Today’s newsletter features a guest post from Dan Barry, who: wrote in The New York Times on Sunday about how the surprising victory of a hardcore libertarian movement in a small New Hampshire town sparked a quick response — and a hard lesson in the importance of coming to vote. Here Dan explains the group behind the collision.
For nearly two decades, and without much national attention, restless libertarians everywhere have been moving to New Hampshire. They are drawn less by the spectacular fall foliage than by a literal interpretation of a state motto more often stamped on license plates than uttered in conversation: “Live Free Or Die.”
Much of this migration has been driven by a nonprofit called the Free State Project. His supporters believe that by en masse relocating to a small state with an inordinately large legislature — 400 representatives and 24 senators for 1.38 million people — they can bring about changes to their liking. That is, limited government, self-reliance, limited government, free markets and limited government.
“By concentrating our numbers in one state, we maximize our impact as activists, entrepreneurs, community builders and opinion leaders,” the group’s website says. “Free State States are friendly, productive people from all walks of life, ages, creeds and colors, who are on a mission to prove that more freedom leads to more wealth for all.”
After all, who is against freedom?
But it remains an open question whether the movement’s interpretation of freedom – emphasizing individual rights over the common good – has gained significant popularity.
For example, in 2016, the Free State Project announced with fanfare that 20,000 people had signed a pledge to move to New Hampshire within the next five years and help create a society in which the “maximum role” of government would be to protect individual rights. People who support gun rights, same-sex marriage and fiscal conservatism are welcome; racists, bigots and those who encourage violence are not.
“Are you tired of government getting bigger and bigger?” asks the Free State Project website. “Do you feel like the only person around who just wants to live free? You are not alone!”
Six years later, the group says the number of Free Staters in New Hampshire stands at 6,232.
“It seems to have been easy to get the pledges,” said Wayne Lesperance, a political science professor at New England College in Henniker, NH, who has studied the Free State movement. ‘Certainly, the 20,000 did not come. There is no data to support that they got closer than 6000, and even that sounds high.
Lesperance said the Free State Project — which, like New Hampshire, is overwhelmingly white — “appeals to disgruntled white people who may not want to deal with the complexities of race relations.”
He stressed that he saw no connection whatsoever with white supremacist ideology. Rather, there is “a longing for a time when life was much simpler,” he said. “A time when people were left alone.”
Having so far failed to reach a block of 20,000 “freedom activists” in New Hampshire, Free Staters have nevertheless made their presence known in ways beyond their annual PorcFest, a Woodstock-esque event held a week before freedom lovers with pancake parties, Bitcoin poker nights, movies (“Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life”) and many, many lectures (“Can You Still Get Rich With Crypto?” “Eliminate Your Income Taxes – It’s Easy!”).
The group claims that since 2008, 45 of its Free States have been elected to the state legislature — more of them identifying with Republicans than with Democrats. It says there are currently 20 free-state members in the legislature, with about 100 “liberty-minded individuals” not affiliated with the project in the state government.
Free Staters, according to New Hampshire Public Radio, have “led the way in creating cheap nanobrewery laws, repealed state knife codes and passed a bill granting immunity to users who report drug overdoses to the police.”
But even in a state known for its mind-your-own-beeswax atmosphere, many have found the Free State philosophy—rooted initially in an embrace of secession—to be alarming. There’s even a website dedicated to following the movement and helping communities explore ways to “handle Free State Project members and activities.”
A classic example of the deliberate disruption of the movement occurred last March in the small community of Croydon, New Hampshire, with a population of 800. During a sparsely attended annual town meeting, a Free Stater and an elected board member named Ian Underwood made a surprising motion to close the school. budget by more than half. He argued that spending had increased while student achievement had not increased, and he questioned the value of school activities such as sports and music education.
The motion passed with a low voter turnout of 20 to 14, sending Croydon into fits of rage and guilt and led to the creation of a grassroots organization now called We Stand Up for Croydon. The group managed to force another public rally in May, when a motion to restore the budget was passed 377 to 2 – a good day for participatory democracy.
But it was a less than great day for Underwood and his fellow Freestate holders. Some who might agree with his arguments were put off by the somewhat underhanded way in which he tried to bring about change.
Even his wife, Jody Underwood, a Free Stater and a Croydon school board member who supported the radical austerity measures, thought her husband’s motion, passed without giving townspeople time to digest the details, was unwise.
“I don’t like people being forced to do this,” she said. “That’s never a good way to do things.”
Although they eventually lost their battle in Croydon, she said “Free States loved it” – presumably in part because it brought more attention to their cause.
But more attention doesn’t always work in favor of a goal. Hope Damon, a Croydon resident who has joined the fight against austerity, plans to quit her job as a nutritionist and run for a seat in the state legislature. She was partly motivated to stop the growth of the Free State movement.
“I’m very honest,” said Damon, who considers himself a moderate Democrat. “We don’t trust them.”
Democrats and activists opposing school budget cuts are now planning events in other cities; Last Saturday, a rally against the Free State movement was held in Keene, NH. And the anti-Free State group We Stand Up for Croydon is planning a communal picnic next month at the Croydon fire station. Billed as a “thank you” to residents who stood up to the austerity measures, it is also a reminder that the political battle is far from over.
Damon said the Free State’s influence in the state legislature is far more powerful than many may realize.
“This is not a fringe group anymore,” she said. “And this means working vigorously for people who value democracy for the common good.”
What to read tonight?
seeker
Capturing the farewell of a war hero
On Politics regularly shows work by photographers from the Times. Here’s what Haiyun Jiang told us about capturing the image above:
In the Capitol Rotunda, four pool photographers, including myself, were stationed in the room to cover an event honoring Hershel Williams, the last living World War II Medal of Honor recipient, who recently died at 98.
During the public part of the event, I saw the reflection on the floor of the Rotunda, the historic paintings in the background, the army personnel on duty – and everything, including light, centered on Williams’ casket.
I sat down and waited for someone to walk by wearing dark clothes to match the mood and colors of other elements in the photo. I wanted to show the crowd’s busy pace.
Finally, I slowed down the shutter speed and made the frame. I wanted to convey the significance of the event and the farewell of a brave soldier.
I think the colors in this photo worked well together, drawing the audience’s attention to Williams’ casket and the sense of place and movement around it.
Thank you for reading. We’ll see you Monday.
— Blake
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