We need to take full advantage of these opportunities. We cannot sit back and wait for someone else to build an organization for us. Like everyone who has lived in Iowa, I clearly know that "If you build it, they will come". How do we build it? We must have party leaders with the leadership skills and the previous proven experience to unite the party with a vision of the success we will have when we accomplish our goals.

As we saw at our National Convention last year, our party is very much divided. As I see the vicious party infighting, I cannot help but think of how many issues we all agree on. I am reminded of a Monty Python movie: a man asks a group if they are the "Judean People's Front". The group becomes angry and responds that they are "The People's Front of Judea" and the only people they hate more than the Romans are "The Judean People's Front". Sometimes I think the only groups we dislike more than our opponents are the other party factions.

I offer a solution. When like minded people are active and busy working towards a positive vision of the future, they are less likely to fight with each other and are far more likely to accomplish their goals.

If we are to accomplish anything productive we must first have goals and
a vision of our objectives. Those goals should include electing more candidates, increasing vote totals, increasing members, increasing fundraising, and creating member satisfaction with our direction. A member is just like a customer at a business. If they are not satisfied, they may very well leave and never return. In the next few weeks, I will be more specific about goals and objectives.

It is time that we unite our party around achievable goals and objectives. To reach our goals and objectives, we must have leaders who have worked with the various party factions and who have already demonstrated an ability to motivate libertarians.

That is why when I was asked to run for Chair, I had to, at the very least, think strongly about it. I have led large groups of people. I have education, political, and business experience. For example, I have a degree in Business Administration, have worked on several local and statewide campaigns, and I have worked in sales. I also have been able to motivate libertarians from all party factions as can be seen when I was Iowa Coordinator for the Bob Barr Presidential campaign or when I served as an At-Large Representative of the Libertarian Party of Iowa.

After much thought, I am announcing that I am considering a run for Libertarian National Committee Chair in 2010.

Sometime in the next few months I will make the final decision. In the meantime, please visit my website at www.jakeporter.org/chair and discuss with me ways that we can work together to build our party.