Libertarian Party, Born Again Hard?

Well, after the anti-climactic (the nomination of former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson for president and former California judge Jim Gray for vice-president) came the apocalyptic!

In the race for chair of the Libertarian National Committee on Saturday evening, first sitting chair Mark Hinkle, and then challenger Mark Rutherford were eliminated in favor of None of the Above.

After Rutherford's backers unloaded every dirty trick they could think of to nullify the result, it somehow magically became a tie instead of a NOTA win, and a new election was held this morning, resulting in the election of Geoff Neale of Texas (who has served as chair in the past as well).

Apparently the completely fraudulent nullification of NOTA's win was the signal for a full-scale delegate uprising that swept most of the the 2010-2012 "establishment" out of office.

R. Lee Wrights beat former chair and sitting at-large member Bill Redpath to once again become vice chair (a position that, if I am not mistaken, he once held when Neale was chair the last time).

Ruth Bennett (whom I've always liked, although I was disappointed with her recent stand in favor of forcing convention delegates who just wanted to be convention delegates and nothing else to subsidize the luxury hotel/circus sideshow preferences of more well-heeled party members) unseated sitting secretary Alicia Mattson.

Tim Hagan (with whom I served as an LNC regional alternate around the turn of the century) unseated Aaron Starr for the position of treasurer.

Establishment figures Redpath and Wayne Allyn Root did secure at-large positions ... but so did LNC newcomer Arvin Vohra, coming-back-after-long-break Michael Cloud, and ... holy bustier, Batman! ... Starchild!!!


I haven't seen Judicial Committee results yet, but at this point it looks like a different ballgame in terms of internal governance. The faction behind much of the 2008-2012 fuckery (and there's really no other word for it) seems to have been shorn of its key figures and working majority.

I still don't see the LP getting anywhere in terms of fulfilling its purposes, but it may at least have extended its own life for a few more years with these outcomes.