December 2015 - Lnc-business - Moellman Enterprises Email

A short reminder regarding decorum
by Nicholas Sarwark 29 Oct '19

29 Oct '19

Dear All, I expect that members of the Libertarian National Committee will disagree with each other with respect. I expect that after the Libertarian National Committee comes to a decision on an issue, be it the purchase of an office or the choice to make a goal a certain number of candidates running for public office, that every member of the committee will either support the goal or at least stop trying to publicly fight against it after they've lost. I expect that every member of the Libertarian National Committee will be polite and respectful to the rest of the members and to the national office staff. If anyone is unwilling or unable to meet these expectations, I will happily accept your resignation from the Libertarian National Committee and wish you the best of luck in whatever future endeavors you choose. Yours in liberty, Nicholas J. Sarwark Chair, Libertarian National Committee

5 6

goals adopted today
by Alicia Mattson 07 Dec '16

07 Dec '16

I've had two region reps request that I provide copies of the 6 goals the LNC adopted today. They are (in descending order of support level): 1. 1000 candidates in 2016 2. Take action to see that each state has operational affiliate by June 1, 2015 3. 300 candidates by 2016 trained in Who’s Driving 4. Updated issue-based outreach literature this term 5. 38-state party-status ballot access as of Dec 1, 2016 6. 200 elected Libertarian officials in Dec 2016 Alicia Mattson LNC Secretary

2 1

Proposals
by Sam Goldstein 21 Feb '16

21 Feb '16

NationBuilder and RFP attached. Sam

3 2

new convention website using NationBuilder
by Wes Benedict 16 Feb '16

16 Feb '16

Unless I detect significant opposition soon from the LNC, I plan to have built a 2016 convention website using the NationBuilder platform. I've already broached the topic with Nick Sarwark and Sam Goldstein. I'm excited about the possibilities the NationBuilder technology offers, but not yet completely sold on the platform or the enormity of the conversion task. Starting with a convention website will allow us to get our feet wet with the technology, and at the same time, to quickly roll out some of our new branding. And since this won't involve a massive wholesale instantaneous changeover from our current website, LP.org on Drupal, and our current membership database, RaisersEdge, it's something we can manage without the risk of destabilizing our entire organization at the start of a Presidential election year. If you like the content of the 2013 Libertarian Party of Texas Annual Report: http://www.lp.org/files/LPTX_2014_Annual_Report.pdf then I think you're going to like our upcoming branding efforts and convention website. The makers of that annual report, including the events portrayed, the graphics, and I'll add to that--most of the content of the current LPTexas website http://lptexas.org/ (joomla platform I think), will be building the 2016 convention website. Separately, Andy Burns, our affiliate support specialist, has already implemented a couple NationBuilder sites at the state level. He won't be the main driver of this project, but of course we'll consult him for practical advice. The convention theme, as voted on by members, will be #LegalizeFreedom <http://www.lp.org/> Starting with a convention website allows us to import a small portion of our database contacts, which keeps the pricing very low, but allows us to experiment with its interactivity capabilities with our best activists. If things go well, I can see migrating other things, like perhaps http://lpstore.org/ to the NationBuilder site. Perhaps the site could eventually morph into the replacement for LP.org, but that's something we can decide later. Perhaps we will be able to get away from some of the additional payment portals we've had to rely on, like Piryx pages <https://secure.piryx.com/donate/uO2ehmy0/libertarian/llpp22>, and Authorize.net <http://www.lp.org/office-fund>, and consolidate those functions into the NationBuilder system. The 2014 convention website is here, https://lpcon2014.org/ and I suspect we'll easily outdo that one. Content for the 2016 convention is currently embedded in pages on our existing website: http://www.lp.org/convention/welcome I see the new website as a combination of a convention project, an I.T. project, and a branding project. The costs will be relatively low. The risks will be relatively low. Our Treasurer and Audit Committee will have plenty of fun double-checking the cost allocations. I plan to tell our team to get started on this next week, and to have it live before the end of the year, unless you guys want to stop this before then, which I can live with. There are many viable paths around the roadblocks of progress. -- Wes Benedict, Executive Director Libertarian National Committee, Inc. *New address: 1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314* (202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.benedict(a)lp.org facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership

4 8

Fwd: Fw: CPPA v. Aichele: WE WIN!
by William Redpath 08 Feb '16

08 Feb '16

>From Oliver Hall re: PA ballot access. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: William Redpath <wredpath(a)biakelsey.com> Date: Tue, Jul 28, 2015 at 11:00 AM Subject: Fw: CPPA v. Aichele: WE WIN! To: "wredpath2(a)gmail.com" ------------------------------ *From:* oliverhall(a)competitivedemocracy.org < oliverhall(a)competitivedemocracy.org> *Sent:* Tuesday, July 28, 2015 10:10 AM *To:* oliverhall(a)competitivedemocracy.org *Subject:* Re: CPPA v. Aichele: WE WIN! Folks: A couple of updates and comments to follow up on Friday’s big win. First, I’m going to be on WESA 90.5’s Essential Pittsburgh today at noon: http://wesa.fm/programs/905-wesas-essential-pittsburgh; and on WHYY Philadelphia’s Radio Times Thursday at 10 AM: http://whyy.org/cms/radiotimes/. I’m going to press for Sen. Folmer’s Voter Choice Act, as well as another easy legislative fix that would completely eliminate the system of private parties challenging nomination papers under Section 2937. In brief, the Secretary of State should be required to validate nomination papers, instead of private parties. This could be accomplished by changing only one word of existing law. I’m also going to call for the law firms holding the judgments against Carl Romanelli and Ralph Nader to relinquish any claim they have against these candidates. Second, did everyone see all the good press we already got on this? - Philadelphia Inquirer: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/318520501.html - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2015/07/24/Federal-judge-ru… - AP (this ran nationally): http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Minor-parties-get-court-win-in-ballot-ac… - WHYY (Philly) (this includes a radio spot featuring GPPA’s Carl Romanelli): http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/off-mic/84577-court-pa-unfair-to-3… Finally, regarding Judge Stengel’s decision itself, several questions have been raised about what it means and what happens next. Here is my reading. Section 2911(b) (imposing the 2% signature requirement) and Section 2937 (authorizing private party nomination paper challenges and the imposition of costs against defending candidates) are unconstitutional as applied to minor party and independent candidates (or at least those who are plaintiffs or in privity with the plaintiffs in this case). That means these provisions cannot be enforced against CPPA, GPPA and LPPA, or any of their candidates. Judge Stengel did note that he was not declaring the 2% signature requirement, by itself, unconstitutional. Presumably, therefore, Pennsylvania could enact a new 2% signature requirement, and that probably would be upheld, as it was before in *Rogers v. Corbett*, 468 F. 3d 188 (3rd Cir. 2006). Unless and until that happens, however, the Pennsylvania Election Code is silent about what minor parties and independent candidates must do to gain ballot access. What that should mean is that the Secretary of State should place on the ballot any minor party candidate who demonstrates a “modicum” of support. That standard comes from Supreme Court decisions recognizing that states are permitted to require such a showing. But “modicum” means a small amount. So under current law, CPPA, GPPA and LPPA should be able to place their candidates on the ballot in 2016, provided they each demonstrate some modicum or small amount of support among the electorate. I will follow up with opposing counsel and/or the Secretary of State’s office to ensure that we are in agreement about the effect of Judge Stengel’s decision and procedures for 2016. But I think we can be confident that the system of private party challenges is over – at least insofar as it requires defending candidates to provide their own workers and potentially pay their challengers’ costs. I hope that’s clear. And once again, congratulations to all! Oliver *From:* oliverhall(a)competitivedemocracy.org *Sent:* Friday, July 24, 2015 9:45 AM *To:* oliverhall(a)competitivedemocracy.org *Subject:* CPPA v. Aichele: WE WIN! Good Morning: Judge Stengel entered the attached opinion this morning. I have not read it except for the part that says, “For the reasons that follow, I find that the statutes are unconstitutional as applied to the plaintiffs but they are facially valid.” What this means is: WE WIN!!! Judgment entered in our favor on Counts I and II of the complaint. The judge held the challenged statutes unconstitutional as applied to the plaintiffs, but denied our Count III claim that Section 2937 is unconstitutional on its face. (We don’t need to win Count III to get the relief we seek.) Congratulations everyone – this is huge. More later. Regards, Oliver Hall Legal Counsel Center for Competitive Democracy 1835 16th Street NW, Suite 5 Washington, D.C. 20009 (202) 248-9294 ph. (202) 248-9345 fx. oliverhall(a)competitivedemocracy.org *From:* oliverhall(a)competitivedemocracy.org *Sent:* Wednesday, November 26, 2014 11:20 AM *To:* oliverhall(a)competitivedemocracy.org *Subject:* Re: CPPA v. Aichele: MTD and Opposition Folks: A bit of good news for Thanksgiving: Pennsylvania withdrew its motion to dismiss today. As opposing counsel admitted yesterday on the phone, there was “no way” Judge Stengel could grant it anyway. We have the excellent Third Circuit opinion to thank for that. No we will proceed to summary judgment motions in early 2015, after Pennsylvania files an answer to our Amended Complaint. Happy Thanksgiving! Oliver Hall Legal Counsel Center for Competitive Democracy 1835 16th Street NW, Suite 5 Washington, D.C. 20009 (202) 248-9294 ph. (202) 248-9345 fx. oliverhall(a)competitivedemocracy.org *From:* oliverhall(a)competitivedemocracy.org *Sent:* Tuesday, November 04, 2014 7:55 PM *To:* oliverhall(a)competitivedemocracy.org *Subject:* CPPA v. Aichele: MTD and Opposition Greetings, Please see attached the Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss in *Constitution Party of Pennsylvnia v. Aichele*, and our Opposition to the motion, which was filed on Friday. Now we wait to see how Judge Stengel responds. The Third Circuit provided him with all kinds of helpful guidance, if he will only follow it. Thanks, Oliver Hall Legal Counsel Center for Competitive Democracy 1835 16th Street NW, Suite 5 Washington, D.C. 20009 (202) 248-9294 ph. (202) 248-9345 fx. oliverhall(a)competitivedemocracy.org

7 11

February LNC Meeting
by Sam Goldstein 06 Jan '16

06 Jan '16

The date we set for our next meeting is rapidly approaching and we have not yet selected a location. Can we please get a report from staff as to which locations we are considering? I, for one, would like to get this wrapped up in the next week so travel plans can be made. Live Free, Sam Goldstein

19 75

early Christmas present - $20, 000 for quiz door hangers
by Wes Benedict 03 Jan '16

03 Jan '16

I'm pleased to announce a check received for $20,000 to help finance a major quiz door hanger distribution project in 2016. The check was hand delivered recently by Michael Chastain, of Austin, Texas. Mr. Chastain also recently contributed $4,000 for Oklahoma ballot access. I plan to do something similar to what we did in 2010: http://www.lp.org/blogs/staff/lp-monday-message-help-reach-a-million http://www.lp.org/blogs/staff/quiz-across-america-door-hangers-5-per-100 but this time, I want to do over a million door hangers. I can see having the quiz on one side, and our presidential nominee on the other. In 2010, we also received a $20,000 check from a different donor to help support door hangers. With the extra financing, we're able to sell them at five cents each and waive shipping charges, rather than selling at 10 cents each plus $5 shipping as we do now. For those of you new to the LNC, I've written separately, and will write more in the future, about how the door hangers do much more than simply provide the printed advertising benefits. They encourage local activity, etc. I'll write more about it later. To me, this was an early Christmas present to the LP, but I certainly understand others might see it differently: http://www.lp.org/poll/i-consider-myself-to-be-a-libertarian-politically-an… Happy Holidays! -- Wes Benedict, Executive Director Libertarian National Committee, Inc. *New address: 1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314* (202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.benedict(a)lp.org facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership

8 27

List of events and dates in 2015
by James Lark 01 Jan '16

01 Jan '16

Dear Wes: I hope all is well with you. In a separate message I shall send you a Word file containing a list of events and dates that may be helpful to you. As with 2014, I have assembled a list of events and dates in 2015 to which the LP may wish to draw attention. For example, it may be useful for LPHQ to issue press releases and/or state affiliates to conduct outreach efforts on or about some of these dates. I have added supplemental information regarding some of these events/dates. Several of the events are included because I know something about them, or because I suspect they will be of special interest to libertarians. Some events and dates are included at the suggestion (or request) of LP colleagues. Allow me to emphasize that the inclusion of an event does not imply that I believe it is particularly important, or that the LP should commemorate it in some manner. Similarly, the fact that an event is not listed does not imply I believe it is not important or that we should not commemorate it in some manner. Please note that while I endeavored to check the accuracy of the listings, in some cases I did so using sources such as Wikipedia. Thus, if you wish to use information on this list, I strongly suggest that you conduct research to ascertain that the information is indeed correct. (Some of the events sent to me by Libertarian colleagues evidently did not occur on the dates provided.) Please note also that I shall send the Word file to the LNC and the State Chairs' list. I hope my LNC colleagues and the state chairs' list subscribers will review the information and offer suggestions concerning additional events and dates (as well as any corrections that should be made). As always, thanks for your work for liberty. Best wishes to you for a great 2015. Take care, Jim James W. Lark, III Advisor, The Liberty Coalition University of Virginia Region 5 Representative, Libertarian National Committee

3 5

Marketing Material PSA
by Kevin Ludlow 29 Dec '15

29 Dec '15

All: I've had a lot of marketing material sent to me in the past couple of weeks for all three levels of the LP that I am affiliated with (county, state, national). Some was good, some was bad. I wanted to offer up two unsolicited suggestions to anyone who will be creating materials. I know this list is read by many people outside of the LNC. Please feel free to share this mentality. #1 - It seems that very few Libertarians are in the business of advertising, marketing, or even graphic design. It's best not to pretend. Search for political templates on Google. There are literally thousands of them for sale. They're cheap. They're good. Buy one and then change it to fit your own message. Having clean, well-arranged material makes a huge difference for conveying a message. Having a convention full of professional material would make us look better as a party. Result: we all win a little. http://lmgtfy.com/?q=word+template+political+flyer #2 - Do not print material at home. Spend the money at a local print-shop to get heavy-paper, proper gloss, machine-folded materials printed. I can assure you that you do not have the tools at home to accomplish this. Yes, it may cost $150 for a nice run. Spend the money. If you don't have the money then raise it. If you cannot afford it AND cannot raise it then maybe consider why you're asking people to follow you in the first place. That's all. To recap: * Use professionally designed materials / professional templates * Use a professional print shop for printing * It costs money to look nice * Looking nice is important Thanks for your time. Kevin Ludlow Region 7 Rep -- ======================================================== Kevin Ludlow 512-773-3968 http://www.kevinludlow.com

2 1

11/14-15 Orlando Meeting Info
by Robert Kraus 28 Dec '15

28 Dec '15

All, Here are the full details of the next LNC Meeting in sunny Orlando Florida What: LNC Budget Meeting and Pre-convention Walk-thru When: Sat Nov 14 9 am – 6 pm and Sun Nov 15 9 am - ? Where: The Rosen Centre Resort and Conference Centre 9840 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819 http://www.rosencentre.com/ Reserve: Via this link: https://bookings.ihotelier.com/Rosen-Centre/bookings.jsp?hotelID=2018 <https://bookings.ihotelier.com/Rosen-Centre/bookings.jsp?hotelID=2018&group…> &groupID=1478441 Or call (407) 996-9840 and ask for LNC Pre-planning Board Meeting (Group ID 1478441) Rate: $95 per night includes full buffet breakfast, complimentary in room wi-fi, complimentary parking, free shuttle w-in 3 mile radius which includes Sea World and Universal Studios. Note – $10 per extra person (so 2 in a room = $105, 3 in a room = $115, etc.) Directions: http://www.rosencentre.com/location-and-transportation/ (note – shuttle doesn’t pick up at airport) Dining: http://www.rosencentre.com/dining-and-recreation/ Other: Pre-convention walk thru currently planned for 5 pm Fri Nov 13th subject to change depending on sales person / conference center availability over weekend. Please keep eye out on our event page for additional details and possible happy hour or other related events: https://www.lp.org/lnc-budget-meeting-1115 Live Free! Robert Robert S. Kraus - Dir of Operations Operations(a)LP.org Libertarian National Committee, Inc. 1444 Duke Street Alexandria, VA 22314 Ph: 202.333.0008 x 231 Join today: https://www.lp.org/membership LP FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/libertarians

2 1