Steve MacDonald

Steve is a long-time New Hampshire resident, an award-winning blogger, and a member of the Board of Directors of The 603 Alliance and the National Heritage Center for Constitutional Studies. He is the owner of Grok Media LLC and the Managing Editor, Executive Editor, assistant editor, Editor, content curator, and more (yes, there's more) at GraniteGrok.com. Steve is also a former board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, the Republican Volunteer Coalition, and has worked for or with many state and local campaigns and grassroots groups, and is a past contributor to the Franklin Center for Public Policy.

What, me worry? For some Republicans, it’s business as usual.

As the dumbstruck Republicans continue their search for someone other than themselves to blame for their poor showing in the recent elections up and down the political food chain, evidence continues to mount that they might never figure it out. Call it "being unable to see the forest for the trees." Let’s review…
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In 1994, the Republicans ended 40 years of Democratic rule in the US House with a promise to change the culture of sleeze and corruption that had embedded itself deep within a majority that came to believe they could get away with anything. One of the principle architects of the GOP win, former congressman and majority leader Dick Armey, wrote an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal last week following the election. In it he writes of how they won with a philosophy of limited government and personal responsibility, which greatly influenced how they ran the show.
Our primary question in those early years was: How do we reform government and return money and power back to the American people?
Those were heady days for the conservative movement as they became dominant within the Republican party. Unfortunately, it came unraveled. Dick Armey continues in his WSJ piece:
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Eventually, the policy innovators and the "Spirit of ’94" were largely replaced by political bureaucrats driven by a narrow vision. Their question became: How do we hold onto political power? The aberrant behavior and scandals that ended up defining the Republican majority in 2006 were a direct consequence of this shift in choice criteria from policy to political power.

Nowhere was this turn more evident than in the complete collapse of fiscal discipline in the budgeting process. For most Republican candidates, fiscal responsibility is our political bread and butter. No matter how voters view other, more divisive issues from abortion to stem-cell research, Republicans have traditionally enjoyed a clear advantage with a majority of Americans on basic pocketbook issues. "We will spend your money carefully and we will keep your taxes low." That was our commitment.
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This year, no incumbent Republican (even those who fought for restraint) could credibly make that claim. The national vision — less government and lower taxes — was replaced with what Jack Abramoff infamously called his "favor factory." One Republican leader actually defended a questionable appropriation of taxpayer dollars, saying it was a reasonable price to pay for holding a Republican seat. What was most remarkable was not even the admission itself, but that it was acknowledged so openly. Wasn’t that the attitude we were fighting against in 1994?
Armey is 100% correct. The Republicans lost credibilty on their signature issues. The Democrats, eager to regain power, used every opportunity to make hay from every misstep, and their comrades in the mainstream media happily joined in. Who can blame them? The Republicans couldn’t give their opponents enough rope fast enough, it seemed, to "hang" them with.
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Missteps. Corruption. Ineptness. All are commonly associated with any sort of unchallenged ruling entity, government or otherwise. The problem for the Republicans is that they threw away their main check that had kept such behaviors at bay: tight fiscal practices. When money is tight, there’s less to throw around and get in trouble with. At the point it becomes over-abundent, decadence rears its ugly head.
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At least now, given the results of the election, the Republicans are going to mend their ways, right? Hello? I said REPUBLICANS ARE GOING TO BECOME FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE, AGAIN, RIGHT!? [insert cricket sounds here]…

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Wal Mart families respond to Democrat attacks

Yesterday I posted  about "mainstream" Democrats Barak Obama and Jonathan Edwards joining the unions in attacking one of America’s premier companies, Wal Mart. Not everyone agrees with their anti-free market actions and words. From the Working Families for Wal Mart website:
WASHINGTON, DC — Catherine Smith, interim chairwoman of Working Families for Wal-Mart, issued the following statement today regarding Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and former Sen. John Edwards’ union-sponsored attacks on Wal- Mart:
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"As a lifelong Democrat, I am disappointed that instead of leading, some politicians in my party are attacking a company that does more to help working families than perhaps any other private institution in America. Wal-Mart saves working families money, creates quality jobs in areas where they are needed most and is a corporate leader on environmental sustainability efforts. They are attacking the wrong company. On behalf of the 150,000 Democrat, Republican, and Independent volunteer members of our organization, we urge all of our elected leaders to pursue the work that we have elected them to do, and most importantly to get the facts about Wal-Mart, a company that is creating needed jobs and saving working families money every day."
I know several people that work for Wal Mart, and they genuinely like their jobs. Nobody forces anybody to work there. Nobody forces anyone to shop there. Imagine that- willing employees serving willing customers- What a concept! Perhaps someone ought to clue in Obama and Edwards on the truth. More from the WFWM website:
According to an October 2006 poll conducted by Democratic pollster Thom Riehle for Working Families for Wal-Mart (margin of error + 3.1), two-in-three voters (68 percent) would disapprove of a candidate making Wal-Mart an issue in the campaign.
Additionally, Riehle found many of the key target groups for the union leadership’s anti-Wal-Mart campaign are turned off, not turned on, by the campaign: 64 percent of Democratic voters disapprove, as do 66 percent of those who hoped Democrats would take control of Congress in the 2006 elections. 72 percent of those in union households disapprove of the premise of this anti-Wal-Mart campaign.
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Perhaps this is why during the 2006 election cycle, Connecticut gubernatorial candidate John DeStefano was the only candidate for statewide office who attempted to turn Wal-Mart into a significant campaign issue. But even in heavily Democratic Connecticut, and in a strongly pro-Democratic year, DeStefano’s attacks were resoundingly rejected, and he was defeated by the second-largest margin of any Democratic gubernatorial candidate in the country.
It still boggles the mind to watch prospective presidential wannabees participate in an all-out assault upon an American icon like Wal-Mart. It kinda reminds me of South American tin horn dictators and despots attacking whatever industry they are about to "nationalize". Is this what Democrats would have the government do? Why not just seize companies like Wal-Mart and force them to give whatever they deem necessary to to poor, oppressed workers? "Oh, come on Doug…"

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Like a bad penny…

First they picked Mel Martinez as the  leader of the RNC, who vowed NOT to be an attack dog (to steal a line from my favorite movie, Stripes– "there wuz one?"). . Then they turn around and bring one of the more incompetent bozos we thought we had heard the last from- Trent Lott- back into … Read more

Some words from McCain worth pondering.

I don’t even know what to think anymore when John McCain… yes, THAT John McCain, seemingly sets the tone and points the path that the repudiated Republicans MUST take if they are to regain a place at the helm of government.
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Senator McCain prepared some words for delivery to the Federalist Society. My favorite lines are these:
“The election was not an affirmation of the other party’s program. Try as hard as I could, I couldn’t find much evidence that my Democratic friends were offering anything that resembled a coherent platform or principled leadership on the critical issues that confront us today. 
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“Nor do I believe Americans rejected our values and governing philosophy.  On the contrary, I think they rejected us because they felt we had come to value our incumbency over our principles, and partisanship, from both parties, was no longer a contest of ideas, but an ever cruder and uncivil brawl over the spoils of power. 
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“Common sense conservatives believe that the government that governs least governs best; that government should do only those things individuals cannot do for themselves, and do them efficiently.  Much rides on that principle: the integrity of the government, our prosperity; and every American’s self-respect, which depends, as it always has, on one’s own decisions and actions, and cannot be provided as another government benefit.
While I’m not a huge McCain fan, I think he hits on some points that any purported Republican "leader" must be willing to embrace. Click below to read the entire speech.

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You cannot escape reality through the ballot box.

Item: Plutonium at atomic waste site in Iran. Reuters reports VIENNA (Reuters) – U.N. inspectors have found traces of plutonium, of possible use in atom bombs, at an Iranian nuclear waste site as Tehran pursues a nuclear program despite the risk of sanctions, an IAEA report said on Tuesday. . The International Atomic Energy Agency … Read more

President’s radio address. Honors veterans, warns our enemies, and challenges Democrats.

President Bush commemorated veterans, warned our enemies not to misread the results of the elections, and challenged the Democrats, so very critical of his every move throughout the new world war, to cough up some ideas of how to win. Got that Democrats? WIN… not retreat.
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend we commemorate Veterans Day, a day when America honors every man and woman who has worn the uniform of our military. In Veterans Day celebrations across our Nation, we remember those who have served in previous wars, those who are serving today, and those who did not live to become veterans. Especially in a time of war, we see in our veterans an example of people who stepped forward to serve a cause larger than themselves. This weekend, I ask you to take a moment to thank our veterans for their service, and express your appreciation for the sacrifices they have made to preserve our freedom and way of life.
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One freedom that defines our way of life is the freedom to choose our leaders at the ballot box. We saw that freedom earlier this week, when millions of Americans went to the polls to cast their votes for a new Congress. Whatever your opinion of the outcome, all Americans can take pride in the example our democracy sets for the world by holding elections even in a time of war. Our democratic institutions are a source of strength, and our trust in these institutions has made America the most powerful, prosperous, and stable nation in the world.
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As a result of this week’s elections, the Democrats now hold a majority in both Houses of Congress. After the elections, I called the Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate to congratulate them on the victory they achieved for their party. On Thursday, I had lunch with Congresswoman Pelosi and Congressman Hoyer, and on Friday I met with Senators Reid and Durbin. We had good discussions. I told them what I have told the men and women in my administration: We must put these elections behind us, and work together on the great issues facing America.
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The elections will bring changes to Washington. But one thing has not changed: America faces brutal enemies who have attacked us before and want to attack us again. I have a message for these enemies: Do not confuse the workings of American democracy with a lack of American will. Our Nation is committed to bringing you to justice, and we will prevail.
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Iraq is the central front in this war on terror. I look forward to listening to ideas from the new leaders of Congress on the best way to support our troops on the front lines — and win the war on terror.

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A chance to rebuild. “Purgation is often the beginning of a cure”

The following is Bill Asbell’s (Dover, NH) take on the election, and the recipe for reconstructing the Republican Party following its decimation in the election. Sometimes you have to wipe a slate clean and start anew. The opportunities are endless at this point. Bill’s letter is in response to an email from a friend obviously sending his sympathy over the election’s outcome…
Condolences accepted, but the glass is half-full, and this political Katrina can be an excellent brief opportunity to learn from our mistakes so as to come back stronger two years from now.
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What this election showed is that the Northeast is getting more liberal as the south is getting more conservative. (Another GOP House seat was picked up in GA). We in NH have been under siege by liberals coming from all sides for some time now, and the Republicans that remain in New England with the exception of John E. Sununu are all moderate to liberal. Olympia Snowe, a Whitman clone is a typical example. In Maine, they prefer their Republicans neutered. But, Lincoln Chafee who voted against John Roberts, and publicly announced he was voting for John Kerry in ’04 lost, thank God, as did some other RINOs. Too bad Arlen Specter wasn’t running. Anyway…
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Purgation is often the beginning of a cure. Rhode Island liberals figured, why vote for a pretend Socialist when you can have the real thing, which combined with a general feeling of "throw the bums out", anti-incumbency animus that was everywhere. Maine will eventually replace Snowe and Collins as Vermont replaced RINO Jumpin’ Jim Jeffords with avowed Socialist Bernie Sanders. Still, the turnover number was average for a 6th year in a two-term presidency.  This was nothing like ’94. NH may remain a live-free-or-die state for a while yet, simply by being able to point to the surrounding states and say, "Do you really want to look like THAT?!" which is a powerful tincture against self-induced lunacy most of the time.
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As I worked for Chuck, Jeb, and the local Dover candidates last Saturday, I spoke to Republican voters who told me point blank that they were going to "send a message", so I saw this coming. The message was two-fold, 1. Bush needed to WIN the war quickly or get out, instead of bleeding us to death by a thousand cuts, and 2. Republicans were going to be punished for their anti-conservative, decadent behavior over the past 6 years: Namely, "a bridge to nowhere", runaway spending, new entitlements, Abramoff-like influence peddling, Foley-page porn, failure to want to stem the flow of illegal immigration etc. The drive-by media’s considerable bias doesn’t help us either.
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The activist assessment. NH- the day after.

Friend Ed Naile of the Coalition of NH Taxpayers (CNHT) writes
Ouch!!!!!!!!!
Having been at the Ward 3 Manchester polls from 6:30 Am to 7:00 pm I have no idea what was going on around the state other than very somber phone calls late last night. Here is your chance to email back what happened in your town.
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My take from "news" reports about the NH Congressional seats:
It looks like the theory of placating RINO Republicans by bouncing all over the map on votes and positions did not endear Bass and Bradley to the conservative base they think has gone away forever. And it certainly was gone to them last night.
Some of this is coat-tails of big out side money as much as any candidates.
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No one except activists on the far left have any idea who has been just elected to the DC House seats so the left will be giddy about that until Hodes and She-Pot take off the mantle of CHANGE and actually start doing what comes naturally to libs.  Arneson, Swett, Fernald, and Shaheen not showing their faces helped the Libs as well.
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As I watched the ballot clerks stack the absentee ballots on the table we were working at in Manchester it was apparent that Questions One and Two would win in Manchester, of all places.
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Does anyone have any sense of WHO was showing up at their local polls last night? In Manch. there was a very large crowd of last minute same day registrants, young, few little kids. The older crowd came early. The Moderator estimated about 1,200 -1,300 would show up but about 1,500 did, many new. There were many 04 voters who were on the Manch. voter list who moved and no longer receive mail leaving over 20% of the list full of names needing to be purged. Just last November many of these same voters in Manch ousted Mayor Baines and would have voted in a tax cap if it had been on the ballot. So I would guess that taxes and Baines’s arrogance are still issue. Chalk this election up constant Iraq and scandal news. Pounding the scandal and arrogance theme worked on Benson for the Dems. so how long can they ride that pony if they are now  "in charge" of everything?
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Last night’s election could provide an opening for conservatives who have been pinned under the Republican Party’s "Main Street" crowd since they sold out Bob Smith (who began leaning the same way himself). How many elections do Republicans have to see full page "Republicans for this or that liberal" advertisements to get the message?
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Libertarians could have openings for seats in state offices with the demise of the Republican Party if they pick carefully.
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I always feared NH would slowly drift into some sort of Ma., Maine, Vermont type of state but last night’s sweep by uber-libs leaves an opening for opponents. 
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Ed Naile
Ed’s right- this must be viewed as an opportunity to rekindle conservative philosophies and opportunity within what has become a moribund party with nothing but the retention of power as  the goal.

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