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PLEDGE (organization): Difference between revisions
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add images of LP news ads and text of position statement
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**[[Bill Evers]] - past Northern Vice Chair of the LP of California | **[[Bill Evers]] - past Northern Vice Chair of the LP of California | ||
**[[Tonie Nathan]] - 1972 vice presidential candidate | **[[Tonie Nathan]] - 1972 vice presidential candidate | ||
== Position on the Issues == | |||
The main issues leading up to the convention were retention of the membership pledge and a comprehensive, incrementally amended Platform. PLEDGE explained its position on these issues as follows (as published in advertising in LP News): | |||
<blockquote> | |||
'''What Are The Pledge And The Platform To Us?''' | |||
Most members of the Libertarian Party must be puzzled by the fight over the membership pledge and the platform. | |||
Both sides say they are committed to Libertarian principles and to party growth. Yet CLM says the pledge and the | |||
current platform process must go, while PLEDGE says they must stay. | |||
Why does PLEDGE defend the pledge and the platform? | |||
The statement that each person makes to join the party creates a sense of membership. We’re not customers or | |||
subscribers or observers of the Libertarian Party; we belong to it. We are dedicated to it. We participate in it. | |||
The comprehensive, enduring, and evolving platform creates a sense of ownership. The Libertarian Party belongs to | |||
us. It reflects our views on public policy. Any member can be a delegate. Any delegate can propose changes to the | |||
platform. Any delegate can vote on every change to the platform. And that member’s contribution endures. | |||
The pledge and the platform are also our bulwarks against ideological drift. Ideological drift is the process by which | |||
an organization loses its original principles and goals, sometimes so much as to reach the opposite principles. The | |||
Democrats drifted from Thomas Jefferson to William Jefferson (Clinton). The Liberal movement once stood for | |||
liberty and now stands for the welfare state. | |||
There are no masses of libertarians who would flock to the party if we had a "Reader’s Digest" throw-away platform | |||
and no membership standards. If there were, we would know about them. | |||
The Libertarian Party paid membership is growing 24% per year. Our finances and management are strong. The 1992 | |||
election got us more media coverage and respect than we had in 1988. | |||
We can improve, but only if we change the right things. If we want more new members, let's be more responsive and | |||
attentive to inquirers and visitors to our meetings. If we want to keep our members active, let’s be more considerate of | |||
each other. If we want to win elections, let's choose our races realistically, work as hard, and spend as much as our | |||
competition. | |||
This summer, PLEDGE will propose a plan to build the Libertarian Party. At the national convention we will defend | |||
the institutions that keep the party libertarian. If you believe that growth and principles don’t conflict, and we must | |||
have both, join PLEDGE. Declare yourself. | |||
</blockquote> | |||
== LP News Advertising Campaign == | |||
PLEDGE reached out to convention delegates by placing full-page advertisements in [[LP News]], which was the primary vehicle for communicating with the membership in that era. Advertisements ran every month for five months, from April 1993 through August 1993, leading up to the convention which was held Labor Day Weekend. | |||
<gallery mode=packed heights=300px> | |||
File:PLEDGE_ad_1993-04.png|ran in April issue | |||
File:PLEDGE_ad_1993-05.png|ran in May and June issues | |||
File:PLEDGE_ad_1993-07.png|ran in July and August issues | |||
</gallery> | |||