On Sunday, October 31st, Erick Erickson posted "An Open Letter to the Freshman Republican Victors" who are about to be elected to Congress. To me, the future of New Hampshire is more important.
In New Hampshire the majority Democrats and their leader Gov. Lynch have done enormous damage over the past four years. The General Court—both House and Senate—will be at the forefront of mending the damage. Accordingly, I’m going to "copy" Erickson’s letter, but change it to apply to the freshman Republicans about to be elected in New Hampshire. Please read it, and send send it to every GOP candidate you know. As Erickson said: "I am putting this up the Sunday before the election because in the noise and hubbub after the election it will be drowned out and it is very, very important."
Please read on:
In the next 72 hours, you will be elected to the New Hampshire General Court as either a member of the State House or State Senate. Suddenly you will find that you have friends you never knew you had. Remember that most of them are not really your friends at all.
Remember that for every poll showing a Republican landslide in New Hampshire on Tuesday, there is the fact that the voters decisively rejected the Old GOP that was led by the old state party leadership in years past.
Introduce yourself to incumbents Bill O’Brien, Bob Mead, Steve Stepanek, Dan Itse, Jennifer Coffey, and John Hikel. Talk with your fellow freshmen like Paul Mirski, Mark Warden, Andrew Manuse, Bob Hull, and Cameron DeJong. Those are the people who will become your closest friends. You’ll share a foxhole with when a political battle is raging.
Remember that some of the Republicans elected to the State House with you are incumbents. Some of them show miserable scores on the House Republican Alliance (HRA) report cards. Those people include Kenneth Gould, James "Doc" Pilliod, Priscilla Lockwood, Frank Case, Peter Bergin, and others. They are unrepentant RINO’s. They have not supported the NH GOP Party Platform in the past, and they vote with the Democrats as often as not. They will argue to "transcend partisanship" and "work across the aisle." Refuse to bend: You have been elected because you promise to renew the Republican Party in New Hampshire. Don’t let sweet nothings from the old GOP and the Concord crowd convince you otherwise.
When you get to Concord you will be told you need "guidance" from the "experienced leadership" of the old GOP. You will be told that “you just don’t understand” or “you are naive.” While that may be true in some ways, it does not mean that you should support the failed politics or policies of the Old Republican Party or its leadership. It’s time to fight. Do not compromise your Republican principles. Read the New Hampshire GOP Party Platform, and follow the new leadership who support it. Fight for them and fight against anyone who argues that you must yield to old ideas instead of the ideals of the new Republican Party as reflected in our state platform. You, after all, are not responsible for the failures of the New Hampshire Republican Party in the past.
Know also that you will have friends—real friends—that you didn’t even know you had, people who will make themselves known when you stand up and fight. Do not let yesterday’s leadership take over leadership of today’s GOP in the General Court. You can prevent the New Hampshire Republican Party from following a failed path. In 2004 the Democrats chose the Republican Speaker of the House. In 2006 the Republicans were entirely removed from power, and kept that way in 2008. If you support the state party platform, and fight against those who would water it down, you will be rewarded. If you succumb—if you "go along to get along" in Concord—the New Republicans, Tea Partiers, and other political activists in New Hampshire will see that you are defeated for re-election 24 months from now.
New Hampshire is poised to become a shining example of small state government, individual liberty, economic prosperity, and rapid job growth such as has never before been seen in our state. It will take several years to make it happen, but we can become a beacon of hope with low state taxes, low state spending, and small but effective state government for every other state in the Union.
So get on with it. Do not forget the principles that got you elected. And Godspeed to you all.
