This has been a long campaign for liberty and many people have earned our thanks.  Republican Liberty Caucus members played leading roles on every front in 2012 – running for office, working on campaigns, donating unprecedented amounts of money to our federal PAC, helping to promote and fundraise for candidates and serving as delegates to state conventions and ultimately the national convention in Tampa where we were witnesses to the beginnings of the events which culminated in this week’s historic defeat for the Republican Party establishment.  You worked hard with little respect or reward for a cause whose victory sometimes seemed distant and in peril.

There are many who are claiming that this election was a massive defeat for the Republican Party, but after studying the results for two days I’m surprised to be able to report what looks like some major victories for the liberty movement within the party.  Yes, the party took it on Mitt Romney’s chiseled chin, but the party’s losses are not necessarily our losses and while I certainly would have liked to have done better, in comparison to the party as a whole our candidates and our issues fared remarkably well.

Perhaps the most significant victory is a sign of change to come  While the party lost seats in both houses of Congress, the balance of power shifted and liberty candidates gained seats while the party was losing them.  Our endorsees and other sympathetic candidates now control a larger number of seats in both houses of Congress than ever before.  We lost only one incumbent House member and gained at least two solid seats in the Senate while the party lost 3 and gained more seats in the House than the party as a whole lost, effectively doubling the significance of our wins.  The failure of the party leadership and the Romney campaign did suppress turnout and that flowed down to races at lower levels, costing some of our most promising candidates wins they might have had in better years.   Yet 2014 is just around the corner and I expect many of those same candidates to run again and in an off year election we can anticipate the same kind of strong results we had in 2010 and more.

Two RLC candidates won new seats for liberty in the Senate, Ted Cruz (TX) and past endorsee Jeff Flake (AZ).  Four new liberty candidates took seats in the House, including RLC endorsees Steve Stockman (TX-36), Kerry Bentivolio (MI-11), Thomas Massie (KY-4) and Ted Yoho (FL-3) who was overlooked for endorsement.  Many previously endorsed candidates won reelection in the House, including Justin Amash, Tom McClintock, Walter Jones, Jim Jordan, Mick Mulvaney and others.  Perhaps most significantly hundreds of our endorsees won or held onto seats in state government, giving us a very deep bench to run for higher office going into the 2014 election.  Many other great candidates ran strong campaigns and came awfully close to winning, but the weakness of the national campaign and lack of support from state and national party organizations were challenges they couldn’t overcome.  With more independent funding and resources we expect them to do much better in 2014.

We also saw victories on key issues in several states.  Marijuana was legalized in Colorado and Washington and decriminalized in Massachusetts, which is likely to lead to a very important showdown over state sovereignty as the Obama administration and the DEA crack down on those states attempt to form independent drug policy.  In addition, Washington, Maryland and Maine voted to legalize same-sex marriage, a clear challenge to the unconstitutional federal Defense of Marriage Act, and while we prefer a non-governmental solution to the marriage issue, the passage of these propositions was at least a politically achievable step towards greater liberty for more people.  Less publicized but possibly equally important, Alabama, Montana and Wyoming voted on initiatives to nullify aspects of Obamacare within their borders, another development likely to provoke a constitutional showdown with the Obama administration.  It’s not going to be an easy four years for the president or his unconstitutional abuses of power.

Finally, after the attacks on the grassroots of the party launched by the Romney campaign, party leaders and special interests, in many ways a Romney defeat is a victory for Liberty Republicans.  In the long term it may benefit us more than defeating Obama would have.  The party establishment and the special interests which back them placed all their bets on Romney and his failure was their failure as well.  They have lost credibility with all the grassroots groups in the party and they are saddled with the blame for the abuses of power and bad choices which led to this debacle.  Now everyone knows what we have known for years.  If the Republican Party is to survive it needs a substantive change of leadership and a return to principles which can win elections.

After this election it is much more likely that our next presidential nominee will have strong liberty principles and Rand Paul’s stock as a presidential contender is way up.  We should also expect to see the party distance itself from single issue voters on the religious right and a deemphasis of divisive social issues.  This might well be the jolt the party needs to become the fiscally conservative and socially tolerant party which it needs to be in order to win and if it doesn’t happen quickly, we’re here to give change a push.

While this may not be the time for open celebration, this election has created many opportunities to expand the liberty movement within the Republican Party and our voices will be stronger and our opponents weaker than every before as we start a new political cycle.  We have more members with substantial campaign experience, we have better campaign funding channels and we have more experienced candidates.  Plus the Obama administration will supply us with plenty of opportunities for issue activism which can raise the profile of RLC leaders and our pro-liberty, small government agenda.

I’m looking forward to two years of great opportunities for growing liberty and winning key victories in the ongoing campaign to reclaim the Republican Party and make it the vehicle for the restoration of the Republic.

Early this morning, after a long struggle with cancer, Russell Means went to join his ancestors from his family’s ranch in Porcupine, South Dakota. Russell was an inspirational leader, not just for Native Americans but for those of all races and backgrounds who believe that life demands that we be free. As a writer, an activist and as an performer Russell touched many people and leaves behind a unique legacy in those he inspired to live free. His message that what government has done to his people would one day be the fate of all people if government was not checked was prophetic and must be remembered.

“Increment by increment…you have allowed your country to implement Indian law in the United States of America. American government since the inception of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1824 has been busy practicing and perfecting its policies on us and then exporting them to the world and bringing them home to roost ont he backs of the American people.”

Russell Means was born on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Sioux Reservation in 1939. His family moved to California where he graduated from San Leandro High School. He then attended Oakland City College and Arizona State. Russell became involved with the American Indian Movement after meeting co-founder Dennis Banks while working as the Director of Cleveland’s American Indian Center. During the early 1970s he led AIM to stage many protests, the most prominent of which was the 71 day occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973. He also took part in “The Longest Walk” march in 1978 to protest anti-Indian legislation including the forced sterilization of Indian women. This lead to the passage of a resolution in Congress declaring that Indians had the right “to believe, express and exercise their traditional religions, including but not limited to access to sites, use and possession of sacred objects, and the freedom to worship through ceremonials and traditional rites.”

Russell went on to write inspirational books, record two collections of protest songs, speak all over the country and appear in a number of movies including Last of the Mohicans and Pocahontas. He was active in the Libertarian Party and served as South Dakota coordinator for the Republican Liberty Caucus. Russell became the face of the Indian rights movement in America and an advocate for liberty for all peoples of all nations. The Los Angeles Times described him as the most famous American Indian since Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.

His spirit will stalk the land like a giant so long as we remain strong in our belief in liberty and continue to take the fight he championed to the halls of power in every state and in the nation’s capital.

Its an exciting time to be a Republican.  Americans have called on the Republican Party to return to it’s basic principles of protecting liberty, promoting individual responsibility and confining government to its constitutionally mandated duties. Limited government is always undermined by those in both major political parties who seek to eliminate our choice as consumers, to sacrifice our liberties and to invade our personal lives.  There are many in both parties who recklessly spend tax money and borrowed funds to curry favor with narrow interests and to protect entrenched establishments. That’s why a group of concerned Republicans have decided to form the Republicans Liberty Caucus of Colorado.  At a time when so much new energy has infused the Republican party we, who stand for liberty and against more spending, have an opportunity to transform the party and our government. But we must organize to win in the electoral system. As a state chapter of the national Republican Liberty Caucus, we represent a growing movement within the Republican Party that is dedicated to limited government, fiscal sanity, the rule of law and the freedom to choose.

• Working within the State Republican Party and with conservative organizations to identify, recruit and support candidates for state and local government who hold to our principles.
• Monitoring legislative activity to make elected Republican accountable to the principles on which they campaigned.
• Encouraging our members to participate in the Republican party organization and promoting membership in RLC among party leadership.

This can be a time of growth and renewal for the Republican Party.  Many unaffiliated voters and disaffected republicans share the values of Republican Liberty Caucus but have had very few elected officials to speak on their behalf.  Through our efforts, we will provide them with a political home and make their voices  heard.   Wehope you’ll join us!

Recently, news came out that Mitt Romney’s effective tax rate was 14%. While that is higher than 97% of the American people, the universal outcry from the left was that Romney didn’t pay enough in taxes. Not so, Romney really ought to have paid no taxes at all. How could I say such a thing? Well, almost all of his income was from investment returns, and there should be no taxes on investments. The capital gains and dividends tax rates should both be 0%. Taxing capital gains and dividends is double taxation. A corporation’s earnings were already taxed — usually at a 35% marginal rate. Profits paid in the form of dividends  paid directly to investors were already taxed. Taxing it again is double-taxation. Profits not paid out as dividends increases a company’s value and is reflected in a company’s stock price.  So, as stock prices go higher, that too is also based on after-tax earnings — so capital gains are also double taxed. Either way, an investor bears the cost of taxes on corporate profits. In Romney’s case, he invested money  into various companies. That money was used to grow those companies and that growth was taxed through corporate taxes. Then, Romney was taxed once again through capital gains and dividend taxes. His 14% effective tax rate ignores the taxes he paid through corporate taxes. Beyond the fundamental unfairness (I love turning that leftist phrase against them) of taxing earnings twice , it’s just bad for economic growth. Economies don’t grow without capital investment, and we should remove every artificial barrier that discourages capital investment. If we want more jobs, we need profitable businesses and new innovation. To get that, we need capital investment to provide the real economic resources to fuel new ventures and expansion. And the higher the capital gains tax rate, the more it discourages risk taking and the less economic growth and innovation we get. Mitt Romney’s investments created jobs and new products and services that benefit consumers. We should cheer his investments instead of taxing it multiple times. We need to encourage more investments like that by eliminating the capital gains and dividends taxes entirely. While it’s tragic that Mitt Romney had to pay so much in taxes, the real loser in this deal is us. We could have enjoyed more new innovative products, more jobs, and a better standard of living had those investments not been taxed twice.

RNC Changing the Rules to Minimize Grassroots Efforts?
Crete, NE – Republicans taking part in the Republican National Convention in Tampa may have more on their plate than expected. Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac descends upon the area, but the bigger storm may be inside the convention center.
What should have been a convention lightly spiced with minor contention from the liberty wing of the Party, followed by a celebration as the Party unified under the Romney-Ryan ticket, seems to have become a battle of “establishment” vs. the “grassroots.”
“A cornerstone belief of the Republican Party,” says Laura Ebke, RLC-Nebraska Chair, “is the notion that we have checks and balances, and that we operate under republican pinciples.”
“I’ve been involved in Republican politics for as long as I can remember,” said Ebke. “I have vivid memories as a child of going to county conventions, and believing that local level political involvement was valuable to the Party. And now, I have to wonder whether today’s Republican Party cares about the grassroots anymore.”
At issue are two proposed rules, Rule 12 and 15, which would effectively minimize the input of the party’s rank and file, and put even more power in the hands of party leaders and wealthy special interests. This governing structure is no unlike that of the Democratic Party, which is much more top down than bottom up, noted Ebke.
“As I read these rules, I can’t help but believe that it effectively stomps out grassroots efforts, and will be especially harmful to the party in small counties around the state. I hope that Nebraska’s delegation will vote NO on the rules changes,” said Ebke.
The Republican Liberty Caucus, as well as a number of Tea Party related groups—including FreedomWorks—are working today to lobby RNC delegates around the country, before the vote on the Rules is taken on Tuesday.

Whenever the so-called progressive mindset is challenged in modern debate, big-government supporters turn to 20th century welfare programs, which they say led to our country’s great success. If anything, these programs and their modern iterations, such as Obamacare, have held back the country—and more importantly, its citizens—from progressing further than we have.

Our nation is now in decline because we are spending more money than we can print on progressive entitlement programs that encourage dependency on government rather than hard work, innovation and discovery. Even our state is struggling to stay afloat because the progressives in state government have convinced us to collect as many federal grants as we can, even if we lose 25 cents on the dollar and get heavy strings attached to the 75 cents we receive.

As of the most recent count, nearly 110 million people—more than a third of our population—received a welfare benefit in 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This figure doesn’t include subsidies such as the Earned Income Tax Credit or the health insurance premiums in the president’s progressive health insurance law. The latter program will add 25 million people who receive premium subsidies by 2020, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Is this the progress that progressives are working toward? Do they intend for every citizen to depend on the federal government for their care, with the states simply serving as subsidiary organizations? What freedom will citizens have to pursue their own interests when everything is paid for and controlled by the government? What fulfilling charity, paid for and executed by real people, will remain? Will any real human progress result if individuals are compelled to act according to the whims of a centralized government rather than the dictates of their own conscience?

Only liberty lived out by a moral people, which conservatism seeks to preserve, can truly lead to progress. Liberty means government stays out of the way while individuals take risks and even fail—sometimes repeatedly. After all, one lost opportunity creates a new one, and opportunity, properly grasped and cultivated, will always lead to human advancement. These advancements benefit everyone because they generate wealth, which not only allows people to create jobs and opportunities for others to work toward their own well-being, but also provides more people the resources to privately help those less fortunate, which we know is the most humane way to provide for the needs of those most vulnerable in our society.

In traditional America and traditional New Hampshire, which conservatives desire and groups such as the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire seek to restore, government’s job is to make sure no one is taking what doesn’t belong to them, that no one is using coercion to get what they want, and that no one is conspiring to prevent others from trying to improve on what they’ve already done. This limited government allows people to achieve as much as they’re able and keep the fruits of that achievement, which inspires them to achieve more.

Contrary to what so-called progressives will have you believe, these conservative ideas are actually quite revolutionary when put into the context of human history. It is a new idea that common men and women should be able to achieve the good life according to their ability, that they should keep the property they’ve earned and do with it what they wish, and that they should elect their own leaders who are held to the same legal standards to make sure no one person takes advantage of government for their personal benefit. Unfortunately, while a relatively new idea, human liberty has been short lived.

Progressivism has been creeping into America since the day our forefathers signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783, but it has become most pronounced within the past 100 years—since we lost our ability to trade with real money following the creation of the Federal Reserve bank, allowed for direct federal taxation, and destroyed the delicate state-federal balance via direct election of U.S. Senators. Ever since then, an American ruling class has slowly grown in power as the remaining Americans have slowly lost their wealth, their power and their freedom.

Most governments that we’ve observed since the rise of man have been large and oppressive like ours has become, preserving the good life for a small group of people who hold the rest in mediocrity, dependence, and inevitably, injustice and oppression. This is the oldest system in human history: a type of totalitarianism that shows complete disrespect for human dignity. It is this system that is endemic to the so-called progressive philosophy today.

We seek to conserve and restore what is really a new idea—the ideas of limited government, individual liberty and personal responsibility, which once led to the most prosperous people the Earth had ever known.

Dear Congressman Scott,

Last week I attended a meeting of the Dorchester County GOP, as I regularly do, and I appreciate that you took time out of your schedule to come and visit us and keep us up to speed on how things are going in the U.S. House. During your remarks, you hit on many key points, and one in particular that struck me as exceptional in comparison to the average politician. Rather than just pointing out how bad the Democrats are, you asserted that we Republicans need to improve our marketing of our message of conservative principles and American Values. You said (paraphrased):

“We have to stop talking just about the current election cycle and we need to present a long term plan for America. We should talk about 30 year goals, and give people an idea of where we want to take this Country.”

I absolutely agree. This is the difference between petty partisan politics and real leadership. This is the kind of thing that can win over not only the independent voters, but the trust of the American people. If this mission is carried out honestly, genuinely, and enthusiastically then the GOP won’t just win elections, it will win back the direction of the country, and hopefully restore freedom and the American way.

The question before us is: what is the long term vision? What is the 30 year plan?

I urge you to consider this question very carefully, and to not answer too hastily, bending to the influences of the current political moment. Do not create a plan that emphasizes “less government” or “more competition” and don’t use blanket answers such as “return to Christian values.” Do not mince words, do not present patchwork solutions, do not aim for the easily attainable. Nobody was ever inspired by pragmatism or compromise. No, people are inspired by ideas, integrity, honesty, consistency, and bold solutions that are based on right and wrong, not “popular right now.”

The truth of our current situation is that most people aren’t tuned in to Politics. Most people aren’t card-carrying members of the Republican or Democrat party. Most people don’t really follow the issues that closely, and really, who can blame them? What is there to be inspired about with our current state of partisan bickering, special interest lobbying, and endless thousand page bills that nobody reads?

I ask you to recognize that one of the most inspiring documents in history, the Declaration of Independence, does not say that we have the right to “more life” or “more liberty” or “more pursuit of happiness.” It says that we all have the unalienable right to our own life, our own liberty, and our own pursuit of happiness. It doesn’t say that, when a government violates those rights, the solution is “less government.” On the contrary, it says that when the government crosses those boundaries, we should remove the government!

Don’t take me the wrong way, I’m not asking you to introduce a bill to dissolve the government. What I am requesting is that as you formulate your 30 year plan to restore prosperity and freedom, you do not partake in the same sort of political thought that has dominated the discourse at the federal level for so long. I’m asking that when you present a picture of what things will look like 30 years from now it doesn’t leave every government institution in place with simply minor adjustments, tinkering around the edges, with some reductions. I’m asking you to plant yourself firmly in the perspective of individual rights and examine each and every aspect of the federal government and ask the fundamental question: is this the proper role of government?

If not, then take out your eraser, and wipe that particular function, or regulation, or department off of your long term vision. If it is wrong, just remove it. Then figure out a transition that will take us from today, to a future without that injustice. Do you want to inspire Americans to vote for Republicans to restore prosperity and freedom? If so, then show them a future where wrongs are eliminated, not simply reduced. Give us a vision that inspires our support, so that people will vote for Republicans, not just against Democrats.

As an example, let’s take the income tax. During every election in my life, Republicans have said that they won’t raise taxes. Sometimes they even say they are going to lower taxes! Unfortunately, that rarely happens. But is this really a message that inspires people? If a robber robbed you every month, then one month decided to tell you “don’t worry, next time I wont’ take quite as much” would that really make you feel any better about the situation? I doubt it.

When you set out your 30 year plan, you have the opportunity to propose the elimination of the income tax! After all, taking property from people just because they are productive can’t be rationalized as morally right. We also can’t say that we live in a capitalist country when people earn a paycheck and the government takes a large chunk of it, otherwise known as potential capital savings. So don’t offer us a vision that says you will “lower the income tax.” Instead paint a picture where we live in a free country, without an income tax, where the common man can accumulate capital! Of course we can’t do this over night, but we didn’t have an income tax until 1913, so surely you can come up with a plan that will abolish it over a 30 year span.

I could go on with many examples such as this but I think my point has been made. I appreciate your time and the amount of effort you put into communicating with your constituents. I hope that this message finds you well, and that it inspires you to be bold, and to fight for those principles that made this country great.

Sincerely,
Tom Utley

 

Pro-Liberty Caucus Announces Congressional Endorsements

Bills, Hernandez, Fields and Byberg will be advocates for sensible, constitutional government

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 20, 2012

CONTACT: Norann Dillon, 763-516-1175 or info@rlcmn.org

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Today, the Republican Liberty Caucus [rlc.org] and its Minnesota Chapter [rlcmn.org] jointly announced endorsements for four Congressional candidates who will sincerely uphold the oath to protect and defend the Constitution.