Convention Notes:
Perhaps a few words about the Libertarian Party National Convention, which concluded last Sunday, are in order.
Over 500 delegates participated in this year's convention. The two major items of business were the election of a new party chair, which went to David Bergland in a spirited contest. The second major item of business involved the party platform. Numerous small changes were made, while a substantial change to the health care plank was made (specifics upon request). The platform committee recommended (with a minority in disagreement) that the party take no position as a party on abortion. This promised to be the most controversial issue on the agenda, but the clock ran out before it could be addressed. Supporters of the change were bitterly disappointed, within the context of remaining respectful to the decision making process, that the delegates declined to suspend the rules to allow consideration of the abortion plank. I fear some of them will walk.
I would characterize the tone of the convention as being upbeat but realistic. Absent were claims of immediate electoral success, but there was an abiding sense that the party and the cause of liberty is moving forward.
Speakers included Roy Innis and Peter McWilliams, both of whom joined the Libertarian Party on stage. Innis suggested he may be a candidate for mayor of New York on the LP ticket. McWilliams spoke painfully, but with humor, about the oppression of those using marijuana for medicinal purposes. He observed that the law enforcement officers were mainly well-intentioned, patriotic Americans who, though sadly misinformed, were doing a job they though needed to be done. His real animus was directed toward the likes of Bill Bennett who lead the "Insane War on Drugs", and he cited examples of the suffering caused by Bennett's, and the government's, use of coercive force against adults making their own decisions about how to lead their personal lives.
The 1996 LP candidate for president was very much a presence, both as a speaker and as a supporter for Bergland. But the real star of the show was Jacob Hornsberger, president(?) of the Future of Freedom Foundation in Vienna, VA. Mr. Hornsberger is an absolutely spellbinding speaker who delivered several minutes of his address in Spanish. (He grew up in Laredo, TX, and at least part of his family crossed the Rio Grande this century). I can only hope those several minutes are played on Hispanic TV stations in this country. He all but announced his candidacy for President of the United States on the LP ticket in the year 2000. Browne vs. Hornsberger would give the party a choice between two excellent candidates IMO, but I walked away from the convention with a dream of a three way televised debate among presidential candidates: Al Gore, Dan Quayle, and Jacob Hornsberger. Hornsberger would completely eclipse these other gentlemen both intellectually and in terms of stage presence IMO.
Larry |
