Many Ron Paul supporters find themselves at odds with the Republican Party over the issue of American involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like Ron Paul they believe that wars of occupation and nation building are unconstitutional and they cannot understand why Republicans who claim to share their belief in the Constitution support those wars.

They make the same mistake that Ron Paul himself did when he attacked Rudy Giuliani over this issue in the first presidential debate of 2008. They make themselves look anti-Republican and even anti-American because they do not understand the perspective of many traditional Republicans or the basis on which those Republicans find themselves supporting these wars.

Then the battle-lines are drawn up and both sides become entrenched in their ideology without trying to understand each others’ perspective. The Ron Paul supporters become convinced that traditional Republicans are a bunch of pro-war “neocons” and more mainstream Republicans get the idea that Ron Paul supporters are radical, anti-American peaceniks, when the truth is that neither perception is even close to accurate.

While there are a small number of Stalinistic, pro-war expansionists in the GOP, their viewpoint is alien to the party and is not shared by most Republicans. Most Republicans who support our current wars do not do so because they are in favor of war or of imperialism, but because they are unquestioningly pro-America. They may believe in a strong national defense, but they do not believe in wars of conquest and occupation. They oppose the anti-war position, not because they like war, but because they dislike those who take issue with the actions of America as a nation no matter what the reason.

They operate from the perspective that our government is good, not because government is good, but because our government is American and America is good. They therefore assume that the actions of our government, including making war, must be good and right actions because they are the actions of an American government.

Despite its inherently irrational nature, this would be an understandable and even excusable position for them to take if the government of the United States were, in fact, the government which we are supposed to have under the Constitution and if the government still followed the principles of the Constitution and the founding fathers. If that were the case and the government entered into a war, then it would be impossible for that war not to be undertaken justly and it would be traitorous to oppose it.

Most Republicans act on the assumption that we still live under a government which operates legitimately and constitutionally and that is the basis for their outrage with those who oppose the government’s actions. They are not awakened to how far we have drifted from legitimate, American-style, constitutional government and they are still acting on the mistaken assumption that we have the government which we ought to have and that its actions are legitimate on that basis.

So if you are a Ron Paul style constitutionalist, don’t make the mistake of calling other Republicans “neocons” or warmongers just because they defend the nation’s actions even when you believe those actions are wrong. From their perspective that makes you a traitor and an enemy of the Constitution, because all they see is that you are attacking the Republic, not the reasoning behind your actions.

You can’t change the perception that the government is good by attacking the government because those who still believe the government is good will turn against you. It’s kind of a catch-22 situation.

You need to convince them not that our government is bad, but that the government we have is effectively not our government at all. You can do this by laying out for them what government ought to be under the Constitution and then let them see for themselves the shortcomings of government as it is compared to government as it should be.

The fact that the Democrats are in power also presents a valuable opportunity, because Republicans of all varieties are willing to believe that Democrats and their policies are evil. So if you go after big government and its excesses as products of Democrat policy you can get your foot in the door very easily.

It’s a short trip from condemning the actions of Obama and the Democrats to realizing that those actions are wrong even when they are the actions of Republicans. Patriotic Republicans who would never question the actions of their government under other circumstances will quickly change their tune when they are perceived to be the actions of Democrats or even of Republicans who are acting like Democrats.

Before you can even begin to discuss the war with them you need to lay this sort of groundwork and make them aware that our government is no longer operating on Constitutional principles. That is where you really disagree and once you resolve that disagreement by educating them, then the secondary issues of war and nation building and the tyranny of the security state will become ones on which you will soon find common ground.

When they understand that you are defending the Republic as it ought to be rather than attacking the Republic as it is they will understand that you are allies, not enemies.

With its multi-trillion dollar subsidy to the financial community,  the Democratic Party has become the party of the super-rich.  The Democrats complained (and rightly so)  for eight Bush years about subsidies to Halliburton, but from the moment that they took control a year ago  their chief achievement has been  to hand massive amounts of public money to Wall Street.

The magnitude of their subsidy is greater than any previous subsidy to wealthy interests in American history. Rockefeller and his bribes for oil rights of way; Jay Gould and the railroads; the S&L bailout of the late 1980s; Halliburton in Iraq,  all were small change compared to the Democrats’ subsidization of the banking industry and Wall Street.

The multi-trillion dollar transfer to Wall and Broad was facilitated by the Democratic media’s bamboozling the public with a single word: “Depression!” But it’s not so clear that people will continue to believe them as they did in the 1930s.  A small amount of public education will go a long way.

Households are faced with increasing property taxes and other costs, but are being told that there’s deflation.  Their wages have not grown, but government spending and taxes are rising, and they can see that something’s out of whack.  Moreover,  the Democrats have gotten sloppy and there is now increasing transparency.  The old lies about cost-push inflation and how complicated it all is have been brushed aside.  Their lies have become sillier and more difficult to defend.

This would seem to open up considerable opportunity for Liberty Republicans. But there is a difficult obstacle:  the Republican Party is still dominated by the Roosevelt-Rockefeller-Bush Progressives, and they are not going away.

New York’s Ulster County Republican Committee, to which I belong, hosted a dinner this past Thursday that featured a speech by Rudy Giuliani.  In his speech, Mr. Giuliani made clear that he supported the bailout. His claim that he is in favor of less spending and lower taxes sounds tired and unconvincing after he served for eight years in New York City.  During his term the massive waste in City Hall was not in the least remedied.  Now he speaks in favor of the bailout.  He seems irrelevant.

Moreover, I chatted with my State Senator, John J. Bonacic (R-NY), and he said that he supports George Pataki for US Senator.   George Pataki? Mr. Tax-and-Spend who ended up kowtowing to Dennis Rivera, the head of the hospital workers’ union?  Bonacic’s a great guy, but come on!

There is a big opportunity for the RLC. The Progressive Republican leadership is bereft of ideas.  They are tired. They are irrelevant. The public is ready to explode over the Democrats, the party of greed. They see themselves getting poorer. They know they’re being lied to.

The Liberty Republicans have innovative solutions. But we are faced with a critical strategic question: how do we overcome the GOP Progressives? It will require very fancy footwork in places like New York, where the Republicans are to the left of the Democrats.   The next two years are the years to do it. We must out-maneuver McCain and come up with viable candidates.  The opportunity is too big to miss.

Eric Dondero at Liberty Republican Reports:

Halloran already seen as a “Top US Politician.”

Dan Halloran, former Chairman of the New York Republican Liberty Caucus, and a longtime member of the Libertarian Party, won election to the New York City Council, representing an upper Queens district last November. Halloran was elected on both the Republican Party and Libertarian Party lines. He currently serves as the highest elected Libertarian Party member in the Nation.

Since being on the Council, he’s been a lightening rod for tax relief and loosening of regulations on small business. Now, he’s taking his hardline free market message international.

From the Sofia News Agency April 17 “Top US Politicians Vow Support for Bulgarian Conservatives”:

The conservatives, led by party leader, Yane Yanev and party members, Atanas Semov and Zhivko Temelkov were met in New York by Dan Halloran, who is a Republican, Libertarian, Independence and Conservative member of the New York City City Council.

Holloran greeted the Bulgarian delegation with: “The Republican Party stands by you, by RZS and Yane Yanev. You can count on us any time!”

The meeting brought a conclusion to a series of intense discussions with high-ranking American politicians, including former US Defense Minister, Donald Rumsfeld.

During the conversation with Halloran, the parties have exchanged ideas about the need t change Bulgaria’s Constitution in order to provide citizens with more opportunities to control State and local power structures. Yanev had appraised the US Republicans with his party’s effort to call a national referendum for a new Constitution, a move strongly acclaimed by Holloran.

Dan Holloran had further accepted to visit Sofia in the summer and share his experience in constitutional law, municipal management, and campaign organization. The Republican leader has agreed to lead a training course for the RZS candidates for the local elections in 2011, and invited Yanev to send young leaders to New York for education and training that would be financed by the Republican Party and the City Council. Other high-ranking Republicans have further stated their readiness to serve as moderators along with their teams for the RZS election campaign.

Note – besides Halloran, Libertarians also serve on the City Councils in Indianapolis, Springfield, MO, Cedar Rapids, IA, and numerous other towns and cities nationwide, most especially California, Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania.

Tomah Mayor Ed Thompson is running for State Senate in Wisconsin’s 31st district, a rural western Wisconsin district that is Democrat stomping grounds. Mr. Thompson was a Libertarian Party member from 1999 onward, and was the Libertarian Party candidate for Governor in 2002 (in which he gained 11.5%, a LP record), but decided to switch parties in 2009 after the state Republican Party smartly begged him to run as a Republican.

Wisconsin RLC Adviser Aaron Biterman, who worked on Ed Thompson’s 2002 campaign, praised the endorsement. “There isn’t anyone in Wisconsin who can wrestle District 31 away from the liberal Democratic machine, with the exception of Ed Thompson. He is a trans-partisan leader who is a true believer in the principles of our Founders and he brings a vision of a free society to the public consciousness,” said Biterman.

The Wisconsin chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus was founded in December, 2009. Thus far it has endorsed Terri McCormick for Congress in Wisconsin’s 8th District, Rick Richard for State Senate in District 15, and Mr. Thompson. Said Michael S. Murphy, RLC Chairman, “We are proud to have Ed Thompson promoting our principles in western Wisconsin and look forward to hearing about his common sense vision when he crafts policy in the Wisconsin Senate.”

The RLC helps promote libertarian goals within the Republican Party: limited government, fiscal conservatism, personal liberty. The Wyoming chapter, under the leadership of Michael W. Dean, is working to re-charter its affiliate. (The original Wyoming chapter was chartered in 2007 and was active for about a year.)

Please join interested parties on Monday, April 19 from 7-9 pm at the Natrona County Public Library, in the Crawford Room (307 E. Second Street Casper, WY). Milk and cookies will be served!

Learn more about the Wyoming RLC at http://www.RLCWY.org.

On Saturday, May 15th, the Republican Liberty Caucus of Utah will be having its 2010 Convention. We will be electing state officers and endorsing candidates for public office. Originally, this event was scheduled for April 15, but we had to change the date due to other events taking place on that day.  You can RSVP to the event on Facebook here.

The event will occur from 12 to 4pm at the Draper Library's Large Meeting Room in Draper.

Founded in 1991, the Republican Liberty Caucus exists to promote individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise within the Republican Party by: (a) promoting these ideals among Party officials and its various organizations, (b) identifying and supporting candidates sympathetic with these ideals, and (c) promoting Caucus membership among Republican Party registrants, officials, and officeholders.

Gary Johnson (former Governor of New Mexico and current Honorary Chairman of the Our America Initiative) will be our keynote speaker.

Potential public office endorsees who have been invited to speak include the following:

State Representatives John Dougall, Curt Oda, Craig Frank, and Julie Fisher
State Representative candidates Rob Alexander and John Huntinghouse.

Please join the Republican Liberty Caucus or renew your membership so you can vote on endorsements and officer positions.

RLC membership info: http://www.RLC.org/join-the-RLC
RLC intro video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OPJTjW7LHI
Gary Johnson info: http://www.OurAmericaInitiative.com
Draper Library info: http://www.slco.lib.ut.us/draper.htm

MAINE

Republican Liberty Caucus, Maine chapter, will hold a free public information meeting Saturday, April 10, at noon at Portland Airport Hilton Garden Inn, 145 Jetport Access Road off I-95 (Exit 46). The meeting will introduce the national volunteer grassroots movement of libertarian-oriented Republicans and its goals.

The meeting is free. Lunch is optional from the hotel menu. Membership applications will be accepted at the meeting.

Dues-paid members will be eligible to participate in the RLC-ME State Convention on May 7, which will be held in Portland concurrent with the Maine State Republican Committee Convention. Dues-paid members can vote endorsement of a gubernatorial candidate before the primary and for RLC Maine Chapter officers. Dues-paid members are also eligible to attend regional and national RLC conventions.

Local chapters can be formed with a minimum of five dues-paid members who apply to the state executive board. Please attend and learn about this grassroots movement which is independent of any official party committee and committed to individual liberty.

Hilton Garden Inn by the Portland Jet Port
Saturday April 10th 2010
12noon to 2:30 PM
145 Jetport Boulevard, Portland, Maine, USA 04102
RSVP on Facebook

TENNESSEE

It is time for Tennesseans to have our biennial convention to elect officers for 2010. In order for the our group to grow and be effective, we need people willing to commit to the time and energy required to make an impact.

Please mark your calendar for April 24 at Doughhead Pizza (124 Harrison Ln.) in Soddy Daisy. The event will occur from 11am to 1pm.

If you are interested in running for a position, please contact Gregg. The future of the RLCTN depends upon you! You can RSVP to the event on Facebook.

VIRGINIA

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Virginia is hosting former New Mexico Governor Gary E. Johnson on Saturday, May 1 at 4:30pm at Ireland’s Four Courts, which is located less than a block away from the Courthouse Metro Station (Orange Line) in Arlington, VA. Parking in the area is somewhat limited, so please arrive a bit early to allow time to find parking. Ireland’s Four Courts is allowing us to have a private back room for free, so please be prepared to buy some drinks or appetizers (or dinner) to help us support their business.

To help propel our small organization forward, we are requesting a small $10 donation from attendees who are not members of the Republican Liberty Caucus. Those who are members (including out-of-state members) can enter free of charge. RLC dues payment is available at http://www.RLC.org/, or dues can be paid in person on May 1.

We look forward to seeing you there. You can also RSVP to the event on Facebook.