Libertarian Party Reform Caucus
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The Libertarian Party Reform Caucus (LPRC) was a political organization in the United States dedicated to reforming the Libertarian Party nationwide. Founded on March 7, 2005 by LP members Todd Andrew Barnett and Chris Bennett, the caucus was created as a "last-minute ditch effort, to save the LP by reforming the Party at the National level."
The organization was composed of reformers who wanted to implement pragmatic reforms from within the LP, as well as the United States government, in order to restore liberty. Like its sister organization Libertarian Reform Caucus, it wanted the LP to become a real political party that would run experienced and qualified candidates in winnable campaigns for election to office at the local, county, state, and federal levels.
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[edit] The goals of the LPRC
The LPRC, described as "the conscience of the LP," had stated the following goals:
- To argue against and fight the recent LNC dues increase
- To argue for the dissolution of UMP and urge state parties to abandon the system altogether
- To rewrite and truncate the LP Platform, making it easier to read and much more sensible and practical than it currently stands
- To reform the internal structure of the Libertarian Party
- To reform the Libertarian National Committee and its policies
- To rewrite the LP Bylaws and establish a better, clearer party structure
- To enforce the LP's mission statement of electing LP candidates to public office and directing public policy in a libertarian or libertarian-leaning direction
- To decentralize the functions of the National HQ from the state affiliates and allow state parties to fend for themselves
[edit] The demise of the Libertarian Party Reform Caucus
As of February 21, 2007, LPRC founder Todd Andrew Barnett wrote and submitted a post to the LPRC list, effectively announcing that he was pulling the plug on the LPRC because of his view that the group had not effectively fought against the Libertarian Party platform gutting that took place at the Libertarian National Convention in Portland, Oregon, in July 2006. [1] He also believed that some of the LPRC members' ties to the Libertarian Reform Caucus have contributed to the shredding of the LP platform at that convention.
[edit] The plan
The plan of the LPRC was to attract currently disgruntled Party members, former Party members, and voters who had never been members of any political party.
