The Libertarian National Committee Executive Committee voted on a motion to establish a Litigation Committee to deal with LNC lawsuits. There was debate.
Motion: That the Executive Committee appoint an empowered Litigation Committee to handle the current Michigan litigation pursuant to the Policy Manual comprising Angela McArdle, Meredith Hayes, and Caryn Ann Harlos. Co-Sponsors: Harlos, Yeniscavich
In chronological order, the Secretary, Vice Chair, member Kathy Yeniscavich, member Adrian F Malagon, and member Steven Nekhaila voted in favor.
Treasurer Todd Hagopian then voted against, saying “I believe this lawsuit is better suited to be in the hands of the ExCom rather than another empowered committee.”
At this point, ExComm non-member Mark Tuniewicz wrote:
Friends,
When it comes to litigation, roles, and responsibilities….whenever the LNC itself is ultimately the party suing or being sued, it should be that same body making decisions about those lawsuits.
Creating/appointing some committee to do this puts a greater distance between the LNC and it’s responsibilities as the ultimate “decider” of how we proceed in legal matters, creates a greater committee bureaucracy, and weakens the decision-making process by having far less input on the part of LNC members…all of whom are ultimately responsible.
It’s bad enough that the small EC had been making these decisions without full LNC input….adding another committee makes a bad situation worse.
LNC Secretary Harlow observed “A policy manual amendment was made last meeting at which you did not attend. I can send you the language if you wish. Full notice was given.”
The Chair voted in favor.
Tuniewicz responded: “Madame Secretary, I’m well aware of the amendment was proposed. It’s just a bad idea.”
Secretary Harlos commented: “You could have came and debated. Meanwhile the motion, had passed”
Malagon attacked Tuniewicz, saying: “While I disagree with Mr. Hagopian on this matter, I appreciate his argument, and the fact that he was at our last meeting to make it.
Mr. Tuniewicz,
We’re not friends. We’re not even “friends.” Please never refer to me as such and then follow it with your pompous, grandstanding tripe. “Folks” is far more appropriate. I would echo what the Sec said, but I don’t want to encourage you to come to meetings. I prefer productivity.”
The motion passed 6-1.
They’ve always done this. Appointing useless subcommittees is just what they do. Regardless of stated purpose, the actual accomplishments of LP activity is to demonstrate through LARPing how byzantinely Kafkaesque bureaucracy and red tape and excess unnecessary complexity in real world gubment can be made more so.
One must suspect that support for delegating frivolous/malicious litigation matters to a subcommittee of the executive committee reflects a growing realization on the LNC’s part that things are going badly and will probably go worse as time drags on, and a desire to abdicate responsibility for that.
As the bullfighter said to his apprentice in the Hemingway novel, “you take him Paco — I do not like the way he looks at me.”
I agree 100% and enjoyed the Hemingway quote.
The Amicus Brief filing stirred things up and brought questions and concerns from LNC members that activist members of the executive committee found troubling, so those members are being granted clean hands and deniability as this case, and its rapidly increasing costs, moves forward.
I am sorry to see most members content to trade off vocal opposition for this deniability as the lawsuit falls apart.