Other confirmed speakers include Republican National Committeeman Mark Willis and State GOP Chair Rich Cebra.

Liberty Legislators will discuss the Statehouse from a perspective of smaller government and increased individual liberty. Other panels will discuss political activism and campaigns.

State officers and state Board members will be elected.

Saturday, May 18, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Senator Inn & Spa, Augusta.

Early registration fee $30, includes lunch.

Non-members welcomed to register and attend, however only dues-paid members are eligible for vote for officers and RLC business matters.

Be sure to visit our website at www.MERLC.org to become a member or pre-register for this event.  You can also RSVP to this event on Facebook.

Join now for only $30. That’s a $15 savings from the nationally-suggested dues.

And, if you are a current member, you can renew NOW at the $30 sale rate and your full year membership will be extended from the date your current dues expire.

Go to www.merlc.org and click the JOIN tab.

You will become a member of a national organization which has been standing for Liberty Republican principles for more than 20 years and a Maine chapter which has been active for more than a decade.

Dues-paid membership makes you a voting delegate to the Maine RLC State Convention on May 18 at the Senator Inn & Spa in Augusta. You will find registration information soon on the web site www.merlc.org. As a dues-paid member you are also eligible to run for a seat on the Maine RLC Board.

Dues-paid membership also makes you eligible to be a voting delegate as part of the Maine delegation to the RLC National Convention May 10-12 at Austin, Texas. You will network with other Liberty Republicans from around the country, hear from and meet prominent elected officials, writers and activists from the Liberty Republican movement and enjoy some Austin music and fun. Details at: www.rlc.org.

Dues-paid membership lets you serve on committees which review legislation and work with Liberty Republican legislators, plan events like the annual summer fund-raiser The Maine RLC Calvin Coolidge Clambake, campaign for RLC-endorsed candidates and other liberty projects.

Maine RLC endorsed Paul LePage for Governor in the 2010 GOP primary. Nine Liberty Republicans sit in the Maine legislature. State GOP Chair Rich Cebra and GOP National Committeeman Mark Willis are Maine RLC members. Several Maine RLC members sit on the Maine GOP State Committee and many serve on GOP county committees. Maine RLC has brought national speakers to Maine like Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund, former-New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and New York City Councilman Dan Halloran.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? JOIN TODAY!

THE $30 DUES SALE ENDS MARCH 31.

In addition to the expected appearances by pro-liberty politicians, activists and leaders from around the country, topical panels and activist training workshops  we’ll be featuring live music, a nightclub excursion and maybe even some stand-up comedy.

Check out our great list of invited guests, panels and workshops with the links to the right and you’ll realize you can’t afford to miss this weekend in the heart of Texas!

Register now to take advantage of discounted early bird registration.

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MARK WILLIS FOR NATIONAL GOP CHAIR

AUSTIN, TX – The Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) National Committee has unanimously endorsed Mark Willis of Maine for Republican National Chair.

“We’re proud that one of our RLC members has stepped forward to challenge the inept management of the national GOP under the reign of Reince Priebus. But this endorsement is not just because he is one of our own, it is because he is eminently qualified to lead the resurgence of the national Republican Party,” said RLC National Chair Dave Nalle.

Willis is the Republican National Committeeman from Maine. He is a member of the Maine Republican Liberty Caucus.

Willis was one of the duly-elected Ron Paul delegates from Maine who were unseated by the RNC Credentials Committee at the RNC National Convention in Tampa under the watch of Priebus. He said he saw how the heavy-handed tactics of the national party organization impacted the morale of grassroots which helped lead to the defeat of Priebus’ hand-picked presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

“In the case of Maine, we came home heroes due to the fact that we never gave in as a delegation and even though half our duly-elected delegation was unseated, we refused to take the deals that were offered. We stood up for what is right and never wavered,” Willis said.

Willis said delegates from throughout the country were “outraged” at the fast gavel tactics endorsed by Priebus that enacted rules changes which will manipulate the 2016 presidential nominee selection without regard for grassroots support.

Rule 12 gives unprecedented power to the RNC to change party rules without input or approval of state parties and Rule 16 removes the rights of states to choose their own delegates by forcing all state parties to allocate and bind the state’s delegation to the Republican National Convention by presidential preference polls.

Willis said his first act as national GOP Chair would be to repeal the rules adopted at the 2012 Republican National Convention and “apologize to the GOP grassroots for being overzealous and promise that such behavior will never happen again.”

Willis said the GOP can regain leading contender status if its top management listens to the grassroots.

“If we are truly the party of liberty, equality and favoritism for none, then let’s start acting like it by embracing the grassroots once and for all! Welcome them, don’t push them away, discourage them and then expect their vote in November,” Willis said.

Nalle said the national Republican Liberty Caucus had been one of the first GOP organizations to condemn the rules changes and Willis shows courage by taking a stand for the grassroots members of the party.

“No one came forward to challenge these rules until state committees started passing resolutions from the grassroots. Mark Willis is demonstrating leadership by stating upfront that the people at the local level who register Republican should direct the party instead of a handful of Establishment elitists trying to shove decisions from the top down,” Nalle said.

Willis holds a Doctor of Law degree from George Mason University and received his BA from California State University at Chico in International Relations. He has a Masters in Management Information Systems from Bowie State University. He was a U.S. Army counterintelligence agent in Haiti and Bosnia, a senior software engineer at the U.S. Army Security and Intelligence Command (INSCOM), and was an INSCOM liaison to the National Security Agency. He is currently Applications Security Manager for a Fortune 100 corporation and runs a family Icelandic sheep farm in a small town in Downeast Maine, where he is also a member of the local Board of Education.

The Republican Liberty Caucus is an IRS 527 volunteer organization dedicated to smaller government and individual liberty which works to achieve those goals within the Republican Party.

He is, among other things, on the Dennysville Maine School Board and is the GOP Town Chair as well as having been a national delegate to the 2012 GOP Convention in Tampa.

Mr. Willis holds a Doctor of Law degree from George Mason School of Law, a Masters Degree in Information Systems and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations. He is able to converse in Spanish, French and German.

He internalized the concepts of conservatism and liberty and as well as loyalty, leadership, and duty during his years in the military, having served on active duty in the U.S. Army as a counterintelligence agent in both Haiti and Bosnia. He was a senior software engineer at the US Army Security and Intelligence Command (INSCOM), where he was an information technology liaison between INSCOM and the National Security Agency (NSA) and is currently an Applications Security Manager for a Fortune 100 Company.

Mark Willis is a strong proponent of restoring personal and economic liberty and freedom. He also advocates a limited federal government, and to that end, elimination of the TSA, the Departments of Education and Interior as well as the Environmental Protection Agency at the federal end and the Internal Revenue Service.

He believes that balancing the federal budget and then working diligently toward the goal of eliminating our 16 trillion dollar debt within ten years. He supports the work of those who wish to attain a strong defensive military, as opposed to the veritable “Department of War” we currently have.

Mr. Willis is fond of saying, “If we are truly the party of liberty, equality, and favoritism for none, then let’s start acting like it.”

Mark Willis and his wife, Violet, live with their two children on an Icelandic sheep farm in Down East Maine.

The following letter is a reply from Mark Willis on being asked to run for RNC Chair by GOP Grassroots activists: 

“When approached a few days ago by Bryan Daugherty of Bangor, Maine who is closely tied to the Republican grassroots and social media teams, such as the team who built www.stepdownnow.com this past week, I had a hard time believing that not one candidate had yet stepped forward to challenge the current RNC Chairman. However, upon further research, I discovered that it was in fact true – no other candidate had stepped up or emerged at this time.

Let me begin by saying that I am honored to find my name on the short list as a potential candidate next to two great statesmen, Congressman Ron Paul and Senator Jim DeMint. As we all know, these two men have fought the good fight for years on Capitol Hill – lower taxes, less spending, and an overall decentralized Federal Government that would actually abide by the Constitution. Sadly, they seem to be two outgoing voices in the wilderness of an out of control Federal Government with few replacements on the horizon. Men perhaps of a different age – principled leaders are hard to come by these days.

Therefore, after much deliberation and discussion with my wife Violet, I let Bryan know that due to the fact that no one has stepped up to the plate, I would in fact run for Chairman of the RNC, provided I would receive, in writing, the support of at least 2 RNC members in 3 states (minimum of 6 persons) in order to satisfy the RNC nomination requirements. The election takes place on Friday, January 25th, 2013 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

If this requirement is satisfied by the time of the election, then ladies and gentlemen, we have an election to win. However, let me be clear that I would not be running for RNC Chair out of malice but at the behest of the grassroots of the Republican Party.

The grassroots are the lifeblood of the Republican Party – always have been and always will be. For the grassroots man the phones at the Victory centers, go door to door with candidates, organize fundraisers as well as attend speeches and events. Without the grassroots support, candidates would be standing at a podium, speaking to an empty auditorium with a few Party members off to the side and the rear.

Without the grassroots the Republican Party is an empty passenger ship at sea without a rudder, captained by a few in the bridge who never took the time to go down below deck in order to realize all the cabins were empty. The Republican Party has turned its back on the grassroots one too many times and we desperately need them to stay involved.

For example, as one of the duly elected Maine delegates that was unseated in Tampa I know the impact such heavy-handed decisions can have not just on the delegation, but the morale of the grassroots back home. In the case of Maine, we came home heroes due to the fact that we never gave in as a delegation and even though half of our duly elected delegation was unseated, we refused to take the deals that were offered. We stood up for what was right and never wavered.

Furthermore, those of us who were at the Tampa Convention were outraged at the “gavel up, gavel down” approach with regards to the rules that were adopted as well. Many states, such as New Hampshire, Nevada, Texas, Minnesota, and North Carolina have passed resolutions condemning these rules for if they are not changed, the grassroots will be completely cut out of the 2016 Presidential election process.

Regarding these new rules, many of you know that Rule 12 gives unprecedented power to the RNC to change party rules without the input and/or approval of state parties and their members while Rule 16 removes the rights of states to choose their own delegates by forcing all state parties to allocate and bind the state’s delegation to the National Convention through Presidential Preference Polls.

Furthermore, Rule 16 also allows the presumptive Presidential candidate to disavow (“veto”) any bound and/or allocated delegate and alternate delegate before the national convention for any reason whatsoever and Rule 40 now requires an eight (8) state majority to nominate an individual for President and/or Vice President where it previously required a five (5) state plurality.

Therefore, based upon these new rules and the behavior of our Chairman in Tampa, I present the following roadmap for your consideration, a more formal plan to be presented in the near future:

1. Repeal the new RNC rules adopted in Tampa, replace them with the former 2008 rules, apologize to the GOP grassroots for being overzealous and promise that such behavior will never happen again.
2. Re-evaluate the RNC’s relationship with the GOP grassroots – the key being adopting ideas from the bottom up instead of a top down, RNC knows best approach.
3. Return as much autonomy to state parties as possible. If we believe in a decentralized Federal Government, then the RNC needs to walk the talk.
4. Attract more Independent and disillusioned Democrats the way Ronald Reagan did: with a firm grasp of the issues and facts while at the same time, explaining and educating those new members about the cause of Liberty and Conservatism.
5. Go on the offensive against the Democrats. For far too long, we as Republicans tend to sit back and play defense. It is time we step up and present this Party as one of clear contrast to the Democrats.
6. Apply pressure to our Federally elected officials that behavior such as Speaker Boehner purging conservatives and libertarians from committee assignments will not be tolerated.

In conclusion, I say, if we are truly the party of liberty, equality and favoritism for none, then let’s start acting like it by embracing the grassroots once and for all! Welcome them, don’t push them away, discourage them and then expect their vote in November. Let us build a stronger political body that can defeat the Democrats, election after election. For if we do not, such behavior only ensures our impending demise.”

In Liberty,

Mark D. Willis

You can learn more about Mark’s efforts to become the next Chairman of the Republican National Committee HERE

Michelle Anderson, a Maine RLC Board member and a state committeewoman from Penobscot County, has been active in politics since the first campaign she volunteered for in 1968 and believes in the commonsense approach to governance. She runs the political podcast NorthOfBangor.com.

Bryan Daugherty, a Maine RLC Board member and a state committeeman from Penobscot County. Bryan is also the author of the resolution which will be debated at a special State Committee meeting on Jan. 12 which urges the Republican National Committee to reconsider the draconian national rules changes which it voted during the August 2012 RNC National Convention in Tampa.

Landon St. Peter, a state committeeman from Kennebec County.

Three RLC members and a friend of RLC will also serve on the Maine Republican Party Budget Committee:

State Chair Rich Cebra

Mike Coleman, a Maine RLC Board member and a state committeeman from York County. Mike is an Old Orchard Beach city councilman.

Vic Berardelli, Vice Chair of Maine RLC and a state committeeman from Penobscot County. He is also the RLC Northeast Region Director.

State Rep. Deborah Sanderson, She is the Maine House delegate to the GOP State Committee. Although not an RLC member, she has been endorsed by Maine RLC in her election campaigns.

Three RLC members will serve on the state party’s Budget Committee: Cebra, Coleman and Maine RLC Vice Chair Vic Berardelli.

The committee prepares the budget from which the state party operates and reviews Maine GOP finances with the treasurer.

The Preamble to the Rules of the Republican Party, as voted in by duly elected members of the appropriate committee of delegates from all states in the Union reads:

“Be it resolved, that the Republican Party is the party of the Open door. Ours is the party of liberty, the party of equality, of opportunity for all, and favoritism for none. It is the intent and purpose of these rules to encourage and allow the broadest possible participation of all voters in Republican Party activities at all levels and to assure that the Republican Party is open and accessible to all Americans.”

As members of the Maine Republican Committee, we demand integrity and sincere unity in all Republican Party affairs. At the 2012 convention, the Republican National Committee effectively silenced the delegates, and by extension, all Republicans, during the vote to accept the RNC Rules Committee Report. Specifically, the actions at that assembly were in direct violation of RNC Rules and our Preamble.

The RNC’s attempt to manufacture unity and respect has resulted in further division and dissension within the Party, sacrificing our integrity, and putting that sacrifice on display to all the world to see. These actions have disenfranchised all Republicans who gave and continue to give of their time, money, and allegiance to our Party. It is not just immoral, but monumentally arrogant to expect rank and file Republicans to work precincts and maintain unquestioning loyalty to the party just to have the rules manipulated at the end of a four-year effort.

We affirm that the Constitution of the United States, the Republican Party Platform, and the Preamble of the Republican National Committee Rules define the purpose, structure, and function of America and the Republican Party. The Republican Party belongs to all of us, and We The People declare that the rules must be followed.

The duty to ensure integrity within our party falls to every one of our members, and it is with great hope that we ask that that fact and the stated goals and mission of our Party be kept in mind. And it is in that spirit that we demand that the leadership of the RNC adhere to, promote, and act in accordance with the principles set out in the Preamble and other foundational documents.

RESOLUTION TO RESTORE THE POWER OF THE GOP GRASSROOTS

WHEREAS, the new Republican Party Rules (“rules”) adopted at the 2012 Republican National Convention (“convention”) in Tampa were not adopted under proper parliamentary procedure ; and

WHEREAS, video documentation demonstrates that those voting against the passage of the new rules were audibly in greater numbers than those voting in the affirmative; and

WHEREAS, the Convention Chair ignored calls for points of order and objections to the rules passage from the convention floor; and

WHEREAS, the new rules impose a top-down structure of governance instead of the traditional bottom-up structure; and

WHEREAS, the new rules reduce the power and autonomy of state and local party organizations; and

WHEREAS, Rule 12 gives unprecedented power to the Republican National Committee (“RNC”) to change party rules without the input and/or approval of state parties and their members; and

WHEREAS, Rule 16 removes the rights of states to choose their own delegates by forcing all state parties to allocate and bind the state’s delegation to the National Convention through Presidential Preference Polls; and

WHEREAS, Rule 16 allows the presumptive Presidential candidate to disavow (“veto”) any bound and/or allocated delegate and alternate delegate before the national convention for any reason whatsoever;

WHEREAS, Rule 40 previously required a five (5) state plurality but now requires an eight (8) state majority to nominate an individual for President and/or Vice President now therefore be

RESOLVED, that the Maine Republican Party does not recognize the rules put forward at the 2012 Republican National Convention as having been properly passed;

RESOLVED, that in the absence of rules properly passed at the 2012 Republican National Convention, the Maine Republican Party recognizes the rules passed at the 2008 Republican National Convention as the official rules of the National Republican Party;

RESOLVED, that the Maine Republican Party asserts the primacy of the delegates to the Republican Convention in setting party rules and therefore be it further;

RESOLVED, that the Maine Republican Party rejects the new top-down structure of governance as detrimental to the long-term success of the Republican Party and therefore be it further;

RESOLVED, that the Maine Republican Party requests that the RNC formally declare these rules “null and void” as they were improperly passed at the convention;

Chief Sponsor: Bryan Daugherty – Penobscot County Committeeman

Co-Sponsors: Rich Cebra – Chair of the Maine Republican Party

Co-Sponsor: Beth O’Connor – Vice-Chair Maine Republican Party

Co-Sponsor: Mark Willis – Maine National Comitteeman

Co-Sponsor: Ashley Ryan – Maine National Committeewoman

Co-Sponsor: Traci Gauthier – Penobscot County Chair

Co-Sponsor: Violet Willis – Washington County Committeewoman

Co-Sponsor: Linda Anthony – Androscoggin County Committeewoman

Co-Sponsor: Anne-Marie Grenier – Cumberland County Committeewoman

Co-Sponsor: Cynthia Rosen – Knox County Committeewoman

Co-Sponsor: Michelle Anderson – Penobscot County Committeewoman (at-large)

Co-Sponsor: Victor Berardelli – Penobscot County Committeeman (at-large)

Co-Sponsor: Roger Ek – Penobscot County Committeeman (at-large)

Co-Sponsor: Renee Trust – Hancock County Committeewoman

Co-Sponsor: Julie Morgan – Penobscot County Committeewoman

Co-Sponsor: Lindsay Carter – York County Committeewoman (at-large)

Co-Sponsor: Jonathan Pfaff – Cumberland County Committeeman

Co-Sponsor: Brian Viollete – Aroostook County Committeeman

Co-Sponsor: Robert Roy – Aroostook County Committeeman (at-large)

Co-Sponsor: Rachel Gerlach – York County Committeewoman (at-large)

Co-Sponsor: Eric Brakey – Cumberland County Committeeman (at-large)

Co-Sponsor: Andrew Rackliff – Cumberland County Committeeman (at-large)

Co-Sponsor: Chris Lyons – Cumberland County Committeeman (at-large)

Co-Sponsor: Olga Laplante – Cumberland County Committeewoman (at-large)

Co-Sponsor: Russell Montgomery – Knox County Committeeman

Co-Sponsor: Ron Morrell – York County Chair

Co-Sponsor: Thomas Barry – Androscoggin County Committeman (at-Large)

Co-Sponsor: Michael Coleman – York County Committeeman (at-large)

Co-Sponsor: Erin Daly – Cumberland County Committeewoman (at-large)

Co-Sponsor: Eric White – Hancock County Chair

Co-Sponsor: Jim White – Piscataquis County Committeeman

Co-Sponsor: Trisha White – Piscataquis County Committeewoman

Co-Sponsor: Landon St. Peter – Kennebec County Committeeman (at-Large)

Co-Sponsor: Bill Barker – Hancock County Committeeman (at-Large)

Co-Sponsor: Tony Bennett III – Washington County Chair

Co-Sponsor: Shane Curtis – Washington County Committeeman

Co-Sponsor: Adam Thompson – Kennebec County Committeeman (at-Large)

Co-Sponsor: Jeff Cucci – Kennebec County Committeeman

Statement of Rich Cebra, Newly Elected Maine Republican State Chair:

“I join with the The Republican Liberty Caucus in strongly opposition to the recently proposed changes to the party rules which would give the Republican National Committee unprecedented centralized authority over the presidential nomination process, overriding the autonomy of the states and their long established electoral traditions. Likewise,I also object strenuously to new rules which would empower the Republican National Committee to change the rules under which it operates between conventions without approval of the body of delegates representing the party membership.”

Statement of Beth O’Connor, Newly Elected Maine Republican State Vice-Chair:

“Thank you for sending this along. I recall well what happened in Tampa, it was disgraceful. When the RNC made these rule changes they alienated a huge percentage of their voting block… If we want to keep what little freedom we have left we better put every one of our boots on the ground now and light a grass fire like the RNC has never seen before. I would sign my name to this Resolution, it is the right thing to do.”

States that have passed similar Resolutions to date: New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Minnesota and Texas. (many others have yet to be voted on).

NOTABLE REFERENCES:

2012 Republican National Convention Rules Vote

Rush Limbaugh

Sarah Palin and Mark Levin

Ben Swann ” Did RNC Scripted Rules Change Start A Civil War In The Republican Party?”

Michelle Malkin

Morton Blackwell

2012 Republican Rules

Morton Blackwell’s Response to the Rules Controversy

Pre-Adoption Copy of 2012 Rules of the Republican Party

Minority Report for Rule 12

Minority Report for Rule 15 (numbered 16 in the current draft of the report of the rules committee)

Letter from Morton Blackwell urging support of minority reports and roll call votes

Second Letter from Morton Blackwell further urging support for the Minority reports, and speaking against the compromise

FreedomWorks: Stop the Establishment from Rewriting the RNC Rules

Letter from RNC for Life

Maine RLC has several committees which could use your talents and skills. It is a fun way to get to know other RLC members from around the state and to help out. Join a committee and make the most of your membership.

Below are some of the committees which could use people for the immediate future. We’ll share other committees when we get closer to the next campaign cycle.

Please review and simply reply to this e-mail by telling us on which you would like to participate. Include your e-mail address and phone number. It will be forwarded to the appropriate committee coordinator or chair.

EVENTS COMMITTEE: We have a lot of activities where we need people to help scout sites, plan programs and work toward making them great showcases like the Maine RLC Leadership Conference in spring 2013, which might also turn into the state convention (you’ll get more information about that soon); the annual Maine RLC Calvin Coolidge Clambake in August. And, if the RLC National Committee accepts our bid, we will be hosting the RLC National Convention in Portland in April 2015, which will need a lot of help.

FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE: Dues are only a small portion of our funding. To present events and to have enough to donate to the Maine RLC PAC to support RLC-endorsed candidates in 2014, we need to have creative fundraising. You’ll also work with the Clambake planners because that is our biggest fundraiser.

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: The 126th Maine Legislature has officially convened. Bills are being submitted daily until the mid-January closure (the final day bills can be submitted for the session.) The committee will look over bills to select the four or five most liberty significant measures which will be presented for official Maine RLC positions. Once we back a bill, we’ll be doing Liberty Action Alert to members, public relations and rallies and even testimony to committees. Officers have taken an early start by being in contact with Liberty Legislators and the governor’s office to ask them to share their key bills with us for review.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE: Our strength is the numbers behind us when we present Maine RLC positions to the public. This committee will work on outreach and creative ideas to bring more Liberty Republicans into the Maine RLC.

ADDITIONALLY, if you have any special skills or talents like IT, social media, finance, communications, let us know and we’ll have an appropriate project coordinator contact you.

GET INVOLVED TODAY FOR A BETTER MAINE RLC!