Charles and David spend a LOT of money and there are legions of people who make their living providing the services they want carried out. These are not what most of us think of as 'normal' employees, being more like covert agents, fill in your own word here.
Making lists of these people began in 1981 in an article published on Libertarian Forum by Murray Rothbard. That list is where we began. It is reproduced below with additions made in blue. Murray was very insightful once he noticed a problem.
We continue to add and we find new people who have joined their ranks.
The
following list was compiled by Murray Rothbard in 1983. Murray's
original listings are in black. My own are in blue. The 'originals'
had a hierarchy for themselves for their standing in the Machine.
This included Lickspittles, Flunkies, and Toadies. Some of these
might have found regular jobs.
In any case, we will be providing links to more information on each as soon as possible.
In any case, we will be providing links to more information on each as soon as possible.
Categories
have been added. If you know of more people who should be included,
please let us know.
The Crane
Machine
[ NOTE - Today it might seem these individuals would have walked away from the Kochs because Crane was sued and then left his long time position as CEO of CATO Institute. But indications are this is not the case. Those who were active around Howie Rich appear to remain in those positions. If we notice any changes (We are now contacting everyone we can locate) we will let you know.]
[ NOTE - Today it might seem these individuals would have walked away from the Kochs because Crane was sued and then left his long time position as CEO of CATO Institute. But indications are this is not the case. Those who were active around Howie Rich appear to remain in those positions. If we notice any changes (We are now contacting everyone we can locate) we will let you know.]
Revealed
Who are the Crane Machine, anyway? New readers have been
asking us this question, and one reader wanted to know if a
"Craniac" is some giant malign computer run by Crane
out of Washington, D.C. No sir, our word for a Crane
Machine member is "Craniac", or, if we are feeling
charitable that morning,
"Machiner."
Note: Being employed in a Crane-bossed institution does not
necessarily make one a Machiner.
I
Edward
H.
Crane
111 The
Big Boss: capo
di tutti capi. Main
power base: Head of the Cato Institute, which moved from San Franciso
to Washington, D.C. early in the Reagan Administration to be close to
the Corridors of Power. Also, Boss of: Libertarian Review Foundation,
and its publications Inquiry
and
Update;
National
Taxpayers Legal Fund; and the Crane Machine in the Libertarian Party.
Formerly, boss of Students for a Libertarian Society, and formerly,
National Chairman of the LP. Managed the LP presidential campaigns in
1976 and 1980. Crane's spin on his life in the The
Crane Journal
The unvarnished truth is coming.
I1
The
Top Craniacs (In
no particular order of rank)
Christopher
("Chris") Hocker (Crane
hireling; publisher of Inquiry,
editor
of Update.
Recently
brought in as editor of the latter to tone down the smearsheet.
Former National Director of the LP, now NatCom member, head of Draft
Ron Paul Committee.)
Howard
("Howie") Rich (New
York businessman. Top Craniac politico. Ran the disastrous Guida
campaign for national
chair in 198 1, the equally disastrous Randolph campaign in 1982, and
the likewise disastrous Northrup for Governor
campaign in New York in 1982. Craniac straw boss on LP NatCom.)
Andrea
Millen Rich (Wife
of Howie. Proprietor of Laissezfairecenter for New York Machiners.
Banned the Libertarian
Forum from
the bookstore for being critical of the Crane Machine. NatCom
member.)
JuIe
("The Tool") Herbert, Jr. (Highly
paid Crane hireling. Runs the National Taxpayers Legal Fund in
Washington. Former
Alabama lawyer. Runs the District of Columbia LP with an iron hand.
NatCom member.)
Leslie
Graves (alias
Leslie Graves Key. Crane hireling. Former editor, now reporter, for
Update.
NatCom
member. Boss
of the Wisconsin LP, based in Madison, now rumored to be suffering a
revolt from the long-downtrodden Milwaukee forces.)
Gary
Greenberg (Legal
Aid lawyer, boss of the New York LP, of which he apparently aspires
to be lifetime chairman.Suffering a widespread revolt against his
leadership, headed by 1982 U. S. Senate candidate Jim McKeown.)
Tom
Palmer (though
young, long-time Crane devotee. Former Crane strawboss on SLS, now
working for Crane's sister-or
rather cousinly-organization, Council for Competitive Economy, in
Washington.)
Jim
Johnston (economist
for Standard Oil of Indiana. Craniac straw boss in the Illinois LP,
NatCom member, and selfstyled
Parliamentarian).
I11
Quasi-Independent
Dick
Randolph (A
special category for the straw boss of the Alaska LP. Formerly State
Rep, ran disastrous campaign for Governor in 1982. Turned his entire
campaign over to the Crane Machine. One has the feeling, however,
that Dick could
someday leave the Machine. Is rumored to be suffering from revolt
within Alaska LP.)
IV
Lesser
Craniacs
Kent
Guida (Crane
hireling. Used to be, and perhaps still is, working for both Update
and
NTLF. Came in third in threeman race for national chair in 1981, ran
the calamitous Randolph campaign under Rich's supervision. NatCom
member.
Former Maryland businessman.)
Roy
A.
Childs,
Jr. (Crane
hireling. Former editor of
now
defunct Libertarian
Review. Crane-imposed
keynoter at LP
Presidential
convention in 1979. Now "foreign policy analyst"-Has anyone
ever seen any of his analyses?-at
Cato
.)
Eric
O'Keefe
(The
Martyr. Former National Director of the LP; when ousted, went to
Alaska to help Guida run the
Randolph
fiasco. Present whereabouts unknown.)
David
Boaz (Crane
hireling. Vice-president, Cato Institute. Research director, LP
Presidential campaign, 1980).
v
Minor
Craniacs
Janet
Nelson (Crane
hireling at Cato. Ex-wife of Kent Guida.)
Kristina
Herbert (Crane
hireling at Cato. Ex-wife of JuleHerbert .)
Milton
Mueller (formerly
head of SLS, when Crane-run,
Deb
Haws (wife
of Chris Hocker. Ex-O'Keefe aide at LP
then
presumably booted out for Left Deviation. But recently headquarters.
Daughter of Minnesota LP bigwig Frank wrote a Cato leaflet. Present
Machine status questionable.)Haws.
Present whereabouts unknown.)
Jeff Friedman
(formerly
head of SLS, when Crane-run, then
Anita
Anderson (Ex-Cato
employee. Now rumored to be presumably booted out for Left Deviation.
Student at Brown working
at Laissez-Faire Bookstore.) University. Present Machine status
questionable.)
Dr.
Ross Levatter (Young
Ohio physician. Formerly Craniac straw boss in the Ohio LP. A
national organizer in the
1980 presidential campaign. Writer and "philosopher.")
Frank
Horn (Computer
person, now in California. Crane hireling as reporter for Update.
Former
top lieutenant in the Graves
(Key) machine in the Wisconsin LP.)
Robert
Capozzi (Ex-editor,
Update.
Present
whereabouts unknown.)
David
Lampo (Crane
hireling at Cato. Ex-SLS operative.)
Paul
Beckner (Helped
run Randolph campaign in Alaska. Present whereabouts unknown.)
Celeste
"Cissey" Webb (formerly
Illinois LP bigwig, now rumored to be Crane hireling in D.C.)
VI
Peripheral
Craniacs, Some Now Inactive
These
are mainly Craniacs who are-generally for career reasons-at present
inactive in the Machine, but might be brought
back by the Boss at any time.
Ray
and Carol Cunningham (formerly
top Craniacs-in California, on NatCom, and in the presidential
campaign of 1980.
Both are Connecticut engineers.)
Robert
Costello (formerly
in California, now working for
Jeff
Riggenbach (Crane
hireling. Head of Cato's Bylines,
radio
commentary series. Inactive in LP,
but
can be trundled in
for writing jobs, e.g. his hatchet job against the Mason campaign and
for Guida in Libertarian
Review, 1981
.)
Bill
Birmingham (Crane
hireling. Ex-staff of Libertarian
Review, now
used occasionally by Update
for
hatchet-job writing
assignments.
David
Henderson (Friedmanite
economist, ex-Crane hireling at Cato. Present employment, the White
House. Therefore
presumably inactive in the Machine, but recently wrote book review
for Reason
back
at the old stand, attacking Austrian economics.)
VII
Possible
Craniac Defector
Bruce Majors (graduate student, D.C. Until just before press time, would have been listed as a leading youth member in Category IV. Reputed to have been straw boss at Update. Ran the disastrous Northrup campaign under Rich, 1982. Late information, however, spots Majors as possible defector from Machine. No present Machine employment.)
1
apologize if I left anyone out. Will try better next time.
New
editions as needed.
New Categories
Media Operatives
This is a category Murray did not realize should be added. A media operative is someone whose job would normally place in 'media' but who is actually carrying out propaganda work for a corporate employers.
John Fund - His first gig was with the Kochs through Ed Crane to obtain the nomination for Ed Clark in California in 1979. MORE
Later Movement Recruits
Eric Rittberg (Dondaro) - Hired by Roger MacBride when he lost his secretary of many years. Dondaro was paid to do the leg work for Roger as he set up the Republican Liberty Caucus. When Roger died he claimed to have done it himself, which was not true. The financing and planning were Roger's. But dead people cannot defend themselves.
Roger explained his concerns to me in the weeks before he died.
New Categories
Media Operatives
This is a category Murray did not realize should be added. A media operative is someone whose job would normally place in 'media' but who is actually carrying out propaganda work for a corporate employers.
John Fund - His first gig was with the Kochs through Ed Crane to obtain the nomination for Ed Clark in California in 1979. MORE
Later Movement Recruits
Eric Rittberg (Dondaro) - Hired by Roger MacBride when he lost his secretary of many years. Dondaro was paid to do the leg work for Roger as he set up the Republican Liberty Caucus. When Roger died he claimed to have done it himself, which was not true. The financing and planning were Roger's. But dead people cannot defend themselves.
Roger explained his concerns to me in the weeks before he died.
After Eric burned the RLC and Ron Paul, who hired him and then eventually realized what he was and fired him, he went on to work for the Howie Cabal, about which more can be learned at The Hart
Williams Commentary, Borgasm.
Soon you will be able to access this in a more digestible form at Libertarian History.
