Campaign strategist Dick Morris recently blogged about focusing support on ten key house races where he believes money and personal effort will make the most difference for Republicans in November.  While I agree with the concept of focusing support on key races, there is a fundamental problem with the list Morris has put together. Instead of focusing on the best candidates, it is a list almost entirely composed of establishment candidates. It focuses on winning seats and ignores the imperative to change the focus of the party and the Congress in November.

While Morris’ candidates may have a good chance of winning, they are mostly not the kinds of candidates who will move the GOP in a positive direction or take roles as principled leaders in Congress. They may end up being helpful votes as part of a future coalition, but they are not the right candidates to form the nucleus of a new and better Republican majority.

It’s much more important in this key election to put your money and support behind GOP candidates who are both able to win and also dedicated to Constitutional principles and restoring the core ideals of the GOP. To redo Morris’ work from the perspective of a pro-liberty activist rather than a political hack who used to call his pal Bill Clinton while he was in bed with a hooker and Clinton was playing hide the cigar with an intern, I offer my list of the ten house candidates who really deserve your help and your money. They are listed in order of my somewhat subjective assessment of their need and worthiness.

Mick Mulvaney (SC-5)

A principled constitutional conservative who is running in a tough blue-leaning district against an incumbent he has done the near impossible to come up tied at 46% to 46% with his opponent in the latest poll. He needs any support he can get in a critical race.

Find out more about his campaign at www.mulvaneyforcongress.com

Jason Levesque (ME-2)

Trailing in the polls, but working very hard to catch up. He’s a committed Liberty Republican and is trailing 7 points in the polls. It’s a deficit he can make up by November. He has the energy and needs your support.

Find out more about his campaign at www.levesqueforcongress.com

John Koster (WA-2)

A principled constitutional conservative who is leading by about 4 points in the latest poll. He needs to widen his lead to secure an important upset win.

Find out more about his campaign at www.kosterforcongress.com

Delia Lopez (OR-3)

A promising and hard working Liberty Republican who speaks out strongly for Constitutionally protected rights and civil liberties. She’s a real anti-establishment candidate who is running a very active campaign, but has an uphill battle.

Find out more about his campaign at: www.dlopezforcongress.com

David Ratowitz (IL-5)

One of my favorite Liberty Republicans running this year. On the right side of just about every issue. Strong on individual liberty and fiscal issues. He has a tough but winnable race, but needs help to pull off an upset.

Find out more about his campaign at: www.ratowitzforcongress.com

John Dennis (CA-8)

One of the most high profile Liberty Republican candidates in one of the most challenging races in the country, taking on Speaker Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco. Yes, he’s down by more than 20 points in the polls, but there are still enough undecided votes that he could win. He might be able to pull off a miracle with your help.

Help him beat Pelosi at: www.johndennis2010.com

Chip Cravaack (MN-8)

A strong fiscal conservative with integrity and a background as a navy pilot. The kind of principled leader we need in Congress. Not much polling information, but his fundraising is strong and he seems like a potential winner.

Find out more about his campaign at: www.chipcravack.com

Gary Clift (CA-10)

A strong Liberty Republican in a race that is under the radar in northern California. The incumbent was elected in a special election and did not beat Clift by wide margins in that race, so there is potential for an upset with your help.

Find out more about his campaign: www.cliftforcongress.com

B. J. Lawson (NC-4)

One of the most respected Liberty Republican candidates, he has surprised many by taking a small lead in the latest poll. He needs to widen that lead to secure the seat and put another principled spokesman for liberty in the House.

Find out more about his campaign at www.lawsonforcongress.com

Lee Byberg (MN-7)

Coming off a very strong primary win, but the race hasn’t gotten much media attention. Internal polling suggests that he can win with enough support and exposure. He’s a strong constitutional conservative with civil libertarian leanings.

Find out more about his campaign at: www.bybergforcongress.com

These are hardly the only deserving candidates, but Morris picked ten so I limited myself to that. I eliminated great candidates with races which were too hard to assess like Bill Gunn (MA-1), Dan Sebring (WI-4) and others. I also passed over candidates who are running away with their races like Justin Amash (MI-3) or some who just seem too far behind to be saved.

There will be many turnovers in the House this fall.  There’s not one candidate Morris and I agree on, but there’s room for his less inspiring candidates if we can put my 10 pro-liberty, pro-constitution Republicans in the House to show them the way.

Check out the websites of the candidates from both lists and think about which group of 10 you’d rather have shape the future of the Republican Party.

In the course of researching this article I found TPM’s new Political Tracker beta site very helpful.

A version of this article appeared previously on Blogcritics.

Republican Liberty Caucus chapters in at least nine states will be holding meetings in the coming month. They include:

Alabama: The Alabama RLC affiliate will hold a meeting in the coming weeks. Please contact Stephen Gordon for details.

Arizona: The Arizona RLC affiliate will hold a meeting in the coming weeks. Please contact Ken Rineer for details.

District of Columbia: DC Republican City Council candidates Jim DeMartino (Ward 6) and Tim Day (Ward (5) will present and answer questions at the RLC-DC meeting on Monday, August 30, along with Ward 1 School Board candidate Patrick Mara. The event will take place in the Community Room K at City Vista Condominiums (12th Floor), 475 K Street NW, equidistant from Gallery Place/Chinatown and Mount Vernon Square/Convention Center metros at 7pm. RSVP on Facebook.

Florida: The Florida RLC will have an outreach table, make a short presentation about the RLC and hold an informal RLC update and discussion get-together in conjunction with the Campaign for Liberty’s Summit at the Rosen Centre in Orlando. The informal RLC statewide meeting will be held at 12:30-1:30 pm on Saturday, August 12 at the RLC outreach booth at the Summit. Also, RLCers and friends who are not attending the Saturday night banquet are welcome to join us for dinner offsite, but nearby! Pick up the details at the RLC booth. See you there!

Indiana: The state RLC affiliate will hold its Convention at George’s Neighborhood Grill (6935 Lake Plaza Dr) in Indianapolis on Saturday, September 25. The keynote speaker will be Attorney General Greg Zoeller. RSVP on Facebook.

Maine: The Maine RLC will host its first annual Calvin Coolidge Clambake with John Fund of The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, August 26 in Portland. Learn more at http://www.rlc.org/2010/08/08/maine-rlc-hosts-clambake/.

New York: The RLC will host a kickoff meeting on Tuesday, August 17 at 7pm at the HOUNDSTOOTH PUB (520 8TH AVE – W37 St) in Manhattan. There will be a cash bar and free food. RSVP on Facebook.

Virginia: The Northern Virginia RLC will host a happy hour in Arlington in late August. Contact Mitchell Bemos for details. The Central Virginia RLC will host a meeting on Thursday, August 19 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Isis, Inc. (2727 Enterprise Pkwy, Suite 100) in Richmond, VA. This is the first meeting of the RLCCV following elections of chapter officers. RLCCV will discuss our goals with the RLC and welcome new members and all who are interested in becoming members of the RLCCV. Please RSVP by Thursday, 8/19 at 1pm. RSVP on Facebook.

Utah: An immigration debate hosted by the Utah RLC chapter will occur and will feature key policy leaders in the state. Exact date/location TBA. Contact Julian Babbitt for details.

Please be our guest at the first annual Calvin Coolidge Clambake. A banquet to celebrate the legacy of our great Laissez Faire President, Calvin Coolidge. President Coolidge once remarked that the business of America is business. While President, he cleaned up corruption in government left individuals and businesses alone leading to the great economic prosperity of the 1920s.

Our keynote speaker will be John Fund, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal. Fund is also a contributor to the Fox News Channel. Mr. Fund began his career in journalism after a stint as a policy analyst in the California State Legislature. He worked for syndicated columnists Rowland Evans and Robert Novak as their investigative reporter before joining The Wall Street Journal, where he has been deputy editorial features editor and a member of the Editorial Board.

John Fund is the author of three books: “Cleaning House: America’s Campaign for Term Limits,” “Regulation Through Litigation,” and “Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy.” This will be a very special and exciting evening to bring together advocates of small government and to raise some funds to help elect Maine Republican Liberty Caucus endorsed candidates to the Maine legislature.

Sincerely,

Ken Lindell
Maine Republican Liberty Caucus

First Annual Calvin Coolidge Clambake
Special guest and keynote speaker John Fund

Please join us for a lobster or steak dinner to celebrate a President who respected our constitution and loved liberty. .

Italian Heritage Center, Portland Maine
August 26th 2010 – 5:30PM
40 Westland Ave, Portland, Maine 04102

Please reserve your spot by clicking a link below:

* non-member Lobster dinner $50
* non-member Steak dinner $45
* RLC member Lobster dinner $35
* RLC member Steak dinner $30

Or send a check to: Maine RLC – PO Box 115 – Frankfort ME 04438

These results are perhaps the best results the Republican Liberty Caucus has achieved on a single primary day in our nearly 20 years of existence.

As we reported last night, RLC endorsed candidates for Governor in Maine (Paul LePage) and South Carolina (Nikki Haley) were victorious on the Super Tuesday primary ballots. In South Carolina, Nikki Haley will face Congressman Gresham Barrett in the run-off because she did not reach 50% of the vote.

Some big news out of South Carolina: incumbent State Treasurer Converse Chellis has been ousted by a Republican Liberty Caucus-endorsed challenger. Curtis Loftis (pictured), a small business owner who has “created jobs, balanced books and met payroll,” defeated the incumbent Treasurer by running as a conservative alternative to the Republican Chellis.

Loftis attacked Chellis for making an accounting error that cost the state (taxpayers) $60 million. Loftis is a term limits supporter who vowed to take on special interests and corruption as State Treasurer. This is an exciting win for South Carolina taxpayers. On a similar note, Congressman Bob Inglis, a bailout supporter representing a very conservative South Carolina Congressional district, will have to face a Republican opponent in an upcoming run-off election.

In California, RLC endorsed candidates for Congress did quite well. John Dennis in District 8 and Gary Clift in District 10 both won their respective primaries in northern California. Dennis (pictured with Dr. Ron Paul), a RLC member and Chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus of San Francisco, will face Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi this fall. In southern California, RLC candidate Clayton Thibodeau gained a respectable 30% of the vote against moderate U.S. Rep. Mary Bono Mack. In Santa Cruz, RLC-endorsed State House candidate Ellie Black faced no primary opponent, so she will face incumbent Democrat Assemblyman Bill Monning in November.

In Maine, four RLC-endorsed candidates for State Representative will advance to the General Election, including Richard Malaby (pictured left), Ryan Harmon, Michael McClellon, and William Gombar. Harmon and Gombar are both dues-paying RLC members. Their victories come on the heels of a huge win for Paul LePage to become the next Governor. Remember the name Paul LePage; with our help, he is going to become Maine’s next Governor.

In addition to the Nikki Haley and Curtis Loftis victories in South Carolina, two other statewide RLC-endorsed Republicans have advanced. RLC-endorsed candidates Richard Eckstrom — the incumbent two-term Comptroller General — won his primary and Bill Connor (pictured right) has advanced to a run-off in his bid to become the state’s Lt. Governor. Connor would be a significant improvement over the current Lt. Governor, Andre Bauer, who performed terribly in yesterday’s gubernatorial election. According to Connor, “I’m one who firmly believes in as small a government as possible. Charity is the job of churches.”

Additionally, two South Carolina RLC candidates scored victories in their Congressional races. Mick Mulvaney was unopposed in District 5 against 30 year incumbent John Spratt. Mulvaney describes himself as a libertarian Republican and Republicans nationally believe he has a good chance in November. In Congressional District 6, RLC-endorsed candidate Nancy Harrelson advanced to a run-off with a Republican opponent for the right to face House Majority Whip James Clyburn. Harrelson has signed the RLC’s Liberty Compact.

Although the Republican Liberty Caucus did not endorse any candidates in the high profile Nevada U.S. Senate race, the Republican Liberty Caucus did endorse Sharron Angle in her 2006 bid for Congress. Angle is well aware of the RLC, is a subscriber to our Nevada RLC list-serve, and has made efforts to reach out to RLC members in the past. In July, 2009, we profiled her as a “leader for liberty” in the RLC newsletter. While many RLC members may object to her views on social issues or foreign policy (or both), her philosophy on government appears to be in line with ours in the general sense: It’s doing way too much and must be downsized.

This is turning out to be a great election year for liberty-focused candidates, thanks in large part to the Tea Parties. Please become a Republican Liberty Caucus member today or make a small gift so we can propel our movement forward in states like California, Maine, and South Carolina.

It’s not a surprise, but in South Carolina Nikki Haley – the endorsed Republican Liberty Caucus candidate — advanced to a run-off with Congressman/bailout supporter Gresham Barrett. Haley came very close to gaining the 50% she needed to advance to the General Election.

In Maine, Paul LePage (pictured below) has won the Republican nomination for Governor. LePage was endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus of Maine. The RLC profiled LePage previously.

Congratulations to South Carolina and Maine voters!

Yesterday I discussed the Maine Republican Party Convention, where Delegates decided to adopt a new platform. Above is a very brief video of the vote taking place. Note how the Chair required two votes because she obviously did not think the Constitution-friendly platform was going to pass.

Reports coming from the Maine Republican Convention this past weekend are that Tea Party activists and Liberty Republicans, who were elected as delegates in large numbers, have outvoted the party establishment and passed an alternative party platform stressing party reform and emphasizing traditional Republican and conservative values.

After their suggestions submitted through the platform formation process were ignored, the delegates on the floor rejected a platform proposed by party leaders which was virtually identical to the party's 2008 platform and then voted on and passed a much more libertarian and anti-government platform which passed easily. Then when it was challenged on procedural grounds it passed again with an even larger majority.

In the preamble they issue a challenge to the corruption of the party system, writing that "Years of neglect have allowed factions detrimental to the core principles of this nation, to entrench themselves in both political parties, and undermine the education of Constitutional principles vital to the survival of the republic." They also stress constitutional values and announce that:

We, the citizens of Maine united by free association as Republicans, dedicated to seeing the principles which brought forth the birth and ascendance of this State and these United States once again made dominant and pledge our unwavering allegiance, not to a political party, but to the Constitution of the State of Maine and the Constitution of the United States of America. The Republican Party is the vehicle through which we seek to better unify and promote those in pursuit of these goals.

The principles upon which the Republican Party was founded, to which we as Citizens seek return, and to which we demand our elected representatives abide, are summarized as follows:

• The Constitutions, both State and Federal, are the framework to which any and all legislation must adhere.
• State sovereignty must be regained and retained on all issues specifically relegated to the States by the constitution.
• National sovereignty shall be preserved and retained as dominant over any attempted unconstitutional usurpations of such by international treaty.
• It is the responsibility and duty, of “We the People”, to educate both ourselves and others; to demand honest elections free of corruption, and to hold our elected officials to the highest standards of honesty, integrity and loyalty to the constitution."

They then go on to address many specifics, although the platform is relatively short compared to those of other state Republican parties. Their concerns include protecting state sovereignty, national sovereignty, and individual rights, opposing federal interference with free speech in the media, opposing card check and forced unionization, prohibiting public funding for advocacy groups, opposition to cap and trade, ObamaCare and any kind of tax expansion, term limits and other limits on congressional power, and some socially conservative positions including opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

Not everyone is happy with the new platform. The state party has yet to actually put it on their website, with the old proposed platform remaining in its place. Dan Billings, former attorney for the Maine GOP, called the new platform "wack job pablum" and "nutcase stuff." Yet the content does not really focus on the kind of conspiracy-related issues, hardcore anti-globalism or other radical agenda items of the Tea Party movement. Most of what it contains is very mainstream and widely supported by Republicans. It's just more specific and less moderate than many insiders would have preferred.

Response has been positive but qualified from party reformers and Liberty Republicans. In a comprehensive examination of the platform, Matt Gagnon of Pine Tree Politics applauds the substance of the platform while criticizing the cobbled together nature of a document essentially written off the cuff on the floor of the convention hall. R. Kenneth Lindell of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Maine commented, "It would have been better if the Platform Committee had done its job and taken the proposals for changes to the platform seriously. The end result would have been better written and more presentable. That said I think that it is a very positive development that activists who are new to the party have been able to succeed where earlier they were simply ignored and dismissed."

Critics on the left have been quick to attack the Maine platform as radical and the product of political amateurism, pointing to the criticism of the Federal Reserve and of globalist groups as "conspiracy theories and making much of the favorable mention in the platform of Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX). Some have been eager to make fun of the conflict between the "teabaggers" and the Maine GOP. Nonetheless, even they admit that this may be a sign of things to come as grassroots activists gain a larger voice in Republican politics.

With state Republican conventions scheduled all over the country in the coming months, we may see more large-scale movements towards a more purist Republican ideology and an ongoing reaction against big government. Even if other state parties don't see outright takeovers of their platforms, they may respond to this grassroots pressure by shifting farther right voluntarily to address the increasingly loud demands of constituents.

This article appeared previously on Blogcritics Magazine.

The Republican Liberty Caucus, which exists to promote individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise within the Republican Party, has endorsed a candidate for Governor in Maine and a candidate for Governor in Pennsylvania.

Maine has seven Republican candidates vying for the Republican nomination, which will be decided on the June 8 primary. Pennsylvania has two Republican candidates running to win the May 18 primary.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Maine, a chartered state affiliate, has endorsed Waterville Mayor Paul LePage (pictured below) for Governor.

The national RLC Board of Directors has endorsed Sam Rohrer for Governor and Russ Diamond for Lt. Governor in Pennsylvania. Diamond and Rohrer are not running on the same ticket, as elections will occur independently for both offices.

“The Maine RLC Board voted to make a donation from the Maine RLC Political Action Committee to the LePage campaign,” said Maine RLC Vice-Chair Vic Berardelli. LePage has an interesting background, having been born the oldest of 18 children to impoverished parents. He left home at age 11, when he was adopted after being on the streets. Olympia Snowe’s first husband persuaded a college to accept LePage despite his poor verbal skills at the time. LePage went on to graduate, obviously improving on his language skills, and opened several successful businesses. He currently serves as Mayor of Waterville, a Democrat stronghold, and has persuaded the council not to enact any tax increases.

LePage says he believes that Maine government must become smaller and more agile. He’d like to reform the state’s welfare system by placing greater emphasis on personal accountability. And apparently undaunted by the prospect of becoming a GOP governor who might very well have to work with majority Democrats in the Legislature, LePage says his experience as mayor of Waterville should give Mainers some idea of what they can expect from him as governor.

Pennsylvania does not have an active Republican Liberty Caucus affiliate. The national RLC Board of Directors endorsed State Representative Sam Rohrer for Governor in The Keystone State. This video outlines how Rohrer has tapped into the grassroots Tea Party and constitutionalist mood to run an uphill campaign for Governor.

Since his remarkable election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1992, Rohrer has been one of the leading voices for state government reform. His outspoken support for constitutional principles has been the hallmark of his public service. More than opposing negative public policies, Sam has been a champion for consensus-building public policy alternatives and solutions.

This year he led an effort to pass a 10th Amendment Resolution to challenge the expanded reach of the federal government in areas ranging from health care to education. He also has appeared on “Freedom Watch” with Judge Andrew Napolitano.

Rohrer will face the establishment favorite, Attorney General Tom Corbett, in his primary.

I wasn’t at the Maine Republican Party Convention this weekend, so it’s hard for me to comment on what occurred. From the accounts I have read, it appears that some of the constitutionalist wing of the Republican Party (Ron Paul supporters, mostly) — including some Tea Party activists — felt unrepresented at the previous Maine Republican Party Convention and planned to make themselves a known quantity at the Convention this weekend.

They did so by organizing in advance. Several of them made it onto the Platform Committee and several others had proposed changes to the platform that would strike moderate phraseology and replace it with more hard-line stances. I commend these activists for actually working to change the Republican Party from within. That’s the mission of the Republican Liberty Caucus!

About 1,800 folks attended the Convention, so for the Ron Paul faction of the party to have any impact at all shows just how much influence Ron Paul and the Tea Parties have had over the Republican Party in the past two years.

The platform now features:

- A declaration of state sovereignty
- A call for the passage of “read the bill” legislation
- Opposition to the fairness doctrine
- Opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act
- Investigation of global warming shenanigans
- Balancing the federal budget and paying off debt
- A call for Auditing the Federal Reserve
- Rejecting cap and trade
- Freezing future stimulus payments
- Institute zero based budgeting
- A statement that health care is not a right
- Eliminating the Department of Education
- Prohibiting funding for ACORN or like organizations
- Opposition to any and all treaties with the United Nations
- The passage of a Congressional reform act, including:
….. o 12 year term limits for all members of Congress
….. o Removal of Congressional pensions
….. o Forcing Congress to participate in Social Security and health care (the same system we use)
- “Freedom of religion does not mean freedom from religion”
- Nativist anti-immigrant language, including the removal of Maine’s “sanctuary state” status
- A declaration to “Seal the Borders”
- a statement that marriage should be between a man and woman
- “Return to the principles of Austrian economics”
- Resisting the creation of “one world government”

At first glance, this seems like a major victory, but hold on.

Republican Liberty Caucus of Maine Chairman Ken Lindell and former RLC National Committeeman Matt Gagnon (who hails from The Pine Tree state) both find several problems with the platform overhaul. I do, too.

According to Lindell, a former Maine State Representative, “There is a whole lot of stuff in the new platform that I really like and really dislike. It would have been better if the Platform Committee had done its job and taken the proposals for changes to the platform seriously. The end result would have been better written and more presentable.” Although he does conclude, “I think that it is a very positive development that activists who are new to the party have been able to succeed where earlier they were simply ignored and dismissed.”

Says Gagnon: “It is very obviously slapped together, and almost entirely Federally focused in nature. I do not believe this platform gives very many reasons at all for Maine voters to vote for the Republican Party.”

I agree with my colleagues.

But more importantly, when did gay-bashing, a fence along the border, or religious dogma become part of the movement for less government and more freedom?

Ron Paul supporters should respect Ron Paul’s original positions on these issues:

1) Homosexuals are fellow human beings who should be afforded equality under the law.
2) Immigrants should be respected with the same dignity we afford other Americans; people should be free to seek out better lives for themselves and their families; the problem is with the entitlement society that has been fostered by decades of government dependency.
3) Religion is a private matter that should be kept out of government.

I would have preferred the platform without the last six points mentioned above. I don’t know how returning to Austrian economics is possible when our country has never been guided by Austrian economics.

Overall, the platform is a step in the right direction, but it still not a libertarian document.

Former State Representative Ken Lindell, the longtime leader of the Maine chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus, has announced a tentative agenda for Spring 2010.

Maine RLC members will have three upcoming meetings: March 13 in Augusta, March 27 in Bangor, and April 10 in Portland.  RSVP to the events on Facebook or contact Ken Lindell for details.