February 9, 2008
FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY:
Dear friend,
Late Friday evening, Ron Paul sent out a message to his many supporters stating that he had a "nearly zero" chance of winning the Republican nomination in a brokered convention. Dr. Paul also stated loud and clear that "there will be no third party run."
Many of our own members, maybe even you, have been enthusiastic supporters of Dr. Paul's campaign over the past year. Many thousands have given their time, money and their passion to support the efforts of Ron Paul's presidential campaign.
The efforts of these thousands of supporters were noble, but in the end, Republicans rejected Dr. Paul's message of peace, prosperity and freedom.
The GOP will more than likely move forward with the nomination of a compromising politician who does not cherish the merits of liberty and shows little interest in shrinking the size and power of government.
This leaves the Republican Party right where it started and where it has been for many, many years -- a party without principle. With its partner on the left, both parties continue to represent a compromising beast that continually thirsts for more power at the expense of our liberty, our property and our privacy.
In stark contrast, the Libertarian Party stands firm. Our values are unwavering. Our commitment is unstoppable.
This is not because we hold a strong partisan loyalty to our party structure, it's because we have trust and love for liberty in its purest form. Our party serves as the vessel to affect change within our nation. And unlike the GOP, we don't need to change the party from within and regain our principles, as they have never been lost.
The Libertarian Party is the last remaining stronghold for liberty in American politics.
Unfortunately, the Ron Paul campaign has unintentionally taken a toll on our party. Many of our members have changed their voter registration to vote for Ron Paul in a primary while others have allowed their support to lapse as they gave all that they could for a candidate that represented their values.
Early on, I made the decision to not interfere or discourage this activity. I felt it was wrong for me to place our party above such an incredible opportunity for liberty that existed with Dr. Paul's run for the White House.
But today,
it's time to come home.
If you have switched your party registration, allowed your membership to lapse or have put off your decision to join the LP, I now ask that you reverse course and renew your support for our principled party.
In spite of the events of this past year, we were still able to make significant gains in membership with a 28 percent increase while we moved onto a firm financial footing. We did this while seeing inspiring electoral success by winning 20 percent of our races.
This proves that Americans are waking up to liberty and a historic opportunity for growth exists for the LP in 2008. However, in order to take advantage of this time, we need every last man and woman back in our party.
It's time to come home.
Liberty is alive in America today but it is suppressed by the significance and power of the two-party system. Partisanship, combined with ignorance, is destroying our nation by taking away our freedoms and even the lives of those we love through wars of aggression.
The two-party system must be beaten back and destroyed.
Fighting from within either the Republican or Democratic structure does nothing to accomplish this goal and only increases our many problems as time, energy and money is wasted to change a monstrosity that is corrupt beyond repair.
Why fight to move your own party in the direction of freedom when you can fight each day to move your nation in the direction of freedom?
It's time to come home.
Liberty is something that can be everything to one man and nothing to another. Some accept that, while they are born free, they do not live free. They go about their existence either in resignation that they cannot change their personal destiny or they have grown comfortable in their shackles.
Libertarians are different.
Our hearts burn for freedom. We wake each morning, intent on moving our nation in the direction of liberty.
Our passion cannot be diminished or compromised through party labels or the actions of cunning men. Libertarians working through the Libertarian Party will continually challenge those who mean to enslave us through taxation, fear and warfare.
It's time to come home.
Among the many opportunities that exist for our movement, one of the most important is reaching out to the thousands of men and women whose passions have been ignited by the Ron Paul campaign.
All Libertarians must put out a welcome mat to these Americans as they continue to learn more about liberty but are now politically homeless. Most importantly, we must tolerate the minor differences that we may have and accept the differing stages of development of our political thought.
Many of you will be receiving a letter in the mail with the intent of welcoming Ron Paul and his supporters into our party. While that letter was written before the rush of recent events, it is vital that you respond to signal your support for giving these supporters a home within our party.
It's time to come home and to offer a home to those whose minds have been opened to liberty.
Take action today:
To renew your membership, go to
www.lp.org/renew
To join the Libertarian Party, go to
www.lp.org/join
To donate, go to
www.lp.org/donate
To change your voter registration to Libertarian, contact your state party, by visiting
www.lp.org/states
Also, do not hesitate to contact me or any other member of our staff by calling 1-800-Elect-Us.
Please take action after you finish reading this message.
In closing, I would like to give the following words to those who stubbornly continue their fight to change the corrupt and destructive Republican or Democrat parties from within.
"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." – Samuel Adams, 1776
Our founding fathers did not hope to change the tyranny of British rule from within. They faced their challenge head on. They did not waver, even in spite of the very real possibility that they would lose their very lives against an overwhelming power. They stood together, and eventually they won their freedom.
It is up to us -- we passionate Libertarians -- to reclaim our liberty.
With respect and sincerity,
Shane Cory
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee
