Beyond Project Archimedes

We aim to equalize with the Democrats and Republicans in less than ten years. That means equality in size, visibility, and electoral success. I have been sending you a series of messages to explain how we will do that.

In my first message, I described the kind of internal LP culture we need to achieve this goal. That culture will focus more on outreach and less on infighting. Specifically...

We must stop fighting over our small differences until we've enacted our large agreements.

Discuss all you want. Debate all you want. But stop fighting. Direct most of your energy outward rather than inward.

In my second message, I argued that libertarians need to take yes for an answer. We must make common cause with everyone who wants to move in the same direction we do.
In my third message, I described a crucial strategic concept: Discovery before persuasion. We must find the people who agree with us first so we can gain the resources we need to persuade those who disagree later.

I went a step further in that message. I showed you nearly a dozen studies indicating that 30-60 million Americans already self-identify as libertarians, or have mostly libertarian positions on the issues. I explained how those old studies are buttressed by decades of Nolan Chart quizzes showing the same thing! This means...

We already have more than enough libertarians to equalize with the Democrats and Republicans. We just have to find them and mobilize them.

This isn't pie in the sky. We started down this road once before, with great success. And that's the new thing I want to tell you in this message.

Remembering Project Archimedes

Project Archimedes was a membership recruitment program designed by LP National Director Perry Willis under the guidance of Steve Dasbach, the LNC Chair.

The project was named after the Greek mathematician who supposedly said, "Give me a long enough lever, and a place to stand, and I will move the world."

The project had notable features you may recognize...

Build a Big Tent party containing everyone who favors less state aggression.
Take yes for an answer.
Discovery before persuasion. Find those who agree with you first, so you can gain the resources to persuade those who disagree later.
Increase visibility to increase recruitment to increase fundraising, and then repeat.

The results were stunning!

When Perry arrived as National Director in late 1993, LP membership stood at 9,539, with gross, inflation-adjusted revenue of $1,749,842.

When Project Archimedes finished in 1999, just before Harry Browne's second Presidential run, which Perry managed, membership peaked at an all-time high of 33,017, with an inflation-adjusted income of $5,114,499.

Membership dropped slightly the following year, but inflation-adjusted revenue kept climbing, reaching an all-time high of $6,140,633. Plus, the Browne campaign raised and spent millions more that year.

The LP had never before raised and spent so much money from such a broad membership.

And then it was over!

A previous LNC body decided to discontinue Project Archimedes. It chose instead to create a reserve fund and execute a long strategic planning effort that ultimately yielded nothing.

In membership and revenue terms, the LP has been in general decline ever since, though there have been electoral high points in terms of votes.

Today, membership has fallen back to where it was in 1993, when Perry Willis first arrived at LP Headquarters in Washington, DC.

People often think of learning from history in terms of not repeating the bad stuff, but I decided to learn from history by doing what has worked before. So I hired Perry Willis to create...

Son of Archimedes

The goals, ideas, and plans I've been telling you about are the result. But this new effort will have a new name. My next message will tell you what that name is, and when we will begin.

Show your support with a donation or a monthly pledge. We can only do what libertarians are willing to fund. >>>

Second, please do a simple volunteer task. Open every single message we send you, even if you don't have time to read it immediately. This will help prevent Google and Yahoo from delivering our messages into spam and side folders.

Become a part of the change we're going to cause. Contribute to help us equalize with the Democrats and Republicans within ten years.

Sincerely,

Steven Nekhaila

Chair, Libertarian National Committee

History we want to both learn and repeat