In a letter sent today, LNC National Chair Steven Nekhaila warned that the LNC was in imminent danger of full collapse. He did this after reporting that a confidential operational report on the LNC had been leaked by a board member (though not to us). His description of the state of the LNC was
“We are an organization in dysfunction. We are bleeding every month. Our membership is in decline. Donor trust is shattered. Our staff, the few left, are overworked, underpaid, and somehow still showing up while we play political games and throw sand in the gears.
This board may very well be the last one standing between the Libertarian National Committee and full collapse.”
His full letter follows:
From: Steven Nekhaila <steven.nekhaila@lp.org>
Sent: Friday, May 2, 2025 9:15:50 PM (UTC+00:00) Monrovia, Reykjavik
To: LNC Public <lnc-public@lp.org>; lnc-public_forward <lnc-public_forward@lp.org>
Subject: Where we go from hereDear Colleagues,
As you all know by now, a confidential operational report prepared by Strategists, Inc. was leaked today—by a member of this board—through a factional surrogate, for no other reason than to score political points.The leak was pathetic and weak. The report, however, was necessary.Let’s not bullshit each other. We are an organization in dysfunction. We are bleeding every month. Our membership is in decline. Donor trust is shattered. Our staff, the few left, are overworked, underpaid, and somehow still showing up while we play political games and throw sand in the gears.This board may very well be the last one standing between the Libertarian National Committee and full collapse.That’s not melodrama. That’s where the numbers are headed.We commissioned this report to get real about our condition. And the message is clear: we are at the edge of the cliff. This is not a bad month or a rough patch. This is do or die. This is the fucking reckoning.We can either choose professionalism, discipline, and unity of purpose, or we can be remembered as the board that sat around arguing while the roof caved in.
As you could probably gleam, I am not, and have never been, beholden to a faction, an individual, or anyone other than this cause. I am not here for clout, and I am not here for friendship, I am here to get a specific result that has been the goal of my involvement over the past ten years in this organization. Your goals may differ.
I didn’t take on this role to manage decline. I took it to pull us out of the nosedive. And that requires more than talk. It requires discipline.
So here it is:– Project Archimedes is being revived.
– A professional development lead and support team is being scoped and budgeted.
– Technical systems are being retooled.
– Fundraising expectations are no longer “encouraged,” they are mandatory.
– Public clownery and passive-aggressive sabotage will not be tolerated, and if you’re contributing to it, you are part of the problem.
– We have a wonderful, dedicated staff that is overworked and underpaid who is the real engine of the growth and progress of the Libertarian Party.
– We have a smart, competent Executive Director who has earned the trust of staff and shown she can lead a lean, agile team under pressure.This is it. This is the fight.Those who value clout, money, and being liked by their friends, or faction, over the mission will be remembered as such.If you’re here to build, let’s get to work. If you’re here to stir shit, sabotage, or ride this thing into the ground with a smirk, get the hell out of the way.We still have a window. Barely.Let’s not be the board that watched it all burn and called it a debate.Let’s be the one that turned it around, when it actually fucking mattered.With resolve,
Steven Nekhaila
Chairman
Libertarian National Committee
I hope that Steven Nekhaila can pull this craft up in time. Initiate Project Archimedes immediately. I have been a member of the LP since 1979.
Part of the reason it is collapsing is because of the poor communications. Take a look at the issues section of the national website and you can see a direct cause of it in the box with the title on it that says “End the War on Poverty”. A lot of the poverty in the nation is caused by government policies that deprive people of opportunities. The LP should make an effort to abolish the zoning and housing regulations, open the urban transit market to the commercial sector, and abolish occupational licensing, for starters. Zoning laws have been criticized by Libertarians for almost as long as the party has been here, but we cannot even get a 250 word brochure out on the issue. Show that Libertarians care for a change. That might help our image, save some tax dollars, reduce crime, remove some stress on families, and do something to protect the environment.
I find this hilarious. The efforts of Nekhaila and others led to this, now they are facing the consequences. They want to lead, push people out of the way, no respect for dissenting opinions, now the party is collapsing. Good. Let it meet its destiny in the dust pan of history.
Ouch! That seems a bit harsh. Clearly the party has lost its way but tossing out 53+ years of effort is definitely suboptimal IMHO. There must be a better way than dancing on the grave of the LP. Just my $0.02 worth.
You’re confused, Joe.
The actions of Mises Caucus, Mike Heise and Angela McArdle led to this.
They literally said if you don’t agree with them, you should leave LP.
Se we did.
Bring back Nick Sarwark as LNC chair…..under his leadership the LP had record highs in memberships, donations and elected LP officials.
Nekhalia is Mises, has been since he was Chair in Florida. So, no confusion.
If Mark Rutherford or George Phillies, or someone of equal quality were Chair, the LP would be in a better state.
Wrong.
The LP is in its current state solely because of the 2022 “takeover” and election of Angela McArdle as LNC chair.
A disaster to quote Angela.
The current situation of LP is not because of Nekhalia, who is trying to prevent a ship which has taken on water for years, from sinking.
Without jumping into the libertarians internal faction fights or personality arguments, which look like nothing more than the angry scrambling and scurrying of an anthill that was recently stepped upon from my outsiders perspective, I note that Mr. Wendt is from Florida and thus might have some insight into Floridians and their factional loyalties as well as competence at management of political organizations. I don’t know whether (the other) Joseph has a similar background and knowledge of Florida politics.
Nekhalia is part of the Mises Caucus. He helped them get to where they are. He is part of the problem. He is very good at the game of thrones, but all that has resulted is replacing Joffrey with Tommen, not an improvement at all and will lead to Heise becoming Chair.
Resurrecting failed programs isn’t going to stop it from sinking. Just look at Florida. Based of public records, they are not growing financially. Their last statewide candidates did far worse than either Wyllie or Stanton. That is Nekhalia’s record. Based off past performance, the LP will be at the bottom of the ocean under Nekhalia’s watch.
The record high for dues paying members and LNC fundraising (especially whem adjuated for inflation) was in 2000. The record high for the number of elected Libertarians was in 2005. This was all yeaes prior to the time from which Joseph indicated above.
It seems like some members of the LNC have hidden agendas.
The notion of striving for professionalism and discipline is undercut by the repeated and unnecessary use of profanity.
Well, gosh-darn-it to heck, what in Hades are they supposed to do to make the freaking point with emphasis?
#sarcasm
I see your sarcasm disclaimer, but the point of the sarcasm isn’t clear – you might be sarcastically agreeing with my point, sarcastically disagreeing with it, or some mix.
Therefore:
Presumably, both the author and his intended audience have a sufficiently large vocabulary to express strong emotion without profanity or its transparent substitutes.
Failing that, there are any number of ways to emphasize – repetition, underlining, bold or italic fonts, and so on.
Profanity is so commonly used, at least by some people, regardless of time, place, audience, etc., that it doesn’t emphasize anything at all. I don’t know whether this is one of those cases or not. To my eyes and ears, at least, it screams nothing except the lack of professionalism and discipline, albeit that depends on the profession.
But, in the given context, I think it directly detracts from the stated purpose of professionalism and discipline in the management of a public facing general audience venture.
Of course, it does undeniably appeal to certain segments of the public – primarily those who tend to be least well disciplined and most unprofessional in the sense I would hope professional is meant here – but at the same time, has the opposite effect on those who are in fact more professional and disciplined.
I realize it’s intended audience was internal, but a culture of professionalism and discipline starts by internal example, particularly among those who lack it at the outset of such a mission.
To emphasize my point without profanity, profanity in the service of fostering a culture of professionalism and discipline is much like indiscriminate unprotected fornication in the service of fostering an end to venereal disease: antithetical to the mission.
#not#sarcasm
Hi George, my take, this is what we need. Someone to face situation head on and deal with it and not tolerate internal sabotage.
I know you are a reporter so you need to publish what you get, but whoever leaked that report is brazenly using staff as a political tool and they have a right to their privacy and we have a right as employer for these things to be “in house.” It was no “whistle blowing” of a coverup or corruption.
My opinion: the leak was in malice and not for care of the Party. Nekhaila spoke the truth here and has never hid we are in crisis mode for survival.
I ask everyone who wants there to still be a party to give a gift in support.
Thank you.
I find myself wondering if the destruction of the Libertarian Party was the goal of the Mises Caucus. I hope they can be persuaded to do otherwise.
The LNC has never been the main driver of dues paying membership growth, it has been presidential campaigns. The Chase Oliver for President campaign did not grow the party. It was the first presidential year where LP dues paying membership went down.
It was also the first presidential year where the LNC actively sabotaged its nominee’s campaign.
Because of Mises, Andy.
The Mises candidate lost at convention, so they sabotaged Chase’s campaign.
What was that BS from Angela….LP will support Chase in [CORRECTION SENT BY ORIGINAL AUTHOR]: BLUE states only so Trump could win.
Chase platform was 100% libertarian.
Mises didn’t support him because he’s gay.
Blue states.
Your correction was applied to your original post.