NH GOP Chair race. Heating up. Exposing a longstanding flaw in an Establishment mindset. A Big one -> “Activists out side the Party are worthless”. Remember what Finance Chair and Derry Chair said:
In addition- we have a meeting of activists every month- it is know as the Executive Board
with the implication of “we are the activists that count”. Well, that was pretty inclusive right there, eh? In 2006 & 2008, you had the Party activists – period. And in a lot of cases here in NH, given the “down the nose” treatment by “Party Activists” and Mucky-Mucks like Foley, a lot of the volunteer outside the Party folks either sat on their hands (and wallets) or moved a whole lot slower if they helped at all (trust me, I heard the stories). Top-down, command-and-control; 2012 had results more similar to 2008 and 2006 than 2010. Sure, there were other factors in play here this cycle (muchly due to the Obama Big Data for which the Establishment Republicans (and the money they represent) had no answer, but a good deal of the “down enthusiasm” of the grass roots had to do with the way they were treated – and with the way that Bill O’Brien was treated). When hard work was put in on Constitutional and Party Platform issues and bills, only to see it defeated by “less grassroots oriented” / Establishment Republicans, why support the Party? So instead of getting a heartfelt “thank you for your work in the election” (e.g., TEA Party / 9-12ers/ RLCNH / Constitutionalists / Libertarians, Papa Smurf (aka, the Gnome of the North) took much of the credit for the election results. No matter. But when the kicks were laid in afterwards during the legislative Sessions, well, one could say that the NH GOP did it to themselves.
And no one has EVAH laid out how much better of a NH GOP Chair MacDonald turned out to be than Jack Kimball (and I can throw in Fergus “The Fringe” Cullen into that mix with MacDonald as well) when actual results are compared.
And now, former Grafton County Chair Bruce Perlow is doing it again. Nice:
Dear Republican State Committee Members,
The purpose of this email is to let you know my experience in dealing with both candidates for the position of New Hampshire State Chair. I have a few criteria that the new chairman should meet..
- The NH Republican party is the inclusive party of bold ideas. We should welcome all of those who are fiscally Conservative and favor smaller government. We need someone who will encourage all who hold these views to join us.
Yet, even with those words, I have seen a number of times (and personally heard conversations that ended embarrassingly when the participants realized I was listening) “Old Guard” disparage “the new folks”. Upstarts. Usurpers who haven’t done their time. They don’t compromise their Principles.
- We need someone who will help get a Republican Majority elected to our state offices. We do not want someone who has a litmus test of how Republican a candidate is.
And thus, the age old thesis-antitheis. What Bruce is saying is that he’s all for accepting the help of the Alida Milhams, the Peter Bolsters, the Liz Hagers, and others that simply put an R next to their name – and then promptly voted against the Party’s aims and Principles. Heck, drag some Dems in as long as “we have the Power”. Look, I understand having a majority to be able to drive those Principles, but when you are inclusive of anyone, the Brand sucks – as in “so, what are you going to DO with that Power”? That is the problem – in 2006 and 2008, the voters had no idea what Republicans stood for; they simply became Democrat-Lite. Is that the future of the Party that is desired? After all, the Milhams, the Bolsters, the Hagers (and others that have appeared in our RINO of the Week reports) have NOT voted in line with “Fiscally Conservative” and NOT voted for smaller Government – especially at the County levels.
- We need someone who has worked with the grass roots activists. By that I mean the Counties and town committees and individuals.
So, Bruce first says “inclusive” and then immediately “excludes” anyone outside of the Party history? Well, that should exclude me then, as most of my effort is outside of the Party. But I have been a Member most of the last few years. Frankly, the outside groups are way more active overall all – the but Party is kinda stuck on itself in this regard.
But I ask – so, how long has Jennifer been active (that is, how long BEFORE she ran her first Congressional campaign)? I’ve known Andrew for quite some time now – and certainly he has been active “on the outside” – but I guess being the former Chair of the RLCNH fails Bruce’s “litmus” test. Yet, if there is some kind of value to the Party, would not upholding the Party Platform Principles be one of the better ones? Or does that not matter any more?
- We need someone who is a proven fund raiser.
Well, that CERTAINLY would not be Jennifer Horn now, would it, Bruce? In fact, in light of the liens and the debt, that would pretty much disqualify her on this point. Yet, you ignore the fundraising necessary to run the RLCNH (ouch! There’s that damn “outside of the Party” stuff again) and knowing how to raise money for a national campaign.
Which brings up the point, Bruce – how many campaigns HAS Jennifer been involved in, working at the grassroots levels these past few years BESIDES her own failed ones?
- We need someone who has actually been active in party affairs and understands the people involved. We do not need one who has given lip service to being active and done nothing.
Last time I looked, she wasn’t even a Member, has not held elective office within the Party. She actually seems to fit the bill of “We do not need one who has given lip service to being active and done nothing.“.
- We need someone who has been honest and sincere with the party as it exists today.
And what kind of a Party exists today? Out of power, out of money, out of technology, and out of a coherent message and a coherent strategy; splendid – she fits!
Jennifer Horn meets these criteria.(emphasis mine)
REALLY???? And what is your criteria, your FACTS, to support that assertion? I have seen none personally and you have personally not listed any EITHER, Bruce. Not one piece of datum, not a shred of evidence, and nothing but a weak “meets these criteria”. #FAIL.
Each and everything he talks about Andrew, I simply ask the same:
And what has Jennifer do in any of these regards? What has she accomplished (except for failed campaigns) if you really have to put pencil to paper to list them?
Can we afford to run afoul of the various election committees for inaccurate reporting?
Yo, Bruce, where’s the reports from Jennifer as well?
He does not favor the inclusive membership approach. He has said he wants to make sure that all Republican Candidates follow the entire party platform. This course of action will leave out many prospective voters. Andrew made a number of public statements about this. See (http://vimeo.com/57173385)
So, you LIKE the folks that vote against Party Principles MOST of the time (as the three did that I listed – we can EASILY list more if you need more proof)?
Andrew believes that all should follow his social views. That is fine, but as a member of a different faith, I do not agree with all his principles. Does that mean I and others like me are not welcome in the Republican Party?
If I remember, you started off with Fiscal Conservativism and Limited Government. Remember, ALL social issues have a fiscal costs (and moral ones as well). But to abandon these issues to the Democrats is a losing proposition long term – and that was borne out this election cycle. After all, we Conservatives derided the story of Julia – and now after the election when the election results are known, we see that the social issues of more and more welfare that weakened the basic family structure (by telling the husbands to bug out and created a culture of “baby Daddies” only has made government’s size and intrusions soar. Abortions (and the sexual mores brought into society by the Boomer Generation and a throwing away of traditions that worked.
But even as you toss out “Does that mean I and others like me are not welcome in the Republican Party?”, the old Establishment Guard wishes for people like me gone as well. Why, well for simply wholeheartedly supporting the Platform – because it actually means something? Do you wish to throw that away too?
Grafton County has used a nominating committee to select those who we believe would best serve as delegates to the NH Republican State Committee. Three of the four nominating committee members voted against nominating him again. The principal reason was his in-activity. He was nominated from the floor. He got the lowest total of votes. If one of those nominated by the committee had not agreed to drop out of the race, Andrew would not be a member of Grafton County Committee.
Big whoop – that happens to a lot of grassrooters that have more of a foot outside of the Party than being total insiders – it happened to me as well. Sure, I am not running for the NH GOP Chair – but look what DID happen! I ran a no letter, no communications, no campaigning campaign for RNC Committeeman. True, I lost – but 68 votes essentially just coming out of the stands?
I also point out that a LOT of new people were elected as Members from Belknap County – from the floor; they never would have made it via the old style nominating process. And yes, I helped to stop Alida Milham from being voted onto the State Committee for her decision to endorse two Democrats in the 2012 General Election – over the Republicans that were running.
That the kind of Republican you approve of, Bruce?
We are making a decision to choose a new Chair of the New Hampshire Republican Committee. The Chair will have a great many things to do. Among these things are encouraging good candidates to run, raising funds, developing a “ground game” and using the social media. A great deal has been made of Andrews’s s ability to use social media. When Jennifer is elected she can delegate this to him or hire his or some other firm to do that work.
So, the admission that she can’t do it herself, right? I agree – clueless…and more expensive to the Party than paying money we don’t have that she probably can’t raise (but given recent history, can put the Party into a debt situation). How can one manage something about which there is no domain knowledge as a foundation?
I again urge you to vote for Jennifer Horn for State Republican Chair.
Sincerely,
Bruce
Bruce S. Perlo Sr.
What we’ve seen, out here in the TEA Party “hinterlands apart from the Party” is Jennifer has been in a constant move from the outside groups and ingratiated herself to the inside. Fighting words? Perhaps – but no less than what was leveled today by you.
