When incumbent Governor Sununu went off the rails in March and suspended our Constitution and Bill of Rights, many liberty folks became seriously concerned. Sununu used unconstitutional powers “granted” him by the legislature in RSA 4:45 to destroy our economy.
Related: Pre-Primary Poll: Republican Nomination for Governor of New Hampshire
So far, he’s written and signed 65 emergency orders, shutting down small businesses and public meetings across the state, and pushed out a tsunami of regulation. No legislative approval or public hearings were ever held regarding the hundreds of pages of regulations effectively signed into law by Sununu. He’s effectively ruling by decree because of a “pandemic” that currently has about 10 Covid patients in hospitals statewide, none in ICUs.
In the real world, there is no pandemic. Sununu is using a fake pandemic as an excuse to suspend the Constitution and exercise arbitrary power.
That’s the crux of the matter. The issues that divide the Republican coalition pale into insignificance in the face of Sununu’s usurpation. Differences on social issues, on gender identity, on marijuana, on everything, are irrelevant in the face a governor ruling by decree. That’s why it’s inexplicable to me that LibertyBallot.com has decided not to endorse Karen Testerman, the only candidate who’s pledged to end the emergency and sign a bill that repeals RSA 4:45.
By endorsing no candidate for governor, they’ve effectively endorsed Sununu. They’ve lost sight of the forest for the trees, and, as Ben Franklin noted, “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”
I’m told deciding who to endorse is a complicated effort by a collaboration of unidentified liberty-minded individuals. To whom can a candidate appeal a decision, if no one’s taking credit? Do they think a despot is somehow better than a constitutionalist? A folksy despot who’s running a really good long con, but a despot none the less.
Apparently, there’s now a “viability” test, which Testerman “failed.”
They seem to have become pollsters who decide what “viability” means, and then refuse to endorse liberty candidates unless said candidates are “electable.” It’s a Catch 22.
Endorsements from credible organizations increase a candidate’s chances of winning, making them more electable. Lack of such endorsements reduces a candidate’s chances of winning, making them less electable.
When the Liberty Ballot factored in “viability,” they decided to favor Power over Principle and undermined their message. They became just another group scrambling for favor and power. They cannot stand for liberty if they refuse to stand up for all liberty candidates.
The Liberty Ballot ought to reconsider their decision and endorse Karen Testerman for governor.
