A Message From the New Chair – Layla Bush

As the new Chair of the Classical Liberal Caucus, I want to thank everyone who supported me and encouraged me to run.  As Jonathan Casey moves on, I also want to emphatically express how grateful I am that he created this Caucus.  It reenergized me when I needed it most, and kept me engaged in the Libertarian Party.  I sincerely hope it continues to serve that function for others. 

Firstly, a little about myself.  I was introduced to Libertarianism through my now husband and after taking time to make sure I understood the principles, I joined the party in 2017.  I have worked on communications at a variety of levels and candidates in Washington State, and I served a term as both a state Representative and Vice-Chair in Washington. Within the CLC, I was first elected as an at-large Board Member at our first General Meeting in 2022.  Soon after, I became Vice-Chair pro tem to fill a vacancy and was elected Vice-Chair in 2023.  I am also a member of the National Libertarian Ballot Access Committee and am an appointed Planning Commissioner for the third largest county in Washington State.   

The purpose of the Classical Liberal Caucus is “to advance and protect the principles of Classical Liberalism in the Libertarian Party.”  As the new Chair of the CLC, I will be focusing the Caucus on positive actions we can take to fulfill that purpose.  This article will explain my goals and vision.  But, before I get into what exactly that means, I want to clear up some misconceptions first. 

The CLC is not a large Caucus.  We were founded in 2022 and have approximately 750 people who have ever signed up on our website.  We only have a few thousand dollars in the bank.  At the National Convention in DC, we had maybe 30 members in attendance.  We only have members in leadership in a handful of states.  We are not even close to an equal and opposite force to the Mises Caucus, and we shouldn’t try to operate as such.  We are not an opposition Caucus in size or purpose.

Our members hold diverse views.  Some are also in other caucuses, including the Mises Caucus and the Radical Caucus.  Where possible, we will seek to build coalitions with others in areas where our goals overlap.  Libertarians are experts at figuring out where we disagree with others, but I hope to focus positively on where we agree and work together to advance liberty in those areas.  And, where it isn’t possible to work together, it’s preferable to move on rather than pick a fight.  We should be focusing on fighting the state, not each other.  

That said, what are our goals?  What does it mean to “advance and protect the principles of Classical Liberalism in the Libertarian Party” and how is this idea practically applied? 

To start, the principles laid out in our Platform are our guidepost for what Classical Liberalism means to us.  I hope the CLC lives up to this platform and uses it as a guide for everything we do.  However, our platform is primarily focused on how we think the power of the state should be limited, not how we engage or advance Classical Liberalism within the Libertarian Party. 

To advance Classical Liberalism with our communications, I believe we should continue to educate about Classical Liberal Philosophers and Philosophy on our blog and across social media.  Rather than seeking out debates, we will engage with others both inside and outside of our Caucus in a non-judgmental way to understand why we agree or disagree on certain issues or topics.  The culture war is a tool of the regime to divide us, and we will make every effort to avoid being sucked into us vs them thinking on those complex issues.  As a Caucus, we do not seek conflict on social media and do not troll (except the state) or feed the trolls.  

Within the party, Classical Liberal principles and our Caucus Platform provide a guide for how we treat others, focused on the Human Dignity plank. Collectivizing others or blaming groups for the actions of individuals is not an effective way for the Caucus to engage. Criticism is easy, action is hard.  As a Caucus, I hope to focus on positive action to advance our ideas rather than tear down the efforts of others.  If we lead by example, I hope others will see our efforts and work alongside us. 

There may be times when the Caucus decides to make a statement on something happening within the Party.  As Chair, it is my job to be the spokesman of the Caucus, but I believe any such statement should first be approved by the Board.  It is easy for all of us to be swept up in emotion when something happens in an organization we care deeply about.  I hope that by working together with the CLC Board, we can ensure anything that is said is done so with the intentions to build up the Libertarian Party, not tear it down.

Finally, as a small Caucus with limited resources, we must focus on what we do best and unite behind a few modest and practical goals that provide value to our members and the Libertarian Party.  Our primary effort over the next few months will be to help support the Chase/ter Maat campaign and provide a friendly landing place for Classical Liberals who come into the Libertarian Party through the campaign.  Donations will be primarily spent on day to day expenses and booths at events until we get to a point where we have sufficient funds to support candidates.  In the immediate future, we will also be revamping our web store with new goodies and improving our internal systems so that we have a strong foundation for action.  From there, I believe we can take measured steps towards efforts that are within the scope of our organization to grow, advocate, and support both candidates and leaders within the Libertarian Party. 

If you have any questions, or concerns, or are interested in volunteering, please feel free to reach out to me at layla.bush@lpclc.org!  


This piece solely expresses the opinions of the author, and not necessarily the Classical Liberal Caucus as a whole.

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