‘Our Andrew’ Demonstrates that it’s about personal prestige and advancement over principles
“30 Pieces of Silver” – Original artwork for illustration in Look and Learn
I, personally, and many others here, have supported Andrew Hemingway as Chairman of the RLCNH, as candidate for NHGOP Chair, as Candidate for Governor, and in various endeavors, in some cases in the face of severe criticism from friends and acquaintances.
We scratched our heads a little when Andrew joined the Newt campaign in 2012, taking a paid position (for the experience), when there were much more conservative (or libertarian) candidates in the race, who offered less prestige and access.
We scratched our heads even more when Andrew became a leading member of NH Rebellion, a group essentially founded on the idea of getting money out of politics by using government to regulate it out – even though McCain-Feingold had been an abject failure for all but the incumbents.
This week, we were disappointed, but not shocked, to learn that our “principled conservatarian” friend had joined the Trump campaign in NH, basically for prestige, access, and a stage.
Quote from an email to disappointed friends:
“That I have political ambitions is not a secret and Mr. Trump and his campaign are going to provide me with the opportunity to meet with thousands of new voters that are not your normal GOP base voter. They are allowing me to speak at all events, giving me a media person to schedule national media interviews and will involve me in the campaign media strategy.
I can see how this sounds self serving, and it is. There are only so many opportunities to take like this and I feel it is important that I do that.”
We only hope it works out for Mr Hemingway, but speaking for myself at least, enthusiasm for those future ambitions will be severely dampened around here.
