I’ve had the same problem at Third Party Watch. I wonder if it is censorship.

Despite policy differences, anyone who understands the LP knows that Steve Gordon is a man of integrity. You may disagree with him on certain issues, but Steve runs a straight organization and has as much integrity as anyone in the LP.

I paid for a package which fits my needs. Why should anyone else be any different?

In case you haven’t noticed, the Libertarian Party is a fragile organization. The executive director just quit. During the 2004 election cycle, the National LP was in near chaos with database problems and little or no LP literature to provide.

Take a look at the Texas LP back then: http://wesbenedictforlnc.blogspot.com/2006/07/texas-two-step-turnaround-2.html

Our National convention is next week and what I think we need are people who are die-hard supporters of the party willing to let a mishap or two slide, and rather than stand ready to create a fuss, help smooth things over by being a team player.

I’m not saying support a candidate you don’t support, or a platform or by-laws proposal you don’t support. I’m just saying respect the fact that our party is what it is, and the people organizing the convention are who they are, and cut them some slack in this critical period.

I’ve had the same problem at Third Party Watch. I wonder if it is censorship.

However, I don’t live in Texas and don’t even have an interest in visiting, so I would have no interest in attending your convention unless there were something important going on which would impact me directly. For example, many of the other states had debates between the presidential candidates; whereas the nominee will be chosen before your debate, so there will be no such debate.

Now perhaps you can tell me why I should attend.

Insofar as the reason for having press credentials, normally national conventions during a presidential election year have numerous press conferences, wherein members of the press can ask questions of candidates and party officials. Without press credentials, one cannot attend those conferences.

Thanks for sharing your insight. I don’t know if I agree with you or not–that I know for sure.

GE is a delegate. I don’t know what level of convention “package” he bought, but he did buy one.

Press credentials get those who hold them into more events than the lowest levels of delegate packages, on the presumption that they’re there to cover stuff. They also get those who hold them access to the “media room,” a set-aside area where journalists can store their computers with reasonable assurance that the computers won’t walk away, etc. and where candidates, the party, etc. will post notice of events the press may want to cover.

So far as I know, I’m going to the convention on TPW press credentials. If I’m wrong and they’ve been denied, I may buy a package or I may not (I’m usually more for grabbing a burger than I am for attending banquets and such, and frankly I expect most of my reportage to be from the floor or from non-”official events.”

Look … I’m 110% on GE’s and LFV’s side here, unless I see real evidence that the media room is already overbooked with press that had already requested credentials, etc.

I don’t think that GE is seeking press credentials so that he can raid the open bar at one of the banquets or maybe doggy bag some prime rib (and if that was the case, I’d side with LPHQ in yanking those press credentials as soon as it became apparent).

I think he’s asking for them because he blogs at a genuine libertarian/LP-oriented site that may have a small readership but also has some stature and reaches a very targeted audience with an intense interest in what happens in Denver. Maybe LPHQ thinks LFV is unfriendly, but if so this is just a way to make them MORE unfriendly.

Dark conspiracies? Vetting for Barr-friendliness? Hey, I don’t think anyone regards me as especially Barr-friendly the last few weeks, but Gordon applied for the credentials for me and so far as I know the application was accepted. So I discount that explanation, without writing it off entirely.

I think it’s more likely that LPHQ is just not … how do I put this nicely? … thinking clearly. Media room overcrowded? When I was in the Marine Corps, the proper answer to the question “how many Marines does a five ton truck hold?” was “one more.” Crowded rooms sort themselves out. Reporters who abuse their press credentials can be stripped of sad credentials. So I think LPHQ would have been smarter to say “yeah, pick up your lanyard and badge at the desk, GE.” He’s going to be there. He’s going to be blogging from there. Does LPHQ want him happy or annoyed? Granted, GE is a reasonably balanced guy and will take it in stride, but c’mon. Ease up.

But I could be wrong. It’s happened before.

I have a regular problem with my comments not appearing on TPW. I’m not sure exactly what happens to them when that occurs, but they are mysteriously never seen again.

I’m not going to say anything negative about TPW, but I will note that I chuckled at your characterization. ;-)

I responded by email, asking Andrew why the request had been denied and pointing out that at least one other blog had already received press credentials. He (not surprisingly) did not respond.

Eventually I called the LP again, at which time I was told by Andrew that, in his opinion, LFV does not get sufficient traffic to be granted press credentials. However, he admitted that they have granted credentials to other blogs (which is something I already knew). In fact, he was kind of rude about it, which only confirmed in my mind that there is far more to that decision than he would have me believe.”

This is a bunch of crap. There is no damn reason they couldn’t have issued you a press pass.

Why would anyone want to attend a state convention being held after the national convention?

Wes responds:

I’ll bet you $200 the Libertarian Party of Texas Convention has more attendees than any other LP state convention. Before I tell you why, how about you suggest some reasons or disagree?

Separately, I agree with many of the comments from I read from you and G.E. More familiar with G.E.’s than yours.

In the absence of someone putting words into my mouth that I can’t find for myself, I’ll do my best.

I think there’s a concern that some people try to free-ride into the convention without paying their way. I support credentialed delegates getting in without a fee, but when it comes to non-delegates and press people, some standards must apply unless we’re to let anyone in for free.

At this point, I must admit I don’t know what benefits a “press credential” grants to someone who purchases a convention package and isn’t or is a delegate.

I am aware of one person from Texas who wanted to get into the convention based on a weak claim that he’d be writing something for a newsletter.

I wasn’t asking to “get in free.” I have a convention package.

The real issue here is that LFV’s press credentials were declined only after it was revealed that I was the one to be utilizing them. I wouldn’t think the neocons at the LNC would know who I am, but the refusal was prompt as soon as my name was dropped.

Meanwhile, ThirdPartyWatch gets credentials. Is the gulf between the two blogs THAT large, especially when considering LFV is a libertarian-only blog?

People can draw their own conclusions. The facts are that TPW is owned by a Barr lackey. Barr lackeys control the LNC. LFV has been critical of Barr, and I have been as well. The fact is that LFV was being given consideration for press credentials and was asked to provide my name and information. As soon as ENM did this, her request was promptly refused.

Those are the facts. Maybe there’s nothing to it. Maybe there was nothing to the anti-Ruwart press release. Maybe there was nothing to the smears started and propagated by Stephen Gordon’s TPW. Maybe it’s all just coincidental. Or maybe not.

“It’s free to attend the main business sessions if space allows. However, the Reception, Lunch and Dinner Banquets as well as the Workshops require purchase of an appropriate package.

It’s the hotel room purchases and meal purchases that cover the cost of the convention space. Without enough meal and room purchases, our party will have to pay a supplemental fee for the convention space.”

http://lptexas.org/convention2008.shtml

“The contributor will be attending the convention, at no cost to the LP, and reporting on it for Last Free Voice”.

Our contributor is paying his own way. We asked for nothing to be free, and expected nothing to be free. What part of that do you not understand?

What do you expect:
Qualifications: do you have a blogger account? (Which is free)
Answer: Yes
Okay, you get in free!

Nut up and by a convention package if you care so much about sharing your wisdom with the internet world.

And if there are specific requirements to be “big” enough, why not post them for everybody to see?

Later tonight I will post on my own blog.

I usually disagree with what GE writes, but I’ll be damned if I will let him be muzzled without protest.

ENM, if you want LFV to get any respect, you’ll have to become a neocon and use the site to participate in virtual gang rapes. Oh, and working to nominate a baby-butchering, homophobic, drug warring neocon wouldn’t hurt either.

Also, take lots of suggestive pictures of yourself with cigars.

Freud would have a field day with S.G.

Now we need to do three things.

1: Get more states to rescind the homophobic marriage bans.

2: Repeal Barr’s DOMA.

3: Abolish Marriage licensing altogether.

Barr gave the National LP $8500 in the 2007-2008 cycle

$1000 in 2006

Barr gave $4K to Bob Smither’s race (against Tom DeLay) in ‘06. He also flew out to host a fundraising event there at his own expense. Barr also made fundraising calls for Smither. Barr was not a LP member yet, at this time.

Other donations:

8/2007 $500 CA LP
11/2007 $250 TN LP
4/2008 $1000 Buckley for Senate (GA)
9/2007 Arin Sime $500
10/2007 $1000 Oklahomans for Ballot Access Reform
6/2007 $1000 Ron Paul

2/2007 $1000 GA LP
5/2007 $1000 GA LP
4/2008 $1000 Ga LP

2/2007 $500 Common Cause (About Us)Common Cause is a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1970 by John Gardner as a vehicle for citizens to make their voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest.

A few (of many) trips on behalf of LP:

4/2007 NC LP Convention
6/2007 MS LP Convention
6/2007 AL LP convetion
9/2007 St. Louis LP Fundraiser
10/2007 Orange County, CA LP
10/2007 OK Libertarian Fundraiser

2/2008 St. Louis Area Lib. Caucus

2008 may be looked at as campaigning but original intent was as LNC Region 4 Chair:

3/08 GA LP Convention
3/08 TN LP Convention
3/08 Florida LP convention
4/08 NC LP convention
4/08 AL LP Convention
4/08 NY LP Convention
5/08 CT LP Convention

Barr endorsed Michael Badnarik in 2004, which was worth a significant amount of credibility for Badnarik and a source for lost income/”respectability” for Barr.

As far as “right wing” goes, the two “reformers” I immediately think of when that word is used are Carl Milsted (who calls for an “upper left” party, advocates a “citizens dividend,” etc.) and ecolibertarian/geolibertarian Brian Holtz. Hardly “right-wing” by any traditional definition.