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Letters on Libertarian Strategy Index.
Letters on Libertarian Strategy #14
This letter has three parts. The first part explains how we got here. The second part describes the Clean Slate Action Program Committee's intent to run a full slate of candidates for the National Committee. The third part announces my personal involvement in that slate.
Over past years, The Clean Slate Action Program Committee has sent its proposals for a coherent Libertarian strategy to Libertarian lists around the country. Clean Slate advocates a specific strategy for the Libertarian Party. That strategy is Local Organization. The Local Organization strategy has important roles for local, state, and nationwide party groups.
The Local Organization Strategy was developed by the Clean Slate Action Program Committee. Most members of the Committee spend their time doing real work for the Libertarian Party: Running local and statewide candidates. Organizing. Telling the public our Libertarian message. I'm our spokesman. I took the ideas the whole committee contributed, and put them together as Stand Up for Liberty!.
The Local Organization strategy has important tasks for local and state groups. You can run for Cemetery Trustee or School Board by staying in your home town. All you need to do is decide to Make Liberty Happen! by running for office.
Some parts of the Local Organization strategy would benefit from national action. Other parts of the strategy could be done by a state or village group, but would be a whole lot easier if they were done at the national level. In order to implement Local Organization at the National level, we need a National Committee that supports it.
Local Organization is not the current strategy of the Libertarian National Committee. The current strategy of the Libertarian National Committee is Membership Recruitment, spending our money to recruit member-donors for the National Party. The National Committee did not adopt Membership Recruitment by formally endorsing a document. Membership Recruitment is where the National Committee spent substantial sums of our money. When you spend your money on a strategy, that *is* your strategy.
It's time for to change strategies. It's time to take the Libertarian Party to the successful strategy: Local Organization is that strategy.
Therefore, the Clean Slate Action Program Committee will be running a slate of candidates for the Libertarian National Committee.
The Slate is not closed! We do have people who have agreed to run. We also want you, our fellow Libertarians across America, to Stand Up for Liberty! and support our program: Support the Clean Slate by speaking up for us. Support the Clean Slate by sending pro-Clean Slate delegates to Anaheim. Support the Clean Slate by running Clean Slate supporters for the Libertarian National Committee. Most important, support the Clean Slate by helping put the Local Organization Strategy into effect from sea to shining sea.
What does the Clean Slate represent? The short form:
In more detail:
*New Faces --- New Ideas. We're here to build the future, not argue about the past. Yes, there was a previous strategy for the LNC. No, it did not live up to some expectations. But we're not here to argue about the past. There are plenty of other people doing that. It's time to change.
To get change for the better, to start marching toward the Libertarian future, we need new ideas. We need new people who aren't trapped in old arguments. Some people want jobs to have titles. Other people want jobs because titles help you do things. We want to get things done. We're the new people. And...
*We're --- The People with The Plan: Even a bad plan beats no plan. And we've got a good plan: Stand Up for Liberty! is available on the web at www.cmlc.org. Is it good? We think it's a good start. Is it perfect? A single planner isn't as smart as the body politic. The invisible hand of the political market will turn our ideas into better ideas.
*Members as activists, not just donors.* Our most important resource is our people. A Clean Slate majority on the National Committee will view members as potential activists, not as checkbooks with legs. What does this change mean in practice? Look at your monthly letters from national headquarters or at LP News. Those letters largely stop at fundraising. We need fundraising, but those letters should ask for your commitment, too. We have a fine monthly. It does a great job of reporting local successes, but we should always follow by reminding and you can do the same thing in your home town! Finally, the National Committee can help local activists, in its role
* The National Committee as facilitator. A well-run national committee provides coherent support for local activism. It's the institutional memory and gossip pool, helping Libertarians learn from each other and remember what worked well last time. It works best in ask mode, rather than in tell mode, asking members to volunteer, asking you for your special expertise, and spreading the word about projects having a critical mass of supporters.
I hereby announce my candidacy for National Chair.
I have an extensive record in my academic community of getting things done. I am not looking for a title to put in my vita; I've already got plenty of them. As the Clean Slate slate develops, we may find someone who supports our strategy and who has more promise as an effective chair. If the Clean Slate Action Program can find you a better candidate for National Chair than me, I will be the first to insist that we give you the better candidate, and I will cheer her on.
If elected, I will be an active chair, not an invisible figurehead who signs fundraising letters. In my past campaign I spent time calling state chairs. I asked when they last heard from the National Chair. The usual answer has been "never". How can you lead state affiliates, if you never talk to them? If you elect me as chair, that situation will change.
I have helped give the Libertarian Party an extensive basic plan --- Stand Up for Liberty! --- for Libertarian growth. I ask you to elect me and the the Clean Slate slate, so that we can help the membership implement Local Organization.
Note that key word "slate". We're running a slate, not a single candidate. The LNC should be a governing body, not a one-man show.
Those of us who know Gene Cisiewski have great respect for his manifold contributions to the Libertarian movement. There are a few differences between Gene's 1998 campaign and our 2000 campaign: Gene was a good candidate. As our people announce themselves for various offices, you'll see that we will be a good committee. Gene lived the local organization strategy. We've set forth a Local Organization strategy in written form, so you can see what we propose, so you can fix our mistakes and oversights.
I welcome your support. I can be reached at 508-754-1859, 508-831-5334, or as phillies@4liberty.net.
Please propagate this letter to other appropriate Libertarian lists, such as state lists.
George Phillies
The Clean Slate Action Program Committee
Read "Stand Up for Liberty!"
http://3mpub.com/phillies -- eBook and trade paperbackYou may retransmit, reprint, or archive this article to help your fellow Libertarians see it.
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