Speaker of the NH House Shawn Jassper makes it clear that Free State Project is not his cup of TEA - Granite Grok

Speaker of the NH House Shawn Jassper makes it clear that Free State Project is not his cup of TEA

The Free State Project emblem
The Free State Project emblem

Former NH Speaker Gene Chandler: “Anyone with an ‘R‘ after their name is a good Republican”

I disagree with that statement (especially those that support the Democrat agenda more than the Republican one). But then again, while Jasper is making it clear that he hates the Free State Project, he also made it clear that the TEA Party wasn’t his BFF either.  And just like the Democrats, just like that Progressive Totalitarian Zandra Rice-Hawkins of the uber-Progressive Granite State Progress (that out-of-State funded group trying to turn NH into MA, into NY, or worse, CA), Jassper has made it clear that he hates the Free State Project (and sympathizers) that are in the Republican Party (and are living rent free in his head). (yeah, I know – late to the game again.  Too many Shiny Objects….) (reformatted, emphasis mine):

New Hampshire House Speaker Shawn Jasper Thursday doubled down on his belief that the Republican Party should reject the Free State Project, warning that it could “destroy” the party. The Hudson lawmaker spoke to WMUR following a report in this week’s New Hampshire Primary Source political column that he and the chairwoman of the Manchester Republican City Committee, Tammy Simmons, were at odds over whether the GOP should reach out to Free Staters.

The TEA Party was ideologically aligned with GOP Principles – too much so it seemed as it wanted to bring the Republicans not more Rightward but downward – to its actual roots, back to its stated Platform Principles, and to Constitutional principles. Yet, the Establishment GOP took up with the Democrats and reviled the TEA Party as well and fought hard against TEA Party candidates.  They made it clear that “No TEA need apply”.  The Democrats maligned and demonized us – and after the 2010 election, so did the Republicans. They wanted the votes – but afterwards, SHUT UP.  We don’t want you in the Party, just voted for it.  Know your place was the message.

Then the Democrats decided to do the same to the Free State Project – and Jassper is giving them his full support:

The column reported on Facebook posts by Jasper on the topic and on emails that he and Simmons sent to the 37 members of the state GOP’s executive committee Monday. The exchange came after the progressive group Granite State Progress reported that 13 candidates for city offices in Manchester are Free Staters. Granite State Progress has also said that in researching the state Legislature, it has found that 17 Free Staters are members of the 2017-2018 House.

But just like the TEA Party that couldn’t and wouldn’t be controlled, now the Free Staters are perceived as an existential threat.  I can understand it from the Democrat side as both the TEA Party principles and those of the Free Staters ARE the existential threat to their Socialist agenda. Rice-Hawkins has made it her life’s mission to turn and keep NH blue – and if lying about the TEA Party and now the Free Staters is what it takes, so be it.  Remember, Jassper, ANY Republican during the TEA Party era was called a TEA Partier to make it stick.  Democrats took it up with wild abandon slandering anyone that opposed  their agenda – and then the Republicans took it up as well. Remember when TEA Partier Jack Kimball was voted in as NH GOP Chair?  The GOPe made sure that didn’t stick.

And now we see it again with another group that is aligned with Republican Principles – whereupon Jassper makes it clear that his head is so far up his butt, his butt is up his butt.  I don’t think that even a septic tank guy would want to touch that mess.  But once again, we see an “Establishment” Republican (actually, more of a Republican that sometimes wears a Democrat skin) deciding to side with Progressive Democrats to vilify those that would vote a lot with them (albeit, standing on Principles first to which I give a hearty “AMEN!”).

In his email, Jasper called on NHGOP Chair Jeanie Forrester “to make it clear that … no person who ascribes to the principles of the Free State Project can also be considered to be a Republican.”

What a putz and a schmuck.  I bet he can’t even NAME them – just like the GOPe couldn’t enumerate the three simple Principles of the TEA Party movement.

Simmons wrote that of the 13 Manchester candidates listed by Granite State Progress, “four are Republicans and three are among the most active Republicans in Manchester.” She wrote that Free Staters often share GOP principles as laid out in the state party’s platform.

Here, Simmons is very, very correct:

Simmons, who is called an “honorary” Free Stater in the Granite State Progress report, accused the group of spreading “lies and vitriol” and, referring to a Jasper Facebook post on the topic, wrote that it was “completely unacceptable” for Jasper to share the group’s “grossly inaccurate talking points” on social media.

What was that, Jassper’s FoolsPage? Well, one thing is for sure, he got elected the first time as Speaker with only Democrat support, so I guess he’s still returning the favor. Even at the expense of other Republicans. I guess he’s one with Democrat Cynthia Chase who decided to use Govt and enact laws to

“What we can do is make the environment here so unwelcoming that some will choose not to come, and some may actually leave. One way is to pass measures that will restrict freedoms that they think they will find here.”

And that’s really the message of the Free State Project – Freedom.  Don’t doubt me – go read about it here.

But Jasper said Thursday, “I feel very strongly about the issue. I frankly think that anyone who takes that pledge and ascribes to that philosophy cannot be considered a Republican. Jasper was referring to a 2001 statement announcing the creation of the Free State Project by Jason Sorens that proposes taking control of a state legislature and then voting to have that state secede from the nation. Sorens suggested that if 20,000 members of the “Free State Society” populated a small state, they could have a major influence on policy.

…“I believe that if we don’t distance ourselves as Republicans from this group, this will destroy the Republican Party in New Hampshire,” Jasper said. “Their philosophy on government is un-American.”

So he’s swallowed the whole Granite State Progress pitcher of Kool-Aid. And if the Republican Party dies, it will be by its own hand and has already been partially accomplished with Medicaid Expansion – and NO Free Staters went with that.  That’s all on you, Jassper!

And it would be fun to issue an RTK of the leader of the NH House to see how he thinks their principles are “un-American”.  I haven’t seen anything that would say so – but it is clear that he did a double of GSP pitcher.  And I bet I’ve read the NH Constitution more than he has so he’s dead wrong on this next bit:

“The statement by their founder talks about the maximum that the government should do, and the maximum he says the government should do does not meet the criteria for what government should do based on the constitution,” he said.

 

Though I doubt he’d take me up on it, if we had a debate – he’d lose.  He can’t back up his rhetoric – not by a country mile.

So this has gone long – and I guess it will be another post.  But for all the Republicans and Free Staters out there, you have to realize what Jassper can’t:

 

…Granite State Progress, meanwhile, complimented Jasper. “It is heartening to see Republican leaders in the state join their Democratic counterparts in raising serious concerns about the Free State Project and its goals,” said Granite State Progress Executive Director Zandra Rice Hawkins.

If your political enemy is slathering on the complements and giving you adoring looks, and you’re puffed up about it, you’d best be trying to rid yourself of the stink.House Democratic Leader Steve Shurtleff said, “All of us, Democrats and Republican, take our oath as representatives and part of that is to defend and protect the constitutions of our states and the United States. If someone has a philosophy that is contrary to what they say in their oath, maybe they should not run for office under the banner of Democrat or Republican.

Speaker of the House Shawn Jasper makes it clear that he’s not the Speaker for everyone. We’ve left you alone for quite some time.  I’m betting now that there are a number of House Republicans who might be having buyer’s remorse in voting for him as Speaker.

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