national convention updates
The Libertarian National Convention is being covered on some other blogs. George Phillies has been kind enough to email me some updtaes from the convention floor in Portland which can supplement their reports. I really hate that I'm not there.
LNC election results:
Chair
Bill Redpath 182
Ernie Hancock 66
George Phillies 26
Vice Chair
Round 1
Chuck Moulton 117
M Carling 96
Tony Ryan 71
NOTA 3
Round 2
Moulton 169
Carling 105
Secretary Bob Sullentrup ran unopposed
Treasurer
Geoff Neale 191
Mark Nelson 77
NOTA 12
AT LARGE
Admiral Michael Colley 251
Angela Keaton 231
Patrick Dixon 212
Jeremy Keil 175
Dan Karlan 149
Above were elected
Also ran: Deryl Martin, Morey Strauss, M Carling
On the second vote, almost all platform planks that had been removed stayed removed. The Drug War and Firearms planks were restored.
Content of the following old planks was retained, though sometimes moved: (I transcribed a list being read aloud)
1.2 Crime
1.3 Victimless Crimes
1.12 The Right to Property
Space (not sure what this means - Sean)
1.17 Conscription and the Military
1.18 Immigration
1.20 Women's Rights and Abortion
3.5 Consumer Protection
1.22 Sexual Rights
2.5 Governement Debt
2.6 Monopolies (now with parts from 2.7 [Subsidies], 2.9 [Public Utilities], 3.13 [Postal Service])
1.16 The Right to Keep and Bear Arms
1.4 The War on Drugs
1.11 Freedom of Religion
1.10 Freedom of Communication
I believe there is a revised immigration plank.
Some Bylaws changes rolled through. The Bylaws committee concluded that zero dues violated the bylaws all over the place, and proposed a fix. The passed change created the new category Sustaining Member, someone who has paid $25 or more in the past year, as a replacement for member 'whose dues are current'. So dues not called dues are restored.
Access to the Judicial Committee was not changed. A proposal to delete the pledge or replace it with something much like the libertarian objective definition of the Liberty for Massachusetts bylaws did not pass.
[back to Sean:] Personally I'm not as concerned about the Platform being gutted. We have an opportunity to set it right next convention. I guess I'd better get to writing. ;-) It is quite amusing to me that the abortion plank survived the purge, considering how it was always the one targeted for removal in past conventions.
Same with the attempts to modify or remove the membership certification (aka the pledge). After carefully listening to reform attempts, I am more convinced than ever that the pledge needs to be abolished entirely. Such big changes don't often sail through on the first attempt. We have two years to sell it to whomever shows up next time.
The only real concern I have with the changes is that around 300 or fewer people were present to make them. But considering I was one of the LNC members who voted to have the convention in Portland, I won't complain about the location.
I'm looking forward to seeing what Bill Redpath can do as Chair. I'm excited about his issues, especially national taking responsibility again for ballot access and hiring a new political director. I wish him and the rest of the new LNC every success.
LNC election results:
Chair
Bill Redpath 182
Ernie Hancock 66
George Phillies 26
Vice Chair
Round 1
Chuck Moulton 117
M Carling 96
Tony Ryan 71
NOTA 3
Round 2
Moulton 169
Carling 105
Secretary Bob Sullentrup ran unopposed
Treasurer
Geoff Neale 191
Mark Nelson 77
NOTA 12
AT LARGE
Admiral Michael Colley 251
Angela Keaton 231
Patrick Dixon 212
Jeremy Keil 175
Dan Karlan 149
Above were elected
Also ran: Deryl Martin, Morey Strauss, M Carling
On the second vote, almost all platform planks that had been removed stayed removed. The Drug War and Firearms planks were restored.
Content of the following old planks was retained, though sometimes moved: (I transcribed a list being read aloud)
1.2 Crime
1.3 Victimless Crimes
1.12 The Right to Property
Space (not sure what this means - Sean)
1.17 Conscription and the Military
1.18 Immigration
1.20 Women's Rights and Abortion
3.5 Consumer Protection
1.22 Sexual Rights
2.5 Governement Debt
2.6 Monopolies (now with parts from 2.7 [Subsidies], 2.9 [Public Utilities], 3.13 [Postal Service])
1.16 The Right to Keep and Bear Arms
1.4 The War on Drugs
1.11 Freedom of Religion
1.10 Freedom of Communication
I believe there is a revised immigration plank.
Some Bylaws changes rolled through. The Bylaws committee concluded that zero dues violated the bylaws all over the place, and proposed a fix. The passed change created the new category Sustaining Member, someone who has paid $25 or more in the past year, as a replacement for member 'whose dues are current'. So dues not called dues are restored.
Access to the Judicial Committee was not changed. A proposal to delete the pledge or replace it with something much like the libertarian objective definition of the Liberty for Massachusetts bylaws did not pass.
[back to Sean:] Personally I'm not as concerned about the Platform being gutted. We have an opportunity to set it right next convention. I guess I'd better get to writing. ;-) It is quite amusing to me that the abortion plank survived the purge, considering how it was always the one targeted for removal in past conventions.
Same with the attempts to modify or remove the membership certification (aka the pledge). After carefully listening to reform attempts, I am more convinced than ever that the pledge needs to be abolished entirely. Such big changes don't often sail through on the first attempt. We have two years to sell it to whomever shows up next time.
The only real concern I have with the changes is that around 300 or fewer people were present to make them. But considering I was one of the LNC members who voted to have the convention in Portland, I won't complain about the location.
I'm looking forward to seeing what Bill Redpath can do as Chair. I'm excited about his issues, especially national taking responsibility again for ballot access and hiring a new political director. I wish him and the rest of the new LNC every success.
posted by genushaha at 9:44 PM
1 Comments:
The pledge amendment effort would have put in some political content, relating to smaller government, lower taxes, and increased liberty. It had a majority, but not enough of a majority.
The chair of the Platform committee was determined to change the immigration plank no matter what, and spent the entire morning of the first day of his committee's meeting on that topic.
The Bylaws committee was substantially in agreement that 'zero dues' violates the Bylaws, and put dues back into place at $25, without, however, using the word 'dues'. There appeared to be rather weak support for zero dues.
The radical platform changes, in my opinion, were a reaction to the glacial place of platform alteration, and feelings that the language was not good.
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