Mises Caucus
Libertarian Party Mises Caucus
AbbreviationLPMC[1]
Named afterLudwig von Mises
Formation2017
FounderMichael Heise
TypeParty caucus
Registration no.C00699785[2]
Legal statusPolitical Action Committee
PurposePolitical realignment of the US Libertarian Party behind the ideas of Ron Paul
HeadquartersNorristown, Pennsylvania[2]
Revenue (2021)
Increase US$568,890.55[4]
DisbursementsIncrease US$484,907.97[4]
Websitelpmisescaucus.com

The Libertarian Party Mises Caucus (LPMC) is a caucus within the United States Libertarian Party that promotes paleolibertarianism[5] and a more radical version of libertarianism associated with the presidential campaigns of former U.S. congressman Ron Paul. It was founded in 2017 by Michael Heise, mainly in opposition to Nicholas Sarwark's position as party chairman and the pragmatic faction of the party associated with the presidential campaigns of former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. It is named after economist Ludwig von Mises.

The caucus has support of some prominent libertarians, such as comedian Dave Smith, political commentator Tom Woods, and radio host Scott Horton.[6][7] Ron Paul once called the caucus "the libertarian wing of the Libertarian Party."[8] The caucus has also been highly controversial, and has been accused of their critics of harboring bigotry or being plants of the Republican Party, which the Mises Caucus denies.[9]

The Mises Caucus has shifted the Libertarian Party further toward the right ever since their party’s national convention in May 2022.[9] As of 2022, the Mises Caucus is the largest caucus of the Libertarian Party, and controls all leadership positions on the Libertarian National Committee as well as 37 state affiliates.[10][11]

History

Founder and chairman Michael Heise at the 2022 Libertarian National Convention

2017–2018

In August 2017, a feud between the Libertarian National Committee and the Mises Institute occurred in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally.[12] LNC chairman Nicholas Sarwark criticized Mises Institute President Jeff Deist for an article he wrote for the think tank weeks before the rally that positively mentioned the term "blood and soil,"[12][13] and criticized Tom Woods for defending Murray Rothbard's paleo strategy.[12][14] Other members of the LNC called the Mises Institute "white nationalist"[15] and said "there's no room for bigots and racists in the party".[16] Along with strong anti-Bill Weld sentiment in the party,[17] and many Ron Paul supporters believing the Libertarian Party became more politically correct and pro-identity politics, this all led to the formation and rise of the Mises Caucus.[12]

In late 2017, the newly-formed caucus reached out to the chairman of the 2018 LP Convention Committee, Daniel Hayes, entertaining the idea of Ron Paul and Andrew Napolitano speaking at the 2018 Libertarian National Convention. Hayes rejected the idea, claiming Ron Paul doesn't represent the party's values.[18] Ron Paul confronted the controversy, stating he has been a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party since 1987 when he paid using a gold coin, and asked, "do I get my gold coin back?".[18] Sarwark later said in a tweet: "If Ron Paul decides he wants to attend the Libertarian Party national convention in New Orleans and speak, I'll make sure he gets time on the stage. It's the least we can do for a life member, former Presidential nominee, and Hall of Liberty award winner."[19]

In February 2018, the Mises Caucus endorsed LNC at-large member Joshua Smith in the 2018 party chair election,[20] but later ended up losing to incumbent Sarwark 65–22%.[21]

2019–2021

In 2019, the Mises Caucus launched a political action committee, Mises PAC, to raise money for Libertarian candidates.[22]

The caucus supported Jacob Hornberger's campaign in the 2020 Libertarian Party presidential primaries.[23] Hornberger came in second behind nominee Jo Jorgensen at the 2020 Libertarian National Convention.[24]

The caucus once again endorsed Joshua Smith for party chairman,[25] but lost to Joe Bishop-Henchman.

In June 2021, the Mises-controlled New Hampshire affiliate made controversial tweets calling for "legalizing child labor", repealing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and re-opening Gitmo "so that Anthony Fauci and every governor that locked their state down can be sent there".[26][10] LPNH Chair Jilletta Jarvis in response took control of the state party's digital assets and Twitter account and disavowed the Mises Caucus members of the state party committee.[27][10] This move was widely condemned by many in the caucus, and some in the party outside the caucus, including 2020 VP nominee Spike Cohen and former U.S congressman Justin Amash. LNC Chair Bishop-Henchman moved for the LNC to disaffiliate LPNH, alleging that the Mises faction had violated the national party's Statement of Principles. Both Jarvis and Bishop-Henchman resigned from their positions after the LNC rejected the disaffiliation motion.[27][10][28]

2022 Takeover of the LNC

In 2021, Mises Caucus board member Angela McArdle announced her intention to run for party chair.[29][30] She was later endorsed by the caucus.[31] At the 2022 Libertarian National Convention on May 28, McArdle won the LNC Chair election with over 69% of the vote, as well as the caucus sweeping all LNC positions, completing the takeover of the Libertarian Party by the Mises Caucus.[32]

In response to the Mises Caucus-controlled LNC, the Libertarian Party affiliates in the States of New Mexico, Virginia, and Massachusetts disaffiliated from the National Libertarian Party, and in late 2022 formed the Association of Liberty State Parties.[33]

Additionally, the Keystone Party of Pennsylvania splintered off from the Libertarian Party in April 2022 as a result of the Mises Caucus takeover in Pennsylvania that same year.[34]

In 2023, the Libertarian Party of Michigan entered leadership dispute based on the removal of their chair in July, 2022, who is in the leadership of the Michigan Mises PAC.[35][36] This has led to a trademark lawsuit filed by the LNC.[37]

Since the 2022 takeover of the LNC, the largely Mises Caucus aligned leadership has overseen the revenue of the party decline more than half monthly.[38]

Political positions

Platform

The Mises Caucus platform states that they:

Other positions

Party "Takeover"

Prior to the 2022 Libertarian National Convention, the Mises Caucus was highly critical of the Libertarian National Committee and the pragmatic faction of the party, and stated their goal was to "takeover" the Libertarian Party and realign it closer to Ron Paul's presidential campaigns and the Mises Institute.[10] The caucus has accused many in the party outside their caucus of supporting political correctness and "wokeism" and being "SJW friendly".[12][10]

Angela McArdle, a board member of the Mises Caucus, said in 2021 that the party should be ideologically closer to Ron Paul than Gary Johnson, and that Johnson didn't "put a fire in anyone's hearts".[30]

COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the caucus strongly opposed lockdowns,[40] mask mandates, vaccine passports and vaccine mandates.[41][28] The Mises Caucus also criticized the wider party for being silent and "not taking a stand".[42][10]

Electoral strategy

The Mises Caucus believes the Libertarian Party should focus running political candidates for local offices rather than the statewide or federal offices, which they view the latter as too unrealistic.[43]

Political activity

Inside the Libertarian Party

Chair of the Libertarian National Committee
Election Candidate Result Final %
2018 Joshua Smith[20] Lost 22%
2020 Joshua Smith[25] Lost 39%
2022 Angela McArdle Won 69%

2020

U.S. President

Candidate Office Primaries Primary result Final % General result %
Jacob Hornberger[23] President of the United States 2020 Libertarian Party presidential primaries Lost at convention 27.8% Did not qualify N/A

Criticism

The Mises Caucus has been highly controversial within and outside the Libertarian Party.[12][10] The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the group as far-right.[44] The caucus has been accused of harboring racists,[10] anti-semites,[45] and transphobes.[10][28] The caucus strongly denies these claims.[lower-alpha 1]

In his resignation letter as LNC chair, Bishop-Henchman accused the Mises Caucus of having a "toxic culture" and "bad actors" that is "destroying and driving people away from the party".[27][10][28] In June 2021, former congressman Justin Amash criticized the Mises-controlled New Hampshire affiliate for "edgelording" and being unprofessional in their messaging.[46][47]

Former New Hampshire legislator Caleb Q. Dyer criticized the caucus for claiming neutrality in the culture war "while picking the right-wing side", and called it disingenuous.[10]

In December 2021, Jeremy Thompson, Libertarian Party of Massachusetts Director of Operations explained to the Libertarian National Committee how the comments from Mises-controlled Libertarian Party of New Hampshire were not just "mean words" but “actual harassment”.[48]

In May 2022, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) said that "Members of the Libertarian Party are concerned about the Mises Caucus winning control of the party at the May 26 national convention, ushering in an era of collaboration between the U.S.'s largest third party and the hard-right movement inside the Republican Party”.[49] The SPLC said that Caucus chair and founder Michael Heise had cited donations received from Patrick M. Byrne and nominated Daryl Brooks for Governor of Pennsylvania.[49] Both Byrne and Brooks promoted the conspiracy theory that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump, the SPLC said.[50][51]

Notes

  1. ↑ Mises Caucus chair Michael Heise denies the charges of racism, arguing their appeal is among "youths who are into edgy podcasts".[32] Dempsey, member of the Mises-controlled LPNH affiliate said "I passionately reject the notion that Mises Caucus is completely, or filled with, racists or bigots".[10]

References

  1. ↑ Rozsa, Matthew (15 February 2021). "Marjorie Taylor-Greene's anti-Semitism is as American as apple pie (but Trump made it worse)". Salon. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Statement of Organization – Mises PAC" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  3. ↑ "Meet the Team". Libertarian Party Mises Caucus. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Mises PAC Report of Receipts and Disbursements – Year-End 2021 (amended)". Federal Election Commission. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  5. ↑ Mas, Frederic (2022-06-01). "United States: the libertarian party veers to the right". Contrepoints (in French). Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  6. ↑ Molinari (2018-07-13). "Tom Woods, Dave Smith, and Jason Stapleton Join the Libertarian Party". The Libertarian Republic. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  7. ↑ Aaron (2018-09-09). "Rejoining the Libertarian Party with the Mises Caucus". Things Not Seen. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  8. ↑ Ron Paul's Message to the Mises Caucus. LP Mises Caucus. 2021-01-17. Archived from the original on 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2021-10-14 – via YouTube.
  9. 1 2 "Libertarian Party Is Fighting a Civil War Over Its Right-Wing Mises Caucus". The Daily Beast. 2023-02-22. Archived from the original on 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Inside the Battle Over the Soul of the Libertarian Party". Reason.com. 2021-06-23. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  11. ↑ "'By Our Fruits, You'll Know Us': The Mises Caucus Mastermind". Reason.com. 2022-06-16. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Libertarian Party Rebuffs Mises Uprising". Reason.com. 2018-07-04. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  13. ↑ Ryan (2017-07-28). "For a New Libertarian". Mises Institute. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  14. ↑ Sarwark, Nicholas [@nsarwark] (August 14, 2017). "TFW all you learned from Murray Rothbard was his worst political strategy ever. https://t.co/5qm0sNFCvP https://t.co/i01xYrjR7d" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2021-10-14 – via Twitter.
  15. ↑ "Nicholas Sarwark, Arvin Vohra call out Jeff Deist and the Mises Institute's "blood and soil" politics". Independent Political Report. 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  16. ↑ "Libertarians Tell White Nationalists, Racists to Leave Party". IVN.us. 2017-08-18. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  17. ↑ "Libertarians Denounce Bill Weld". Reason.com. 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  18. 1 2 "Ron Paul Attacks Libertarian Leadership in Response to Controversy - 71 Republic". 2018-02-04. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  19. ↑ "Nicholas Sarwark on Twitter".
  20. 1 2 "Libertarian Party Mises Caucus Endorses Joshua Smith for LNC Chair". Libertarian Party Mises Caucus. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  21. ↑ Libertarian National Convention New Orleans July 2, 2018 Live Stream. LibertarianParty. 2018-07-02. Archived from the original on 2021-10-07. Retrieved 2021-10-14 – via YouTube.
  22. ↑ "Mises PAC Launch". Libertarian Party Mises Caucus. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  23. 1 2 Welch, Matt (12 May 2021). "The Libertarian Party Critique of Justin Amash". Reason. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  24. ↑ Doherty, Brian (23 May 2020). "Jo Jorgensen Wins Libertarian Party Presidential Nomination". Reason. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  25. 1 2 Libertarian Party Mises Caucus [@LPMisesCaucus] (December 11, 2019). "Fed up with Libertarian Party leadership? The LPMC is endorsing @JoshuaAtLarge to replace Nick Sarwark. Joshua is traveling to as many state conventions as he can to build relationships and ultimately gain delegate votes to become chair. Lets get him there https://t.co/hEdhIkCXqE" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2021-10-14 – via Twitter.
  26. ↑ Fordham, Evie (2021-06-09). "New Hampshire Libertarian Party draws backlash for calling to end child labor laws". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  27. 1 2 3 Bulletin, Annmarie Timmins N. H. (22 June 2021). "The unraveling of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire". SentinelSource.com. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  28. 1 2 3 4 Chibbaro, Lou Jr. (2021-08-18). "Gay D.C. Libertarian Party leader resigns as nat'l chair". Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  29. ↑ Buchman, Joseph (2021-11-17). "Angela McArdle, AMA (tonight or tomorrow?), Campaign for LNC Chair Update". Independent Political Report. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  30. 1 2 What's Next for the Libertarian Party After Jo Jorgensen Got 1%?, retrieved 2022-05-23
  31. ↑ Twitter https://twitter.com/lpmisescaucus/status/1516209298539520002. Retrieved 2022-05-29. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  32. 1 2 "Mises Caucus Takes Control of Libertarian Party". Reason.com. 2022-05-29. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  33. ↑ "Association of Liberty State Parties Announces Formation; Names Three State Affiliates". Independent Political Report. 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  34. ↑ "The Keystone Party is Pa.'s newest political body. Here's what members are pushing for". Erie Times-News. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  35. ↑ "Libertarian Party of Michigan Leadership Controversy 2022". LPedia. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  36. ↑ "What's Going on with the Libertarian Party of Michigan?". Sheer Vision. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  37. ↑ "Libertarian National Committee Sues Four of its 2022 Michigan Candidates". Ballot Access News. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  38. ↑ "LIBERTARIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE, INC. - committee overview". FEC.gov. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  39. ↑ Clyde, Steven. "Platform". Libertarian Party Mises Caucus. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  40. ↑ O'Donnell, Kyle. "Abolish Lockdowns". Libertarian Party Mises Caucus. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  41. ↑ Libertarian Party Mises Caucus [@LPMisesCaucus] (September 10, 2021). "Libertarians must be steadfast in saying NO to Biden's recent corporatist vaccine mandate EO. Any who support, excuse, justify, or rationalize it are feckless embarrassments carrying water for the regime and should never be taken seriously. #MassNonCompliance #WeNeedToSecede" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-10-14 – via Twitter.
  42. ↑ Libertarian Party Mises Caucus [@LPMisesCaucus] (January 6, 2021). "So right-wing violence aimed at the empire's seat of power gets a swift condemnation, but left-wing violence (riots and lockdowns) aimed at small businesses gets silence I'm not saying @LPNational is run by controlled opposition, but if they were what would be different? https://t.co/QfcbTvd8IL" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2021-10-14 – via Twitter.
  43. ↑ "It's Time for Libertarians to Think Local—and Win". Newsweek. 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  44. ↑ "Libertarian Party's Far-Right Leadership Worries Takeover Turning Into 'Disaster'". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  45. ↑ "Marjorie Taylor-Greene's anti-Semitism is as American as apple pie (but Trump made it worse)". Salon. 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
  46. ↑ Amash, Justin [@justinamash] (June 16, 2021). "With that said, we need more professionalism and accountability from state affiliates. Official social media accounts are for advancing the party's mission of organizing libertarians, not for personal experiments in edgelording" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2021-10-03. Retrieved 2021-10-14 – via Twitter.
  47. ↑ Justin Amash on How To End the Civil War in the Libertarian Party. ReasonTV. 2021-06-25. Archived from the original on 2021-10-03. Retrieved 2021-10-14 – via YouTube.
  48. ↑ Libertarian Leaders Lectured on Mises Caucus Racism 12/5/21, retrieved 2022-05-07
  49. 1 2 "Mises Caucus: Could It Sway the Libertarian Party to the Hard Right?". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  50. ↑ Schwartz, Brian (2021-12-20). "Trump allies are helping Overstock founder Patrick Byrne run a group that pushes false election claims". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  51. ↑ Friedman, Matt. "Man featured at Giuliani press conference is a convicted sex offender". Politico.com. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
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