RLC brings libertarian message to YRNC 2007
Saturday, 21 July 2007 21:33 | 
Written by Philip Blumel | 
The Republican Liberty Caucus raised its flag in Hollywood – and, by extension, nationally -- over the long July 4 weekend as a Governor’s Level sponsor and active participant in the Young Republicans National Convention at the Westin Diplomat Resort.
RLCFL Chair Lisa Bullion with Florida GOP Chair Jim Greer; Cristian Mihai Adomnitei, the minister of education for Romania, takes the RLC quiz while RLCer Philip Blumel chats with RLCFL Vice Chair Steven Burden.
For the length of the convention, the RLC manned an outreach table utilizing the World’s Smallest Political Quiz as a way to identify libertarian-leaning YRs as prospects for RLC membership. Those who scored in the ‘libertarian’ quadrant will receive follow-up letters shortly. The RLC also distributed hundreds of its new RLC tri-fold brochure and materials generously donated by the Atlas Society and the Reason Foundation.
The convention was attended by many RLC members and alumni including Lisa Bullion, Steven Burden, Jeff Palmer, Jeff Odgis, Steven Alcott Smith, Alan Turin, Philip Blumel, Ethel Rowland, Laura Kotelman, Ernie Martinez and Dan McDaniel. Over 600 attended the convention.
RLCers Steven Burden (left) and Jeff Palmer (right) assist conventioneers as they take the World's Smallest Political Quiz at the RLC exhibit booth
The RLC found enthusiasm for libertarian ideas among many YRs, including Sam Roth of Washington DC, who in a platform committee debate over civil unions referenced “the libertarian in me” in making his case to the assembly. Also, an embrace of British-style snooping with public security cameras went down in flames on libertarian grounds.
Outside the resort as the delegates arrived, a sign-waving rally in support of former RLC national chair Ron Paul was held, attracting approximately 50 enthusiastic supporters. The event, sponsored by the Broward and Palm Beach Ron Paul Meetup groups, also spilled over into the next morning when approximately 15 or so showed up to catch the late-arriving delegates. By the evening of the 5th, footage of the event was appearing on YouTube.
RLCer Alan Turin, who attended the Ron rally on the street outside said the response from the public was very positive (lots of waves and honking horns) with only four negative responses out of about 900 drivers. “No other candidate at the convention had any presence to the general public except for Ron Paul,” said Turin.
Both the Florida Federation of YRs Chair Todd Goberville and national Executive Director Jon Woodard came out to check out the rally.
Ron Paul was also ubiquitous inside the convention center where several sported Ron Paul lapel pins and hundreds of Ron Paul tri-fold brochures were distributed by pro-Ron conventioneers.
Jeff Odgis; Steven Talcott Smith with GOPAC Chair Michael Steele; another Ron fan
As the RLC has not endorsed Ron Paul, none of the campaigning took place at the RLC booth. However, the campaign did spark interest and questions from YRs about libertarian Republicanism. So, there was a good deal of symbiosis between the two projects.
But for the Ron Paul campaign, there was not enough. In the straw poll which finished off the week, Dr. Paul came in sixth (just ahead of John McCain and behind Duncan Hunter, who attended the convention). While the Ron Paul volunteer activist base was larger and more enthusiastic than any of the other candidates, insufficient groundwork had been laid within the established GOP to be a challenger in the competitive poll. To change this, Ron Paul supporters are invited to join the RLC and lend a hand in building the machine that will make winners of the party’s libertarians.
In addition to the YRNC 2007 event, the RLC also participated in the National Taxpayers Union convention in Washington, DC, and FreedomFest in Las Vegas in its most current efforts to accomplish this goal.