I’ve been saying it for a while now – no way that I’m betting that 2014 is going to replicate 2010 and a large reason why is, IMHO, that the Establishment Republicans joined with the Democrats in excoriating the TEA Party / Libertarian wing of the Party. That would be the same people that dragged a lot of Republicans over the finish line both at the Federal level and bushwhacked the Dems at the State level. More and more I am hearing, in effect, that these folks are starting to say “screw you – why vote for you when you fight against us?” Thus, when this came across the transom, I was not surprised – somebody high in the NH GOP is getting really antsy and anxious, eh? Reformatted and emphasis mine:
Got this today from the Brookline-Mason GOP. Someone is nervous…..I wonder how high up it goes?
On Aug 29, 2014 6:52 PM, “Thomas Humphreys”wrote
BMRC Members, The purpose of this email is to urge you to do the following:
- Vote in the Republican primary election for the candidate(s) of your choice.
- Vote in the general election for the Republican candidate, even if they were not who you voted for in the primary election. Staying home and/or not voting for a specific candidate/office is the same as voting for their opponent.
In the 2012 presidential election, there were approximately 220 million registered voters in the United States. Final voting results for president (rounded) were, Obama-66 million, Romney 61 million. Which means 93 million people did not bother to vote. Assuming an even split (Democrat, Independent, and Republican) among the 93 means that about 31 million Republicans stayed home. If just 20% (6 million) of those had gone to the polls and voted for Romney, the outcome would have been different, we would have a much better individual in the White House and our country would be far better off than it is today.
And of course, I had a response!
WINNING!!!!! And I needed something to hang a WIN on this week…..sheesh…..
Short message: The Republicans are now acting like Obama, who is now blaming social media, the media, and the US Military for his “no strategy” remark. With [that message], the GOP is blaming voters, especially REPUBLICAN voters, for why they lost.
Yup, scapegoating their voters – good job on gaining and influencing “friends”. You didn’t give those 31 million Republicans a good enough reason TO vote – and you are blaming them? It’s like going to the store – why buy an inferior product when one was looking for excellence? Humphreys sounds like the Party is entitled to my vote simply because there is an R associated with my name.
Once again, the GOP and NH GOP have got it absolutely backwards – I don’t HAVE to “buy your product” if it does not meet my needs nor my expectation of excellence. In fact, you are asking me to be contrary to myself just so that you feel good.
The Republican Party is trapped in a paradigm in that it believes that it CAN demand your vote, nay, believes it is ENTITLED to your vote simply by dint of a winner in the Primary. It assumes (yeah, that word) that you will now blithely vote for their candidate. For a Party that says it is for individual choice, it certainly sounds like a Top-Down-Command-and-Control outlook when the rest of the world is becoming more and more decentralized and that producers (as that is what political Parties are – producers of political philosophies and candidates that are supposed to show fealty to that philosophy).
Here is the bottom line – if the Party’s products (like those of the Big Three car companies back in the 70s and 80s) don’t measure up, it too can go out of business. And right now, it seems to be all too willing to chase its potential customers away. And if it continues, they’ll end up like the UAW – a shadow of itself. And I said exactly that:
Not happening……fix your brand first. Hint: let’s hear the Brand Manager and Protector, NH GOP Chair Jennifer Horn lambast “her own” (e.g., the Rogue Republicans in the NH Senate that pushed through the Democrat Agenda) first. Let us know of your ire in how THEY spoiled the brand and that you are the person that is gonna fix this.
Ever read the NH GOP Pressers? Ever see any of them really criticize itself? Is an effort being made to “fix it”, or just the case that the “Fix” is in? After all, Steve has done yeoman’s work in exposing how the [NH] Senate Republican Majority PAC is all intent on keeping the crony incumbents on the inside instead of upping the quality of the Republican Senators who actually believe in the Republican Platform and are ready to turn those beliefs into action.
Else, you are complicit with them. So, why would I want to vote for the “Opposition Party” [the NH GOP] that activates and puts their opponents’ [that would be the NH Democrat Party] bucket list into law?
And you want ME and US to affirm that?
Yeah, not happening.
In the words of Obama’s spiritual advisor (paraphrased): NH GOP’s “…chickens are coming home to roost!” The NH GOP is scared that people are going to not bother with the top of the ticket and that traditionally means that the down ticket candidates suffer. So, folks, turn it upside down – make sure that you vote for good folks at the bottom FIRST, and then work your way upward. And if the candidates to not meet your level of excellence, you don’t have to vote for them.
This is especially true in the General. Mr. Humphrey’s accusation of “is the same as voting for their opponent” leaves out MY real reason for not voting for someone – they aren’t good enough to deserve my vote. This truly riles up the “Republican Republicans for the sake of the Republican Party” – those who adhere to the Gene Chandler maxim of what constitutes a good Republican (er, that would be someone that merely hangs an R after their name).
They don’t want to hear that. At all. They do not want to admit, to you or themselves, that they are putting out an inferior product and that we are trying to tell them exactly that. I get it that it is hard to get people to run, but just getting a “warm body” to fill a hole doesn’t help and as Steve has pointed out, allows double agents to put on happy faces.
So, want me to vote Republican? Give me a better product to support.
