Libertarian National Committee Meeting
At the Libertarian National Committee meeting today, Mary Ruwart moved to reconstitute the Advertising and Publications Review Committee, seconded by R. Lee Wrights. Ruwart said “We recently had a press release that recommended more government, and if it had been reviewed it probably wouldn’t have gone out.” Secretary Bob Sullentrup pointed out that the APRC has been created and abolished multiple times, and said that if it gets reconstituted it should be done in a way that won’t require abolishing it yet again.
Ruwart suggested that the APRC be created and then its chartering language be improved. Wrights objected to hearing from staff about potential problems in the operational details of the APRC, and said “This committee does the business of the party, not staff.” LP Media Director Andrew Davis said that even a 12-hour turnaround time can miss a news cycle. Redpath said he had a policy of reviewing “anything that might be controversial”, but he admitted it did not happen with the recent controversial press release. The APRC was re-created, with Aaron Starr and Pat Dixon voting no. Its members will be Wrights, Ruwart, Starr, Jingozian, Flood, and they will have no authority until they create and win approval for new chartering language for it.
The Executive Committee was populated with the four officers and Mark Hinkle, Michael Colley, and Jim Lark.
May 27th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
I also had my hand raised (as did others) to make similar motions. Dr Ruwart was merely the first person recognized, which is evident from the almost unanimous vote.
I believe that the five of us will be able to create an effective committee.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
forget committee’s, Davis is correct, they should be able to issue press releases quickly even if mistakes or renegade releases are made, mistakes happen in all news agencies… the committee should be a disciplinary committee rather than a review committee otherwise you risk not being able to get out ‘news’ to interested agencies that WOULD provide coverage in a timely manner.
May 27th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Oh goodie…another LNC / LP Staff war is brewing. The cycle of constant in-fighting continues.
I think both sides make good points. It’s a shame that Libertarians just can’t get on the same page and move forward. I hope that the battle is quick, regardless of who wins.
May 28th, 2008 at 7:10 am
Andrew Davis should be fired. He stated in the evil press release which called for “more resources” in the government to be focused on combating child pornography that the FBI should, “go after sexual crimes involving children.” When I called him up to ask where the constitution authorized a Department of Justice, a nationalist police force like the FBI, or prosecution of child pornography cases, or to prosecute sexual crimes involving children, he said that the commerce clause allows the government to regulate anything. Well, gee.
The LP headquarters staff should all be fired. The LP chair and treasurer should be impeached, and if indicted, replaced. There is a longstanding pattern going back to at least 1996 of interference by the LP HQ staff and some members of the LNC in the presidential nomination process. This disgusting corruption has driven many individuals, including myself, from the LP.
The LP headquarters should be moved from the Watergate building, 2600 Virginia Ave. NW - a building notorious for its role in the greatest political scandal in American history.
But, the problems with the LP are mainly in the area of what should be done not ever getting done.
May 28th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Davis is absolutely correct.
Having served as Executive Director of a state affiliate, there are times staff has to move quickly. Oversight can consist of the Chair or an LNC media designate, with accountability falling to that level—not staff.
Regardless of what message Davis puts out (or Cory put out for that matter), accountability falls to the Chair, Executive Committee and LNC members. A five person committee is completely unnecessary.
May 28th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I’m torn on this subject…On one hand, I understand that news is a timely subject and that releases need to move quickly; on the other, I don’t like reading LP releases that call for more government that clearly violates Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution.
Whether he is fired or not, I certainly hope that egghead(Davis) is censured and has his fax machine priveleges revoked.
May 28th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Oh great. Parsing press announcements by the “committee”. The LP should hire decent staff members and give them the discretion and responsibility for their actions. If they screw up, they can always be fired later. OTOH, might be something to keep the committee members busy.
May 29th, 2008 at 7:45 am
How phony.
The old APRC was targeted and improperly abolished by a group led by Starr and Sullentrupp to block the program committee and platform reform, seize the archives in APRC’s hands, and undermine the political director who was getting record people in office with APRC’s help. They then claimed the PC and APRC had done nothing when staff took their archives and ‘lost’ them, the fired the political director. Holtz has been putting out modified documents they seized ever since as LRC work product.
The APRC in the past reviewed or initiated key documents and language guidelines for staff that have been in place since the early ‘70’s. They were never in the business of approving time sensistive documents, that was the Chair’s job, ex officio a member of the APRC. But staff often consulted them, with a typical quick turnaround. And its supposed to have 4 people expert or activist in voluntaryism, anarchism/ minarchism, privatization and small government to see that the documents offer the public the range of Libertarian approaches. Is Jingozian an expert? Is Flood? I doubt it.
LRC and staff are creating another history re-write and red herring problem. Starr will do all he can to continue to keep Libertarians from getting in office and outrage activists. He’s not only in a position of control of the vanishing money but the key product. Ugh.
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