LPMA/LfM schism

From Libertarian Wiki

Massachusetts has two broad-based libertarian political organizations namely the LPMA ("Libertarian Party of Massachusetts") and LfM ("Liberty for Massachusetts"). Several persons -- including Carol McMahon, George Phillies, and Dave Roscoe are board/organizing committee members or officers of both groups. Doug Krick and Amanda Phillips were members/candidate members of both boards, but have since resigned from the LPMA Board.

To good approximation, the LPMA and LfM ignore each other.

There are also a wide range of statewide groups that pursue substantially libertarian positions on specific issues, such as Outright Libertarians, Gun Owners Action League, Citizens for Limited Taxation and Government, and MassCann, and regional groups including the Pioneer Valley Libertarian Association (http://www.wmlp.org, the oldest continuously-existing libertarian association in Massachusetts), the Worcester County Libertarian Association (http://www.cmlc.org), and the Cambridge City Libertarian Club.

The LPMA became into existence as a State Party in 1999, after the November 1998 elections in which several Libertarian party (party designation) candidates got more than 3% of the vote. It assumed the assets of the previous "LPMA Political Action Committee". Within the year, it merged with the previously existing "Libertarian Association of Massachusetts" (LAMA) which under the terms of the merger ceased to exist. In 2004, the LPMA did not get 3% of the vote for its statewide candidate, did not yet have 1% of the registered voters, and lost major party status.

In 2004, LPMA State Committee Member George Phillies proposed a new organizational structure for the LPMA. The LPMA State Committee did not accept his proposals.

In late 2004, libertarians from around Massachusetts met and agreed to use these draft bylaws as the basis for a new organization "Liberty for Massachusetts" to do real politics to move Massachusetts in libertarian political directions. LfM has since launched an active campaign to create affiliations and mutual support efforts with other libertarian groups around Massachusetts. In particular, the well-known active regional libertarian groups have all become regional affiliates of Liberty for Massachusetts.

In 2006, the Libertarian National Committee tried to raise money to run a Libertarian candidate for Massachusetts statewide office. This was done without consultation with the LPMA State Committee. Prominent Massachusetts activists declined to be associated with the effort, and urged them to desist. They failed to raise enough money. Also, their efforts were resisted from within Massachusetts, and the LNC backed off from its efforts.

In 2006, at the LPMA State Convention held in Worcester, MA, a new state committee of the LPMA was elected. A great majority of the State Committee members were current and former LfM officers. The LPMA faction that had controlled the LPMA for the past decade had almost no candidates or members appear; no one conspicuously associated with the that faction was elected to the state committee. The new officers included Carol McMahon (Chair), George Phillies (Vice Chair), Mary-Anne Wolf (Secretary), David Roscoe (Recording Secretary), and Walter Ziobro (Treasurer).

In October 2006, noting that the same people were in control of both groups, the Liberty for Massachusetts Mutual Aid Committee agreed to place LfM in a state of suspended animation until such time as it was again needed, unless there were LfM members who had plans for LfM. The two groups have web pages and newsletters:

LPMA http://www.lpma.org "Mass Liberty"

LfM http://www.libertyformassachusetts.com "Liberty for Massachusetts", "Liberty for Massachusetts Informational Monthly"

These newsletters should not be confused with "Libertarian Strategy Gazatte" or "Let Freedom Ring", edited by George Phillies and distributed by the Pioneer Valley group. The former runs articles on tactics. The latter runs articles on internal party politics. The latter newsletters can be found at http://www.cmlc.org .

The original author of the above (George Phillies) is not quite sure why the word 'schism' is being used here. A schism is usually a split based on theological disputation, something at which many libertarians are highly skilled, but Massachusetts libertarian groups are relatively free of people who wish to contemplate or debate 'libertarian philosophy', so-called. I say 'relatively' because at least one LPMA State Committee member left the party over the National LP Iraq Exit Strategy. In any event the schism came to an end when one faction faded away into the woodwork.