At their July 25 meeting, the executive committee of the RLC of Florida made two official recommendations regarding Florida referenda that reiterate the group’s commitment to free markets, individual liberty and private property. The RLC officially recommended voters at large vote YES on Amendment 9 and NO on Amendment 4 in November.

Amendment 9, as known as the Healthcare Freedom Act, states that any law or rule shall not compel, directly or indirectly, any individual to participate in any health care system against their will. The Act specifies that individuals cannot be fined, penalized or imprisoned for not participating in a mandated health insurance program such as Obamacare. If approved by Floridians in November, Health Care Freedom will become a provision of the Florida Constitution.

That Amendment 9 is on the ballot at all is partly due to efforts of RLCers who lobbied for the bill and traveled to the state capitol and went door to door speaking to legislators on behalf of the measure. Political consultant John Hallman said the measure was on the edge of being dismissed without even a committee vote when an outpouring of support surrounding the crucial vote in March led to a 10-3 committee vote to send the bill to the floor of the Senate and eventually passage in both houses.

In this effort, the RLCFL worked closely with Sen. Cary Baker and Rep. Scott Plakon, the two chief sponsors of the amendment.

Unfortunately, even though the Amendment was approved by the legislature, lawsuits have been launched to keep the Healthcare Freedom Act off the ballot. However, the RLC strongly believes the decision should be made by citizens and not by the court.

The RLC executive committee also came out against Amendment 4, the so-called Hometown Democracy act, which would require public referenda on a wide range of land use decisions.

Leonard Gilroy, a senior policy analyst at the libertarian Reason Foundation, put it like this in a James Madison Institute Point of View: “Throwing landowners’ ability to develop their property to the whims of public opinion shaped by costly public relations campaigns embraces the ultimate tyranny of the majority over individual property rights.”

For the record, the RLC is dissatisfied with the status quo where the decision-making responsibility is largely shared by elected officials and urban planners. Citizen input comes through their participation in planning boards and there is recourse to appeals, but nonetheless property rights are routinely violated in the state of Florida.

However, Amendment 4 is a move in the wrong direction, adding an additional layer of bureaucracy and expense in exercising one’s property rights. In practice, where Amendment 4 style laws exist, the process is mired in litigation.

In 2005, the RLCFL played a significant role in the successful statewide referendum to protect property owners from the use of eminent domain for private purposes. See also here and here for more details of RLC efforts on the successful Kelo remedy amendment.

At the Sunday night meeting, the board also considered several endorsements of candidates and announcements of new endorsements can be expected in the coming weeks.

Several Republican Liberty Caucus-endorsed candidates in Georgia either won their races or advanced to runoffs on Tuesday’s election in The Peach State.

Topping the list of runoff candidates is Karen Handel (pictured, left), who was one of two candidates endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus of Georgia Board of Directors for Governor. Handel will face Congressman Nathan Deal in the August 10 runoff election.

In Congressional District 12, voters will get a chance to choose between candidates Carl Smith (RLC endorsed) and Ray McKinney in the same runoff. The winner will face Congressman John Barrow (D).

In Congressional District 13, RLC-endorsed candidate Mike Crane will face off against Dr. Debra Honeycutt in a runoff. The winner will face Congressman David Scott (D).

In the Attorney General race, ex-Cobb County Commission chair Sam Olens will face State Sen. Preston Smith in the runoff. The Republican Liberty Caucus has endorsed Preston Smith.

The RLC-backed candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture, Gary Black, won his primary.

Jason Shepherd (pictured, right), a longtime Board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Georgia, won his State Representative primary in District 37 and will face Terry Johnson (D) in November.

For State Representative in District 180, RLC-endorsed candidate Jason Spencer has advanced to a runoff.

For a full list of RLC-backed candidates in Georgia, click here.

Congratulations to these candidates!

In a coordinated action the national board of the Republican Liberty Caucus and the California state chapter for the RLC have released press releases announcing endorsement of California’s Proposition 19 which would legalize marijuana for personal use while leaving taxing of sales of Marijuana up to local jurisdictions and the state legislature. This is a major initiative for individual liberty and could be the beginning of ending the drug war and violence on the border.

Polling has shown growing support for the ballot measure, which started with limited public awareness, but has been gathering endorsements from all quarters and is now showing over 50% support in many polls. RLC endorsee John Dennis who is challenging Nancy Pelosi for her congressional seat is quoted in the press releases and also supports Proposition 19.

Here is the National RLC’s press release:

Here is the California RLC’s press release:

And the California RLC’s resolution on Proposition 19:

Last week our friends at Students for Liberty participate in a debate with students from the Heritage Foundation.

Click here to view the entire debate, courtesy of the Cato Institute.

Who do you think won?

In a major effort to build a coalition of lawmakers who will bring common sense back to the State House, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire endorsed 61 candidates after reviewing the first round of surveys submitted through the state chapter website, http://www.rlcnh.org/survey.

“I am very excited about these candidates, because they are leaders who will bring common sense back to Concord—something that has been lacking for several years,” said Andrew Hemingway, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “Each one of these candidates will fight for lower taxes, less spending and limited government, and we will do everything we can to support them.”

RLCNH is unlike many groups that survey candidates since the caucus actually publishes its list of endorsed candidates before the primary in an effort to get them elected. Endorsed candidates will receive financial support, networking opportunities and the chance to use prepared campaign materials and services, such as Web site design and hosting services, talking-point memos and palm-card templates.

Endorsed candidates will also have the opportunity to build upon a shared RLCNH agenda called Common Sense for New Hampshire, which will build momentum in the Legislature for laws that will promote jobs and economic opportunity, fix health care in New Hampshire and empower parents and local communities.

In general, endorsed candidates are strong proponents of limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility and free enterprise. They have shown their dedication to these ideals with their score on RLCNH’s 20-question candidate survey and their reputation among liberty activists. Endorsed candidates must score 80 percent or higher on the survey and they must have a strong character recognized by their peers.

So far, about a quarter of the 468 Republican state representative and state senator candidates have responded to the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire candidate survey. The RLCNH board will continue to consider candidates who submit their surveys leading up to the primary, and will announce new endorsements as a group from time to time.

“I want to encourage all Republican candidates for office to identify their true affinity toward liberty for both their constituents and their peers by taking the RLCNH candidate survey,” Hemingway said. “This will help our caucus move New Hampshire forward once our candidates get elected. We are confident that candidates’ affiliation with the RLCNH will help them work closely together to restore the principles that made this state and nation great.”

The endorsed candidates include:

For State Senate:
Jim Forsythe, Senate District 4 (Strafford)
John Lewicke, Senate District 12 (Mason)
Andy Sanborn, Senate District 7 (Henniker)
Raymond White, Senate District 9 (Bedford)

For State Representative:
Mike Ball, Hillsborough 9 (Manchester)
Hon. J. Gail Barry, Hillsborough 16 (Manchester)
Robert E. Barry, Hillsborough 16 (Manchester)
Omer Beaudoin, Hillsborough 8 (Manchester)
Joseph W. Bendzinski, Cheshire 3 (Keene)
Jerry Bergevin, Hillsborough 17 (Manchester)
Spec Bowers, Sullivan 3 (Sunapee)
Lester W. Bradley, Grafton 4 (Thornton)
Harriet Cady, Rockingham 1 (Deerfield)
Jenn Coffey, Merrimack 6 (Andover)
Seth Cohn, Merrimack 6 (Canterbury)
Tim Comerford, Rockingham 9 (Fremont)
Steve Cunningham, Sullivan 2 (Croydon)
Jason A. Czekalski, Cheshire 7 (Rindge)
Cam DeJong, Hillsborough 9 (Manchester)
Jason Allen Dubrow, Merrimack 13 (Dunbarton)
Sheridan B. Folger, Strafford 5 (Dover)
Jim Headd, Rockingham 3 (Auburn)
JR Hoell, Merrimack 13 (Dunbarton)
Timothy Hogan, Hillsborough 23 (Nashua)
Rob Huxley, Hillsborough 3 (Greenville)
Daniel Itse, Rockingham 9 (Fremont)
Kyle Jones, Strafford 1 (Rochester)
Laura Jones, Strafford 1 (Rochester)
Tom Keane, Merrimack 13 (Bow)
Marie Lozito, Sullivan 4 (Claremont)
Linda Luhtala, Grafton 6 (Rumney)
Robert Luther, Belknap 4 (Laconia)
Leigh Macneil, Merrimack 4 (Hopkinton)
Andrew J. Manuse, Rockingham 5 (Derry)
Carol McGuire, Merrimack 8 (Epsom)
Daniel McGuire, Merrimack 8 (Epsom)
Bernhard McKay, Strafford 1 (Rochester)
Paul Mirski, Grafton 10 (Enfield)
Keith Murphy, Hillsborough 18 (Bedford)
Jeanine Notter, Hillsborough 19 (Merrimack)
William L. O’Brien, Hillsborough 4 (Mont Vernon)
Bill Ohm, Hillsborough 26 (Nashua)
Richard H. Olson Jr., Hillsborough 12 (Manchester)
Stephen Palmer, Hillsborough 6 (Milford)
Katherine Prudhomme-O’Brien, Rockingham 5 (Derry)
John Reagan, Rockingham 1 (Deerfield)
Jon Richardson, Merrimack 8 (Allenstown)
Laurie Sanborn, Merrimack 5 (Henniker)
Brian Seaworth, Merrimack 7 (Pembroke)
Steven Smith, Sullivan 5 (Charlestown)
Will Smith, Rockingham 18 (New Castle)
Greg Surbey, Hillsborough 24 (Nashua)
Robert M. Tarr, Hillsborough 12 (Manchester)
Jack Thorsen, Rockingham 16 (Portsmouth)
Stella Tremblay, Rockingham 3 (Auburn)
Mark Warden, Hillsborough 7 (Goffstown)

The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, a state chapter of the national Republican Liberty Caucus, was launched in December 2004 to promote and advance traditional Republican Party values, such as limited government, low taxes and spending, individual liberty, personal responsibility, free enterprise and loyalty to the U.S. and N.H. constitutions.

###

Contact: Andrew Hemingway, RLCNH Chair, 603-236-6720, akreins@gmail.com
RLCNH | 26 South Main Street, PMB 525, Concord, N.H. 03301 – info@rlcnh.org – www.rlcnh.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 14th, 2010
CONTACT: Dan Sheill, Endorsements Director at dsheill@hotmail.com or call 512-656-8011

Republican Liberty Caucus Endorses Three Congressional Candidates in Georgia
Endorsed Candidates Pledge to Implement Limited Government Agenda

AUSTIN, TX – The Republican Liberty Caucus, a national grassroots caucus which advocates limited government and individual liberty within the Republican Party, is proud to endorse three outstanding candidates in the upcoming Georgia Republican primary. Carl Smith (CD12), Kelly Nguyen (CD5) and Mike Crane (CD13) stand out among the congressional candidates running in Georgia this year as true champions of individual liberty, limited government and fiscal responsibility.

According to Republican Liberty Caucus Endorsements Director Dan Sheill, “Georgia has a long history of electing pro-liberty legislators like Bob Barr, John Linder and Paul Broun. We think that these candidates will continue that tradition and make a big contribution to reversing Democrat excess and bringing us closer to restoring our Constitutional principles in Washington and within the Republican Party.”

These candidates were selected based on their answers to questions on our candidate survey and at the recommendation of the Georgia chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus. Many candidates were reviewed but of the candidates for federal office only these three met our standards. The Georgia chapter has also made a number of recommendations for endorsements in state and local races which can be found on their website at http://www.gopliberty.org/.

This is a year when Liberty Republicans are becoming a major force in elections all over the country. The goal of the Republican Liberty Caucus is to elect at least six Senators and at least 30 Congressmen who are truly dedicated to the principles of small government, free enterprise and individual liberty. With a core of newly elected, principled representatives in Washington we can swing the debate away from the big government status quo and towards putting the best interests of the people first.

Republican Liberty Caucus National Chairman Dave Nalle observed that “These candidates represent the best the Republican Party has to offer. They do more than just pay lip service to the traditional GOP values of individual liberty and limited government and will bring desperately needed integrity back to our government. We urge voters to go to the polls in the primary and elect all of these candidates to send a clear message to Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama that we demand accountable government, protection of our rights and fiscal responsibility.”

In 1774 John Adams wrote that the revolution had been completed “in the minds of the people” before conflict ever broke out, and we believe that a similar revolution in attitude is taking place in the United States today. The people are no longer content to sit idly by and accept the dictates of out of control government. We are demanding better service and real accountability, and if we do not get it we will keep voting complacent and unresponsive office holders out until they get the message.

—-

The Republican Liberty Caucus is a 527 political organization committed to protecting the principles of individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise that once defined the Republican Party. The Caucus recruits and endorses candidates who support our agenda, work to elect limited-government Republicans to political office, and work to change the direction of the Republican Party to reflect members’ vision of peace and prosperity.

Learn more about the Republican Liberty Caucus at http://www.RLC.org.

California has drawn a lot of attention in the past because of its initiative and referendum system, which gets controversial issues on the ballot so that the voters of the state can make decisions their elected representatives are often afraid to take a position on. We’re going to see more fireworks this fall when Californians get to vote on Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010.

There are some rules and restrictions, but basically the proposed bill does exactly what the title says. It would legalize marijuana, regulate its sale, and tax it heavily to help out with California’s near-terminal deficit situation. It would make California the first state in the nation to move beyond just permitting some access to medical marijuana to full-scale and potentially profitable legalization. The other obvious consequences, like a decline in organized crime and moving billions from the underground economy to the public economy, would naturally follow.

Polls in California are tracking the issue closely and show a gathering momentum for legalization, though support is currently trailing opposition 48% to 50% in the latest Reuters poll. That’s within the margin of error and up substantially from where support was only a few weeks ago.

Because it’s not an electoral slam-dunk, politicians are not exactly lining up to endorse Proposition 19. In fact, once and (possibly) future Governor Jerry Brown has gone out of his way to distance himself from the issue, not only not endorsing it, but making some ridiculous statements in opposition to it which have earned him some hostile coverage from the left. It seems likely that in the upcoming meeting of the California Democratic Party they will follow his lead and decide as a party not to endorse legalization as well. They’ll lose voters to the Greens and the Libertarians and Meg Whitman will benefit as a result, and maybe having a businesswoman in charge will help out the financially troubled state.

Of course, this situation does create an opportunity for anyone smart enough to take advantage of it. The proposition is growing in popularity and just hanging out there with no formal backing outside of the legalization activist community. Wouldn’t it be amazing if the California Republican Party—which has occasionally made some very radical and unexpected decisions—were to take a serious look at the state’s dire financial need and the potential benefits of legalization and decide to endorse Proposition 19?

This scenario was laid out in a recent diary on DailyKos, which more than a few Republicans I talked to read and took seriously. Some were shocked and others were excited. The article is sarcastic and intended to make fun of various Republican concerns, but it accidentally reads rather like a believable account of real events. It’s fashionable among Republicans to butt heads with the federal government right now, and going against the drug war and declaring a sovereign right to regulate marijuana and profit from taxes on it would be a brilliant example of the kind of independence which a lot of Republican activists are pushing for.

Republicans are supposed to be fiscal conservatives and in favor of individual liberty, entrepreneurs, and businesses. A measure like this, which would raise billions in tax revenue and create a huge new business sector and lots of legitimate jobs, is exactly what California needs desperately, and no one is offering them a better solution. Rationally, Republicans ought to jump at the idea. All they need to do is put aside the archaic idea that marijuana is somehow more immoral than other sins we currently tolerate — a stance which looks pretty hypocritical at a political fundraiser while you’re chugging martinis.

As it stands right now the issue is up to the fickle voters and how much interest groups on both sides can influence the public (I wonder if the drug cartels have a PAC?). But if the Republican party stepped in with even a lukewarm endorsement it would shake California politics up and probably give them an unprecedented sweep in the general election. Voters from the left would cross over in droves and all the Republican party would have to do is make sure the also held on to their core constituents.

All they have to do to keep Republicans on board is make the argument on the grounds of states’ rights, individual liberty, and fiscal responsibility. I’ve made that argument with some of the most traditional Republicans I know and won over more than a few converts. If your mind is at all open it’s hard to reject the logic behind legalizing marijuana as an alternative to raising taxes. If it also means thumbing your noses at the feds then in the current environment it’s a real winner.

The California GOP doesn’t have to be this creative. They can stay in their safe little box and probably do respectably in the fall. It won’t be all that hard to beat Governor Moonbeam again. But in other states Republicans are anticipating extraordinary victories. A cautious strategy will leave California far behind other state Republican parties in the gains they rack up. Seizing the initiative and endorsing Proposition 19 would drive them to such a dominant victory over the Democrats that they would make history and leave every other state party green with envy.

Desperate times call for desperate measures and setting timidity aside. Why not be bold? Why not be defiant? Why not strike a blow for liberty?

On Thursday the Republican Liberty Caucus released the following press release on Afghanistan and Michael Steele’s recent comments.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8, 2010
CONTACT: Dave Nalle at 512-656-8011 or chairman@rlc.org

It’s time for Republicans to open a debate on the war in Afghanistan

When Chairman Steele brought up the war in Afghanistan he was talking about campaign strategies for Republican candidates, and broaching the possibility that some of them might not support a continued American presence in Afghanistan. Some Republicans have been shocked by this, but the Republican Liberty Caucus can assure the doubters that we have thousands of members and hundreds of candidates who share his doubts about the wisdom of expensive long-term military occupations and nation building programs. In particular, many question the practicality of dragging out the war in Afghanistan with no clear objective and little chance of any positive outcome at an unjustifiable cost to taxpayers.

“We haven’t always been impressed with Chairman Steele’s leadership in other areas, but in this instance it is refreshing that the leader of our party has shown he can sometimes think outside the box defined by those who irrationally reject any contrary views on foreign policy”, observed RLC board member Dan Sheill. “We wish he had stuck by his statement and not backed down so quickly.”

Chairman Steele was right to call this Obama’s war, because by choosing to continue it against all good sense the President has taken on responsibility for the costs and the consequences of the war. This creates an opportunity for Republican candidates to stand up for fiscal responsibility, smarter foreign policy and more efficient use of the military by running against Obama and his war. Ronald Reagan won the Cold War because he understood that the best use of our military is to use it as a deterrent and to let our enemies wear themselves out with military adventurism and risky long term deployments. We are now making the same mistake that the Soviet Union made. Do we want to suffer the same fate?

“We are not the world’s policeman, we are not the world’s babysitter and we’re not the world’s social worker,” said RLC Chairman Dave Nalle. “America is a great and charitable country, but we should remember how the Soviet Union was brought down by overreaching ambition, and realize that we can no longer afford to bear the world’s burdens alone. Michael Steele has opened up the debate on Afghanistan. It’s time for sensible Republicans to take the lead on this issue and express their dissatisfaction with this unjustifiably expensive war which no longer serves its intended purpose.”

–30–

The Republican Liberty Caucus is a nationwide grassroots organization which promotes individual liberty and limited government within the Republican Party. You can find more information about the Republican Liberty Caucus at www.rlc.org.

Michael Steele (pictured with Florida RLC Vice Chairman Steve Smith) is in trouble.

This time he criticized a never-ending undeclared war, saying (correctly) that it is not a war the American people are interested in supporting. He further stated that the war doesn’t make much sense.

Chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele is correct on these points. Predictably, neo-conservative pundit William Kristol and Congressman Tom Cole (primary opponent of RLC-endorsed candidate RJ Harris) have called for Chairman Steele to resign.

Congressman Ron Paul, Adviser to the Republican Liberty Caucus, put out a statement in support of Steele’s comments.

Here is Congressman Paul’s speech on the House floor from last week in opposition to the continued U.S. presence in Afghanistan:

The question remains: When will this unsustainable, undeclared war end?

In the interim, congratulations to Chairman Michael Steele for questioning the Bush/Obama policy of endless foreign interventionism.