Yikes. As the vice-chairman of the altogether excellent Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire (RLCNH), I’m very interested in—and active on—our also-excellent public debate email list.
The thing is…in discussing and debating on the RLCNH list, I can often go off on a wild jag.
Like this morning.
We were discussing why a "yesterday’s Republican" like Mitt Romney should be invited to appear and speak at the upcoming New Hampshire state GOP convention (as he has been, and will). "Now, now," I said. "We must be polite" to our guest. Besides, what has he done that was really egregious? I mean, he’s not a socialist Democrat, after all….
To which the perceptive NH Republican activist Laura Jones said: "Tim, Don’t you think that socialized medicine in Mass. paved the way for socialized medicine in the U.S.?"
AARRRGGHHHH!!! She’s right! The fuse having been lit, off I went into a rant, as follows:
That’s a point worthy of consideration, Laura. The push for socialized medicine in the U.S. has been a power-dream of the Democrats and the Left since the days of Franklin D. Roosevelt (and the communists we now know were in his "brain trust"). In the sense that instituting socialized medicine in Massachusetts made it easier and "more legitimate" to push for such a disaster nationally, I think you’re right. But that sword cuts both ways: Since it was instituted earlier, it’s collapsing earlier, and the pernicious results of it have been made obvious earlier. That’s why people pointed to what it’s done to Massachusetts in arguing against Obamacare. It may also be a reason that Scott Brown won "Teddy Kennedy’s Senate seat." But your point is still well-taken.
Nevertheless…we should be polite toward Mr. Romney at the state convention…if perhaps very pointed in our questions to him.
Now that you’ve got me thinking about it (thank you Laura!)…it is something of a scandal that Mitt Romney, a perfect example of "yesterday’s Republican," is addressing our state convention. After all, there is emerging a New Republican Party, both here and nationally. Some would say that one of the stronger movements to create the new party is happening right here in New Hampshire with state leaders like Bill O’Brien, Bob Mead, Pam Tucker, Paul Mirski, Steve Stepanek, John Hikel and many others. (I wonder if any of them were consulted on whom to invite?) In fact, the movement toward creating a New Republican Party in New Hampshire is so strong that Republican activists are putting Republican-Red bumper stickers on their cars and trucks that say: "New Hampshire Republican." (Note the emphasis on New Hampshire? It denotes that "New Hampshire Republicans" are a special breed, and at the forefront of birthing the New Republican Party. Email me if you want one for your vehicle.)
But who are these Republican Revolutionaries who are busily building a new, stronger, more open and trustworthy party? Who else might have been invited to speak at the party convention other than Mr. Romney? Well…glad you asked…
Here’s a small, partial honor-roll of New Republicans, any one of whom "could" have—and maybe should have—been invited to appear and speak at the upcoming party convention:
Jim DeMint from SC
Tom Coburn from OK
Gary Johnson from NM
Michelle Bachmann from MN
Pat Toomey from PA
Ken Buck from CO
Marco Rubio from FL
Rand Paul from KY
Sharron Angle from NV
Nikki Haley from SC
Jan Brewer from AZ
Joe Miller from AK
Gee. There’s lots of them…and their numbers are growing. But wait! From New Hampshire itself, there’s one political leader who’s been particularly good at working to help create a new and better state Republican Party. To tell the truth, I’d rather see and hear him speak at the convention than Mr. Romney.
Who is he? Why State Rep. Bill O’Brien (and candidate for Speaker of the House), from Mont Vernon of course!
But I digress. We must be polite to Gov. Romney, who after all isn’t a full-blown member of the political/government/ruling class. He has, after all, actually had real jobs in the private sector…and thus done work that has value in serving the needs and desires of his fellow Americans (unlike those who spend their lives in government jobs doing just the opposite.) In fact, in order to be a real member of the politica/government/ruling class, you should never have had a job in the private sector!
Like President Obama…and most of the people around him in the White House. It’s, like, unseemly. It’s, like, almost disqualifying if you’ve had anything other than a government job. Heh.
