Listening to Arizona
I called people in the Phoenix group. They’re the ones with ballot access. I am reporting what is perceived and stated, as I understood it from members of the Phoenix group. Remember “X is not true” is independent of “group A believes that X is not true”.
- Does the ALP want its affiliation back? So far as I can tell, many of them aren’t very interested. They are planning on recruiting, running candidates, supporting or opposing referenda,…not on arguing with LNC. Their position, so far as I can tell, is ‘the LNC chose its affiliate. The LNC gets to live with its decision.’
- Did the ALP ask the LNC to decide which group was the real Libertarian party in Arizona? The position I was given was that ALP members urged the LNC to make no decision until the judge made his decision. The LNC, says the ALP, didn’t wait. LPUS affiliated one group; the judge gave state recognition to the other group.
- What about the disaffiliation process? ALP members note that the LPUS Bylaws provide that affiliation can only be removed “for cause”. “for cause” is not an idle phrase; it means that the group being disaffiliated must have done something wrong, and must be given reasonable due process to defend themselves against accusations. The ALP group denies that a “cause” was ever specified to them. They were therefore unable to defend themselves against implicit accusations that they had created a cause.
- Why was there a Casa Grande mediation? [This was representatives of the two groups meeting with an LNC representative, at a point midway between Phoenix and Tucson.] The position I am given from the ALP side is that the ALP was asked to indicate people who would be unacceptable as mediators, and was then informed that mediation was occurring. The ALP—say most ALP activists—did not ask the LNC for mediation. They were, however, prepared to be civil to people visiting the state. So far as I can determine, there is a substantial ALP group saying that it should not pursue affiliation ever again, and another group willing to try to repair relations between the ALP and the LNC.
- What happened at Casa Grande? While some ALP members say they were sworn to secrecy, others say that the mediator— our National Chair—only wanted to discuss ballot access for the Presidential candidate, and did not appear to be interested in the other issues separating the two groups. I am repeatedly told that at this meeting both sides repeated their public positions without significant variation. So far as I can determine, the perception from the meeting is that each group wanted the other to dissolve and assume a completely subservient position in the other.
- What are the underlying fundamental issues? To my ear, the disagreements I heard from the Arizona people go back to our Party Platform. To what extent can a State regulate the structure of a political party? To what extent should Libertarian candidates for office accept matching funds or other taxpayer subsidies of their campaigns? These are substantial issues. The ALP maintains that political parties are basically private groups, and condemns accepting money from the government for political purposes.
- What is the contest about? Could the two groups live and let live? There are issues that are difficult, and issues that are impossible. Impossible to compromise: Only one group can control appointment of Presidential electors and the name on the ballot. Only one group can receive the lists of registered voters from the state.
