'Dumpster fire' Libertarian Party in turmoil over accusations of helping Republicans: report

According to a report from the Daily Beast's Kelly Weill, the Libertarian Party is experiencing a wave of turmoil as state party officials leave and some chapters collapse due to a turn to the far-right which some members believe now provides a helping hand to the Republican Party.

Central to the descent into chaos is the growth of the Mises Caucus which has taken control of several state committees and pushed far-right policies more in line with Donald Trump than traditional Libertrain sympathies.

As Weill wrote, "In the few years since its 2017 founding, this socially conservative group has swept state and national Libertarian organizations, officially taking control of the LP at the party’s convention this May. Mises Caucus supporters say the group is rebooting America’s third-largest political party. Critics say the caucus promotes bigotry, helps Republicans, and is driving everyone but Mises acolytes out of the organization."

According to the report, the few Libertarian candidates who have made inroads with voters have been moderates like former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, but with Mises Caucus driving the policy debate, voices like his are being shoved to the side.

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"The caucus has come out in support of 'national divorce,' the notion of breaking the U.S. into multiple smaller nations. The theory is controversial among libertarians, as are recent tweets from Mises-led state Libertarian parties," the report states. "The MC-led Libertarian Party of New Hampshire, for instance, has repeatedly called for repealing the Civil Rights Act, and tweeted '6 million dollar minimum wage or you’re antisemitic,' in reference to the Holocaust. A recent tweet by the national party, called for the immediate firing and prosecution of educators who teach 'queer theory or critical race theory.'"

The report adds, "Already, those intra-party conflicts had prompted some anti-MC delegates to stay home. Will McVay, former chair of Delaware’s Libertarian Party, said his state underwent an Idaho-style split, during which the national party sided with the MC faction. McVay doubted his faction would even be allowed to vote at the convention."

Speaking with the Beast. McVay explained, "So rather than spend the time, energy, and money to go out and fight a losing fight to be associated with the dumpster fire they were creating we just didn’t go.”

You can read more here.