Fwd: Letter to the LNC
Richard Longstreth
At Large Representative
Libertarian National Committee
richard.l...@lp.org
931.538.9300
Sent from my Mobile Device
From: David Howman
Date: Sat, Jun 19, 2021, 14:34
Subject: Letter to the LNC
To: <richard.l...@lp.org>
Hi Richard,
Please forward this letter to the LNC list:
To the members of the LNC, many of whom I've had the fortune to meet,
My name is David Howman, and I'm from Arizona. Like many people, I joined the Libertarian Party in 2016. It was my first presidential election I was eligible to vote in, and as a registered Republican who was always a small "l" libertarian, I was eager to select an upstanding, quality presidential nominee in that primary. But as it became clear the GOP was embracing the divisive, hateful rhetoric of Donald Trump - and even those who didn't embrace it certainly didn't condemn it either - I made a decision: I cannot, in good conscience, continue to be affiliated with a political party that, at worst, endorses this kind of bigotry and, at best, doesn't consider it a deal breaker.
I left the Republican Party, and Gary Johnson's campaign was what roped me into the Libertarian Party. I officially registered Libertarian in May 2016. By July 2016, I was running the Youth for Johnson/Weld chapter at Arizona State University, the largest public university in the country. We built up a member base and brought the libertarian message to thousands of college students, canvassed in the surrounding neighborhoods, and phone banked to support his campaign. After the election, I transitioned that student group into a College Libertarians chapter, the first ever representation of the LP on our campus. It now has over 150 members.
I graduated (for the second time) from ASU in May 2020 with a master's degree, in addition to my two bachelor's degrees. With my time as a college Libertarian now up, it was time for me to dedicate my time to the LP proper. I served as a delegate in the 2020 national convention before being elected as the assistant secretary for the Arizona Libertarian Party. I also serve as the chair of the AZLP candidate recruitment committee and will be running a congressional campaign in the 2022 midterm elections.
I'm telling you all of this so that you have an understanding of what you are losing, because just as I did five years ago, I have made a decision: I cannot, in good conscience, continue to be affiliated with a political party that, at worst, endorses bigotry and, at best, doesn't consider it a deal breaker.
I have made commitments to the people of Arizona to serve them in my capacity as assistant secretary through January of 2023, just as I have made a commitment to run a congressional campaign for a 2022 election. Because I value my integrity, I will honor those commitments. Once those commitments are complete, so is my affiliation with the LP. I will no longer give my time, effort, and money to a party that has shown it is incapable of properly governing even themselves, let alone others. How, in good conscience, can I tell others to volunteer, donate, and vote for members of a party this inept?
There are many on this LNC who have contributed to the rapid and sudden decline that's brought me to this point. The first person I'll recognize is John Phillips. While I believe Mr Phillips does act, for the most part, in good faith, I fully believe he is misguided or short-sighted, especially when it comes to his attempts to paint some very genuine concerns over others' behavior as mere caucus infighting and jealousy. I raised concerns about the Mises Caucus in California giving a platform to an openly anti-Semitic person who has referred to Jews as "termites" who are "controlling the world" and oppressing others for their own financial gain. Others raised concerns about the LPNH Twitter account, and the man who ran it, for stating that black people have lower IQs than white people and, more recently, that a 14 year old is old enough to consent to sex. Still, others raised concerns about specific leaders within the Mises Caucus who physically threatened, and in one instance physically assaulted, other Libertarians. Each time, Mr Phillips chalked it up to nothing more than us being jealous that we were being out-recruited by the Mises Caucus. The blinders he wore to the bad actors entering our party was a critical blow to the integrity of this party, and I hope he can reflect and recognize this now.
Next, I will single out Ken Moellman. I met Mr Moellman for the first time at the California state convention last month and had numerous positive conversations with him that left me believing him to be committed to doing the right thing for the LP. Thus it was overwhelmingly disappointing to find out that Mr Moellman was conspiring behind the scenes to whip votes to remove the LNC chair before any meetings, LNC or otherwise, had even been held to discuss, debate, or engage in fact-finding. I feel betrayed by Mr Moellman most of all, because I was given one impression of him in person but his actions in the shadows paint a very different picture. If Mr Moellman has any integrity, he ought to resign from his post effective immediately.
That brings me to Caryn Ann Harlos. I recognize that our secretary is a very divisive figure in the LP, so context is needed. Back when I joined the LP in 2016, Ms Harlos was one of the first people to tell me that I was welcome in the party instead of pointing out why I was "not a real libertarian." As such, I felt a certain kinship with Ms Harlos from an early point. This led me to vote for her at the most recent national convention in spite of some of my disagreements with her on party-related matters; I felt that Ms Harlos was, as she presents herself to be, committed to her principles above all else.
Boy was I wrong. Not two months after I cast my vote to reelect Ms Harlos as secretary, I let it be known to her on Facebook that some of her recent actions made me second guess my vote. She responded by telling me that if I don't like her commitment to principles, I could "fuck off and die" for all she cared; shortly after, Ms Harlos blocked me on every social media account I have. As this happened on her personal account, I didn't think it worthy of notifying the LNC, but it did cement my opinion that Ms Harlos was not interested in serving the LP and instead only interested in serving herself.
From that point on, Ms Harlos has done nothing but confirm that opinion to be fact. She has openly talked about her involvement in other political parties, crudely insulted members of the LP on social media time and time again, openly disparaged the LP on social media, neglected to disclose relevant campaign donations when taking votes in her capacity as secretary, held hostage certain historical assets of the LP for use in her monetized YouTube channel, and most recently engaged in an unsanctioned investigation that completely and totally eliminated any chance of impartiality on her end while continuing to vote on matters regarding the LPNH dispute. She was also the other individual who engaged in whipping votes alongside Mr Moellman to remove the chair without due process. All of this is without mentioning her complete disregard for basic decorum, both in meetings and on the LNC list, all of which qualifies her for censure. But by her own words, censure doesn't do enough. Any other professional organization - which the LP ostensibly is - would have fired Ms Harlos with cause months ago. It is now incumbent upon the LNC to vote to remove her from her position, as her reckless and childish behavior has caused material damage to the LP.
The last member I will single out is Joshua Smith. To be candid, I would have much more to list about Mr Smith if he were actually committed to being an at large representative of the LNC. Instead, Mr Smith attends meetings at his own leisure, frequently misses votes, is caught not paying attention to business, frequently misunderstands governing rules, and overall seems to put more effort into his show than fulfilling his role as a member of this LNC.
However, I will still speak to some of the more egregious things Mr Smith has done to destroy the reputation of the LNC. First, he has encouraged on social media many of his supporters to stalk and harass those who did not support his most recent unsuccessful bid for chair. He has also threatened legal action against many members of the LP, myself included, but never filed any lawsuits; this is presumably because there was no actual case to be made, but Mr Smith just wanted to intimidate others. Most recently, Mr Smith responded to a state chair who had been the subject of threats of physical violence by saying "he gets what he gives." How can you condone that atrocious response? I should note that this exchange did not occur over social media, but over the LNC list, meaning that Mr Smith was saying this in his capacity as a member of the LNC. Speaking of the LNC list, Smith has mirrored Ms Harlos in his complete and total disregard for decorum, and a censure is the absolute least this LNC should be expected to do. However, the right thing to do is to vote to remove him from his position.
To not take action on Ms Harlos and Mr Smith is to tacitly endorse and condone this destructive behavior.
This LNC is not without its positives, though, and I would like to highlight that. My regional rep, Francis Wendt, has continually made me grateful to be represented by him with every decision he makes. Prior to the excomm meeting on Tuesday night, Mr Wendt called me up, but not to tell me what he was thinking. Instead, Mr Wendt called to ask me what my thoughts and concerns were. Many others on this LNC would do well to follow his example and remind themselves that they were elected to represent others and not their own interests.
Prior to Mr Wendt becoming my regional rep, Richard Longstreth served in that role and was equally incredible in making sure the voices of Region 1 were heard and represented. I had hoped, and especially now, that he would be our vice chair but I was still elated to vote for him to be an at large representative. I have continued to be impressed by the work he has done in that capacity, and he has my full and total appreciation.
Last but not least, our now former chair, Joe Bishop-Henchman. I first met Mr Bishop-Henchman by way of the Libertarian Pragmatist Caucus, which I joined because at the time they were the only group of people in the whole LP who seemed to actually care about winning elections. When Mr Bishop-Henchman declared his intent to seek the chair position and bring this focus to the national scale, it was an easy sell for me. Even in his tragically short tenure as chair, he has absolutely validated my reasons for supporting him and always done so in a manner befitting of the role he held. The fact that even he was worn down by the disgusting behavior of certain bad actors within this party absolutely played a role in my own decision; if even our national chair no longer sees a constructive role for the LP to fill, to the point that he would rather resign than continue fighting on, then what hope is there for me?
Finally, I would like to comment on the so-called caucus wars. I was a dues-paying member of the Pragmatist Caucus and very much believed in their mission of electing Libertarians - a focus that many on this LNC seem to have abandoned - but I also felt a sense of community with many in other caucuses, such as the Radicals, Audacious, and even the Mises Caucus. While I find the messaging and behavior of some of the national leaders of the Mises Caucus to be utterly abhorrent and antithetical to the LP platform, there are many members of the Mises Caucus who are committed to growing the party and doing the work - with anyone, not just their own - to elect Libertarians. This fact was also noted by Mr Bishop-Henchman in a statement he issued in the last week, though it went unnoticed by the antagonistic members of this LNC. In my own state especially, I have enjoyed positive and harmonious relationships with several members of our state Mises Caucus despite my open affiliation with a different caucus. I sincerely hope that these people are able to do good things for the LP, the things that I had hoped to do before it was made obvious to me that I no longer have a home here.
Maybe one day I will be able to rejoin the Libertarian Party and find a political party that is actually committed to a world set free in our lifetime. I had thought that was the case with this LNC, but I was sadly mistaken. To those who are largely responsible for derailing this party, I hope my words have struck a chord with you. To the rest of you, you have my respect and sympathy.
In Liberty,
David Howman
Ken Moellman
John Phillips
Caryn Ann Harlos
