyalty is owed to freedom, not party. Most importantly, loyalty is owed to yourself, not party.

I hope my predictions are wrong. We shall see.

But for those that actually believe small government principles are more important than their Big Government Republican Party, they have a home.

And we welcome you. Don’t waste your vote on Big Government Republicans. Vote Libertarian.

And let freedom ring.

Libertarian Party State Convention

It’s convention time!

The Libertarian Party of Colorado’s convention is Saturday, March 20, at the Red Lion Inn.

LPCO Business Meeting /State Convention

Red Lion Hotel

The Jefferson Room

3200 S. Parker Road

Aurora, CO 80014

303-695-1700

The doors will open at 7:30 am, registration begins at 8:00 am, and the business meeting will start at 9:30 am.

Vendor tables available for advertising your business.

Please complete a quick questionnaire if you’re attending, so we can provide the best possible convention.

Book your king sized non-smoking room for $89 a day by calling the hotel directly or by going to: RedLion.com & using access code 0319libe.

If you call 1-800-Red-Lion through central reservations, simply request the Libertarian Party of Colorado rate.

Currently, we have three people seeking our nomination for Colorado Governor.

We have candidates seeking our nomination for every U.S. Congressional District and the U.S. Senate. This is good news.

We have some candidates seeking our nomination for state General Assembly seats. We need more. If you score near the top of the Nolan Chart and can effectively articulate why you answer each question on the World Smallest Political Quiz the way you do, consider running.

With growing dissatisfaction to the big-government two-party duopoly, the Libertarian Party of Colorado has an opportunity to do well in the 2010 elections. We are the only political party that actually believes in small government and free markets. The ONLY ONE. However, to capitalize, we need to provide an option to the public. The best way to provide that option is to run as many qualified Libertarian candidates as we can. We are off to a good start. Let us keep up the pressure.

====

The night before our Convention, there will be a candidate reception at the Red Lion Inn. You are encouraged to attend and meet them all. I will see you there.

LPCO Candidate Meet & Greet

Red Lion Hotel

Rooms A & B

3200 S. Parker Road

Aurora, CO 80014

303-695-1700

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Come meet the 2010 LPCO Candidate Pool,

and schmooze with fellow Libertarians.

$10 donation suggested.

Cash Bar.

All Donations Welcomed.

===

National Update

As I write, I’m in Austin, TX, attending the yearly Libertarian State Leadership Alliance conference. It is a good opportunity to meet members of other state parties and to learn what is working in their states.

The Libertarian National Committee is also meeting at the same time. Our current National Chairman, Bill Redpath, is not seeking another term. As of now, there are five announced candidates to replace him. All five spoke at the LSLA.

They are: George Phillies, Ernie Hancock, Wayne Allyn Root, John Jay Myers and Mark Hinkle.

Redpath’s successor will be selected at the National LP Convention this summer in St. Louis, Missouri. The convention will be the weekend of May 28.

In addition to selecting our candidates for the 2010 elections, we will elect our delegates to the National Convention.

If you have interest in attending the National Convention as a delegate, you are encouraged to attend the State Convention and seek a seat. Even if you can not attend the State Convention but wish to be a National delegate, you can have someone nominate you at the State Convention.

Other National News

Tony Ryan is our District Four representative on the LNC. Tony has done a great job representing us, but is not seeking another term. Tony’s alternate, Rob Latham of Utah, does not want the position but is willing to remain the alternate. Enter our own Jim Remmert, of Boulder. Jim is seeking the District Four spot on the LNC being vacated by Tony. Jim is the former Associate General Counsel for Exxon and has retired in Colorado.

Jim is also in Austin meeting many of the LNC and letting people know he is running.

Jim has my full support and I hope you all get a chance to meet him if you have not yet.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss…

The Obama administration and the Democrat controlled congress extended the USA PATRIOT Act.

The Strategy – A Long Term Approach to Freedom

Rather than simply trying to pick the best candidates, I see the goal as trying to encourage more people to consider and look into (for lack of a better term) *Libertarian ideals. This is not as a ploy to get new Libertarian registrations (which I don’t see as bad), but rather to get more people [...]

BlueCarp 2009-11-30 16:53:00

Do You Want To Be A Delegate to the
2010 State Libertarian and/or National Conventions?

Do You Want To Run For Office in the
2010 Election?

State Delegates must be registered to vote as a Libertarian
on or before Sunday December 20, 2009.ust be registered to vote as a Libertarian
National Delegates must be registered to vote as a Libertarian
on or before Saturday March 20, 2010.

Voter Registration forms are available from your County Clerk, DMV offices, the Secretary of State Division of Elections, and online at http://LPColorado.org/register

Redpath on the German election and election reform

William Redpath, National Chairman of the Libertarian Party, wrote:

As many of you know, electoral reform is a topic on which I have been working for the last fifteen years.

There was an election in Germany yesterday for the German national legislature, The Bundestag. In Germany, a Mixed Member Proportional system is used to seat the legislature. In a mixed member proportional system, each voter casts two ballots, one for a single winner district (a/k/a “Constituency”) election like we have in the United States, and on the other ballot, they cast a vote for their favorite political party. The results from both elections are used to fill the legislature’s seats.

Among the parties that ran for seats in The Bundestag yesterday was the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which is the most libertarian of Germany’s political parties. The results of the election are in the link to the German Federal Election 2009 below. In the single winner district elections, the FDP received 9.4% of the total vote cast but won zero single winner district elections. Sound familiar?

In the Party List vote, the FDP was selected by 14.6% of voters as their favorite political party. As a result, the FDP will have 93 seats in the next legislative session, which is 15.0% of seats in The Bundestag. This is an increase from 61 seats in the last session. The seat percentage is higher than the vote percentage because, in Germany, parties that receive less than 2% of the Party List vote receive no seats in the legislature. The actual individuals to fill the FDP’s seats will be appointed by the FDP.

Instead of having zero seats in the legislature, which is what the FDP would have received using the voting system we use in the United States, the FDP will be the third most powerful party in The Bundestag, among the six parties that will have seats.

Bill Redpath

LNC Chair

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_federal_election,_2009

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Democratic_Party_(Germany)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_member_proportional_representation

http://www.fairvote.org/?page=2046

Liberty on the Rocks™ Denver

Our Next Happy Hour

Event Calendar

Reason