Some reaction to a post by the GOP candidate in the Rockingham-1 State Rep special election: Outside Money and Influence in the Rockingham District. 1 State Representative Special Election. The post begins with the candidate describing his surprise (perhaps dismay) at seeing a television ad for his opponent.
Tip of the hat to the Democrats. They are in it to win it. They may be my enemies (because as Communists, they see/treat me as the enemy, and if you see/treat me as the enemy … then you are my enemy), but I can respect their commitment to winning.
The candidate then takes issue with the ad because:
What I find concerning about this ad, and it should also concern the voters of Northwood and Nottingham, is this. Nowhere in this ad does Hal say that he wants to represent the people of District 1 at the State House in Concord. Hal’s implication is that he will represent a political agenda in the State House rather than the people of our great community of District 1. I am committed to representing the principles and values of the fine people of our community. I will be YOUR voice at the State House in Concord.
This makes no sense to me. There are no shared “principles and values” among the voters. From reviewing the election results in 2022 for this district, approximately half are on the Right and half are on the Left. The Right and the Left in today’s America do not have common principles and values. That means the candidate CANNOT be everyone’s voice … that is impossible.
The Left have their principles and values. The Right has a totally different set of principles and values. What the GOP candidate is calling “a political agenda” … to quote the ad, “reproductive choice – climate change – and education” … are the values and principles of the Left. The Democrat candidate is through this ad, and I am sure by many other means, working to turn out voters who share his “political agenda.” I sure hope the GOP candidate is doing the same for his voters.
I hope he has asked the State Party apparatus and the GOP “leaders” in the House when his television ad will start running. And if the answer is NEVER, then I hope he will share that in his next post to Granite Grok.
The candidate goes on to complain that:
Yes – I am pro-life, and “reproductive choice” is not on the ballot. There is already a law on the books concerning abortion.
This is SO WRONG. Abortion is always on the ballot because Roe v. Wade was overturned. That means the political branches are in charge of setting abortion policy. If the candidate supports the current law … abortion-on-demand (or if you prefer access to abortion) through the first six months … then he better be telling the voters just that as opposed to it’s “not on the ballot.” Given that New Hampshire voters are among the most permissive on abortion, simply refusing to talk about it is NOT a winning strategy.
One final bit of unsolicited advice. It concerns this:
Are outsiders trying to influence our district’s election? Well, if you are a resident of Northwood, you may have received political postcards from New Jersey and Georgia. One of the fundamental principles of an election is that the people of that district get to choose a local resident to represent them. For too long, outsiders have been trying to impact and sway our district’s election. It is time we all stand up – get out and vote – and elect a representative of and for the people.
I love the passion and the substance. But everyone who reads Granite Grok, who can vote for you, is already going to vote for you. Turn that into a mailer or, better yet, that television ad that House GOP leadership should be running for you.