The Republican Liberty Caucus is a 527 political action organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of individual rights, limited government and free enterprise within the Republican Party.
The Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin Executive Board recently approved two new endorsements, bringing the total number of endorsed candidates in 2010 to thirteen (13).
The Board approved the endorsements of Evan Wynn, running for Assembly in District 43–Whitewater and Jeremy Thiesfeldt, running for Assembly in District 52–Fond du Lac.
Evan Wynn is a veteran who served in the Iraq war. He is interested in economic issues and is bringing small government solutions to the table in the race.
Jeremy Thiesfeldt serves on the Fond du Lac City Council and is also a high school civics teacher. He brings his belief in transparency and smaller government to the debate in the 52nd district.
For those unaware, the Republican Party of Wisconsin decided — in contrast to its past principles and traditions — to endorse candidates at its state Convention in May. The endorsed candidates were Ron Johnson for U.S. Senate and Scott Walker for Governor. I wrote a commentary shortly after the Convention in which I criticize the entire process and explained how it is a slap in the face of Wisconsin primary voters and the Tea Party.
The state party continues to engage in behavior that is not appropriate for a political party. According to Barry Orton, a Professor of Political Science at UW-Madison, the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s pollsters called him on July 18.
When asked which candidate he was supporting in the Governor race, the choices were Scott Walker (R) or Tom Barrett (D). When asked which candidate he was supporting in the U.S. Senate race, the choices were Ron Johnson (R) or Russ Feingold (D).
Excluded were RLC-endorsed candidatesMark Neumann for Governor and Dave Westlake for U.S. Senate.
Wisconsin voters will not be bullied by Party Bosses to support the candidates they are told to support, so I suggest the Republican Party of Wisconsin end its menacing tactics immediately.
The Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin supports transparency and is opposed to the state Republican Party making pre-primary endorsements.
Please contact the Republican Party of Wisconsin today at at (608) 257-4765 or gop@wisgop.org and ask them why they are excluding Republican ballot-qualified candidates from their polls. Better yet, contact Wisconsin GOP Chairman Reice Priebus at rrpriebus@michaelbest.com or phone him at (414) 225-2746. As the state GOP Chair, I’m sure he will be interested in hearing from Republican voters in Wisconsin.
The level of insider deals and unbalanced powergrabs continue to hurt the Republican Party of Wisconsin, so much so that it’s time to withhold any support from the state Republican Party until their leadership does not permit pre-primary endorsements and treats all candidates the same.
Please let the state party know what you think of their desperate efforts to propel Ron Johnson and Scott Walker to victory in September. They realize their candidates are weak and are using all tactics possible to advance their struggling campaigns.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
The Wausau Daily Herald is one of the largest newspapers in the state of Wisconsin.
In an op-ed published there, Governor candidate Mark Neumann discusses his background, his commitment to limited government, and his endorsement by the Republican Liberty Caucus. Says Neumann:
“Sue and I are not setting aside our small businesses to run for governor to serve any special interests. That’s why we’ve been endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Right to Life, and have more than 50,000 Facebook fans — the most of any Republican candidate for governor in the country.”
There is a group of “conservative bloggers” who really don’t like Terri McCormick. Everytime she says anything, they work together to jump all over her with attacks.
But the group of “conservative bloggers” do not have the best interests of the 8th Congressional district at heart.
The worst of the bunch is Todd Lohenry, who has attacked Terri McCormick’s website for not getting enough traffic and then went on to question her credentials when they are spelled out at the same website he criticized. Maybe Lohenry needs a reading lesson.
In actuality, Mr. Lohenry is compensated for his smear tactics. That’s right — he’s a paid gun. Lohenry acknowledges it himself:
Do you actually believe that Mr. Lohenry’s bitterness over John Gard’s 2006 loss has nothing to do with his continued coverage of Terri McCormick’s campaign in 2010? Get real.
Mr. Lohenry likes to present himself as a conservative, but he’s actually a Republican Party hack who works to support the most establishment Big Government Republican Party candidates — you know, the same candidates who have failed to get elected to federal office in the state of Wisconsin time and time again.
Todd Lohenry is a paid off political hack who makes money off of the Republican Party.
His opinions as an “independent blogger” should always be called into question because his opinions are shaped by the dollars that he receives from his consulting and positions within the Republican Party of Wisconsin hierarchy of yes-men.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
RLC endorsed gubernatorial candidate, Mark Neumann, will be holding a series of Town Hall meetings with voters over the next couple of weeks.
During these Town Hall meetings Mark will give a couple of opening remarks and then open the floor for question. This is your opportunity to ask Mark about his plans for reforming Wisconsin and refocusing our state on constitutional principles.
SPECIAL NOTE: If any Liberty Caucus member is able to attend please find a campaign staffer prior to the event to receive preferential seating. Here is a partial list of dates…more event dates and times will be coming soon.
WAUWATOSA TOWN HALL
Monday, July 19
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Wisconsin Lutheran College
8800 West Bluemound Rd
Milwaukee, WI 53226
PEWAUKEE TOWN HALL
Monday, July 19
5:00pm – 6:00pm
Comfort Suites Lake Country
Thunder Bay Meeting Room
N14 W24121 Tower Place,
Pewaukee, WI 53072
CEDARBURG TOWN HALL
Tuesday, July 20
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Peter Wollner American Legion Post 288
W57 N481 Hilbert Ave.
Cedarburg, WI 53012
GERMANTOWN TOWN HALL
Tuesday, July 20
4:30pm – 5:30pm
The Gables of Germantown
Community Meeting Room
N109 W17075 Ava Circle
Germantown, WI 53022
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
It’s getting closer to September 14, primary day in the Badger state. Certainly voters deserve to hear about the records of those running for higher offices.
One such candidate is Roger Roth, running for Congress in Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional district — conservative-leaning northeast Wisconsin.
Here is some information about what Roger Roth believes and what type of Congressman he will be if he manages to win the primary and general elections.
Roth Doesn’t Believe in Free Markets or Consumer Choice
As a member of the Wisconsin legislature, Roger Roth voted against legalizing the sale of raw milk in the state of Wisconsin, positioning himself against farmers, small business owners, and consumers.
Each of these votes from Roth’s record indicates a common theme: Roth supports restricting consumer choices and does not have faith in individuals to make sound decisions nor in the free market system more broadly.
Roth Thinks Roth Has the Most Experience
Roger Roth made several false statements to The Shawano Leader early in the campaign when he uttered, “I’m the one candidate with small business experience, the one candidate with military experience, the one candidate with legislative experience. I think that sets me apart from the other individuals in this race.”
The problem is that several of Roth’s opponents have owned small businesses, one having started a business around the time of Roth’s birth. Another of Roth’s opponents served in the Wisconsin legislature and a third Roth opponent is an elected County Board Supervisor.
Why won’t Roger Roth tell the truth?
As the Cap Times notes, “[Congressman Steve] Kagen can only hope that he is lucky enough to get Roth as his challenger this fall.”
Roger Roth’s Strange Ideas
In February, Representative Roth introduced legislation to “help the ski industry” in Wisconsin, but ironically there are no ski resorts in his district. According to Roth’s press release, he “met with industry leaders and developed four pieces of legislation that will encourage upgrades and investments to take place at the resorts and lodges across our state.”
Why is Roth meeting with the ski industry rather than his 56th district constituents? His legislation is really rather odd considering the 56th Assembly district has no ski resorts, but I’m sure the Wisconsin Ski Industries Association is rooting for Roth.
If this legislation is an example of how he is “uniquely qualified to lead” northeast Wisconsin, it sure leaves a lot to be desired. How about legislation on government reform, cutting entitlement programs, or furthering school choice?
In the below video, Roger Roth explains his support for waterboarding, which he says is not torture.
The dictionary definition of waterboarding: “Waterboarding is a form of torture that consists of immobilizing the subject on his back with the head inclined downwards; water is then poured over the face into breathing passages, causing the captive to experience the sensations of drowning.”
While Roth seems to have little regard for constitutional government, he indicated in the below video that he thinks we need legislators who believe in the Constitution. But his true views are also revealed when he says the Constitution “is just a piece of paper” and that it’s “a flexible document”.
Roth’s view of the Constitution, as summed up by Roth:
Based on Roth’s policy positions — he supports torture, is against consumer choice and the free market, and favors more state and federal regulations — it is clear he needs to take a comprehensive study course on what the Constitution permits.
Roger Roth Fails on Political Courage
At his VoteSmart profile, Representative Roth failed the political courage test because he refused to provide responses to citizens when asked to do so by Project Vote Smart and other national leaders.
The Political Courage Test simply asks Representatives like Roth, “Are you willing to tell citizens your positions on the issues you will most likely face on their behalf?”
Roger Roth was unwilling.
Roger Roth doesn’t sound uniquely qualified to lead.
The Tea Party, constitutional conservatives, and independents in the 8th district should consider Roger Roth’s record before selecting him on September 14 in the Republican primary.
[Update: It was noted originally that Roger Roth voted for the indoor smoking ban. In fact he did not. We apologize for the error.]
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official positions of the RLC.
Roger Roth voted 
press release, he “met with industry leaders and developed four pieces of legislation that will encourage upgrades and investments to take place at the resorts and lodges across our state.”