Mises Caucus
The Libertarian Party Mises Caucus (LPMC) is a caucus within the United States Libertarian Party that promotes a more radical version of libertarianism and opposition to "wokeism" among libertarians. It was founded in 2017 by Michael Heise, mainly in opposition to Nicholas Sarwark's position as party chairman, and the more pragmatic faction of the party associated with the presidential campaigns of Gary Johnson. It is named after classical liberal economist Ludwig von Mises. The caucus has support of some libertarians, such as comedian Dave Smith, political commentator Tom Woods, and former U.S. congressman Ron Paul. As of  2021, the caucus is considered to be a powerful faction of the Libertarian Party, controlling several state affiliates. History. 2017–2018. In August 2017, a feud between the Libertarian National Committee and the Mises Institute occurred in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally. LNC chairman Nicholas Sarwark criticized Mises Institute President Jeff Deist for an article he wrote for the think tank weeks before the rally that positively mentioned the term "blood and soil", and criticized Tom Woods for defending Murray Rothbard's paleo strategy. Other members of the LNC called the Mises Institute "white nationalist" and said "there 's no room for bigots and racists in the party". Along with strong anti-Bill Weld sentiment in the party, and many Ron Paul supporters believing the Libertarian Party became more politically correct and pro-identity politics, this all led to the formation and rise of the Mises Caucus. The newly-formed caucus endorsed LNC At-large member Joshua Smith for party chairman, but lost to Sarwark in a landslide at the 2018 Libertarian National Convention 65–22%. 2019–present. In 2019, the Caucus launched a political action committee, Mises PAC, to raise money for Libertarian candidates. The caucus supported Jacob  Hornberger's campaign in the 2020 Libertarian Party presidential primaries. Hornberger came in second behind nominee Jo Jorgensen at the 2020 Libertarian National Convention. The caucus once again endorsed Joshua Smith for party chairman, but lost to Joe Bishop-Henchman. In June 2021, the Mises-controlled New Hampshire affiliate made controversial tweets calling for "legalizing child labor", repealing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and re-opening Gitmo "so that Anthony Fauci and every governor that locked their state down can be sent there". LPNH Chair Jilletta Jarvis in response took control of the state party's digital assets and  Twitter account, and along with LNC chairman Bishop-Henchman, tried to disaffiliate LPNH and form a new state party, in an effort to kick the Mises Caucus out. This move was widely condemned by many in the caucus, and many in the party outside the caucus, including 2020 VP nominee Spike Cohen and former U.S congressman Justin Amash. Both Jarvis and Bishop-Henchman resigned from their positions after the LNC rejected their motion. Political positions. The Libertarian Party Mises Caucus follows the "laissez-faire" Austrian school of economics. It supports private property rights, and rejects socialism, corporatism, and mainstream monetary  policies, such as central banking and state issued currency. The caucus supports decentralization, including secession and localism, "all the way down to the individual". The caucus strongly rejects identity politics, political correctness, and "wokeism", denouncing it as antithetical to individualism. The caucus has stated that their goal is for "real libertarians" to "takeover" the party, and "fix" it by bringing "economic literacy and sound messaging". During the COVID-19 pandemic, the caucus strongly opposed lockdowns, mask mandates, vaccine passports and vaccine mandates, and criticized the wider party for being silent and "not taking a stand". Criticism. The Mises Caucus has been  highly controversial within and outside the Libertarian Party. The caucus has been accused of harboring racists, anti-semites, and transphobes, although the caucus strongly denies this. In his resignation letter as LNC chair, Bishop-Henchman accused the Mises Caucus of having a "toxic culture" and "bad actors" that is "destroying and driving people away from the party". In June 2021, former congressman Justin Amash criticized the Mises-controlled New Hampshire affiliate for "edgelording" and being unprofessional in their messaging. Former New Hampshire legislator Caleb Dryer criticized the caucus for claiming neutrality in the culture war "while picking the right-wing  side", and called it disingenuous.