Let’s set the stage – this is 2006 all over again except the Rs kept the Oval Office this time. Same sad story, though. And yeah, that would be Shawn Jassper, the so-called Republican Speaker of the NH House the first time he was elected by the Democrats (and a small handful of RINOs – or those promised Power positions). He has a “solution” (at least in his mind):
Former House Speaker Shawn Jasper of Hudson, now the state’s commissioner of agriculture, thinks the GOP needs to return to the “big tent” of Ronald Reagan with its supporters spending less time attacking one another. I am fairly sure that there is no one reason that Republicans lost. My first thought is that Republicans spend too much time beating up on other Republicans who don’t conform to their idea of ‘perfect,’ ” said Jasper, who was accused of being a House leader who wasn’t partisan enough.
“My next thought is too few Republicans recognize that a candidate who can win in one district may not be able to win in another. I think that we need to learn that if all Republican candidates have to come from one mold then we will lose more often than we will win.”
I’ve bolded three of points so let’s discuss:
1) needs to return to the “big tent” of Ronald Reagan
Translation: believe in anything, at least that’s how he’s using here. The problem is that from a philosophy standpoint, there’s no Consistency from one end of the tent to the other. As Ian said:
Right now, if I tell you that I’m a Republican, it tells you almost nothing about me, except that I think my chances of getting elected are better with an ‘R’ next to my name on the ballot. I could be pro-gun or anti-gun. I could be pro-choice or pro-life. I could be in favor of creating new taxes, or reducing existing ones. I could be for or against school choice. I could prefer more federal influence within the state, or less. And so on. You just don’t know. You’d have to check my web site, or my Facebook page, or wait for me (or my opponent) to send you something in the mail.
And so when it happens that we have a government in which ‘Republicans’ control both houses of the legislature and the governor’s office, and they vote for expanding Medicaid while voting against expanding school choice, Republican voters are justifiably confused. And angry. And not inclined to vote for more of the same.
Basically, Jassper is agreeing (now former) State Rep Gene Chandler that anyone with an R after their name is a good Republican. Doesn’t matter what they believe (if anything), doesn’t matter how they vote (Platform planks? Consistency? Pshaw!), and it doesn’t matter what the electorate that put them into office wants. Big tents we end up with folks like Alida Milham that ran for office as both an R & a D and then endorsed Ds in elective office races where there was an R running as well as being a past formal member of the NH GOP Committee. Yeah, some Big Tent ya got there. It’d be a shame what it did to the Party, eh?
Sorry, hauling out the “Big Tent” is just a place to hide in. I much prefer Jack Kimball’s version of the Big Tent: “We’ll just keep making it bigger and bigger! All are welcome that actually believe in Republican Principles and work to enact them”.
2) less time attacking one another
Translation: Stop holding me, and others like me, accountable. And just shut up and vote when we tell you to.
Yeah, like that’s gonna happen. Both of those have been part and parcel of the old GOPe and neither work anymore. Too much information comes out and you expect to folks to keep silent? Ha!
Sorry, there will always be folks like us around. Sure, the MSM hates Republicans so as being the publishing arm of the Democrat Party, they’ll write or say what they will to always cast a bad light. We, on the other hand, cast “bad lights” only on those that deserve it. If you are advancing the Democrat Agenda, in whole or in part, you DESERVE to have a Bright Flashlight shone right into your beady little eyes. You’ve already gone over to the Dark Side – we just want to show people where you went so stop blaming us and start blaming yourself. You caused your own pain – live with it because you’ve brought that pain to us as well.
What – we’re supposed to lay down and like it just because you have that steller R next to you name?
Delusional.
3) have to come from one mold
We recognize that different districts may need different approaches but the one mold that should be affirmed and be accountable are Conservative Republican Principles. Just being an R so as to hold the House, or hold the Senate, or the Executive Council just shows one is only out for Power without regard to how to wield the Power that voters have given to you for just a short amount of time. Just as quickly as they can give it to you, they can take it away (and back in 2006 and now in 2018, they did both in Concord and DC).
What counts are Results and those Results need to come from Principles. You get sent to Concord to make those Results happen. You need to make sure that people at least know that the Results DID happen in accordance with those Principles. Talk about them but stop thinking you’re a BMOC just because you did it – we EXPECT you to do that so stop backslapping yourselves over just doing your jobs. Just keep DOING your jobs. Do that, and the electorate will keep allowing to do that job.
It’s the spectacular FAILURES to hew to Principles that gets our goats. Sure, we want to vote FOR something but don’t give us stuff that grinds the Principles to dust (like Medicaid Expansion, like directing the energy marketplace like Democrats, like leading the charge on Crony Capitalism (the biomass veto override), and raising our taxes (when Republicans led the charge to raise gas prices).
Do ANY of those actions yield smaller Government? Do they give back from Government more opportunity for us to make more choices for ourselves and our families? Do they protect our private property from Government? Do they take away the burden of Government regulation from businesses? Do they create more of a Free Market?
No, a “big tent”, “less attacking”, or “more molds” won’t make a more successful and more vote attracting Party. Asking of yourself questions like the above is. DOES my vote make those happen for EVERYONE (and not, as Democrats do, take from some to give to others)? Does my legislation or sponsorship answer YES! to those questions?
Winning is only the precursor; what you do afterward is more important.
Consistency breeds Trust which yields Votes.
Or this:
If the NH Republican Party wants to win, and win Consistently, act like you believe in the Platform. Speak like you do and at each and every turn. Vote like you do at each and every opportunity. And Legislate like there’s no tomorrow because two days ago was that “no more tomorrow” – and you blew it
Both Jassper and Chandler don’t seem to hold with what I think is the commonsense approach with the above three memes. But let me put this out there – I’m betting my approach would do better than what they’ve been doing thus far which has been to rely on “movement’s to drag them over the finish line (e.g., TEA Party in 2008, 2010 and 2012, and Trump in 2016).
And then kicking such movements to the curb and then wonder why they lose. Again. And again.
(H/T: Union Leader)