BOSTON — The state’s Libertarian Party has split into two competing factions amid heated disagreements between its leaders over the national party’s right-shifting political platform.
The rift opened up during a meeting of the party’s state committee in January, according to interviews with party members, when a bloc of committee members staged a “coup” by voting to expel nearly 50 members who had petitioned for a special convention to pick new party leadership ahead of November’s elections.
A rival faction of the state committee objected to the move, and held a meeting a month later where they elected their own slate of committee members.
The two factions of the party held competing state conventions in April, where delegates elected new leaders, approved bylaws and nominated candidates to run for office in the upcoming elections.
But the dispute escalated in June when a faction under the banner of the Libertarian Association of Massachusetts voted to “disaffiliate” from the National Libertarian Committee and its recognized state affiliate, which now calls itself the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts.
The split created two Libertarian parties in Massachusetts, each claiming to represent the state’s third-largest political party.
The sides are accusing each other of trying to take over the party and of spreading lies and misinformation about the dispute on blogs and social media.
Judging by the debates, Republicans want to dispense with much of the federal government and repeal virtually every Biden achievement (including the bipartisan ones).
They are determined to upend, upset and uproot workable government without offering any problem-solving ideas of their own. They have no alternative plan for health care. They have no solutions to address inflation.
So what do they do after carving up the federal government?
The answer is likely to cut taxes for the rich, but they cannot say so. The result is a void where a governing agenda normally would be. Watch the debate performances by Republican Senate candidates Ron Johnson (Wis.), Mike Lee (Utah), Herschel Walker (Georgia), Marco Rubio (Fla.) or J.D. Vance (Ohio), and you’ll be hard-pressed to name a policy solution they offered.
“Close the border” is not a policy; it is a crudely stated aspiration. “Stop woke Democrats” isn’t even a coherent thought. Stop them from doing what?
✁
Republican candidates have good reason to eschew concrete policy ideas. When Sen. Rick Scott (Fla.), the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, rolled out an 11-point agenda for the party — including tax increases for the poor, abortion bans, pandering on “critical race theory” and sunsetting entitlement programs such as Social Security — virtually every other Republican ran from it.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) also produced a GOP agenda, but it was light on details, to put it mildly. What was there was frightful.
The New York Times reported that “it hinted that Republicans would look to change the Affordable Care Act and roll back legislation allowing Medicare to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs.”
These ideas, like Johnson’s proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act, turn off all but the hardcore base.
I’ve noticed that in a lot of towns and small cities there are places where the same party always wins sometimes for decades. Example I live in a Democrat town while the next town is Republican, (we’re separated by railroad tracks and I joke they call us the wrong side of the tacks). I’ve noticed there is ususally an opposing party canidate on the ballot whom I assume just runs on principle.
The dude from FL Premium Member over 1 year ago
It’s coming, scary
braindead Premium Member over 1 year ago
This again. Quiet quitting.
danielmkimmel over 1 year ago
Meanwhile the Libertarians are cracking up:
BOSTON — The state’s Libertarian Party has split into two competing factions amid heated disagreements between its leaders over the national party’s right-shifting political platform.
The rift opened up during a meeting of the party’s state committee in January, according to interviews with party members, when a bloc of committee members staged a “coup” by voting to expel nearly 50 members who had petitioned for a special convention to pick new party leadership ahead of November’s elections.
A rival faction of the state committee objected to the move, and held a meeting a month later where they elected their own slate of committee members.
The two factions of the party held competing state conventions in April, where delegates elected new leaders, approved bylaws and nominated candidates to run for office in the upcoming elections.
But the dispute escalated in June when a faction under the banner of the Libertarian Association of Massachusetts voted to “disaffiliate” from the National Libertarian Committee and its recognized state affiliate, which now calls itself the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts.
The split created two Libertarian parties in Massachusetts, each claiming to represent the state’s third-largest political party.
The sides are accusing each other of trying to take over the party and of spreading lies and misinformation about the dispute on blogs and social media.
https://www.eagletribune.com/news/boston/libertarian-party-splits-into-factions-amid-rebellion/article_59fd4ca2-5075-11ed-a82a-1f26c91a8e1b.html
Silly Season over 1 year ago
Judging by the debates, Republicans want to dispense with much of the federal government and repeal virtually every Biden achievement (including the bipartisan ones).
They are determined to upend, upset and uproot workable government without offering any problem-solving ideas of their own. They have no alternative plan for health care. They have no solutions to address inflation.
So what do they do after carving up the federal government?
The answer is likely to cut taxes for the rich, but they cannot say so. The result is a void where a governing agenda normally would be. Watch the debate performances by Republican Senate candidates Ron Johnson (Wis.), Mike Lee (Utah), Herschel Walker (Georgia), Marco Rubio (Fla.) or J.D. Vance (Ohio), and you’ll be hard-pressed to name a policy solution they offered.
“Close the border” is not a policy; it is a crudely stated aspiration. “Stop woke Democrats” isn’t even a coherent thought. Stop them from doing what?
✁
Republican candidates have good reason to eschew concrete policy ideas. When Sen. Rick Scott (Fla.), the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, rolled out an 11-point agenda for the party — including tax increases for the poor, abortion bans, pandering on “critical race theory” and sunsetting entitlement programs such as Social Security — virtually every other Republican ran from it.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) also produced a GOP agenda, but it was light on details, to put it mildly. What was there was frightful.
The New York Times reported that “it hinted that Republicans would look to change the Affordable Care Act and roll back legislation allowing Medicare to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs.”
These ideas, like Johnson’s proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act, turn off all but the hardcore base.
~
https:
//www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/10/19/midterm-debates-republicans-ohio-georgia-utah/
Kip Williams over 1 year ago
Hello. This is Kip’s comment. I’m phoning it in, too, just like the comic. Because I care. Are we off?
sergioandrade Premium Member over 1 year ago
I’ve noticed that in a lot of towns and small cities there are places where the same party always wins sometimes for decades. Example I live in a Democrat town while the next town is Republican, (we’re separated by railroad tracks and I joke they call us the wrong side of the tacks). I’ve noticed there is ususally an opposing party canidate on the ballot whom I assume just runs on principle.