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January 29, 2007

Hartmann Interview Does Libertarians a Disservice

I heard about the latest escalation in the infighting in the Libertarian Party of Oregon this morning on Thom Hartmann's show in an interview he had with Wes Wagner, who has filed a lawsuit over what he feels are illegal and unethical goings-on in the party's state committee. Hartmann didn't seem to know anything about the history of the Libertarian Party of Oregon or the players involved and did not even seem know what sort of meaningful questions to ask Wagner. It almost seemed to me that he was uncharacteristically taken in by Wagner. The complaints may or may not have merit, but I am troubled over the lack of appreciation that both Hartmann and Wagner displayed for what Richard Burke's Mainstream Liberty Caucus has done for the Libertarian Party – progress that could never have been achieved through politeness and open arms to those who wanted to keep the status quo (think about the hardball politics that go on between the Democrats and the Republicans in the State Legislature, and how the process is used to keep power in the hands of the majority and you can understand what has occurred within the Libertarian Party).

Back in 1998, at a gubernatorial debate that included Bill Sizemore and John Kitzhaber, I heard Richard Burke, the Libertarian candidate, speak for the first time. I had never previously been exposed to the Libertarian philosophy, and was fascinated to hear what seemed to me at the time to be real common sense, offered in an engaging and intelligent manner. I felt then that Richard Burke had real political talent and I wanted to learn more about the party. Eventually, Richard convinced me to switch my party affiliation from Republican to Libertarian. I then became involved, albeit rather casually, in his Mainstream Liberty Caucus and efforts to take control of the Libertarian Party of Oregon in order to move it forward. Eventually, I realized the Libertarian philosophy was not a good fit for me, and I have not been involved in the party for about four years now. But that does not dim my respect for the dedication of many of the activists involved in the party. They are often underestimated by the general public, who still often view Libertarians as being a bunch of pot-smoking anti-establishment types.

It has been Richard Burke's burning desire to change that misperception and to make Libertarians relevant in the public debate. My recruitment by Richard Burke was part of a greater effort in which he and several other very bright individuals were engaged to try to bring some credibility and forward motion to the Libertarian Party. Because of this effort, Libertarians were represented in statewide elections in recent years by such quality candidates as Mitch Shults and Tom Cox, both of whom would probably have been in the midst of outstanding political careers by now had they been willing to compromise their political views by joining one of the major parties instead of devoting themselves to the advancement of the Libertarian philosophy. In fact, Shults, while running for State Treasurer, actually won the endorsement of The Statesman Journal - a very proud moment for the Mainstream Liberty Caucus (MLC).

Under Richard's leadership and the prominence of the MLC, the Libertarian Party has undeniably influenced Oregon elections – by throwing its weight one way or the other, or threatening to do so, it has been able to advance its limited government agenda. In other words, it has become meaningful, as opposed to the pre-Burke days when the party was too often disorganized or ineffective so that it was simply laughed off or ignored by most people.

The MLC, at the time I was involved, was a group of very dedicated individuals who, under the leadership of Richard Burke, used the process and some very clever maneuvering to take over the party and turn it around. Old school Libertarians, who it seemed to me viewed the party as more of a club of ideologues than an agent for real change in the real world, were taken by surprise and quickly became very resentful. I was uncomfortable about some of the tactics we used and voted against some of the agenda items of the MLC because I'm actually uncomfortable with confrontation and overly-concerned with fairness, but I never believed legal lines had been crossed. Of course, Burke was not opposed to pushing right up to the line. Nothing is wrong with that.

Richard soon became the paid Executive Director for the party in Oregon. Two of his closest allies, Adam and Chris Mayer, eventually became Chair and Treasurer of the party. Adam and Chris both supported Richard faithfully. Chris, a very loyal and sincere person who worked for a short time as my secretary at Oregon Taxpayers United, was unflinching and enthusiastic in her devotion to the cause. All three were determined to take the Libertarian Party to the next level – making it a party that actually mattered and was credible. For some time, that seemed to be occurring.

I have lost touch with the party in recent years and from an outsider's point of view it seems to me the party has nearly dropped off the face of the earth. Perhaps it never gained the credibility I thought it had when I was involved, I don't know. But certainly the current lawsuit and squabbling within the party will not help its image unless Burke and the MLC are able to use the lawsuit to frame their efforts for the public. Unfortunately, the Mayers have resigned, for reasons I do not know, meaning their ability to continue to advance the vision that Burke has symbolized is significantly diminished. At the same time, Wagner has been granted a golden interview opportunity with a nationally-known radio celebrity who apparently did not do his homework.

Wes Wagner is complaining that the party's state committee has no principles and is unlawfully manipulating the process to retain power. He claims bylaws were ignored to preserve the existing power structure and claims Richard Burke and Chris Mayer have manipulated campaign finance reports to cover up Richard's improper personal use of the party's debit card. Wagner has plainly stated that he does not care if his lawsuit destroys the party. A former Secretary for the Party, Jerry DeFoe, recently posted an open letter to the party's members defending himself against Wagner's "unjust and wrongful dirty tricks and character assassination tactics." He says when Wagner convinced Libertarian hero Tonie Nathan to join his effort, it was the last straw (Tonie Nathan was the first woman to ever receive an electoral vote during her run for Vice President of the United States in 1972).

This is a stain I surely intend to clean. Now I am standing up. I will defend my reputation and honor by marching on a road of bones and squashing these evil demons like puny warm grapes. I am wound up and I’m not going to slow down. I am one who has been first drawn upon so I have the responsibility to myself to press my rights by defending these principles of reputation and honor that mean much more than mere words to me.

As you can see, passions in the party run deep, and you can't piss off a life-long Libertarian activist and former member of the Army like DeFoe, for whom freedom, loyalty and country are everything, and expect not to face consequences (incidentally, DeFoe was the only candidate for Congress in the 5th District in 2004 to take a public stand against the Iraq War). Both sides in the struggle for control of the Libertarian party are passionate about how best to advance their beliefs. Hence, the ten-year effort by Richard Burke to mainstream the party, despite the opposition by some of the more traditional members, was destined for a major explosion at some point.

Thom Hartmann would do well to read DeFoe's treatise and see what level of dedication is involved in this debate, rather than readily accepting the word of one individual who is willing to see the party destroyed to get what he wants – and who, as it turns out, seems to be quite two-faced in the process, not to mention unwilling to gracefully accept defeat.

Wes Wagner and the “Oregon Libertarians for Reform” have not utilized proper, prudent procedural use of the LPO State Committee, the Judicial Committee, Conventions, Bylaws, etc.. Wes Wagner and “Oregon Libertarians for Reform” have chosen not to utilize LPO procedures or anything near due process such as making productive motions, building coalitions, organizing members and obtaining the votes necessary to shape the change they desire. Instead they choose to make a “dirty politics” video for general public consumption, send out press releases meant to damage individuals via various media outlets. They frivolously overload LPO Officers, Staff and Judicial Committee members. They issue numerous edicts and statements meant to induce fear concerning issues with what they want the membership to perceive as having grave ramifications for the LPO to further their own agenda. And anyone who disputes them on their use of methods must side with their enemies. Remind you of McCarthyism?

One of the more interesting portions of DeFoe's post has to do with the supposed pending "criminal investigation" of Richard Burke that Wagner has emphasized at every turn:

How has “it become known that the executive director is under criminal investigation is by the Secretary of State” as Wes Wagner’s petition states? This is a bald faced lie. I surely do not know of any criminal investigation underway. Can Wes Wagner tell us what he knows so that we too can know too? I'm feeling left out of the loop on this one. I've questioned numerous people in Salem but can't find anyone that seems to have any clue. These are some pretty serious allegations Wes Wagner is perpetuating and I will try to get to the bottom of it down here.

What I have been able to derive and if I understand correctly, is any time that a complaint is filed it is sealed for obvious reasons and the Secretary of State has a responsibility to investigate all complaints. What this means is that if someone were to file a criminal complaint against you, you too would be under criminal investigation as well one would suppose.

After reading DeFoe's post, I admire him. He actually does not support the positions of Richard Burke's Mainstream Liberty Caucus. But he is outraged by the refusal of dissenters to use the process to make legitimate change. I am outraged that such efforts would rise to the level that people like the Mayers felt they had to resign their positions in the Party. And I am, again, very disappointed that Thom Hartmann did not dig deeper into this story before putting Wes Wagner on the air this morning. No matter what you think of the Libertarian Party and its views, the devoted activists who work within the party deserve more respect than that.

That said, I am troubled by some of what Wagner reports. If events did, indeed, transpire as he says, then perhaps the individuals involved should be investigated – perhaps they went a little further than right up to the line, though I personally doubt it. Wagner's group, Oregon Libertarians for Reform, offers links to several documents, including a recall letter for Adam Mayer. It lays out several incidents in which proper procedure may not have been followed by Adam Mayer. A second recall letter lays out complaints against Richard Burke. Having been involved in many political disputes, both within the traditional political realm and within the corporate political realm, I know that even seemingly good people will lie, exaggerate, and hide the truth. But generally, the duly elected power structure of the organization dealt with the incidents as they saw fit and their decisions were not to Wagner's liking.

If he does not like the decisions that have been made by the individuals his own party has elected to represent it, he and his allies should take DeFoe's advice and use the legitimate process to form a coalition and attempt to retake control of the party, as the MLC did several years ago under the leadership of Richard Burke. They should not undo the heroic efforts of thousands of dedicated people by trashing the party in public. Such behavior is shameful.

Posted by Becky at January 29, 2007 01:06 PM