E TU REPUBLICAN LIBERTY CAUCUS?

Mainstream Republicans are starting to notice the Republican Liberty Caucus, RLC. Founded in 1991, during the presidency of George H. W. Bush, the RLC took the stated principles of Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater and Robert Taft and made them the foundation of their movement. It bills itself as ‘The Conscience of the Republican Party.’

Nineteen ninety one was about the time I stopped my almost continuous 36 year subscription to National Review. It was also about the time I switched my registration to Libertarian after I started having doubts about exactly where the GOP was headed and increasing doubts about the elder Bush’s commitment to smaller government.

After all, the Berlin Wall had fallen and the Iron Curtain had lifted off Europe. So what was the purpose of the huge totalitarian bureaucracy that we’d have to tolerate to defeat international communism that William F. Buckley had told us about? I’d begun to think I’d missed something.

What I, and many like-minded people had missed was the fundamental flaw in the assumptions of the Cold War. We all knew that communism could never match the free market in production. We all knew the Soviet Union was falling far behind us, so how could such a system, mired in bureaucracy, ever truly be a threat to us? Of course, it couldn’t.

The second thing that never occurred to us was what would happen to the military-industrial complex when and if we did defeat international revolutionary socialism. We should have known that bureaucracies never simply folded up their tents and went away. There would always be other justifications for their perpetuation. The military-industrial complex found it in Islamic terrorism.

So I migrated to the Libertarian Party, the Constitutionalists, back to the Libertarians and finally back to the GOP with the candidacy of Ron Paul. In the meantime, I did a lot of thinking and reading. I think there are a lot of people like me.

Now, John McCain, as the 2008 nominee is the head of the Republican Party but that offers no solace. But, I am sticking with the GOP because of the disastrous results of 2008. The Libertarian nominee, Bob Barr, Constitutionalist nominee Chuck Baldwin and Alan Keyes didn’t even combine for 1% of the vote despite widespread disillusionment with the two main candidates.

So now what do we do? The Barack Obama administration is far more radical that of Bill Clinton, who despite the radicals in his, had a strong commitment to free market principles for new proposals, although he was at least as committed to the perpetuation of the existing bureaucracy. There is no doubt that Barack Obama wants to expand the bureaucracy exponentially. He is far and away, the worst news for individual freedom in American history.

Elections are looming and the RLC has been growing and is flexing its muscles. We are being noticed. When Rush Limbaugh, Bill Kristol, Bill Bennett, Frank Rich and Ben Stein start criticizing the movement and its titular head, Ron Paul, you know it is scoring some big points.

The RLC was instrumental in toppling Jim Greer, the autocratic Florida Republican State Chairman. Candidates are noticing and currying our support. In Texas, the RLC has endorsed 16 candidates and it has extended its endorsement in 16 others.

For candidates for United States Senate and House, I suggest that we draw up a series of planks that any candidate seeking our endorsement pledge and sign a commitment to work for. Further, every candidate should be made aware that we will be grading them on their performance very frequently during their terms, if elected.

I can see no room for variation in this. They must be held accountable for their actions, once in office and be aware that we are watching them. As M. Stanton Evans, one of the original staffers of National Review said, once elected, an office holder should be viewed as the enemy. Any office holder should be viewed as an enemy of freedom!

I suggest the following list of positions:

• To sponsor legislation to repeal of all the Federal Reserve Acts,
• To sponsor legislation to repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment,
• To sponsor legislation to repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment,
• To sponsor legislation limiting military commitments to 90 days without a declaration of war,
• Irrespective of the outcome of the recently heard, McDonald vs. City of Chicago case, to sponsor legislation defining the Second Amendment as giving the people the right to keep and bear arms and removing the Amendment from the purview of the courts.

These five positions I submit should be regarded as nonnegotiable. Between them, they will help choke out the life of the Washington behemoth and will help bring it to heel. The first two choke it at its trachea. Without money, Washington can’t continue its assault upon the states and citizens.

Numerous observers have noted that the Seventeenth Amendment deprived the states of representation to the federal government. Unmentioned is that it also deprived the states of a mechanism to order the proposal of additional amendments. With state power thus restricted, it helped spawn the unbridled power that is Washington tyranny today.

The fifth is self-explanatory.

To sponsor legislation to either the repeal of the 1947 act that established the Central Intelligence Agency or to transfer its function to the Congress where Congress can reassert its authority over foreign policy as it is supposed to. The President does Congress’ bidding, not the other way around,

To sponsor legislation to end all foreign military involvement within 2 years and the closing of all foreign American military bases within 10 years,

To sponsor legislation reasserting Congress’ authority over the courts by removing certain issues, such as abortion, from court purview and letting them devolve to the individual state,

To sponsor legislation to end every cabinet level position other than Defense, Justice, Treasury and State and to transfer the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to the Department of Defense and to end all of sub-departments of every one of the eliminated department.

Barack Obama is shaping up for the Democrats as worse than a combination of Herbert Hoover, James Carter and George H. W. Bush combined. He is a one-termer for sure.

This is an opportunity to make these next two elections referenda on The Constitution; to force it, front and center, into the debate. In the process, hundreds of thousands of bureaucratic leeches should be sent packing back to their homes.

Everyone displays interest. Even liberal Democrats respond with interest when The Constitution is invoked. This is an educational opportunity of a lifetime.

The vilified Glenn Beck is one of the few, if the only, national radio or TV host who has seen fit to criticize both Democrats and Republicans for their excesses. I have seen him blasted by both conservatives and liberals, which to me means he’s doing something right.

Just last week he featured the World’s Smallest Political Quiz on his program. The quiz gets away from the liberal-conservative, left-right, Democrat-Republican paradigm that has been at the base of just about all political discussion in this country. It was this quiz that showed so many people that they were libertarians, at heart. Libertarian ideas are ascendant.

In a nutshell, I think that if you want to destroy yourself with alcohol, drugs, sex or gambling, you should be free to do it. Just don’t try to turn around and force me to subsidize the disasters that result.

And, you should be free to be a bigot or racist in your own affairs, just so long as you don’t hurt someone else’s physical well being or his property but once more, you’d better be ready to suffer the economic consequences of your actions. If you don’t want to associate with me or anyone else for whatever reason, you will pay a price, directly or indirectly.

And don’t come knocking on my door to send me or my children off to fight your battles. I’ll be ready to defend this country, when an enemy comes here.

Personally, I would be very reluctant to vote for any candidate who wouldn’t sign on to, at least, the first four planks. Washington, D.C. is a hydra-headed monster. The people and Congress must guard their power jealously so that this doesn’t happen again.

These would just be for starters. I am sure that any libertarian could come up with a whole group of others. So, put on your thinking caps, guys. I don’t think we’ll have another chance to save this country.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Northeast Florida had a crowd of well over one hundred people for its first meeting at the Four Points by Sheraton.

Cal Heseman opened with the Patriot’s Pledge, then RLCNEF Chairman John Stevens recognized the guests and gave an overview of the RLCNEF, its mission, values and goals.

In light of the cancellation of Marco Rubio’s appearance, his campaign offered Representative Aaron Bean to be the surrogate speaker on behalf of Rubio. Bean gave a compelling overview of the US Senate race, state and national politics.

Following Bean’s remarks, RLCFL Chairman Will Pitts, was interviewed by Radio Host Doug Kosarek. The interview contained questions pertaining to how an RLC endorsed candidate for the US Senate race might stand on specific policy issues. Chairman Pitts’ remarks were educational, stimulating and enlightening.

At the conclusion of this interview, the audience members were able to ask questions of Chairman Pitts and Representative Bean.

After the forum, three new events coming up for the RLC were introduced. Savannah Poole gave the details for the Members Only Cocktail Party on March 19^th. Mike Durden and Cliff Johnson explained the importance of the upcoming RLCFL Lobby Days in Tallahassee on March 22^nd and 23^rd. Kristi Dunn gave an overview of the Leadership Institute classes for Liberty Activists that will take place at the Four Points by Sheraton on May 1^st and 2^nd.  Information on all three events can be found on the RLCNEF website.

Charlie Shephard spoke about his company Community Advisors, LLC, the sponsor for this month’s meeting.

Chairman Stevens wrapped up by announcing the next regular meeting on April 6th.  At the meeting, there will be a vote on the RLCNEF bylaw revisions, as well as elections to fill the positions of Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer (and any other vacancies on the Board).

Some comments regarding the meeting:

“The meeting was great. I would have loved to hear more from Mr Pitts. He was very informative. I loved the format. At the same time, I liked that John interrupted in the interest of time. It showed that the RLC recognizes that our time is valuable. Over all, I give the meeting 2 thumbs up!” –Lesa Melaugh

“Outstanding format. Will Pitts is such a great communicator.” – Mike Austell

“Thought it was great.  Beautiful place, and I think it is a dynamite place to have your monthly meetings.  Thought, in spite of Rubio canceling, you got a pretty darned decent turn out.  I had a great time and really enjoyed doing the food table thing!  Many very, very nice people, and everyone seemed to enjoy the event.” – Pat McBride

For more information on any of these events please see the RLCNEF Calendar at www.rlcnf.org

Next Board meeting: March 31, 2010, Office of WG Pitts

Next Regular meeting: April 6, 2010, Four Points Sheraton (8520 Baymeadows Rd.)

Open Letter to Bob Smith, a leader in the St. John’s County Republican Executive committee that continues to attack and smear the RLC, without ever attempting to address any issues he may have head-on.

Bob,

I got a call from the Rubio campaign this morning stating that you sent them an email that said that we did not want Aaron Bean to come speak based on our newsletter. This is not the truth. We are resending the announcement. I was waiting to talk to Aaron myself, since this whole scheduling thing has been such a fiasco. Now that we have confirmed him, we have no problem promoting him. The RLC would have appreciated if you had confirmed with us, before passing on misinformation.

I have recently been told of numerous times that you have gone out of your way to attack and smear the RLC, specifically with people in the Tea Party and 912 groups. I am not sure why you find it necessary to continue these aggressive and non-productive attacks. However, you need to understand that not only do most of the people that you talk to in attempts to smear the RLC come back to us to find out if there is any cause for the absolute vitriol that you send towards the RLC, this allows us to prove to them what kind of people and organization we actually are. Often times the very people you tried to convince that the RLC was evil and working against the party, end up becoming very active within our organization, once they see and understand how untrue your perceptions and attacks really are.

I know that you have told people that the RLC was the “kiss of death” to the Dan Quiggle campaign, that we lack integrity, and so on. I have a statement from Dan Quiggle stating the exact opposite. The RLC is consistent in its beliefs and what it stands for. When you state these kinds of things with no proof it proves that you have a different agenda than advancing principles of conservatism within the Republican Party.

Even those within the Republican Executive Committee, such as Lenny Curry and Cindy Graves (copied on this email), have proven to be leaders, because they understand that we are all, for the most part, working towards a common goal. They do not find it necessary to attack the RLC and are actually happy, many times, to have us working with them side-by-side. Sometimes we disagree, but neither Lenny nor Cindy have ever tried to shut out the voice of dissent. Often each of them have taken the time to listen to other points of view and even explain their own, allowing us to reach an agreeable resolution. This proves that it is only when you shut out the voice of the people – when you choose unethical, unfair and wrong behavior, when you choose to attack, berate and smear other Republicans – that there are problems.

It is funny how the ONLY club or committee in Duval or St. Johns that has problems with the RLC is the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee. We are at nearly every GOP meeting in those two counties without any problems. We are being recruited to work on campaigns and people are flooding to our meetings, I get several emails a day from people asking for more information about the RLC.

So if you stop and examine this, the fact of the matter is that whenever there is a problem, the same leadership within the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee is involved. It is those people and their behavior, and not the RLC, that is the common denominator when problems arise at the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee meetings.

If Senator Thrasher sticks to his word (and I hope that he will), as he gave it to me, to John Stevens and to Will Pitts, that he believes we are working together for a common cause (as we are), that he wants to bring the party together and stop the unneeded attacks on others within the party, then you and the others in the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee will need to find a way to work with us. We are fighting for our country. We have the same goal. While we may disagree with how to get there, the constant attacks and attempts to smear the character of others, proves that it is never your intention to work with others and it is you and not the RLC that are attempting to tear the party apart.

I would point out, that the Tea Party and the 912 groups share the RLC’s vision and that all of these groups are growing. Many of these people are joining their local Republican Executive Committee in order to fight for principles. They share the RLC’s message. To continue to fight us on these issues is to fight what is a growing majority within the Republican Party.

You have yet to actually attempt to talk to us, about any of the issues that you are so vocal about with everyone else. On every public forum that you posted your hateful words regarding the RLC, I have posted my contact information. I have NOT caused problems, I have always voted Republican and I have worked hard on Republican Campaigns, as has nearly everyone else in the RLC.

You and the others in St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee leadership do not get to choose who is Republican. This is my party as much as it yours. I fight for the values that the GOP has always been for and I am disappointed when a candidate is chosen in the primary or is elected that I feel does not represent those values. This is the cry of the rank and file Republican today. And we want to use that passion to move our party back to those values once again. When people like you create road blocks to that cause, it not only drives a wedge into the party, it shuts out the voice of the people that the leadership within the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee are supposed to be representing.

You know very little about the RLC or the people that are within the organization. By never seeking to find out more or attempting to see what we could work together on, you, sir, are the one causing problems in the party.

If you are not the one trying to drive a wedge into the Republican Party by determining who is acceptable and who is not, then you would attempt to make ways for us to work with you, instead of you working against us. I will also add that is you and a handful of others in the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee that are spreading these untruths regarding the RLC. We are focused on the big picture, which is the goal of restoring our Republic and we are not spending our time trying to find ways to attack you or the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee. It is our wish to work together.

Prior to the attacks, character assassination and grievances, several attempts were made to reconcile with the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee and these attempts and acts of faith have been disregarded.

Consider this story, http://staugustine.com/stories/082508/news_news01_002.shtml

Jon Woodard and Becky Reichenberg agreed to cease attacks on the RLC on the condition that John Stevens and Wynona Mayer drop out of the race, which they did, in good faith, taking them at their word. Less than a year later those very people were involved in a grievance proceeding with one of the  people ( John Stevens) they had given their word to.

Now it is happening again with Precinct Committeeman Cliff Johnson being shut out of the vote for John Thrasher. He politely asked for the records, via certified mail, that would prove that he has missed three meetings, and was denied. He was denied entry at the vote and now has been ignored in his request for the records that should simply prove that he missed three meetings. This kind of behavior is not demonstrated on the part of the RLC, these are things happening at the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee and within their leadership.

Many of the rank and file  who hear this story and the lengths that it appears that the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee leadership has gone to, in order to shut out a certain group of people, are baffled and disenfranchised (with the party, not the RLC) to say the least. We do not want bad publicity, we do not want to keep fighting. But we believe the message of return to Constitutional principles is worth fighting for, and because of that, we are not going away.

So now I am asking you, as a leader within the community and the party, will you step up and be the one to make amends? Will you cease the attacks and admit that we have more in common than we do different? Will you allow us to work towards the same goal?

Most of the RLC feels it has done all it can do, we have put our contact information out there, along with an open invitation to sit down and talk these issues out. I hope that as a leader and fellow fighter and servant within the party you would take us up on that and stop with the senseless attacks.

I hope to hear from you soon, all my contact information is below.

Kristi Dunn

MsKristiDunn@gmail.com

US Senate Candidate Marco Rubio will be the featured speaker at the March 2^nd Republican Liberty Caucus of Northeast Florida (RLCNEF) Meeting. Rubio is running against Florida Governor Charlie Crist in a race that has generated interest throughout the country.

The RLCNEF is anxious to hear Rubio address the liberty issues they have been focused on since being chartered in May of last year. Questions will cover the proper role of government, state and national sovereignty, foreign policy, monetary policy, the national debt and civil liberties. There will be a “liberty lightning round” in which Marco will be asked a series of support or oppose questions as well as a Q&A opportunity for members and guests. The host of the evening’s event will be Will Pitts, State Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida (RLCFL).

The March meeting will be the first in the new Four Points Sheraton location. There will be a reception from 6:00PM – 7:00PM with complimentary drinks and appetizers donated by the RLCNEF membership followed by the meeting from 7:00PM – 8:15PM.

All are welcome to attend RLCNEF Meetings regardless of party affiliation.

Please help us promote this event!

Promotional Flyer:
http://files.meetup.com/1148187/RLCNEF_March2010_Regular_Meeting_Flyer.pdf

Facebook Event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=346585562537

Meetup Event:
http://www.meetup.com/RLCNF-org/calendar/12590727/

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Northeast Florida had a large crowd for its last meeting at the offices of W.G. Pitts, with the feature of the meeting being Dave Shields’ presentation on “Living the Liberty Message” and a forum for members and guests.

Randy Scudder opened with the Patriot’s Pledge, then Chairman John Stevens recognized the elected leaders and guests, and gave the guests an overview of the RLCNEF.  Kimberly Wells stepped up to the podium for a moment after, letting the assembly know of her resignation as Vice Chairman of the RLCNEF, and Chairman of the Membership Committee.

Dave Shields followed with an inspirational discussion titled “Living the Liberty Message.”  It focused on self-sufficient living and removing yourself from many of the schackles of typical government-dependent living.  You can find a transcript of his speech on this website at http://www.rlcnef.org/self-sufficient-living-living-the-liberty-message/.

Following was a forum for both members and guests, with a panel including John Stevens, Erik Setzer, Kristi Dunn, Michael Wahlman, Savannah Poole, Cliff Johnson, Jon Anderson, Cal Heseman, Victor Wilhelm, and moderated by Louis Rose.  Members were able to able to ask some questions for the panel to answer, and then were able to vote on the topics that the RLCNEF should focus on moving forward, with the top two being education of the Consitution and trying to get liberty-minded candidates to win local (county and state level) elections.

After the forum, John Stevens announced new members, and moved on to new business.  Will Pitts gave a review of the Republican Party of Florida meeting on January 8-9, and urged members to attend the February 20 RPOF meeting to vote for the next state chairman.  Savannah Poole told members about an upcoming members-only event for fun on March 19.  Finally, Michael Wahlman informed members that the RLCNEF bylaws had gone through a lengthy revision process and will be up for vote by the members on April 6.

Finally, three guests running for office spoke afterward: Mike Yost running for Congress District 3 (yostforcongress.com), Troy Stanley running for Congress District 4 (stanley10.com), and Chelsi Henry running for Soil and Water Group 5 (chelsiphenry.com).

Next Board meeting: February 24, 2010, Offices of W.G. Pitts
Next Regular meeting: March 2, 2010, Four Points Sheraton (8520 Baymeadows Rd.)