[893] in libertarians
Brief LP MA Convention News
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Vernon Imrich)
Tue Apr 18 19:32:09 1995
To: libertarians@MIT.EDU
Cc: libertarians-announce@MIT.EDU
Reply-To: libertarians@MIT.EDU
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 1995 19:30:05 EDT
From: Vernon Imrich <vimrich@MIT.EDU>
LP MA Convention Wrap Up
MIT sent two representatives to the Massachusetts Libertarian Party
Convention; Dave Martin, our current MIT LP President, and myself
(lots of former official and non-offical things). Here's a brief
recap for our home viewers:
1) Party now open to all -- to join the MA LP, all you need to do
now is register to vote as a libertarian (L) on your voter
registration form (available on our board in the Infinite Corridor).
For the complete story, read the "Pledge is DEAD" post I sent earlier.
2) "I am in control" -- The words of yours truely upon siezing a
seat on the seven member Executive Committee of the Libertarian
Association, the fundrasing and activism arm of the party. It
was a brief and bloodless election, won through my near complete
dominance of the "eliminator round." Seriously, if you have things
you'd like to see the state party doing, I'm the guy to talk to.
3) Presidential and Vice Presidential Hopefuls speak -- Earlier
in the day, we heard Jo Jorgenson speak on her desire to become
the LP's seventh candidate for that office, and third woman to
get the nomination (the first, Tonie Nathan, being the first
EVER woman in US history to receive an Electoral College vote
for Vice President, sorry Ms. Ferrarro). Her speech likened the
GOP to a 1-900 phone sex line "they'll tell you how much you're
going to like it, ... but when it's over, you realize it cost
you a lot of money and the real thing is better."
Later that night, Mr. Harry Browne delivered a keynote address
on why he is running for President, and what progress the LP
can hope to achieve through his candidacy. He disclosed a
strategy of strong campaigning in New Hampshire, getting in
early, staying late, bombarding with paid media and spending most
if not all the early funds there. The goal: a respectable
enough showing to become "the third party candidate," the one
that Clinton so needs to have a chance. With new found
legitimacy, and political maneuvering, Browne may be able to
land a spot in the debates, a coup of free advertising and
unprecedented credibility nationwide (inclusion to be based not
on demands for "fairness" but on politically jockeying and
decent enough polling data). He pointed out that both John
Anderson and Ross Perot were included with polling data at
about 7%. Finally while the other candidates will have as much
as ten times (or more) the amount of funds, their eyes and
dollars will have to be faced on California, New York, the South
and elsewhere as party nominees must wrangle within their parties
for the limited spots. Browne intends to make a go in NH, stomp
out any other LP nominees and snowball from there as "THE third
party candidate." His three campaign issues will be:
TAXATION -- kill the income tax, replace with sales tax, cut
budget by 2/3 (to about $500 billion)
EDUCATION -- get the government out, put people in.
WELFARE -- make SS voluntary, remove the welfare state, transfer
saftey net to private sector.
His strong words did not seem the wistful wishes of a romantic dreamer,
but the determined plan of someone who can make an impact, and is
ready to take advantage of whatever comes his way.
4) MIT Makes it's Mark -- Dave Martin got some contacts and
asked for more. MIT should be able to field some good speakers
in the upcoming months. We'll see.
5) A Grand Success -- Great food (lots of it, too), good speakers,
and a lot of fun (not to mention siezing the reigns of power). Sounds
like eveything you could want from a convention. Sorry the rest of
you boneheads missed it. Well, there's always next year...
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| Vernon Imrich | market failure, n. The inabilty of the |
| MIT, Dept. OE | market to recover from a blow by |
| Cambridge, MA 02139 | intervention. (The Exchange) |
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| MIT LP: http://www.mit.edu:8001/activities/libertarians/home.html |
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