According to The National Review, there is some good news in Alaska: The Republican Liberty Caucus endorsed candidate for U.S. Senate, David Cuddy, is gaining ground as a result of the legal and ethical troubles facing incumbent Ted Stevens. According to the paper:

“David Cuddy, the more conservative of the two, is now talked about as the favorite for the nomination. He described the Alaska Senate contest as a defining moment for the GOP. ‘This is a key race to figure out whether the Republicans really get it after our losses in 2006,’ he told National Review Online. ‘Everybody looks at Ted Stevens as a poster-boy for overspending and raiding Social Security. If the national party continues to support him with the indictments, it will be a sign that no lesson was learned.’

A former state legislator and banker who challenged Stevens unsuccessfully in 1996, Cuddy describes himself as a pro-lifer and a libertarian-leaning conservative — not dissimilar to Ron Paul except for his more moderate approach to the Iraq war. ‘We have to stop acting as the world’s policeman, but we can’t just leave there overnight,’ Cuddy said.”

Please do what you can to support Dave Cuddy.

Pennsylvania State Senator Mike Folmer is a real reformer.

Outspent nearly 20 to one in his 2006 primary campaign, “Citizen Mike,” as he is known throughout his district, was elected as a result of the revolt Pennsylvania voters had when they learned that their legislators voted for a massive pay raise for themselves.

As Senator Folmer said in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal in 2006: “I was a reluctant candidate … [but] one factor that appealed greatly to me was the vision the Founders had of a citizen-legislature — of a body consisting of ordinary folks who would fulfill their civic duty for a period of time and then step aside to allow others to do theirs. We’ve gotten away from that; but public service is not something reserved only for the rich or popular or well-connected.”

The Senator recently introduced a bill that would remove Pennsylvania’s unfair hurdles that obstruct ballot access for independent and minor party candidates for public office.

Currently, Pennsylvania law uses a complex formula to produce an extraordinarily high number of petition signatures that non-major party candidates must obtain in order to appear on the ballot in a general election. In 2006, that formula resulted in minor party and independent candidates having to gather nearly 68,000 petition signatures to run in the General Election for Governor or U.S. Senator. Major party candidates, meanwhile, were required to gather only 2,000 signatures during the primary election to run for those same offices.

Other RLC legislators who have sponsored ballot access reform bills in their own states include (former State Rep.) Tom Brinkman of Ohio, (former State Sen.) Duncan Scott of New Mexico, Charles Key of Oklahoma, Randy Brogdon of Oklahoma, and (former State Rep.) Leon Drolet of Michigan.

Similar to the biased Commission on Presidential Debates, U.S. ballot access laws restrict competition and are thus unfair to voters.

Libertarian-leaning Republican legislators are the primary force behind reforming restrictive and unfair ballot access laws across the country.

Rather than have a principled libertarian Republican representing them against incumbent Congressman David Wu (D), Republican voters in Oregon’s first Congressional district instead decided to nominate Joel Haugen, a supporter of Democrat Barack Obama.

As Oregon Politicker reports, Haugen, who defeated RLC-endorsed William Chappell in the May primary, believes he is “a traditional Republican” who “looks at Obama in a greater context.”

William Chappell, the RLC-endorsed candidate, supports
balanced budgets, reduced spending, school choice, and
less foreign meddling. Joel Haugen supports nationalized
health care and efforts to control world population growth.

Haugen’s endorsement of Obama wasn’t a secret. It was published in The Willamette Week at the end of April. Despite Haugen’s support for Obama, local Republicans let him continue his candidacy.

From my perspective, Haugen is entitled to support Obama or any other candidate. The problem here is that a better candidate more in line with GOP values was defeated by the voters as a result of the county party’s inaction.

Republican officials in Oregon’s first district need to re-evaluate their beliefs. Platform and principles should matter in deciding which candidates are endorsed to represent the party.

Changing the GOP Leadership from Within:
Directory of Republican Liberty Caucus Supporters holding GOP Leadership Positions

As you know, the Republican Party needs a serious change of leadership.

The Republican Liberty Caucus offers the strategy that can move the GOP leadership in the direction of adherence to principles rather than power.

The following members of the RLC are in party leadership positions in their state.

The RLC will continue to add to the list of liberty-minded Republicans in leadership positions.

Individuals with an asterisk (*) behind their names serve in a local or state leadership position with the Republican Liberty Caucus.

If you have an update to this list, please Contact Us.

___________________________________________________________________________

ARIZONA

Jeff Greenspan
Maricopa County GOP Second Vice-Chair
greenspj[at]yahoo.com

Tom Jenney
Central Phoenix GOP Precinct Captain
tomjenney[at]cox.net

Bennett Kopp
Scottsdale GOP Club President
bennett_kopp[at]hotmail.com

Ken Rineer*
Pima County GOP First Vice Chair, LD 29

Matt Salmon
former GOP State Chair

Brandon Wessel
Maricopa County GOP Precinct Committeeman, LD 11

CALIFORNIA

Gary Aminoff*
Los Angeles County GOP Central Committee, Assembly District 42
San Fernando Valley GOP Club President
gaminoff[at]gaminoff.com

John W. Bartlett
Alameda County GOP Executive Committee, District 20

Jennifer DePalma
San Francisco GOP Treasurer
San Francisco GOP Central Committee, District 13

Michael Erickson
Sonoma County GOP Chair

Brian Eschen
Alameda County GOP Executive Committee, District 18

David Ewing*
Sonoma County GOP Executive Committee, District 3
dewing[at]cda-designs.com

Casey Fargo
Alameda County GOP Executive Committee, District 15

Lea Smart-Fargo
Alameda County GOP Executive Committee, District 15

Judy Fenta
Alameda County GOP Executive Committee, District 15

Matthew Heath*
Sonoma County GOP Secretary
deaconheath[at]comcast.net

Tom Hudson
Placer County GOP Chair
tom[at]placergop.org

David Johnson*
Santa Clara County GOP Central Committee member
david[at]usermode.org

Christopher Kuhn
Alameda County GOP Executive Committee, District 18

David V. Latour*
Alameda County GOP Executive Committee, District 18
david[at]alamedagop.org

Allan Mansoor
Orange County GOP Central Committee, District 68 (Alternate)
AMansoor[at]ci.costa-mesa.ca.us

Kermit D. Marsh, Esq.
Orange County GOP Central Committee, District 68

Lynda Rose McMahan
Solano County Republican Women’s Club President
goplynda[at]yahoo.com

Gale Morgan*
Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners
Sacramento Resident Advisery Board Treasurer
galemorgan[at]gmail.com

Deslar Patten
Alameda County GOP Executive Committee, District 18

Ileen Peterson
Alameda County GOP Executive Committee, District 20

Michael Sites
Alameda County GOP Executive Committee, District 20

Walter Stanley, III*
Alameda County GOP Executive Committee, District 15
Livermore GOP Chair
walter.stanley2008[at]yahoo.com

Bob Van Cleef*
Santa Clara County GOP Central Committee
bob.vancleef[at]gmail.com

CONNECTICUT

Judy F. Aron
West Hartford GOP Town Committee
imjfaron[at]sbcglobal.net

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Craig A. Max
DC GOP Vice-Chair
cmax[at]cpa-jd.com

FLORIDA

Nancy Baker
Brevard County GOP Executive Committee
Space Coast Florida GOP Winners Club President
flevc15[at]bellsouth.net

Page Baldwin
Leon County Young GOP Membership Coordinator

George Blumel
Palm Beach County GOP Executive Committee, District 50
gblumel[at]bellsouth.net

Philip Blumel*
Palm Beach County GOP Executive Committee
pblumel[at]bellsouth.net

Steven Burden
Hillsborough County GOP Executive Committee
sjburden[at]tampabay.rr.com

Elizabeth Campbell
Escambia County State Committeewoman
libertycampaign2008 [at] gmail.com

Kevin Cerino
Biscayne Bay Young GOP President
kevin.cerino[at]gmail.com

John Conway
Pinellas County GOP Executive Committee

Mark Cross*
State GOP Committeeman
Osceola County GOP Executive Committee
MarkCrossEA[at]prodigy.net

Frank Cuzzocrea, Jr.
Biscayne Bay Young GOP Chair
Frank4SouthMiami[at]gmail.com

Sid Dinerstein
Palm Beach County GOP Chair

Mike Donahue
Pasco County GOP Executive Committee
mrdaa[at]yahoo. com

Nick Egoroff*
Orange County GOP Executive Committee, District 319

Rick Hartley
State GOP Committeeman

Jason Hellenberg
Leon County GOP Committeeman
hellenberg.jason[at]gmail.com

W. Robert Nelson
Walton County GOP Executive Committee
wrobertnelson[at]gmail.com

Jim Riis*
Hillsborough County GOP Executive Committee
jimriis[at]jimriis.com

Bill Skinner
Palm Beach County GOP Committeeman, District 65
Republican Club of Central Palm Beach County President
BillSkinnerLW[at]aol.com

Eric L. Wall*
Bay County Florida REC Secretary
rlc_nwfl[at]yahoo.com

Kimberly Wells*
Duval County GOP Executive Committee

GEORGIA

Chris Farris*
Georgia GOP Executive Committee, District 7
chris[at]gopliberty.org

Edwin Gravitt
former Chairman, Barrow County GOP
former Chairman, Franklin County GOP
edwing[at]alltel.net

Jason Shepherd*
State Chair, Georgia Young Republicans
Shep1975[at]aol.com

ILLINOIS

Scott Bludorn
Wheeling Township GOP Board
bludorn[at]comcast.net

Phil A. Collins
Shields Township GOP Precinct Committeeman, District 237
philacollins[at]yahoo.com

George Kocan
GOP Precinct Captain
Taproot Republican Club Executive Board
geokcn[at]juno.com

Jack J. McInerney
Taproot Republican Club Executive Board
McInerneyJack[at]yahoo.com

Aakash Raut
Springfield GOP Precinct Committeeman, District 36
uisconservative[at]yahoo.com

Bob Schmidt
GOP Precinct Captain
spintreebob[at]yahoo.com

Robert M.W. Stanford*
Hittle Township GOP Precinct Committeeman, District 1
rm-ws[at]usa.net

Tom Swiss
Chicago GOP Committeeman, Ward 27

Jeff Sykuta
Wheeling Township GOP Precinct Captain
jsykuta[at]comcast.net

Michael A. Tams
Lisle GOP Precinct Committeeman, District 25

Jeff Wartman
Will County GOP Vice-Chair
jeffwartman[at]gmail.com

INDIANA

Shawn Loy
Scott County GOP Secretary
sloy[at]apmc.com

Gregg Puls
Fishers GOP Chair
gregg.puls[at]yahoo.com

IOWA

Chuck Seberg
Johnson County GOP Central Committee
pusherprop3[at]mchsi.com

Kentucky

Deanna Branger
Jefferson County GOP 3rd District Chair
d4gop[at]aol.com

Mike Bryant
Breathitt County GOP Vice-Chair
mike[at]mikebryant.com

Bernie Kunkel
Boone County GOP Executive Committee
berniekunkel[at]yahoo.com

LOUISIANA

Warren Caudle
Lafayette Parish GOP Executive Committee
warren_caudle[at]yahoo.com

MAINE

Scott Lansley
Androscoggin County GOP Chair

Larry Ringrose
Kennebec County GOP Executive Commitee member

Steven Scharf
GOP State Committee member
Cumberland County GOP Secretary

Brent Tweed
York County GOP Executive Committee member

MARYLAND

Cindy Jones*
GOP Women of St. Mary’s County President
singingblonde[at]hotmail.com

Don Murphy
Senior State GOP Adviser

Stephen M. Wright*
Harford County GOP Central Committee
cpawright[at]aol.com

MASSACHUSETTS

Brock Cordeiro
State GOP Committeeman
Dartmouth GOP Town Committee member
BNCordeiro[at]comcast.net

Andre Green
Somerville GOP Chair
andregreen[at]gmail.com

Barry Greenspan
Malden GOP City Committee Vice-Chair

Brett Schetzsle
Beverly GOP City Committee member

MICHIGAN

Brad Benzing
Hillsdale County GOP Executive Committee

Kurtis Bottke
Huron County GOP Executive Committee

David Irons
Ingham County GOP Executive Committee

George Roberts, III
Oakland County GOP Precinct Delegate

MINNESOTA

David Fitzsimmons*
Minnesota GOP Chair, District 6
Wright County GOP Chair

Ebenezer K. Howe, III
State GOP Executive Committee, CD 1
Freeborn County GOP Executive Commitee
EKHowe[at]frontiernet.net

Bill Jungbauer
GOP House District 39a Vice-Chair
redhawk[at]sihope.com

Gregory G. Laney
State GOP Executive Committee, SD 48

Dan McGrath
Minneapolis GOP Secretary, Ward 9, Precinct 1
State GOP Delegate, SD 62 and CD 5
danmc88[at]comcast.net

Rudy Takala
Pine County GOP Chair
rudytakala[at]yahoo.com

Tom Willenbring
GOP State Committee Delegate, CD 4
GOP Senate District 57 Treasurer
tom[at]warpfactor9.com

MISSISSIPPI

Howie Morgan
Lafayette County GOP Executive Committee
howie[at]netdoor.com

Jeff Powell*
Harrison County GOP Executive Committee

MISSOURI

Ben Edsall
Jackson County GOP Committeeman, Ward 17

Stephanie Halpin
Greene County GOP Precinct Committeeman, Precinct 27

MONTANA

Trevis Butcher
Fergus County GOP Executive Committee
tbutcher[at]direcway.com

Audrey Mendenhall
Boulder County GOP Vice-Chair
soundhealth[at]gmail.com

Shawn Parker
Lake County GOP Precinct Committeeman, District 9
shawnparker[at]ronan.net

NEBRASKA

James Blackburn
Nebraska State Central Committee

Laura Ebke*
Saline County GOP Vice Chair
laura[at]redstateeclectic.us.com

Josh Furnish
Nebraska GOP State Central Committeeman
Cass County Republican Chair

Chris Gudgel*
Brown County GOP Chair

Amy Haberman*
Nebraska GOP State Central Committee member

Karla Jensen
Nebraska GOP State Central Committee member

Kim Schwab
Douglas County GOP Central Committee member

Mike Schwab
Nebraska GOP State Central Committeeman
Douglas County GOP Central Committee member

Ron Schwab*
Nebraska GOP State Central Committeeman
Jefferson County GOP Chair

Jon Tucker
Douglas County GOP Central Committee member

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Janet Allen
Barnstead GOP Town Committee
dtjallen[at]worldpath.net

Rep. Al Baldasaro
Londonderry GOP Town Committee
baldasaro[at]adelphia.net

Michael Biundo
Manchester GOP Committee, Ward 8
mbiundo[at]nashuascreenprint.com

Juanita Dangel
State GOP Secretary
juanitadangel[at]comcast.net

Joey Dauben
NH Young Republicans Northern Region Vice-Chair
joeydauben[at]hotmail.com

Keith R. Murphy
Manchester GOP First Vice-Chair
keith[at]manchestergop.com

Rep. Fran Wendelboe
New Hampton GOP Town Committee
mattwenfran[at]verizon.net

Phyllis Woods
RNC National Comitteewoman
Strafford County GOP Chair
parishoner[at]aol.com

NEW MEXICO

John Dendahl
former GOP State Chair

NEW YORK

Christopher Hellstrom
State GOP Committee, Assembly District 62
clhellstrom[at]yahoo.com

Ron Lewenberg
State Young Republicans Vice-Chair

Stu Mirsky
Rockaway Republican Club Vice-President
swmirsky[at]aol.com

Raquel Okyay
State Young Republicans Secretary

Norma Segal
Westchester County GOP Women’s Club Chair
Greenburgh Town GOP Chair
norma4ny[at]yahoo.com

Pete Stubben
Rockaway Republican Club Executive Board
stuu[at]verizon.net

NORTH CAROLINA

Martin Goter
Brunswick GOP Precinct Chairman, Leland
martin.goter [at] gmail.com

Dr. Timothy F. Johnson
North Carolina GOP Vice-Chair

Diana Kantor
Buncombe County GOP Communications Director

Bill Lack
State GOP Executive Committee member
Buncombe County GOP Central Committee member
State Federation of Republican Men Chair
bill_e_lack[at]yahoo.com

Kathie Lack
Buncombe County GOP Central Committee
Buncombe County GOP Precinct Chair, Precinct 50
Buncombe County GOP ACTION Club President
kathielack[at]tds.net

Robert Malt
Buncombe County GOP Chair
rmalt[at]bellsouth.net

Ken Nelson
State GOP Executive Committee member
knelsud92[at]yahoo.com

Jeff Palmer*
North Carolina GOP Executive Committee, District 4
Buncombe County GOP Assistant Treasurer

James Arthur Pope
State GOP Executive Committee member

Donna Shaver
Union Young Republicans Chair

NORTH DAKOTA

Curly Haugland
RNC National Committeeman
former State Chair
curly[at]recsupply.com

OHIO

William McGivern
Cuyahoga County GOP Central Committee
Cuyahoga County Pricinct Person, Ward 19F
semha2187[at]sbcglobal.net

John Mitchel*
Greene County GOP Committee, Precinct 19
mitcho7ohio[at]sbcglobal.net

John Motley
Strongville GOP Treasurer

Maryanne Petranek
Cuyahoga County GOP Executive Committee

Mark Potts
Columbus GOP Central Committee, Ward 32

OREGON

Elizabeth Bozievich
Lane County GOP Precinct Committeeman

Jay Bozievich
Lane County GOP Precinct Committeeman
Past Vice-Chair, Lane County GOP
jayboz[at]qwest.net

PENNSYLVANIA

Hirsh Dlinn
Pittsburgh GOP City Committee, District 5
president[at]pagopwing.com

Diane McVicker
GOP State Committee, Senate District 40
Ross Township GOP Committee
Secretary[at]pagopwing.com

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe
Butler County GOP Committee, Cranberry Township West 4
friends[at]darylmetcalfe.com

Jim Taylor
Franklin County GOP Chairman

RHODE ISLAND

Dr. Daniel Harrop*
Rhode Island GOP Committee, Ward 2
Providence GOP City Committee
danharrop[at]hotmail.com

TENNESSEE

Matt Collins*
Davidson County GOP Vice-Chair

Dewey Cooksey
Davidson County GOP Region II Chair

Barry Donegan
Davidson County GOP Director At-Large

TEXAS

Roger Borgelt*
Travis County GOP Precinct Chair, District 274
borgelt[at]pottsreilly.com

Anson Chi
Travis County GOP Precinct Chair, District 149
standtogether[at]usa.net

Jennifer Garrison
GOP Precinct 420 (Deer Park) Chair & Election Judge
rac3rx[at]sbcglobal.net

Emily Johnson*
Travis County GOP Precinct Chair, District 242
cathleenemily[at]gmail.com

J. Shane Howard*
Jefferson County GOP Chair

Lisa Mallory*
Travis County GOP Precinct Chair, District 379
lisamallory[at]mac.com

Ryan Marquess
Travis County GOP Precinct Chair, District 332
ryan[at]auslo.com

Bryan Martin*
Travis County GOP Precinct Chair, District 378

Tony McDonald
Travis County GOP Precinct Chair, District 429
tony.mcdonald[at]yahoo.com

Mark McCaig
Texas GOP Executive Committee, Senate District 18

Jean McIver
Texas GOP Executive Committee, Senate District 12

Debra Medina
Wharton County GOP Chair
dmedina[at]prudentia.us

Mike Siekkinen*
Travis County GOP Precinct Chair, District 40
msiekkinen[at]gmail.com

Nate Thompson
Travis County GOP Precinct Chair, District 454

Jack Spates
Brazoria County GOP Precinct Chair, District 20
jackspates[at]yahoo.com

Don Zimmerman
Travis County GOP Precinct Chair
dszimmerman[at]yahoo.com

UTAH

Casey Anderson
Utah GOP State Central Committee
Iron County GOP Delegate
owenander[at]gmail.com

Drew Chamberlain
Utah GOP Central Committee
Salt Lake County GOP Delegate
thenolightrailguy[at]juno.com

Kurtis Constantine
Salt Lake County GOP Secretary
kurtisconstantine[at]hotmail.com

Don Guymon
Utah GOP Central Committee
donguymon[at]yahoo.com

Vance Hawkins
Utah GOP Delegate
avoforaf[at]aol.com

Lowell Nelson*
Utah GOP Central Committee
lowell[at]netdocuments.com

Thomas Sewell*
Utah GOP Delegate
Iron County GOP Delegate
sharper[at]booksunderreview.com

VIRGINIA

Kevin Gentry
Virginia GOP Eastern Vice-Chair
kevin.gentry[at]ckgfoundation.org

Rick Hendrix
Virginia GOP Presidential Elector, 11th District
rhendrix[at]clearword.net

Christopher Kachouroff
Alexandria GOP Precinct Operator, West

Liz Mair
former Arlington/Falls Church Young Republicans Chair
liz[at]lizmair.com

Lisa Miller
Alexandria GOP Finance Chair
emaillisa[at]comcast.net

Krystle Weeks*
Young Republican Federation of Virginia Secretary
wmcalumna2004[at]gmail.com

WASHINGTON

Brien Bartels
Pierce County GOP Committeeman, Precinct 28

John W. Herr, II*
Pierce County GOP Committeeman, Precinct 170
jherrwa[at]comcast.net

Tim Sutininen
Cowlitz County GOP State Committeeman
tim[at]sutinen.com

Cary Thomas
King County GOP Precinct Committee Officer, SEA 34-1247
carycwt[at]yahoo.com

WEST VIRGINIA

Kevin Patrick, Jr.
Monongalia County Republican Executive Committee
KevinPatrick.jr[at]gmail.com

WISCONSIN

Adrian Augustine
Dane County GOP Executive Committee
littlea61580[at]yahoo.com

Rick Baas
Milwaukee County GOP Executive Committee

Lance Burri
Sauk County GOP Chairman
lanceburri[at]yahoo.com

Chris Muller
former LaCrosse County GOP Chairman
mullman[at]centurytel.net

Scott Rausch
former Racine County GOP Chairman

WYOMING

Shepard Humphries*
Teton County GOP Treasurer
jhshepard[at[gmail.com

According to Gun Owners of America, “In open defiance of the Supreme Court’s decision striking down the Washington D.C. gun control law, the City Council passed an ‘emergency’ law that keeps in place almost all of the law that was ruled unconstitutional. Even Dick Heller, who brought the case against Washington’s gun ban, was rejected when he tried to register his handgun because any ‘bottom loading’ firearm is a ‘machine gun’ according to the D.C. police.”

The message continues, “According to Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the authority and responsibility to govern the District. It can simply repeal the District’s onerous gun law. Not surprisingly, however, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has no intention of allowing the D.C. gun ban repeal legislation to come to the floor, even though it is cosponsored by more than half of the members of Congress.”

“To free the bill from the Speaker’s death grip, Representative Mark Souder (R-IN) has filed a discharge petition to bring the bill directly to the floor. Rep. Souder needs 218 cosigners for the petition to be successful. There are currently 109 signers. There are not many days left in this legislative session, so it is vital that the discharge petition moves quickly. Please contact your representative and urge him or her to support the repeal of the D.C. gun ban and to sign the Souder discharge petition. You can visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to send your Representatives a pre-written message on this issue.”

In related news, Dick Heller, et al., filed a complaint (For Declaratory Judgment, Injunctive Relief, and Writ of Mandamus) against the city today to force them to comply with the US Supreme Court ruling in the District of Columbia v. Heller and to protect our individual rights such as the right to defend ourselves in our own homes. Mr. Heller is an RLC member who recently spoke to the first meeting of the Republican Liberty Caucus of DC.

According to The Chattanoogan, the Republican primary challenger to incumbent Congressman Zach Wamp of Tennessee’s Congressional District 3, Teresa Sheppard of Luttrell, was mistakenly left off of the Aug. 7 primary ballot in Hamilton County.

Teresa Sheppard was left off the ballot by county government.

The mistake marked the second time in less than a week that it was necessary to reprint some of the ballots.

The total bill for the taxpayers: $33,000. Oh, yes, let’s put the government in charge of health care.

The first error, which required the reprinting of 140,000 ballots, was that the U.S. Senate race did not appear on the ballots.

Zach Wamp, the Republican incumbent, signed the Contract with America in 1994, but has gone way off course in recent years. As a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, Wamp has worked hard to increase pork-barrel politicking for his district. In 2006, he worked to secure a $4 million appropriation for a methamphetamine task force in Tennessee.

Wamp is a term limits pledge breaker, voted to allow electronic surveillance of U.S. citizens without a warrant, and has sided with the Administration on most issues most of the time. Sheppard is a sound alternative in District 3.

The Republican Liberty Caucus has grown fast and achieved many milestones in the past year, as more and more people have realized that their belief in individual liberty, free enterprise and small government can be the basis for a revitalization of the Republican party. One question a lot of them are asking is…

….Why join the RLC?

Some activists — many of them new to our movement for liberty — have questions about the differences between the RLC and other organizations which seem to have similar goals.  They ask how we are different from the Campaign for Liberty, FreedomWorks, Americans for Prosperity and even the  John Birch Society.

Let us be clear: Each of these organizations has their own mission that is distinct from the mission of the RLC. You can belong to these groups and still be a member of the RLC, because its goals and interests are distinctly different from any of these groups.

The top ten reasons we are different, which are also reasons you should join us and become active, are listed as follows.

1. The RLC is the only one of these groups which works within the Republican Party as a national caucus promoting limited government. A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement. All of the members of the groups listed above can belong to different political parties or no political party at all.

Every RLC members is a dedicated Republican working inside the GOP to return it to the values on which it was founded and grew great. According to the RLC’s by-laws, the purpose of the RLC is:

The Caucus is a political action organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of individual rights, limited government and free enterprise within the Republican Party of the United States of America by:
A. Promoting these ideals among Party officials and its various organizations;
B. Identifying and supporting candidates sympathetic with these ideals;
C. Developing Caucus membership among Party registrants, officials, and officeholders.

There is simply no other organization with this expressed purpose AND the ability to do something to achieve these goals.

2. The RLC has had many victories, proving that an all-volunteer organization can be successful. On a wide array of issues – since 1991 – and in campaigns in many states, the RLC has attained political success through the voluntary actions of principled grassroots activists.

Our members aren’t paid to lobby, write letters to the editor, or run for office. RLC members participate in grassroots political action — not out of a lust for political power, but — out of love for country, principles, and party. Our members serve in elected positions and Republican Party positions throughout the country, each working hard to tilt the Party and public policy in the direction of free markets and limited government.

We are in the process of raising the funds necessary to hire permanent staff so we can expand our operations. Please contribute to our growth plans.

3. The RLC is dedicated to preserving individual liberty. The RLC Statement of Principles and Positions offers a clearly defined political agenda based on constitutionalism, individual liberty, small government and free markets. We have no litmus test for membership and do not exclude any citizen on the basis of ideological purity or conformity with Caucus positions on specific issues. We welcome every advocate of liberty and encourage members to join and participate in other pro-liberty coalitions and organizations.

That said, we believe that grassroots activity can best be achieved from the ground up — not the top down. All politics is local — all politics is personal.

By encouraging our chapter leaders to focus on state and local issues rather than on national issues, we pool our limited resources to strategically impact politics from the ground up. National issues are critical — and the RLC has expressed itself strongly in opposing bailouts and irresponsible spending,  demanding accountability for the Federal Reserve, protecting workers rights, expanding school choice and ending the War on Drugs,

The most impact will be achieved through ground-up, retail politics.

4. The RLC is a grassroots organization. As an IRS 527 non-profit membership organization, we are run by (and for) members who wish to influence political discourse and attain real-world results.

The RLC is not run by a secretive board of directors and is not restrained by a small group of wealthy contributors or celebrity mentors. We are funded by you and our national board is elected from our membership. The RLC’s National Board encourages state chapters to use innovation and creativity to advance the organization’s mission and principles.

The organization is directed by members at the local and state levels for the benefit of individual members who wish to engage in the political process. We don’t focus on national publicity or media events, but engage in retail politics — one-on-one, at local community, precinct, and county levels.

The RLC leadership provides advice to member affiliates, but it does not run its state chapters. Our state chapters have autonomy because they know the political landscape in their area better than anyone else. The RLC puts its main focus on local political action rather than lobbying on national issues because we believe our successes will come from the ground up — not from the top down.

5. The RLC has a rich tradition and is therefore a sustainable organization. The RLC has existed since 1991; our vibrant history — rich with many successes — encourages us to keep fighting in 2010, 2012, and beyond.  Since its early days, the RLC has stood firm against abuse of power and has worked to fulfill the visions of the Founders and the intent of the U.S. Constitution.

6. The RLC is a 527 group but also operates a PAC. A 527 group is created primarily to influence the nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates for public office and is unregulated by the FEC.

The PAC allows our organization to provide donations to select candidates in races where we can have a strategic impact. Over the years, the PAC has donated money to candidates who had shown a dedication to liberty and responsible government and helped them win election.

Working inside the GOP the RLC can do things which organizations working outside the party structure are legally restricted from like endorsing candidates and participating in party political activities.

7. The RLC recruits and supports liberty candidates. The RLCUSA-PAC is the RLC’s affiliated Political Action Committee (PAC), which allows members to support specific federal candidates endorsed by RLC members within the legal framework for campaign financing. The PAC distributes funds to the most promising liberty candidates in Republican primaries and general elections, as a compliment to our member’s participation in those campaigns.

In 2008, for example, former RLC Board member Carol McGuire was elected to the New Hampshire legislature and Kent County RLC Chair Justin Amash was elected to the Michigan legislature.

RLC state affiliate organizations have also established their own state-based PACs to distribute contributions to state legislative, executive, and local Republican races. Unlike other organizations, we contribute directly to campaigns by encouraging member participation and financial contributions to actual political contests.

8. Every RLC activist is a volunteer dedicated to furthering the RLC’s principles. Our members want to achieve success and are genuinely working for change in the GOP. They want aren’t just passive subscribers, but genuine activists whose input and participation is valued.

Moreover, our members believe that principles play a key role in politics, but they also want to work with party leaders and other GOP groups to make a better and more successful party for all Republicans.  We believe that all Republicans share many of our core beliefs and we work with them to find common ground.

If Americans are ever going to be receptive to the message of individual liberty and limited government, it is not going to take more than a public policy paper or a nice speech.  It will come as a direct result of grassroots activists taking our message to the people.  Our message is not just about one issue, one bill or one crisis.   Our message is about strengthening our local communities and increasing prosperity in every state through the principles of individual liberty and limited government.

9. The RLC successfully balances ideological purity (principles) with a strong desire to implement our principles (success). Morton Blackwell, founder of the Leadership Institute, once said that if one “truly believe[s] in their cause” then “they owe it to themselves to work to implement their ideals.”

The RLC believes that the ideals of liberty are fundamental to our republic and to the Republican party.  The nation and the party may have strayed from those ideals from time to time, but when the people demand liberty their leaders will have to answer.

Advocates for liberty have had a tremendous track record in shaping our national public policy debates time and time again working through think-tanks and the media. We want to take those ideas and make them a reality and shape them into policy for the nation.  We believe that this is the destiny of the Republican Party.

10. The RLC is willing to work with a variety of groups on single-issue causes, bridging the gap. The RLC has — and will continue to — work with establishment Republicans, moderate Republicans, the religious right, various types of Democrats, Independents, Greens, and those not engaged in politics at all on issues of mutual concern.

We have partnered with left-leaning groups such as the Bill of Rights Defense Committee and the American Civil Liberties Union and right-leaning groups like Gun Owners of America and the National Taxpayers Union.

We are affiliated with The Liberty Coalition and have endorsed the objectives of the Free State Project, Castle Coalition, and Marijuana Policy Project.

The RLC continues to bridge the gap between constitutionalists & libertarians and individuals who are unfamiliar with our ideas. We are successful by standing firm on principle while simultaneously working to enact our principles via the political process.

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We Need You!

Please join the RLC and become involved today.

Questions?  Contact Us.

The Mississippi RLC is on the move, thanks to Coordinator Jeff Powell, who designed the new Mississippi RLC web site and is working to charter the state affiliate.

The RLC recently endorsed John McCay as the Republican nominee for Congress in district 4 against career politician Gene Taylor. State Coordinator Jeff Powell and RLC members Jesse Ellis and Chris Stamper are working on McCay’s campaign.

Congratulations to Jeff Powell and his team for their fine efforts. To become involved in the state affiliate, please join the eGroup.

Jeff Powell, front left, with candidate John McCay, front center.

Although it looks like it will be a bad year for Republicans as a whole, GOP candidates advocating for limited government (and meaning it!) are going to do well in 2008, just as they did in 2006. (The only RLC-friendly member of Congress who lost in 2006 was Arizona’s J.D. Hayworth.)

In Virginia, the state RLC’s favorite legislator, Ken Cuccinelli, is running for Attorney General in 2009. He will face another Republican in the state primary, but he is the favorite to win both the primary and general election. Senator Cuccinelli addressed the newly chartered Virginia RLC earlier this year:

In Georgia, things are looking good for 2010. If Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, who the RLC has supported for years, jumps into the race for Governor, then the RLC’s leader in the State Senate, David Shafer, has a real opportunity to become Lt. Governor.

Georgia Senator David Shafer.

In Missouri, State Treasurer Sarah Steelman is facing an uphill fight against establishment Congressman Kenny Hulshof in the open gubernatorial race. Steelman is favored by RLC members for her no-nonsense, common sense approach to the issues. Ron Paul supporters are even planning a Money Bomb for Steelman. Treasurer Steelman also attended the Ron Paul Freedom Rally in Branson earlier this year. Roy Blunt, predictably, has endorsed her opponent, Kenny Hulshof.

Sarah Steelman

Finally, the RLC is thankful for its current incumbent Governors, Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Sarah Palin of Alaska. Although not perfect, these state leaders have shown independence from the GOP establishment and have the chutzpah to make real inroads toward returning the GOP to its small government heritage.

Sarah Palin

Of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention our heroes of past, namely former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld.

While Governor of Massachusetts, Bill Weld ended the state’s borrowing, controlled Medicaid spending, reduced property taxes and balanced seven budgets in a row while passing 19 tax cuts and never raising taxes. He was elected during a tumultuous time when the state’s bond rating was near junk status, unemployment was nearly 10%, and the state had continuously borrowed money to close large operating deficits.

Congratulations to the RLC affiliate in Florida for their new website design. The Goldwater-Reagan-Paul background is particularly catchy. The RLC history and photos sections are extremely useful, as well as the tremendous new regional structure.

To join the Florida RLC, visit their new site or subscribe to the RLCFL eGroup.