Another potential convert for the Modern Whigs
From Skeptical Eye:
I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of these guys.
I am usually aware of trends in politics and interesting developments, but the modern Whig party apparently slipped right under my radar. I actually was looking for information on the English Whig party when a series of links led me to an article about them. I see a lot to like in what I have read so far. They are no Libertarians, but they seem to be fellow travelers.
And thisa is what I have been saying: If you want a country that operates more like the way libertarians would like it to be, don’t vote for Libertarians. But then, don’t for Dems of GOPers, either.
Modern Whig Party update
From my inbox:
To the members of the Modern Whig Party,
We have received countless messages from people across the nation saying that they have heard the Modern Whig Party name bantered around in bars, restaurants, stores, newspapers, radio shows,blogs , forums, in the workplace and virtually everywhere else. In addition, many of these word-of-mouth comments were positive after some of the more reluctant or skeptical people took a closer look at what this movement is all about.
Our first phase in development has always been to develop a brand that is mainstream, rational, pragmatic and full of common sense solutions. So far, we remain on track and moving. In fact, we have transitioned from being a “mom & pop” organization to a fully recognized political organization that continues to be viewed as the “fastest growing mainstream political movement in the nation.” And based on the meetings taking place throughout the country, we now cannot be considered a solely online phenomenon either.
Notes of interest:
* Bylaws/Charter: A national committee has been established to develop the official rules of this organization. The vision of this movement includes complete transparency and open participation of those members wishing to be active. Once this process is complete, all members will have an opportunity to weigh in and ultimately vote on the future course of this movement’s leadership, process and policy. To assist in this process, please feel free to contact the committee chair at info@texaswhig.org.
* Fundraising: We deliberately refrained from soliciting donations until we had established a viable base of membership and infrastructure. We are about there. However, when ourfundraising activities begin, rest assured that we will be taking a different tact. This means we will never be in your face about it and will never hound or guilt our members into contributing. We understand the economic realities and the fact that many of our members are continuing to hold a wait-and-see attitude toward this movement. In addition, a Web site will be established to list all incoming and outgoing expenditures. From this easy-to-read site, anyone will be able to match this transparent aspect with the corresponding federal filings. There will be more information on thefundraising aspect coming soon.
* Lecture: The current chairman of the Modern Whig Party is giving a lecture on March 27, 2009 at Yale University entitled “Military Expression in the Modern Armed Forces.”
* Modern Whig NYC Happy Hour?: In addition to the lecture, we are considering an informal meeting in New York City on either the 27th or 28th of March. There already has been some interest in such an event. If we can get enough RSVPs together (newyork@modernwhig.org), we will put this together.
* Letter writing campaign: Our Missouri Chapter has been very successful in organizing a letter-to-the-editor campaign. Because of their efforts, our membership and name recognition in that state has grown dramatically. This is because these letters have attracted reporters which in turn has attracted numerous instances of mainstream media coverage. We will be working with our list of active volunteers and state leaders to incorporate this campaign elsewhere. To participate, please contact our national public relations director at elaine@modernwhig.org.
* Membership spike: The recent controversy between GOP social conservatives and GOP moderates contributed to a one-week membership spike of about 800 members. This was the largest short-term increase in membership since the party was prominently featured in the Military Times newspapers last fall. It seems more and more people are choosing to avoid strict socially conservative ideology in order to seek a pragmatic, common-sense alternative that is both realistic and viable. Welcome to all our new members.
We expect to announce many more items of note in the coming months. Thanks to all who have expressed an interest in this movement.
Best regards,
Executive Committee
The Modern Whig Party
An update from the Modern Whig Party
To the members of the Modern Whig Party,
Leadership from both the Modern Whig Party Executive Committee and the 26 state chapters conducted the first national/state meeting last week. This online event attracted numerous members of the public as each chapter provided status updates and coordinated plans.
Among the many updates:
- The North Carolina Chapter is now registered with the State Board of Elections. The chapter also is working with other organizations to improve ballot access in the state.
- MWP Media, the online radio show of the Modern Whig Party, is expected to be launched in the next two weeks.
- The Oklahoma Chapter has a preliminary PAC membership of 1,900.
- A quarterly magazine for the Texas Chapter is expected to be launched in the summer.
- Hundreds of “House Parties” are being planned in homes and college campuses throughout the country to assist in petition signature gathering, party awareness and fundraising.
- Various chapters are considering potential candidates for 2009 and 2010 races.
- A national Public Relations Director will begin coordinating the party’s message this week.
In-person meetings: In addition, in-person meetings are currently being scheduled by various state chapters. We expect to release a more complete calendar of events shortly. But for now, if interested in connecting with other Modern Whig Party members within your state, please visit www.modernwhig.org/states.html and email your state chair.
State/National meetings: These online public meetings will continue to occur on the second Wednesday of every month. The meetings are run by the National Chairman, with participation from an Executive Committee representative, all state chairs or their designees, and special chapters to include Future Voters. Members of the public are afforded time to ask questions. More information to come.
Media coverage: Thanks to all who participated in our recent media campaign. Our movement was named in numerous mainstream print and broadcast media outlets throughout the country. One news editorial even reiterated the fact that “the Modern Whig Party is already recognized as the fastest-growing mainstream political movement in the country.” This success also included various NPR affiliates. Even if your media contacts did not achieve an article, please rest assured that you did succeed in informing a reporter or editor about our movement.
House parties: A coordinated state and national effort is being planned to help raise party awareness, fundraising, petition signature drives and party unity. The idea of the political “House Party” was perfected by the Obama campaign. On a designated date, everyone interested in this project will host a party. They can invite their friends, family, colleagues, etc. They of course also may invite other members. The idea is to not force our movement on people, but to use this as an excuse to have a party. For some, the Modern Whig Party will be the theme. Others will provide information on the movement to their guests. Our radio show will be broadcasting live as well.
If interested in hosting a party, please contact us at: houseparty@modernwhig.org
Thanks again to the thousands of members of the Modern Whig Party. We continue to gain traction and grow based on our common-sense, mainstream values and commitment to taking a non-antagonistic, non-fringe attitude toward the two major parties that many of us have bee apart of for much of our lives.
Best regards,
Executive Committee
The Modern Whig Party
Libertarians love StimulusWatch
From LP.org:
Have you every wondered just what exactly is in Barack Obama’s massive government spending plan, now estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to end up costing over $1 trillion?
The creators of StimulusWatch.org have taken the Obama proposal and broken it down by project, and the sheer amount of high-cost, low-job creation pork-barrel spending is amazing.
Log on to www.StimulusWatch.org for yourself and browse the bill.
Via IPR.
Modern Whigs: Please cull the wackadoodles
Here’s a good rule of thumb: When someone mentions in a post on a blog or forum that they are “not normally a believer in conspiracies, but … ” you can rest assured that the poster is a wackadoodle and is going to spew forth a particularly idiotic conspiracy theory. No fact or argument presented to refute said theory will dissuade the original poster that his little theory is wrong. And soon, 90 percent of the replies will be from the original poster.
And that’s what happened on this thread on a Modern Whig Party forum. Basically, it’s a regurgitation of the Obama-isn’t-a-Citizen complaint that’s making the rounds. It’s all factually disproven bullshit, of course. Not that it matters, because no matter what argument is made against this theory, the response is that, well, it’s a conspiracy and if you look deeper, you will find the truth.
Hey, Whigs: You have GOT to keep this conspiracy crap off your forums and blogs. These people do not give a FIG about building your party or its platform. They see the MWP as a forum to spread their fantasies. The more this stuff appears on YOUR forums, the more the public assumes that is what the MWP is all about.
My advice: Delete these posts and comments as soon as your see them. Be merciless. If the Constitution Party and Libertarian Party want these idiots, let them have ‘em.
Greens side with Hamas
Why am I not surprised? Via IPR:
The Green Party of the United States calls for an immediate end to Israel’s bombing attacks on Gaza, which in the past four days has already caused at least 364 deaths, including Palestinian women and children, with hundreds more wounded. “It’s clear that President Bush gave a green light for Israel’s massive and disproportionate display of force. The Green Party demands that the US seek a bilateral ceasefire, with immediate pressure on Israel to stop the bombardment and end the occupation,” said Rosa Clemente, the Green Party’s 2008 candidate for Vice President of the United States.
No word from the Green Party on their position on the rockets that Hamas was lobbing into Israel.
‘Separation of charity and state’
Oooo, I like the phrase used in this newspaper column about the nature of altruism:
“Altruism is an illusion when it comes to the government,” said Jim Maas of Rothschild, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin. “Americans are a generous people who donate to many worthy causes. … When misfortune or disaster strikes, Americans help out.
“Government is based on force, and force is difficult to reconcile with any meaningful concept of charity. When a government bureaucrat sends money to someone in need, it doesn’t make taxpayers compassionate and caring persons. It also doesn’t mean that the bureaucrat is a good and caring person, because he is doling out the money that the government has forcibly exacted from American taxpayers, not his own. To be meaningful, we must be free to give to those causes which appeal to us. There should be separation of charity and state.”
Now THAT is a great line.
A case can be made that from a policy perspective, that it makes sense for their to be some sort of safety net in place to keep people from starving and losing their homes during normal business cycles. Hungry and homeless people walking the streets isn’t going to be conductive to the free market because it will lead to more demogogury and more socialism, not less.
But when you have politicians using my money to make their constituents happy and beholden, and to create the illusion that the politician “cares,” then I call B.S.
And I feel the same way about calls for mandatory public service as a condition for graduation or some other service. It’s not public service if you have to do it.
Hat tip: IPR.
Modern Whig video
It’s just a promotional video, but it will open some eyes, I think.
The Big Two are competing against each other, and not really concerned abut the nation as much as promoting their brand.
The other “third” parties are more concerned about narrow points of ideology.
I think the Modern Whigs have a shot, it they stay strong and avoid being used by crackpots.
More GOP nonsense about being ‘libertarian’
Every time I hear Republicans or conservatives claim to be “libertarians at heart,” I wanna reach for a barf bag. This is no exception.
A core conservative doctrine is the libertarian idea that we should drastically limit the size of government. In Ronald Reagan’s iconic words, “Government is not a solution to our problem; government is the problem.”
You’d think that few people would believe this anymore, but nearly half the electorate voted for Republican candidates who profess opposition to Big Government. So let us recall just some of the ways we need government.
Yeah. That was Reagan all right. A libertarian. That’s why he turned Ed Meese loose in our bedrooms and started the War on Druge, because he was so concerned about our individual rights.
And before you start, I know full well that this column was written by a Democrat. My point is still valid.
Billy Dennis
Ol' Uncle Ben
IL Third Party Guy
Billy Dennis