Situation Report: One Day Away
As we get closer to the opening gavel, the efforts by the forces of failure to retain their loosening grip on the Libertarian Party are becoming increasingly chaotic and unhinged.
Dear Friends,
We are writing this final update before the Libertarian National Convention from the airport, determined to bring you as up to speed as possible before the opening gavel tomorrow, May 24, at the Washington D.C. Hilton.
After Angela McArdle announced Donald Trump as a prime time convention speaker, LNC Treasurer Todd Hagopian attempted to rescind the invitation to the Republican candidate for President to take over the stage at the Libertarian Party national convention.
McArdle ruled the motion out of order and Secretary Caryn Ann Harlos refused to start a ballot on a appeal of that ruling of the Chair.
Caryn Ann Harlos and Adrian Malagon were added to the Credentials Committee in violation of the bylaws that require members to be appointed no later than six months prior to the opening gavel of the convention.
At the first meeting of the Credentials Committee after Harlos and Malagon were added, the committee rejected the list of alternates submitted by the Libertarian Party of Oklahoma according to their state bylaws, drawing strong condemnation.
In Michigan, the Mises Caucus controlled Judicial Committee decided to overturn the results of the state convention, removing the properly elected delegates with mere days to go before convention. That decision looked like a victory for Mises, until a Michigan court issued a Temporary Restraining Order that commanded Secretary Daniel Ziemba to submit the correct list of delegates elected at convention.
Word on the street is that Harlos, from her new perch on the Credentials Committee, is working on a plan to defy that court order and continue to disenfranchise delegates who are not supportive of the Mises Caucus. The final pre-convention Credentials Committee meeting is happening today.
Libertarians from all over the country are converging on Washington to chart the future of the Libertarian Party. There is a crossroads between bending the knee to MAGA and bigotry, or turning back to the path of record success in the Gary Johnson-era.
This is the first convention since Anaheim in 2000 that I will not be a delegate, but that should give me the freedom to report everything I see without fear or favor as a member of the press.
Stay tuned for an interesting weekend…
Yours truly,
Nick
P.S. Shoot me a message if you have any good stories to cover in D.C.