The Republican Liberty Caucus of Virginia hosted its 2011 State Convention this Saturday in Arlington. The Convention featured three speakers: Delegate Rich Anderson, U.S. Senate candidate Tim Donner, U.S. House candidate Ken Vaughn, and State Senate candidate Robert Sarvis.

Each of the candidates talked about their campaigns and Del. Anderson talked about his work in the legislature.

About 30 people attended the event, which was held in northern Virginia. At the business session, members elected the following officers and board members:

George Primbs, Chairman
Steven Latimer, Vice Chair
Robert Kenyon, Secretary
Cliff Dunn, Treasurer
Nick Cote, Rick Sincere, Mitchell Bemos (At-Large Board members)
Eric Brescia, Shelby McCurnin (Alternate Board members)

Thank you to the RLCVA speakers and to our newly elected RLCVA Board!

A draft of the new RLCVA website can be found online and photos of the event follow.

U.S. Senate candidate Tim Donner spoke to RLCVA members.

Virginia RLC members look on.

Delegate Rich Anderson of the Woodbridge area spoke to RLC members

Aaron with Tim Donner.

Tea Party Seen As Key Political Force
Harvard Crimson by Caleb J. Thompson, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Published: Wednesday, April 27, 2011

A panel of journalists and political activists agreed that the Tea Party has become an increasingly important force in American politics at a discussion entitled “The Tea Party: What’s Brewing for the Budget Battle and the Ballot Box,” hosted by the Institute of Politics yesterday.

The speakers focused on the Tea Party’s origins and how it will factor into the current budget debate as well as the upcoming presidential election.

“It’s time for the Republic to return to the people’s hands,” said Andrew Hemingway, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. He was joined by Jenny Beth Martin, national coordinator and co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, CNN reporter and producer Shannon Travis, and New York Times political correspondent Kate Zernike.

The discussion was moderated by IOP Director C. M. Trey Grayson ’94.

Hemingway and Martin made the point throughout the evening that the Tea Party is a grassroots organization and adheres to three strict values: fiscal responsibility, limited government, and free markets.

The panelists were all largely in agreement over what the Tea Party is, but they disagreed over its political potential.

“The knife cuts both ways,” Travis said, adding that the group was in danger of becoming a victim of its own prodigious growth.

“The tea party’s success and tactics have given fodder to their critics,” he added, questioning the organization’s ability to influence politics at a national as well as at a state level.

Zernike said that those politicians elected through Tea Party support might be forced to choose between answering the demands of the group and the wider demands of Americans at large.

The real question, she said, was not what the Tea Party has achieved already, but what it will do next.

All the panelists were in general agreement that the next two years will be very important for the Tea Party. But the debate became more heated once the floor was opened up for questions.

When one questioner mentioned alleged sponsorship of the Tea Party by the Koch brothers—two wealthy industrialists who are often associated with Republican causes—Hemingway jokingly asked if the questioner knew the brothers and could get them to send him a check.

Following the event, several audience members said they were pleased with the quality of the discussion.

“The panel solidified many of the beliefs I already had,” said Ben Grivno, an audience member and self-described Tea Party activist.

Luciana E. Milano ’14 said she was glad to attend a contentious panel. “I was excited to see the bickering,” she said.

(c) 2011, Harvard Crimson.

Below are some photos from the RLC National Convention, which took place on February 12, 2011 in Arlington, Virginia. See also: Page 1 photos; Convention Summary

Jason, Phil, Angela, and others at CPAC.

Republican Liberty Caucus members in Massachusetts held a successful charter-petitioning event this past Monday. Members of the MassRLC Organizing Committee, along with RLC member Karla Romero, hosted an event at Vlora in Boston to collect signatures of RLC members from across the state. Members of the organization gathered to petition the RLC Board of Directors to officially charter the Massachusetts chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus.

MassRLC Organizing Committee members Kevin Martin and Shelly Ortelt were on-hand to lay out a direction for the organization, explain to the members the structure of the organization and describe the types of projects the MassRLC will be focusing on. In addition, proposals for action on a few local legislative issues were given as near-term goals. The event culminated with the members in attendance signing the official petition to charter the MassRLC and voting in an interim board for the organization:

• Chair: Kevin Martin
• Vice-Chair: Shelly Ortelt
• Secretary: Keith Messina
• Treasurer: Kamal Jain

The Massachuestts RLC Organizing Committee would like to thank the members who attended for making it out to Vlora for this special event and Karla Romero for helping to organize the event. The National RLC would like to thank Ed and Marie Lopez-Reyes for serving as liaisons between the National chapter and the prospective Massachusetts affiliate as well as the Massachusetts RLC Organizing Committee — and in particular Shelly and Kevin.

The next steps will be to submit the charter application to the RLC Board of Directors and call to order the first executive board meeting.  We encourage you to join the Mass RLC Facebook group and the Mass RLC Yahoogroup to keep up to date on future activities.  Please join the RLC today!

Wisconsin RLC Praises Governor Scott Walker’s Budget Repair Bill
State RLC Congratulates Endorsed Legislators, Governor

Yesterday, the Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin, which has made state and national news as a result of several prominent events in their state over the past year, issued a statement supporting Governor Scott Walker’s budget repair bill.

Wisconsin RLC Chairman Michael S. Murphy of Milwaukee spoke in strong support of the repair bill. “The RLC-WI supports Governor Scott Walker and the Republican Legislation in their efforts to curtail runaway government spending. We also want to commend these brave lawmakers for standing strong against oppositional union forces, which have resulted in numerous threats to their safety already. The RLC-WI stands behind this effort 100% and we hope that not one Republican Legislator waivers in their decision to support this bill before it is made into law.”

Murphy continued, “We are especially proud of the seven RLC-WI endorsed State Representatives, who recently took office after winning their respective elections in November. They are truly upholding the RLC standard and keeping their committed promises to reduce government spending.” (Note: Wisconsin RLC Vice Chair Terri McCormick, who recently spoke at the RLC National Convention in DC, is herself a former three-term State Representative.)

The Wisconsin RLC continues to be the only voice for limited government and individual liberty in the Republican Party in Wisconsin. Governor Scott Walker has exceeded the Wisconsin RLC’s expectations and wishes the Governor well in the coming weeks.

Photo above: Wisconsin RLC members gathered in 2009 to form their state chapter.

Florida RLC Applauds Governor Rick Scott’s High Speed Rail Decision
State RLC Issues Press Release and Congratulatory Letter

Florida Governor Rick Scott’s decision not to accept a $2.4 billion federal grant for a high speed rail project was a “courageous choice”, according to a congratulatory letter sent today from the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida.

In the letter, Florida RLC Chairman Matthew Nye told the governor, “When you spoke an RLC event back in September, you promised you would be making the tough decisions to get Florida back in fiscal order. With this decision, you are doing just that — and we commend you.”

The letter cites the recent Reason Foundation study titled “The Tampa to Orlando High Speed Rail Project: A Florida Taxpayer Risk Assessment,” which suggests the ultimate cost of the project could exceed expectations by $3 billion and these overruns would be borne by Florida taxpayers.

As noted by Florida RLC Vice Chairman John Stevens, the other issue at stake is our responsibility to demand fiscal responsibility at the federal level of government. “With a $13 trillion dollar national debt and deficits as far as the eye can see, state governors and legislators must send an unequivocal message to Washington DC that spending beyond our means — even if it would benefit their state — is no longer acceptable.”

A thank you letter was also mailed to Senate President Mike Haridopolos, who announced today he would stand by the governor’s decision. The press release was sent to about 90 media outlets across the state.

To let your legislators know how you feel on this issue, go here.

Florida RLC members gathered in 2009 to protest tax-increasing High Speed Rail. They just obtained a victory when Governor Rick Scott, an ally of the Florida RLC, blocked the rail plan.

Below are some photos from the RLC National Convention, which took place on February 12, 2011 in Arlington, Virginia. See also: Photos, Page 2

Members of the Utah RLC with Governor Gary Johnson.

NYC Councilman Dan Halloran and 3 former State Representatives (Jamie Callender, Terri McCormick, Ken Lindell) discussed how liberty legislators can get elected and the challenges they face once serving.

Justin Amash addressed the RLC Delegates.

Professor Randy Barnett was a Convention Keynote Speaker.

RLC members mingling with Congressman Amash.

Vic Berardelli, Maine RLC Vice Chair, presents his "Politics Guy" training.

Lois Kaneshiki, Cindy Jones, Laura Ebke, and Dave Nalle discuss the Republican Party.

Bill Redpath, Paul Jacob, Philip Blumel, and Nick Cote discuss constitutional reforms.

Delegates contemplate the Bylaws and Statement of Principles.

Delegates at the RLC Business Session.

Megan and Chris Doss of the Leadership Institute

New York City Councilman Dan Halloran is interviewed by RLC Virginia Board member Rick Sincere for the blogosphere.

RLC Chair and RLC Vice-Chair speak briefly with Professor Randy Barnett.

Gov. Gary Johnson spoke about his track record as New Mexico Governor.

Peter Schiff spoke about the financial future of our country.

Tom Walls, an original RLC member, holds up a liberty art piece created by Laura Crockett -- who presented it to Aaron Biterman at the RLC Awards Banquet.

It’s hard to believe, but the RLC celebrated its twenty year anniversary over the weekend with its biennial Republican Liberty Caucus National Convention and outreach effort at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

The activities began on Wednesday evening when RLC’ers Dave Nalle, Aaron Biterman, George Primbs, Shelby McCurnin, and Julian Babbitt set up the CPAC outreach booth. On Thursday, the day began bright and early with Republican Liberty Caucus outreach efforts at CPAC. This marked the first RLC outreach efforts at the conference in almost a decade.

Dave Nalle brought impressive RLC literature, pins, and t-shirts to distribute to attendees. RLC’ers used the World’s Smallest Political Quiz to help attendees identify their political leanings. Throughout the two-day conference, members and supporters of the RLC wore “I am the RLC” stickers and RLC pins to express unity and shared commitment to individual liberty and limited government.

Some RLC members attended speeches by Ron Paul, Rand Paul, Governor Gary Johnson, and events hosted by those three leaders of the libertarian Republican movement. On Thursday evening, both Johnson and the Pauls had their own respective events. On Friday, both Ron Paul and Gary Johnson spoke before CPAC attendees and were well received. On Saturday, the straw poll results from the CPAC conference were announced, with Ron Paul placing first with thirty percent and Gary Johnson placing third (after Mitt Romney) with six percent.

Clearly the momentum at CPAC has shifted over the past two years. The RLC is pleased with the inclusiveness of the CPAC event and is very excited about how popular the liberty message is with CPAC attendees. Congratulations to Dr. Ron Paul for placing first in the CPAC straw poll for the second year in a row!

On Saturday, Republican Liberty Caucus members from across the country — over 125 liberty activists from more than 30 states — gathered to attend the RLC National Convention. The day opened up with a presentation on libertarianism from an expert on the topic, Cato Institute Executive VP David Boaz.

After Mr. Boaz answered questions, a panel about the Tea Party’s relationship to Ron Paul and libertarian ideas ensued. The panel, moderated by Corie Whalen and including former RLC National Board member Dr. Murray Sabrin, columnist Todd Seavey, Ron Paul campaign veteran Joe Seehusen, and Tea Party organizer Chip Tarbutton, was well very timely considering the possibility of both Ron Paul and Gary Johnson running for President in 2012.

Also in the morning session, Christopher Doss of the Leadership Institute gave a presentation about communication skills and a group of RLC members who are active in their local Republican Parties discussed how to form RLC state chapters and influence the party organizations.

One highlight of the day was the panel of current and former elected liberty Republicans. The panel featured three former State Representatives, Ken Lindell of Maine, Terri McCormick of Wisconsin, and Jamie Callender of Ohio, as well as New York City Councilman Dan Halloran (see photo below).

Congressman Justin Amash, the second youngest member of Congress and a fan favorite of RLC members, met with RLC delegates while discussing the current Congress during the lunch session. Representative Amash is cautiously optimistic. World famous Professor Randy Barnett, the most notable intellectual critic of the Obamacare health law, presented his ideas related to “The Libertarian Roots of the Republican Party,” which centered on Salmon P. Chase.

The afternoon sessions focused on civil liberties, privacy, the War on Drugs, foreign policy, how to run a winning campaign, and constitutional reforms. Panelists discussed voting methods like Instant Runoff Voting, ballot access laws, term limits, recall, and initiative & referendum.

Gary Johnson won the 2012 RLC Presidential Straw Poll with 45 percent of the vote to Ron Paul’s 38 percent of the vote. Newt Gingrich received five percent and other candidates totaled ten percent.

The recommended Bylaw, Statement of Principles, and Rule changes were adopted without modification — with one exception: Proposed Amendment to Article III, Section 6 was modified to the following wording: “Any membership may be suspended or revoked by a majority vote of the Board of Directors of the Caucus or the applicable Chartered State executive committee for just cause, which may include malfeasance in office, misappropriation of funds, misrepresenting the positions of the Caucus, or conduct which reflects poorly on the Caucus, or conduct which reflects poorly on the Caucus. Any member suspended or revoked by a State charter organization shall have the right to appeal to the National Board of Directors within 90 days, and the National Board of Directors shall render a decision within 90 days of notification.” Delegates added a statement defending Personal Liberties to the RLC Statement of Principles.

The following individuals were elected to positions on the RLC National Committee: Dave Nalle (TX), Chair; Aaron Biterman (VA), Vice Chair; Jason Hellenberg (FL), Secretary; Matthew Nye (FL), Treasurer; and Ed Lopez-Reyes (NH), Bill Westmiller (CA), and Corie Whalen (TX) were elected At-Large Board members. Regional directors will be selected by state RLC chapters within 30 days after the Convention. Alternate Board members elected included Aleq Boyle (GA), Shelby McCurnin (VA), Jeff Palmer (NC), Erik Setzer (FL), John Underwood (NC), and Eric Wall (FL).

Delegates adjourned until dinner. The dinner portion of the Convention was particularly exciting. The co-keynote speakers were Peter Schiff, who gave booming yet pessimistic predictions about the future, and Governor Gary Johnson, who outlined what he did in New Mexico. Both speeches were very well received and showed the different styles of the two speakers.

Veteran RLC member Cliff Thies presented “Bye, Bye Miss American Pie” as “Bye, Bye Miss Liberty Bye,” which prompted an audience sing-along. And Laura Crockett, a longtime RLC member from California, presented a very special pictorial history of the Republican Liberty Caucus.

Convention award winners included: Aaron Biterman (Virginia RLC), Chairman’s Award for Service; Laura Ebke (Nebraska RLC), Outstanding Activist; Michael S. Murphy (Wisconsin RLC), Activist of the Year; and the New Hampshire RLC, Most Successful State Chapter of 2010.

After dinner, Convention attendees were joined by Campaign for Liberty members and other assorted liberty activists at Baileys Pub in Ballston (Arlington) for a reception hosted by the Virginia RLC. The after-party featured Governor Gary Johnson playing RLC’ers in checkers (and apparently winning!) and was attended by commentator and columnist Jack Hunter.

Twenty years. Fifty states. One goal: Liberty. The Republican Liberty Caucus National Convention was the place to be on Saturday. Some additional Convention photos can be found here. Thank you to Republican Liberty Caucus delegates and officers as well as our generous sponsors — each of whom did their important part to make the Convention a tremendous success.

A group of roughly 25 Republican Liberty Caucus of Virginia supporters — including Chairman George Primbs, Vice Chair Steven Latimer, Treasurer Cliff Dunn, members of the Board of Directors, and members of the organization – met early in the morning on Monday, January 17 to participate in the Virginia Tea Party Lobby Day. This was the first coordinated group trip to Richmond.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Central Virginia played host to the northern Virginia contingent as well as several activists from Charlottesville, Newport News, and Virginia Beach. The day began with a RLC business meeting over coffee and breakfast. RLC’ers brought various literature and brochures to the event to distribute, and the Central Virginia RLC paid three folks to hand out our literature to everyone in attendance at the various events of the day. Chairman George Primbs made “I am the RLC” stickers that everyone ended up sporting.

The Board nominated Shelby McCurnin and Rob Kenyon to alternate positions on the Board of Directors. The Board also chose to endorse Republican Delegate Harvey Morgan’s bill to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana possession in the state of Virginia, HB 1443. After the business meeting, the RLC took a group photo (Note: other RLC members were not present at our initial gathering, but met up with us later in the day):

Then RLC members met up at the Capitol to meet with legislators. RLC Board member Rick Sincere met with Senator Creigh Deeds, a Democrat, to discuss non-partisan redistricting in the state. A small group of core RLC members met with Senator Mark Obenshain (R) to discuss his constitutional amendment to protect private property rights. Rick Sincere, who also runs his own blog, was able to get the Senator on audio discussing his legislation. The same group of RLC members had an excellent meeting with a new delegate, retired air force Colonel Rich Anderson (R), who represents a Democratic area west of Woodbridge. Delegate Anderson expressed that he may attend the RLC National Convention and enjoyed hearing from RLC members on the need to end government growth and, in particular, our support for HB 1443 to decriminalize marijuana. Each meeting was fruitful.

RLC members then went to a gun rights rally outside of the legislative office building.  After a break for lunch at the historic Tobacco Lounge, RLC members caught the tail end of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s speech — which an estimated 200 people attended. Cuccinelli talked about his lawsuits related to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Obamacare bill.

After the speech, RLC members went to testify and express support to the Criminal Justice Committee of the House of Delegates on HB 1443, Delegate Morgan’s bill to decriminalize marijuana. RLC’ers went with the intent of swaying a single Republican member of the Committee to consider allowing the bill to be considered in the General Assembly.  RLC member Rick Sincere testified in support of the bill, as did a large crowd from NORML and LEAP. Unfortunately, the bill was killed in Committee by a Democrat-Republican coalition of legislators.

Ultimately, this was one of the most productive meetings of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Virginia. In addition to participating in the lobby process and showing unity at a Tea Party event/rally, the RLC also was able to engage a wide variety of allies on the organization’s mission as well as invite them to attend the 2011 Republican Liberty Caucus National Convention in Arlington, Va. on Feb. 12. Thanks to the RLCVA members who came out to join us.  To become active in the Virginia RLC, please e-mail us.

Texas RLC Endorses Ken Paxton for Speaker of the House

Today the Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas has endorsed Rep. Ken Paxton (pictured) for Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, citing his fiscally conservative record and commitment to principle.

According to Texas resident Dave Nalle, Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus, Paxton is rated 100% by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and widely respected for his integrity and vision. He is not just a fiscal conservative, but also has a strong record on civil liberties, supports school vouchers, affirms the Second Amendment, and opposes the criminalization of non-violent civil disobedience. On many of these issues he has stood on principle against the majority despite criticism and controversy.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas is proud to offer its support to Representative Paxton in his campaign for the Speaker’s seat and we hope other Texans who believe in fiscally conservative government and individual liberty will join us in demanding that House Republicans make sure that if Speaker Joe Straus is replaced, the result will be to move towards better government. “Ken Paxton is the real deal,” said Texas RLC Chairman Joey Dauben of Ellis County. Learn more about the Texas RLC at http://www.rlctx.org/.

Texas RLC Hosts Events with Governor Johnson in Austin, Houston, and Dallas

Governor Gary Johnson made a swing through Texas this week and had multiple events set up by grassroots activists throughout the state, including three Republican Liberty Caucus-sponsored events in Austin, Houston, and Dallas.

Last night Governor Johnson ended his tour in Palmer, Texas, a small town outside of Dallas. It ain’t every day that a prospective 2012 Presidential candidate visits the tiny hamlet. Joey Dauben, Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas, was the event organizer. He’s pictured above with the Governor.

On Tuesday evening Governor Johnson was in Houston in at an event co-sponsored by Southeast Texas RLC and the Houston Liberty Campaign. Former RLC-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina, founder of the group We Texans, also headlined the event. Thanks to Corie Whalen (pictured with the Governor below), Texas RLC Board member and regional coordinator, for hosting the event! The RLC brought in several new members as a result of Corie’s efforts.

On Saturday afternoon, Governor Johnson was in Austin for a barbecue at Bartholomew Park sponsored by the Republican Liberty Caucus of Central Texas. RLC Chairman Dave Nalle captured the Governor’s remarks on video (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4).