Tag: campaign for liberty

Comments on John Tate’s Statement Regarding Ken Buck

I am actually not sure what to think of John Tate’s statement. He starts out by rejecting the notion that C4L in any way endorses Ken Buck. Fine. He points out that no existing C4L donor funds were used. OK. He also points out that he takes “our message of peace, freedom, and prosperity as well as the responsibility entrusted to [him] to run this organization very seriously”. Great!

So then, after raising all these valid points, all conceding that C4L has no business supporting in any way a war mongerer, he sneaks in this:

“As a multi-issue organization with activists from all manner of backgrounds, we each certainly will have our share of disagreements and agreements. The critical question is whether or not we will let disagreements on occasional topics destroy the unity we share in our desire to be a free people.”

Why did he add this sentence? Is he trying to prep us for a watering down of our message of peace and freedom?? Excuse me, but what does he mean by “occasional topics”. The issue of opposing the war in Iraq and Afghanistan is not an occasional topic. It is based on fundamental C4L principles!

Yes, we may have our disagreements on certain things, like what the best strategies are to spread our message, or whether we should abolish the Fed or simply legalize competition with it. But there can’t be any discussion on whether or not we support shooting people (who have never posed an imminent threat to us) in foreign countries.

So, this section of his statement I found rather confusing and disturbing …

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John Tate’s Statement Regarding the Support for Ken Buck

For fairness’ sake:

Throughout 2010, Campaign for Liberty will be running an issue discussion program through our candidate surveys in every state to promote our issues and agenda and to lobby candidates for federal office and to get them on the record in support or opposition on our issues.

Since our inception, we have had many requests from our members for such an effort to help in their work to educate those around them.

As part of this program, mail, radio and TV ads, banner ads, and other forms of communication may be run to encourage candidates to go on record in support of our Liberty agenda, to highlight the responses of the candidates on our issues, and to hold those candidates who ignore our cause accountable.

There have been some questions as to why certain candidates have received surveys while others haven’t. This is simply a matter of putting in place a systematic approach based on candidate filing deadlines and clear survey response deadlines in order to send out surveys in an organized fashion.

For example, Texas candidate surveys have been mailed, and Kentucky surveys will be mailed next week. Illinois survey results are already available on our web site.

As we launch this new undertaking, I also want to take a moment to address your inquires about one of our first public survey ads in Colorado.

First, I think it is important to state up front that, in keeping with our 501(c)4 status, none of our work is in endorsement, support, or opposition for any candidate. In our survey program, we seek only to report where candidates stand in regard to the specific questions to which they have responded.

In retrospect, the ad we are running could have been messaged differently to help avoid any confusion on its intent and to better advertise our issue discussion program. Your invaluable feedback will help us correct this in the future and, as a result, strengthen the effectiveness of our program. This is C4L’s first foray into launching this kind of national initiative, and we are convinced it has the potential to make a tremendous impact.

The candidate featured in the Colorado ad answered 19 out of 20 questions correctly on our C4L candidate survey, and he has been publicly outspoken on Audit the Fed and an out of control federal government. He also answered the Foreign Policy questions and warrantless search question on our survey correctly.

We treat these surveys as a personal promise from the candidate as to how they will vote upon entering Congress. And I can guarantee you we will hold them accountable for their actions and responsible for how they presented themselves to us.

That being said, there is an even more important fact: The Colorado program was funded by a small number of Colorado activists. The funding for this program came ENTIRELY from this small group of new C4L donors.

So for all our great grassroots who are wondering why we might not have used this money elsewhere, I can say two things: First, we WILL have similar programs in MANY other places soon, and second, we did NOT use any money raised generally by Campaign for Liberty to run these ads in Colorado.

In order to both launch the Colorado effort and test our survey program, C4L did not use existing donor funds but built new support and donations, especially within Colorado, specifically for this project. This is the approach we hope to take as we seek funding for many other special projects this year in other states.

I take our message of peace, freedom, and prosperity as well as the responsibility entrusted to me to run this organization very seriously. I hope you all know that, and can give us here at C4L the benefit of the doubt when a situation arises about which you might want more information, or with which you even might not agree. As a multi-issue organization with activists from all manner of backgrounds, we each certainly will have our share of disagreements and agreements. The critical question is whether or not we will let disagreements on occasional topics destroy the unity we share in our desire to be a free people.

This movement has a unique window of opportunity to change politics in our country and restore our lost liberties. But to accomplish this, it will take our unified effort and focus. I see great things for us in 2010 and beyond if we can do that. I hope I’ll have your support as we continue our campaign for liberty.

I am actually not sure what to think of John Tate’s statement. He starts out by rejecting the notion that C4L in any way endorses Ken Buck. Fine. He points out that no existing C4L donor funds were used. OK. He also points out that he takes “our message of peace, freedom, and prosperity as well as the responsibility entrusted to [him] to run this organization very seriously”. Great!

So then, after raising all these valid points, all conceding that C4L has no business supporting in any way a war mongerer, he sneaks in this:

“As a multi-issue organization with activists from all manner of backgrounds, we each certainly will have our share of disagreements and agreements. The critical question is whether or not we will let disagreements on occasional topics destroy the unity we share in our desire to be a free people.”

Why did he add this sentence? Is he trying to prep us for a watering down of our message of peace and freedom?? Excuse me, but what does he mean by “occasional topics”. The issue of opposing the war in Iraq and Afghanistan is not an occasional topic. It is based on fundamental C4L principles!

Yes, we may have our disagreements on certain things, like what the best strategies are to spread our message, or whether we should abolish the Fed or simple legalize competition with it. But there can’t be any discussion on whether or not we support shooting people (who have never posed an imminent threat to us) in foreign countries.

So, this section of his statement I found rather confusing and disturbing …

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Campaign 4 Liberty Supports Pro War Candidate

I just read on my friend Pete Eyre’s blog about a sad direction that C4L seems to be taking. The organization has supported Ken Buck, a pro-war candidate:

This sickening statements comes from Buck’s website:

My son is a third year cadet at West Point. I’m very proud of my son’s decision to serve his country. He understands the risks involved. He also understands there is a price for freedom in this country and he’s willing to stand up and shoulder that burden. For so many of our brave men and women today, that means shouldering the burden in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We definitely need to continue a major effort in Afghanistan. We are told this effort will take at least 10 years. It will require both military and civilian personnel to help build up the country. The generals on the ground tell us we are likely to be in Afghanistan for the long term with a difficult and complicated mission.

As Colorado’s Senator I will always look first to the advice of the generals, and I will strongly support the mission of our troops who are in harm’s way.

Now, I have to say as a former supporter of C4L, I don’t particularly care for conservative values. I don’t care for progressive ones either. I care for what is right, and just, true, and good. So I find it quite offensive that the money that I and other members have contributed in part goes to funding an over a quarter of a million campaign for some Republican Senate candidate whose views have nothing at all to do with the message of peace and freedom and who represents nothing but your average conservative war mongering bigot.

Pete states his suspicions about a new direction that C4L leadership seems to be taking:

… John Tate, C4L’s head neglected to touch on non-interventionism while addressing the attendees at the 9-12 march in DC. Many believe it was not an accident.

Not that I HAVE to point this out, but just in case there is some confusion, this is from C4L’s own statement of principles:

With our Founding Fathers, we also believe in a noninterventionist foreign policy. Inspired by the old Robert Taft wing of the Republican Party, we are convinced that the American people cannot remain free and prosperous with 700 military bases around the world, troops in 130 countries, and a steady diet of war propaganda. Our military overstretch is undermining our national defense and bankrupting our country.

Naturally, the grassroots members are rebelling.

The story just got mentioned on the Huffington Post and a comment left on the Denver Post article to which it links is for me, the epitome of how far C4L has strayed from its founding:

With everyone from Dick Cheney, to Tom Tancredo, to the Campaign for Liberty supporting Ken Buck, it is no wonder he is the only Republican candidate that can unify the GOP base and ensure victory in November. I support Ken Buck!

I do recognize that C4L has helped introduce individuals to the ideas of liberty, at least initially before it was co-opted by those seeking to avoid the “non-interventionist” plank of their mission to cater more to the pro-war right (and their wallets). But no one should get a free pass or be exempt from being held accountable for their actions. And we’re seeing that – the market, in this case those that had previously supported C4L – is responding as some that had previously supported C4L vow not to do so anymore.

The missteps by C4L higher-ups only underscore what politics is – a dirty, morally bankrupt system in which everyone seeks to live at the expense at everyone else. Let’s walk away from that great fiction and instead choose to not try to control other people. For more on this, check out Voluntaryism.

What Pete refers to as voluntaryism is precisely what I have always referred to as anarchism in my blog. (Whether or not it is expedient to use that term is a different, albeit very valid question.)

If there is one thing that I have always appreciated about C4L, and Ron Paul for that matter, was their efforts to get out the word and educate people about truth, freedom, peace, noninterventionism, and Austrian Economics. And where anybody anywhere does these things, whether he is a politician or not, I still fully appreciate it.

But I, too, have recently realized that it is indeed a complete fantasy to believe that one could ever accomplish liberty, peace, and happiness for all, or even just a little improvement, through political action.

This recent incident is just another proof that politics corrupts, always and everywhere.

The most convincing piece I have ever seen on the futility of political action comes from Stefan Molyneux and is well worth watching:

In short: If you think it is unrealistic for you to think that you can join your local neighborhood mafia, and turn them against themselves, then don’t even start fantasizing about succeeding in doing that to the mother of all mafias, the government.

… so until I hear a clear and decisive statement from C4L disassociating from this nonsense, I am taking my link to their site off my blog.

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Announcing AuditTheFed.com

An update from Campaign for Liberty’s president John Tate:

Dear Friend of Liberty,

As you and I both know, Campaign for Liberty is leading the fight to pass Ron Paul’s bill to Audit the Fed.  With 282 cosponsors in the House and 23 in the Senate, your efforts have so far proven very successful in establishing large, bipartisan support for Federal Reserve transparency.  We’ve come a long way in demonstrating to the nation that monetary policy is a critical issue, and every day more and more people are waking up to the harm that the Fed has caused our economy.

But our mission is not yet complete.  There are more Americans to educate, more signatures to collect, and more work to be done to combat the “big guns” that have come out against Ron Paul’s Audit the Fed bill.  That’s why today I’m proud to announce that we’ve taken the next step in our efforts by launching AuditTheFed.com, a focused, coalition website with one purpose: to push this historic piece of legislation through Congress, past the President’s desk, and into law.

AuditTheFed.com includes: contact information for your congressman and senators, petitions, widgets, and banners to promote the website, dynamic graphs of the bill’s cosponsors, a detailed summary of the Audit the Fed bill, a list of our growing coalition, a blog to keep you up to date on all the latest Audit the Fed news, a sign up for email updates, and social networks to help get the word out online.  This website was designed to put you, the liberty-loving activist, in a position to efficiently and effectively promote Audit the Fed to family, friends, neighbors, and strangers alike.

This new website is the latest addition to our efforts to Audit the Fed, but it is by no means the culmination.  Stay tuned to CampaignforLiberty.com in the coming days for information on how we plan to mobilize to gain not only more cosponsors for HR 1207 and S 604, but support for a vote in the House and Senate.

For Liberty,

John Tate

President

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Campaign for Liberty Reclaiming the Republic – Seat by Seat, State by State

Awesome news from John Tate in his recent C4L newsletter:

Dear Friend of Liberty,

After Ron Paul’s presidential campaign ended, the political establishment was sure our grassroots Revolution would fade away and eventually be considered nothing more than a “flash in the pan.”

Much to their frustration, Campaign for Liberty formed in June 2008 to carry on the fight for limited, constitutional government and the restoration of the Founders’ vision.

In just a little over a year, C4L has grown to include nearly 200,000 members from the U.S. and all over the world. Together, we’ve made the Federal Reserve a mainstream issue of debate for the first time in a century, and, in the House of Representatives, have brought the entire Republican Party and nearly 100 Democrats onto Ron Paul’s Audit the Fed bill. Our momentum in the Senate is quickly growing as more cosponsors sign up in support of our historic effort to bring transparency and accountability to D.C.’s most secretive institution.

None of our success on the national level would be possible without the hard work and long hours put in by so many liberty-minded activists across America.

C4L members in every state are working for true, lasting change, and are having tremendous success in fighting to restore our liberties.

Here are just a few of the many excellent reports we’ve seen from members across the country:

Minnesota: Interim State Coordinator Marianne Stebbins reports that success during Ron Paul’s presidential campaign has carried over to current activism.

According to Marianne, “In 2008, liberty forces were successful in electing seven National Delegates and six National Alternates to the RNC. This came on the heels of the election of nearly 1,500 state delegates and alternates. Because we had so many delegates and alternates in the system from 2008 and because many of them stayed active in party politics, liberty forces in MN also enjoyed success in party leadership elections in 2009.”

Victories in Minnesota include electing liberty-minded activists to three Congressional District Chairs, in addition to another friendly Chair in a fourth district, out of eight congressional districts. Several members have also been elected to the State Executive Committee.

Across Minnesota, victories include electing supporters to state central committees, senate district and county leadership, and putting liberty-minded activists in place as Vice Chairs, Treasurers, Deputy Chairs, and several local party Chairs. Supporters are also now in charge of the Minneapolis Republican City Committee, and are working to elect like-minded people to the mayor’s office and city council. Marianne finishes her report by noting, “We continually hear stories about our freedom fighters who are already running for office in 2010, primarily for State Senate or House.”

Great job, Minnesota! (I’m also pleased to add that Minnesota C4L has been successful in getting five out of Minnesota’s eight representatives to cosponsor Audit the Fed!)

Florida: On August 7-9, Florida C4L will gather at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, FL for their Florida Liberty Summit featuring Dr. Paul and Tom Woods. Orange County members have set a goal to have 200 Local Coordinators in Florida by the time of the Summit.

To reach this goal, Orange County C4L activists have been contacting members to address any concerns about becoming an LC and to talk about the necessity of the Local Coordinator program. In less than two weeks, they recruited 29 new LC’s!

Florida’s Local Coordinator count is currently at 159 (leading all other states!), and I’m confident our Florida members can achieve their goal in time for the Summit.

Illinois: Illinois C4L has recently seen a phenomenal increase in their membership! Co-Interim State Coordinator Heather Danielowski notes on her blog that in a two week period in early July, “our total membership has grown by 579, 38 new user accounts have been created, and 3 members have agreed to work as local coordinators. This brings our total numbers to 6,356 members, 1,343 members with user accounts, and 95 local coordinators.”

Since this report was written on July 15, Illinois’ numbers have gone up even more! The latest numbers on the Illinois C4L state page lists 6,531 members, 1,390 web accounts, and 96 Local Coordinators.

Illinois C4L members have also been busy spreading the word about Audit the Fed. The Central Illinois C4L has collected over 1,500 petitions urging Senator Dick Durbin to cosponsor S 604, the Senate companion to Ron Paul’s HR 1207.

If you live in Illinois, the first-ever Illinois C4L state-wide barbeque will take place on July 25 from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm. Click here for more information.

California: In our last email updating you on state successes, we recounted the story of Ron Paul supporters in Alameda County who were successful in gaining 16 out of 30 seats on the Alameda County GOP Central Committee. Their hard work to gain support for Audit the Fed paid off when the Alameda GOP passed a resolution in support of HR 1207 that became a blueprint for many other state groups and committees.

I’m pleased to announce that good things continue to happen in Alameda County! Jerry Salcido, a C4L supporter who contributes to our Featured Articles on CampaignforLiberty.com, recently won the election to become the new Chairman of the Alameda County GOP!

Click here to read Jerry’s archived Featured Articles. Congratulations to Jerry and all who supported his bid!

Washington: Washington State Interim Coordinator Katja Delavar (who helped ensure the success of our recent Seattle Regional Conference) notes that Washington C4L members have helped a statewide voter initiative freezing the size of all Washington government budgets at current levels (with any excess being applied as refunds on property taxes) successfully make it to the ballot.

Washington C4L has also participated in the political process by hosting two special election candidate forums and gaining the cosponsorship of seven out of Washington’s nine representatives for Audit the Fed.

South Carolina: South Carolina C4L recently held its July Conference in Columbia, South Carolina, where it heard from a congressional candidate as well as some of the candidates for governor. Karen Floyd, the newly elected chairwoman of the South Carolina GOP, also addressed the crowd as part of her efforts to foster communication between the GOP and South Carolina C4L members.

Visit South Carolina’s state page here to see video from the event. South Carolina C4L plans to continue holding conferences until it has given all statewide candidates the opportunity to speak.

These are just some of the terrific things happening all across the country.

Congratulations go out to members in Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming for having all of their representatives as cosponsors of HR 1207!

C4L members are spreading the word about our movement at local events, continuing to gather petitions in support of Audit the Fed, signing up new members at gun shows and fairs, writing letters to the editor, and organizing for future action.

Be sure to check out our Recent Member Blog Posts section at CampaignforLiberty.com for even more stories!

If we are to reclaim our Republic and restore our Constitution, we have to first reclaim our own backyards. By spreading the message in our local communities and taking action in our states, we are opening minds, growing the movement, and strengthening our ability to resist big government politicians’ one-size-fits-all plans for our lives.

Do you have a state success story you want to see included in future installments? Send them along! Email any reports you would like to see highlighted to [email protected].

If you are not yet involved in your state’s Campaign for Liberty, select your state on our State page today, and join the ever-growing number of dedicated, liberty-minded individuals who are successfully fighting for their freedoms!

In Liberty,

John F. Tate

President

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