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Co-founder of GraniteGrok, my concern is around Individual Liberty and Freedom and how the Government is taking that away. As an evangelical Christian and Conservative with small "L" libertarian leanings, my fight is with Progressives forcing a collectivized, secular humanistic future upon us. As a TEA Party activist, citizen journalist, and pundit!, my goal is to use the New Media to advance the radical notions of America's Founders back into our culture.

OK, sometimes ya just gotta have fun!

And face it, if my back was more flexible and my knees didn’t creak like the Tin Man, I’d try this! TMEW, on the other hand, just shivered a tad.  You?

Live Reagan Library Debate Blogging at The Draft!

There is a debate watching party here at The Draft Sports Bar in Concord.  A few folks floating around right now but more are expected (if you’re coming, come up to the upstairs TV room). I’ll be tweeting out what I think is interesting and try to get some folks to tell me what they … Read more

GrokTV Special Interviews at TEA Party Express Manchester – Karen and Mark

At all of the events the ‘Grok goes to, we are always on the lookout for folks that wouldn’t mind answering a couple of questions: our micro-interviews!  Sometimes different questions, and sometimes the same – never know what’s going to be said.  This is from yesterday’s TEA Party Express’s Manchester event where I ran into … Read more

GrokTV Event: TEA Party Express Manchester – Potpourri

This was a real full weekend – Gov. Rick Perry at Senator Gordon Humphrey’s, TEA Party Express in Concord, TEA Party Express in Manchester, with a trip to the gun show in Concord (nothing), back to the Belmont range (three new Second Amendment tools and a range renewal, and then a return trip on Monday just to play a bit).  So, getting the videos processed and posted is, well, not exactly time friendly. 

So, consider this a Grab Bag of videos from a number of events.  Let’s start with the last one: TEA Party Express at Manchester.  This is of the introductory ceremonies including the National Anthem.  The image that will always stick with me is the newly minted Marine standing stiffly at attention in his dress blues (honor Marine at boot camp?) with a crisp hand salute.  Then when Sarah Palin spoke, she pointed over to him to acknowledge his presence when she spoke about our military.

Introductory ceremonies

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You got what you wanted, NH GOP – a “W”, but at what price?

Shame on we at the ‘Grok for not doing more for Brendan Kelly, the Libertarian who supports more of the Republican platform and issues that "the union" Republican that won, Kevin Janvrin, in District 14 today.

Upon logging into FB tonite after trying to do some catch up posts, I saw the news from Seth Cohn:

Janvrin’s true colors, minutes after winning: @JamesPindell tweets: GOP Janvrin tells me his victory "sent the message that the Tea Party needs to get out of NH" #nhpolitics #whoa #nhhouse #Rock14

Yay!  More unity in the Party!  Over at Pindell‘s:

GOP, Dems: Tea Party Loser Of Special Election

Both the Republican winner of the special election in Rockingham County and the Democratic loser said that the Tea Party was really the big loser of the election tonight.

Oh, there’s a difference between the two of these clowns ideologically?  Frankly, from the Lefty unionists, either of them winning was a win for the union agenda – which is antithetical to the Republican Platform.

In an interview Janvrin, a union firefighter, said that the victory meant that voters wanted a common sense Republican.

“This sent the message that the Tea Party needs to get out of New Hampshire,” said Janvrin.

Really? I’m betting that a number of the current House members will have far different thoughts concerning this line of thought.  While his first order of business is to try to railroad the Right To Work veto override, I’m quite sure that at the end of the session, his vote scores aren’t going to beat some of the Democrats.  By that statement, we now know that:

  • he will vote against bills that would foster a smaller government
  • he will vote against devolving State power to foster more individual freedom
  • he will vote against bills that reduce spending

Further snippets of thought:

Democrat Mahoney echoed the same sentiment. “Kevin (Janvrin) has a lot of great relationships in his hometown of Seabrook, and his win there sealed the deal,” Mahoney said. “He is part of that small moderate group of Republicans that are a thorn in the side of Speaker O’Brien.”

Given his part in the ouster of Jack Kimball, I’m not too thrilled with Speaker O’Brien right about now.  In fact, being human, I read "thorn in side" and smiled (a bit, but only a bit).  But here, we see a collusion of Democrats (and not a Republican and Democrat) – interchangeable collectivists who both are clearly for a continued Statist policy.  There are a lot of Liberty and Freedom folks in the House that are now seeing this and gritting their teeth.  Why?

This was the first special election victory for Republicans this year. It came just days after newly minted state Republican Chair Wayne MacDonald took over the party. He took over on Thursday night, and by Friday he was already addressing the special election. By Saturday, he was campaigning side by side with Janvrin.

Today was also MacDonald’s 57th birthday.

“All I wanted for my birthday was a win,” MacDonald said. “The credit should be given to Kevin and his wife Missy who worked hard. The party helped out in the best way we knew how.”

Right! Let’s all watch the Republican Party go back to the good old mindset that a win is a win – with no repercussion of what that person winning does after the election.  Let’s go back to the mindset that any old R in the seat is a plus is the message.  Does it make any difference that this plant will not support the Platform?  That he will sneer at the notion of "self governance" and happily work for more centralized governance?  That his ideology has already set him against most of the Party?

Didn’t you hear the words of Jimmy Hoffa over the weekend?  Or Maxine Waters?

MacDonald said that one thing that helped his candidate is time away from press coverage of the controversial legislative session.

“The voters were more removed from the tough decisions that the legislature had to take,” MacDonald said, compared to the two previous special elections when Republicans were blown out.

That’s about as silly and lame a statement as I’ve heard lately – a couple of weeks removed from the last special election REALLY is going to make that much of a difference? One of the knocks on Jack was that he was not "communicating well".  While I appreciate the years he has given to the Party, at least one could say "Hey, Jack was a novice" – certainly MacDonald has heard far better for far longer to use as examples.  I’m hoping that the NH GOP Chair can muster far better going forward.  Heck, even if I’m not the Second Coming of Ryan Williams, it wouldn’t take much to step over that low bar.

In an interview Janvrin, a union firefighter, said that the victory meant that voters wanted a common sense Republican.

“This sent the message that the Tea Party needs to get out of New Hampshire,” said Janvrin.

Democrat Mahoney echoed the same sentiment.

So, is this a "lipstick on a pig" moment?  Or is this the "new new" Republican that the Establishment Republicans are waiting for?  Does it now adequately and correctly describe the view of the new NH GOP leadership?  Well, Obama didn’t disavow Jimmy Hoffa’s "take these sons of bitches out" remark concerning the TEA Party up at the Labor Day union rally in Detroit.  Certainly, MacDonald would have said something in the way of trying to keep the Establishment / TEA Party / Liberty and Freedom coalition together within the Party, right?  Even the smallest admonition for the sake of unity?

Er, do YOU see one here?

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GrokTV Event: TEA Party Express – Buddy Roemer, Christopher V. Hill

In addition to Mitt Romney speaking at the TEA Party Express rally last night in Concord, two other Presidential candidates also spoke: Former  LA Congressman and Governor Buddy Roemer Former Desert Storm F-15 fighter pilot, current Airline Captain and NH Native Christopher V. Hill    Buddy Roemer                 … Read more

GrokTV Event: TEA Party Express – Corey Lewandowski, Stacy McCain

Well, even though returned from yet another TEA Party Express event today (where Sarah Palin was the headline speaker), I have still a few more videos to put up. Although the TEA Party Express (and the PAC behind it) is the main sponsor of their tour that took them to Concord last night and Manchester … Read more

GrokTV Event: The “Anti-“TEA Party event

Well, not only was there a TEA Party Express last night at Rollins Park in Concord, there was contingent of NH TEA Party folks there were there, not so much to be "anti-TEA Party Express" but more "anti-Romney" as I said in the post of Mitt’s talk:

Included in that number were folks who were protesting the TEA Party Express in that they saw TPE giving Mitt Romney a "TEA Party photo op" and, perhaps, the thinnest veneer of a TEA Party coattail.

Much was made in the genesis of the TEA Party movement that the politicians, the political class, has defrauded the American public and its founding principles. Thus, pols of all stripes were held at bay and at arms’ length – and I agreed with that at the time.  However, as protest after protest was held against both Republicans and Democrats, it became clear that the movement had to hold to its core principles of fiscal responsibility, limited government, and the free market place.  And become involved in politics to see those principles adhered to by our government.  And no going back – as these folks stood up for.  They don’t believe that Mitt Romney, who has not reached out to the TEA Party here in NH where he has a home, has had an epiphany upon a TEA Party road to Damascas:

Note: in speaking with someone in the know, watch what the TEA Party Express does in the near to mid term future – it was not so much that they all were all that enamored with Mitt as it was part of having the upcoming Presidential debate in conjunction with CNN.  So, they may have had to "make nice" for now – while getting the knife sharpening wheel started going round…

 

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Holding PSNH’s feet to the fire? Part 2

I had posted about a relatively new TEA Party’s invite to PSNH to have them come in and talk about their side of the Northern Pass Project.  Result? No show.  How couth to bail at the last moment. Well, I ran into Tim Carter of the Lakes Region TEA Party at the TEA Party Express … Read more

GrokTV Event: TEA Party Express Manchester – Sarah Palin!

Yes, the headliner for today’s TEA Party Express event at Veterans Park in Manchester this afternoon was Sarah Palin.  Amy Kremer, Chair of the TPE, did the introduction: And then Sarah brought the crowd (600 or so) to their feet for pretty much her entire address (with a few calls that swept the crowd "Run, … Read more

GrokTV Special Interview – from the Gov. Rick Perry Event – Andrew Hemingway

Last of the folks that I could shanghai into talking after the Gov. Rick Perry event at former US Gordon Humphrey was Andrew Hemingway of the RLCNH (Republican Liberty Caucus of NH).  That group has become a political force here in NH by assisting those Republican candidates espousing adherence to Constitutional standards (both US and … Read more

GrokTV Event: TEA Party Express – Mitt Romney

Tonite the TEA Party Express rolled into town.  Tonite, the main draw was former MA Governor Mitt Romney (who also has a home in Wolfeboro, NH) and there were quite a few folks there to see him. Included in that number were folks who were protesting the TEA Party Express in that they saw TPE … Read more

GrokTV Event: Gov. Rick Perry at Senator Gordon Humphrey’s

Last nite in Chichester, the ‘Grok went to the home of former US Senator Gordon Humphrey who was hosting an event for Texas Governor Rick Perry who is try to win the Republican nomination for President. Apologies for the darkness of the video – very bright outside so under the tent it was relatively dark and all the cameras there were showing the same poor image. However, it isn’t the video that’s always important at an event like this – it is the audio.

Here, Senator Humphrey enthusiastically introduces Gov. Perry:

Then Gov. Perry spoke to the crowd of about 200 (a bit more?):

A short Q&A then ensued (after the jump):

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GrokTV Special Interview – from the Gov. Rick Perry Event

After Gov. Rick Perry spoke, I had the chance to ask a couple of folks their opinions of the Governor.  First up is Jean Lavin who was able to ask the Governor a question during the actual event concerning Israel:

A NH based TEA Party – holding PSNH’s feet to the fire?

TEA Party groups continue to pop up all over the State as more and more folks continue to awaken to the fact that Government has been running amok.  In addition, via crony capitalism and "special favors", big government has decided not to compete and succeed in the free marketplace but use the force of Government … Read more

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