PLEDGE (organization)

PLEDGE was a group organized to campaign against a set of changes being proposed for consideration at the 1993 Convention with the aim of making the LP more "inclusive" -- the most controversial of which were the elimination of the "membership pledge" and a complete rework of the style of and procedures for adopting the Platform. In announcing its formation, the group said its name stood for "Principled Libertarians Endorsing Diversity, Growth, and Effectiveness".

PLEDGE was formed to respond to the actions of the "Atlanta group", which later organized under the name "Committee for a Libertarian Majority". A group of 16 activists, including a large number of LNC members, held a meeting in Atlanta one week prior to the December 1992 meeting of the LNC, but without informing the rest of the LNC, and came up with a set of recommendations which they presented for adoption at that meeting. This was met with fierce opposition by other LNC members, who either felt that they had not been given adequate notice for proper debate or that they had been intentionally "ambushed" by this approach. Many of the recommendations were adopted by the LNC at that meeting, but opponents resolved to fight back by working for repeal of some of them at later meetings and to block the ones that would require action at the upcoming convention.

Members

As of the initial announcement of the group in February 1993, it claimed the following as members:

• President: Steve Alexander (who had been an LNC member but resigned in protest of the December action)
• Current LNC members:
  • Joe Dehn (National Secretary)
  • Don Ernsberger
  • Mary Gingell (National Chair)
  • Gary Edward Johnson
  • Thea McLean
  • George O'Brien
• Others:
  • Karen Allard - past chair, LP of Washington State
  • Sharon Ayres - national LP Development Area Manager
  • David Bergland - 1984 presidential candidate
  • Bill Evers - past Northern Vice Chair of the LP of California
  • Tonie Nathan - 1972 vice presidential candidate