7) Cooperation with Other Libertarian Groups. Cooperation is an Important Activity. Independent libertarian groups such as AntiWar.Com should be friends with whom we actively collaborate, recognizing that tax and election laws limit these collaborations. Outreach to the greater Libertarian movement is a key task for our National Party
8) Washington Lobbying. Lobbying is a Worthwhile Activity. Why lobbying? Lobbying introduces us as people to reporters, columnists, and bloggers. Lobbying reduces the damage done by the duopoly party, as seen in the DefendYourPrivacy web campaign. Lobbying exposes members of other parties to libertarian ideas. When we start winning elections, we will start converting current public officials to our side. Lobbying prepares that ground by proving that we are serious about real politics. As resources become available, we should use some of them to lobby Congress in support of our positions. In D.C., lobbying should also be seen as including press conferences. It should also be seen as sending LP News reporters to other press conferences, not to ask questions but to meet other reporters.
Then there are Worthwhile Activities that the National Committee can facilitate, but not perform.
9) More Libertarian PACs. The Libertarian Party intends to contest every Congressional seat. Modest fundraising for party-ID internet and radio advertising and bumper stickers would substantially boost results from these campaigns, such as those that are already being run. To raise and distribute this money we need Libertarian PACs to raise funds and support Libertarian candidates. The Liberty for America PAC is already sending support.
10) Pro-Liberty Affinity Groups. When Democrats and Republicans run for office, they get support from hordes of affinity groups, each pretending to speak for an issue but in reality working for a political party. I am referring equally to the pro-choice group that endorses pro-life Democrats over pro-choice candidates of other parties and to the pro-Second Amendment group that endorses gun-grabbing Republicans over pro-Bill-of-Rights candidates of other parties. Those groups may pretend to support us on the issues, but they are not our friends and are not on our side. We need to replace them with pro-Liberty affinity groups that support Libertarians.
For political victory, the Libertarian movement needs its own affinity groups, groups that support Libertarian candidates and points of view. If the Microbrewery Trade Association routinely tilts Democratic, we should launch a Samuel Adams Society and Brewers Club to lead members to Libertarian thinking. The National Party can’t be too obvious about setting up affinity groups itself, not if those groups are to be credible. The National Party can find individual Libertarians with the right interests, incite them to create a Libertarian affinity group, and provide nurture and support to get the group off the ground. Liberty for America magazine is already leading the way, publicizing groups like Outright Libertarians and the Ladies of Liberty Alliance.
That’s ten activities for the LNC to perform. The National Convention is required by the bylaws. There are also six Important Activities and three Worthwhile Activities. Underlying these Important and Worthwhile Activities are the Mission-Critical Activities discussed above, the activities that keep the national party from collapsing. Those Important Activities are all things the LNC could do to justify its existence, so between all these Important Activities there is a Mission Critical Activity.
