Support the Mises Caucus

[Occam's Banana]

Support the Mises Caucus ("the libertarian wing of the Libertarian Party")

Website: https://lpmisescaucus.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lpmisescaucus/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiJjwEXZopbA4g0ZiH3T5Lw
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LPMisesCaucus

The Mises Caucus is seeking to "take over" and reinvigorate the Libertarian Party by getting its membership off the path of big-fish-in-a-little-pond-ism and onto the path of actually supporting and defending the cause of liberty, without compromise, without pandering to the Woke, and without trying - or even caring - to win "respectability" from the establishment (either the smaller establishment of the LP "big fish" or that of the larger "system" in general). No more lukewarm rhetoric, no more race-baiting leftism, and no more milquetoast "Republicrat lite" candidates.

In other words, a lot less of this ...

https://twitter.com/ComicDaveSmith/status/1331660960453578756

... and a lot more of this ...

Covid Passports are the death of liberty Feat. Dave Smith
Sign up to the Mises Caucus at TakeHumanAction.com.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa3PHmInPUk


Also note that you do not have to join the Libertarian Party in order to support the Mises Caucus.

They also operate as an independent PAC to support libertarian candidates:

What Do My Donations to Mises PAC Go To?

2021 is an exciting year full of opportunities for the cause of liberty. The Mises Caucus will be focusing on 3 things in 2021 that your donations will help us pursue:

1. Issue Coalitions: Shutdowns, Gun Rights, Drug Decriminalization, Criminal Justice Reform and Occupational Licensing are all issues that we have been and will continue to mobilize our organizing teams around at the local and county level in 2021 through lobbying local legislators, knocking doors, and introducing nullification legislation.

2. Local-level Candidates: 2 of our endorsed and supported candidates were able to win their city council races in 2020: Kalish Morrow for Hanford City Council in California and Trisha Butler for Clarksville City Council in Tennessee. We would like to up our fundraising enough to be able to spend $30,000 on local level libertarian candidates across the country and get them over the hump to victory!

3. Events: We are organizing an event in Virginia on Saturday, 10/2/2021 at a yet-to-be disclosed venue. This event will serve as a pilot for our college campus education and recruitment program that, if successful, we will expand into a tour in 2022. This event will feature lectures by Tom Woods, Michael Boldin, Scott Horton, Michael Rectenwald and Maj Toure.​

https://twitter.com/LPMisesCaucus/status/1347927285962338306

 

[Occam's Banana]

Mises Caucus Platform

Statement of Purpose: Our purpose is to promote economic literacy within the Libertarian Party as taught by the Austrian school of economics, to stress the importance of sound economics as critical to the Libertarian Party message, and to advocate applying the science of human action—praxeology—in Libertarian Party efforts to counter the statism of both Democrats and Republicans. We promote opposition to war, advocacy of decentralization, and privatization both politically and monetarily as the highest priority issues for all libertarians. As a community and work culture, our emphasis is on coalition building- working together on things which we agree, in order to achieve political objectives in the real world and expose non-libertarians to the superiority of governance by the market instead of the State.

Plank 1 – Property Rights: We recognize the right to property as natural and self-evident, and advocate private property rights from both an ontological and utilitarian perspective. We affirm that private property rights extend from self-ownership and the scarcity inherent to our material existence. We condemn all fraud and initiatory violence towards a person’s life, liberty, and property. We contend that private property is the best way to reduce and reconcile conflict between individuals. We advocate non-corporatist privatization wherever possible. We categorically reject socialism, defined as the non-private collective ownership of resources.

Plank 2 – Economics: Economics is the study of human action in the context of scarcity. We recognize the Austrian School of Economics as the preeminent body of economic science, whose analysis acts as a polestar, informing and under-girding libertarian political prescriptions.

Plank 3 – Money: We reject all forms of State intervention into monies and currencies, with the understanding that competing monies are the cornerstone of a functional economy. We define State intervention to include, but not be limited to, private or public central banking, State issue of currency, banking regulations, the State making purchases of monies, currencies, stocks, bonds, treasuries, or specie, and legal tender laws. We support the aggression-free competition and proliferation of free market monies and currencies in all their forms.

Plank 4 – Decentralization: We recognize that freedom of association manifests itself politically in the form of absolute right of self-determination. We support decentralization – subsidiarity, secession, nullification, and localism – of political units all the way down to the individual as a means of expanding choice and competition in governance for all individuals. We recognize and affirm that the State is not the same thing as governance.

Plank 5 – War: We advocate the abolition of empire including ending the terror war, bringing all the troops home, and closing at least all foreign bases. We advocate a policy of armed neutrality in all conflicts where we are not directly attacked, and the transition of defense and security services from the State to the free market whenever and however feasible, including the abolition of gun control laws. We advocate peace and trade with all, alliances with none. We support the precipitous reduction of nuclear arms. We reject non-defensive war against state actors, and reject war as a means of pursuing justice against non-state aggressors. We reject first-use of sanctions, being a form of siege and therefore an act of war. We reject the subsidy of business through taxpayer funded security and intelligence services. We reject the State’s use of proxy entities to perform any of these activities.

Plank 6 – Lifestyle Choices: We take no stance on the personal, cultural, or social preferences of individuals or groups. One’s lifestyle is merely an extension of their property rights. Thus, no individual or group can rightfully claim jurisdiction over the lifestyle of another. We assert only that any and all lifestyle choices must not violate the property rights of others.

Plank 7 – Identity Politics: We categorically reject all forms of identity politics as nothing more than weaponized tribal collectivism that is antithetical to individualism.

Plank 8 – Omissions: Our silence about any other particular government law, regulation, ordinance, directive, edict, control, regulatory agency, activity, or machination should not be construed to imply approval. We seek to enunciate our top priorities, not the entirety of our positions.

 

[Occam's Banana]

Ron Paul's Message to the Mises Caucus
Ron Paul's message to the Libertarian Party Mises Caucus during the 2018 #TakeHumanAction​ Bash! held concurrently in New Orleans with the Libertarian National Convention. Join us at TakeHumanAction.com.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXTYPRWKNWs

 

[Occam's Banana]

The frustrating part is it feels like left-lib is the dominant "wing" right now. Big L sucks bad. The NJ Libertarian Party is the worst. left lib leaning organization that tries to meme on FB and sucks badly at it.

Dave Smith and Tom Woods are trying to change that, via the Mises Caucus.

Recent video (two days ago) from the LP Mises Caucus:
- Michael Heise is a co-founder of the Mises Caucus
- Caryn Ann Harlos is secretary of the LP national committee
- Dave Smith is part of the problem

Video proper starts @ 3:15

On "The Takeover"
"Oh No! The Mises Caucus is taking over! They must be stopped!". The topic of the takeover has become a hot button issue both in an out of the Mises Caucus. Whats it all about? Why are so many people entering the party off of that message? Is it the best idea to message this way? Talk about it with us with Michael Heise, Dave Smith and Caryn Ann Harlos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjUZ5aOwJZw

THREAD: Dave Smith considers seeking the 2024 LP POTUS nomination

^^^^Someone's got a serious crush on Smith....

Damn right, I do! :hearteyes::hearteyes::hearteyes:

If he's any real threat to the establishment he won't be allowed the nomination. The national LP will give it to whoever is lukewarm, ineffectual and unlikely to gain traction. They proved it last election (as one example) by stealing the nomination from Hornberger and handing it to Jorgenson. Hornberger kicked her ass in practically every nominating contest held across the country but since Hornberger openly talks about topics like the CFR (Deep State, collectively), he wasn't allowed the nomination. She was handed it and did exactly what she was supposed to. Not much of anything.

Putting an end to the milquetoastery of the LP "establishment" is one of the main reasons the LP Mises Caucus was formed in the first place.

Another reason is to put emphasis on state and local races and give greater support to the candidates in those races - all while using the (otherwise irrelevant, IMO) POTUS race as a platform from which to marshal greater support for the ideas of liberty by breathing fire on relevant topical issues (lockdowns, wars, police abuses, gun rights, etc.), instead of indulging in the lukewarm rhetoric, Woke-pandering and "respectability"-seeking exhibited by Johnson, Sarwark, et al.

I quit the LP back in the '90s (and the Perry Willis scandal that ensued thereafter only served to confirm to me that I had made the right decision) - but now I'm joining again as part of the Mises Caucus.

And it's all because of Dave Smith hearteyes, Tom Woods, et al. ... (YMMV, and that's okay, too ...)

ETA 1: Also, the executive committee of the Mises Caucus unanimously endorsed Jacob Hornberger.

ETA 2: Hornberger is also on the advisory board of the Mises Caucus.

//

 

[Occam's Banana]

https://twitter.com/LPMisesCaucus/status/1388645510752477191

https://twitter.com/ComicDaveSmith/status/1388633526451507208

 

[Occam's Banana]

https://twitter.com/LPMisesCaucusOK/status/1389051893599461376

 

[Occam's Banana]

The State Of The LP w/ Michael Heise - Part Of The Problem #730
On this episode of Part Of The Problem Dave Smith is joined by Mises Caucus founder Michael Heise to discuss the state of the Libertarian Party and what you can do to help the cause!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gLowuJXaYc

 

[Occam's Banana]

The State Of The LP w/ Michael Heise - Part Of The Problem #730
On this episode of Part Of The Problem Dave Smith is joined by Mises Caucus founder Michael Heise to discuss the state of the Libertarian Party and what you can do to help the cause!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gLowuJXaYc

All these debates about abortion, open borders, is a waste of time. Whatever your position is on abortion or open borders - its a valid and legitimate position.

That's why the Mises Caucus platform (see post #2 above) does not mention either of those issues. The national LP should eliminate the abortion and immigration planks from its platform, too (and just let individual nominees/candidates stake out their own positions on those issues). Maybe that will actually happen, if the Mises Caucus can win enough state delegations to one of the national conventions.

The only position that matters is secession.

Secession. Separation. Nullification. Non-compliance.

 

[TheTexan]

That's why the Mises Caucus platform (see post #2 above) does not mention either of those issues. The national LP should eliminate the abortion and immigration planks from its platform, too (and just let individual nominees/candidates stake out their own positions on those issues). Maybe that will actually happen, if the Mises Caucus can win enough state delegations to one of the national conventions.



Secession. Separation. Nullification. Non-compliance.

Even planks #3 and the gun rights portion of #5 could go away. Secession solves any kind of dispute on those issues.

I'm also opposed to plank #7. Not necessarily in spirit but its wording seems to imply that tribalism is necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Occam's Banana]

Even planks #3 and the gun rights portion of #5 could go away. Secession solves any kind of dispute on those issues.

How so? There would still be factions within any seceded areas that would support things such as fiat-based central banking and gun control.

I'm also opposed to plank #7. Not necessarily in spirit but its wording seems to imply that tribalism is necessarily a bad thing.

Even granting that tribalism might not necessarily always be a bad thing, I'm inclined to think it turns out to be a bad thing far more often than it turns out to be a good thing (or even just a neutral one). However, I suppose one could argue that this is only because it is so often "weaponized" by the state (or by various factions seeking control of state power). Even so, tribalism manifested in the form of "weaponized tribal collectivism" would nevertheless still be objectionable, even if mere "tribalism" was not.

In any case, though, tribalism is certainly a form of collectivism (whether it is "weaponized" or not), so I would not be at all opposed to removing the word "tribal" from the phrase "weaponized tribal collectivism" if only because it is redundant.

 

[TheTexan]

How so? There would still be factions within any seceded areas that would support things such as fiat-based central banking and gun control.



Even granting that tribalism might not necessarily always be a bad thing, I'm inclined to think it turns out to be a bad thing far more often than it turns out to be a good thing (or even just a neutral one). However, I suppose one could argue that this is only because it is so often "weaponized" by the state (or by various factions seeking control of state power). Even so, tribalism manifested in the form of "weaponized tribal collectivism" would nevertheless still be objectionable, even if mere "tribalism" was not.

In any case, though, tribalism is certainly a form of collectivism (whether it is "weaponized" or not), so I would not be at all opposed to removing the word "tribal" from the phrase "weaponized tribal collectivism" if only because it is redundant.

I may be too much of a secessionist-purist for the Mises caucus. I don't think any rights whatsoever can be truly respected until the right of secession is held sacrosanct. Property rights depends on it, gun rights depends on it, it all depends on it.

I also think that if someone wants to live in a society that bans guns and prints money 24/7, they should be allowed to do so. I would imagine for gun bans to work it would require tight border controls, probably a light authoritarian society, but who knows, maybe in the end it is safer. They should be allowed to experiment with it if thats what they choose to live in. Who am I to say they can't or shouldn't voluntarily arrange such a society?

That only works, however, if the right of secession is held paramount.

As far as tribalism goes: all else being equal, I would prefer to live in a culture that was predominantly white. For primarily aesthetic reasons, but I also believe that people are happier this way as it is hard-coded in our DNA to favor those who look like us. This is what I intuitively believe to be true, though I expect there is also evidence that supports this. Is there any reason I shouldn't pursue such a society, if one were voluntarily possible?

 

[Occam's Banana]

I may be too much of a secessionist-purist for the Mises caucus. I don't think any rights whatsoever can be truly respected until the right of secession is held sacrosanct. Property rights depends on it, gun rights depends on it, it all depends on it.

IMO, there is no such thing as "be[ing] too much of a secessionist-purist " ...

I also think that if someone wants to live in a society that bans guns and prints money 24/7, they should be allowed to do so. I would imagine for gun bans to work it would require tight border controls, probably a light authoritarian society, but who knows, maybe in the end it is safer. They should be allowed to experiment with it if thats what they choose to live in. Who am I to say they can't or shouldn't voluntarily arrange such a society?

That only works, however, if the right of secession is held paramount.

... and I doubt that there are many (if any) in the Mises Caucus who would have significant disagreements with any of that. I certainly don't.

The platform isn't about what ought to be true with respect to any and all permissible (and as yet hypothetical) socio-political systems that might exist in the future.

It's about what the members of the Mises Caucus presently think the Libertarian Party in particular ought to be focused on the most with respect to all the anti-liberty policies currently being imposed and enacted by the U.S. government (from the federal to local levels). What socio-political system(s) ought or ought not to be promoted and erected (and how any of that should be done) is an entirely separate matter, and is well beyond the proper scope of the LPMC platform. That just isn't what it's for.

As far as tribalism goes: all else being equal, I would prefer to live in a culture that was predominantly white. For primarily aesthetic reasons, but I also believe that people are happier this way as it is hard-coded in our DNA to favor those who look like us. This is what I intuitively believe to be true, though I expect there is also evidence that supports this. Is there any reason I shouldn't pursue such a society, if one were voluntarily possible?

There is no reason you shouldn't pursue such a community, if one were voluntarily possible. As I noted in my previous post, "I suppose [it may be the case that tribalism turns out to be a bad thing far more often than it turns out to be a good thing (or even just a neutral thing)] only because it is so often "weaponized" by the state (or by various factions seeking control of state power)." But so long as such an endeavor is free of coercion and any communities it produces are the organic products of voluntary interactions, then there is nothing that warrants the forcible prevention of the formation of such communities.

There is a place for both "multicultural cosmopolitanism" and "homogeneous provincialism" (for lack of better terms). Each has its virtues, and each has its vices. Each is (or should be) the result of the unfettered operation of all relevant socio-economic factors (for example, major trade centers at the crossroads of travel have historically tended more to the cosmopolitan and multicultural, and that is entirely sensible and proper). Serious problems (such as the "culture war" we are seeing today, up to and including physically manifested civil strife) arise when either of these paradigms becomes overweening and seeks to impose its values and modes of being upon the other. It is sheer madness for the likes of New York City and San Francisco, for example, to be bound within the same overarching polity as the Ozarks, rural Ohio, and Alaska - and this is so precisely to the extent to which that continent-spanning polity seeks to impose upon them all a uniformity of policy and socio-cultural character (regardless of whether that policy and character happen to be "cosmopolitan" or "provincial" in nature).

 

[TheTexan]

It's about what the members of the Mises Caucus presently think the Libertarian Party in particular ought to be focused on the most with respect to all the anti-liberty policies currently being imposed and enacted by the U.S. government (from the federal to local levels).

I would primarily disagree with the priorities. Taking a position that the US gov shouldn't be printing money, is equivalent to taking the position that monkeys shouldn't throw poop. Both of them will continue with that behavior until the day they die.

 

[Occam's Banana]

I would primarily disagree with the priorities. Taking a position that the US gov shouldn't be printing money, is equivalent to taking the position that monkeys shouldn't throw poop. Both of them will continue with that behavior until the day they die.

I don't think that is a fair or accurate judgement of the platform.

For one thing, the money plank is about far more than just federal money-printing.
(And in any case, I'd still rather the LP and its candidates and representatives harp about the Fed than about how "we must be actively anti-racist.")

For another thing, there are seven other planks, as well - including the decentralization plank, which explicitly supports secession and identifies it as part of the "absolute right of self-determination." So if, as you said earlier, we must regard "the right of secession [as] paramount" ... well, there you go. What's to disagree with?

There is no requirement that someone who supports the Mises Caucus must care about all the planks, much less that they must care about them all equally. (In fact, that's the whole point of having several planks.)

 

[TheTexan]

There is no requirement that someone who supports the Mises Caucus must care about all the planks, much less that they must care about them all equally. (In fact, that's the whole point of having several planks.)

Priorities is the difference between success and a waste of time. I can agree with something and think it's a waste of time. As long as the Mises caucus is making efforts to reform the US government, or even state/local governments, its a waste of time. If they haven't figured out yet it's a waste of time it's likely they never will, and until they do realize it's a waste of time, whatever nod they give to secession in their platform, cannot and will not be effectively acted upon.

It's pretty much the same reason FSP was mostly a failure.

 

[idiom]

How about giving Reservations an electoral college vote and a representative in an equal third branch of the federal legislature.

Instantly something the woke left won't give and shows how full of shit they are.

We need to go after the big structural injustices and fix them. That's how you get the moral high ground and restrict the state.

 

[Occam's Banana]

The Takeover - Libertarian Party Mises Caucus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFPGjXBFA1Y

 

[Okie RP fan]

What can we do within our local/state/county libertarian parties to advance this?

Do we show up to meeting or agenda and declare there's a Mises Caucus?

It's been years and I don't remember the inner workings of these things.

 

[Occam's Banana]

Timcast IRL - FBI Issues Warrant For Info Wars Reporter Owen Shroyer w/Dave Smith & Mises Founder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abnKVmps0nE

 

[Occam's Banana]

What can we do within our local/state/county libertarian parties to advance this?

Do we show up to meeting or agenda and declare there's a Mises Caucus?

It's been years and I don't remember the inner workings of these things.

Go to the state convention and support caucus members running for positions in the state party (Chari, Treasurer, etc.).

The Mises Caucus has already "taken over" a number of state parties with more or less drama.