News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
Steve points out that cocksure Ray Buckley, head of the NH Democrat Party, is trying to throw water on the NH GOP delegate turnout here. Problem for him is, I wonder how he’ll spin this too? From Politico (not exactly a right leaning collection of journalists, eh?): Voters trust congressional REPUBLICANS more than Obama to … Read more
"It’s all about you, Niel" – Larry Frates, Laconia resident True words, indeed. All the time. OK, folks, this is, as legendary Boston Democrat pol Tip O’Neil (former Speaker of the US House) would have said, REAL local NH politics, specifically to Belknap County. Niel Young, the Rigor Mortis Conservative, shows once again that he … Read more
Back in June, the ‘Grok took notice of an announcement that many missed – and would have gone "So?" if they had. Yet, it was for what the office that most of the politically aware people in NH acknowledge is probably the most powerful in NH – that of Speaker of the NH House of … Read more
This is Part 2 of GraniteGrok’s interview with Bill O’Brien who is running for Speaker of the NH House of Representatives from the "Liberty and Freedom" wing of the NH GOP. Question asked: The Democrats claim a $63 million surplus; Republicans say up to an $800 million deficit – who is right? And if there … Read more
The Republicans have released their position paper for the 2010 election and the next congress. I don’t have time to wade into now, but National Review Online has done the yoemans work already, and we can get into the specifics in the days to come–as in–after I’ve actually read the entire document.
Update–I’ve got the entire text, but still have not read it. The graphs did not survive the copy so I’ll add those as images later, but all the text is there. Check it out on the jump.
Vacation time – means a self-imposed (abetted by a "Honey, please do" addendum) clean up time and older emails are certainly in that category. Thus, cnce again, the following is from one of the email lists I’m on. While I’ve put up just the one email that caused me to wear a little skin off my fingertips, it really stemmed from a longer thread. But, the email below serves the purpose of "kickstarting" my response just fine:
<Redacted> wrote:
ENOUGH OF THIS GOP CRAP!!!!!…there’s no long term success because of the weak leadership that only cares about the "parties survival…the money would be better spent contributing to individual candidates…the cost of running the party is another symptom of the larger problem…if the GOP wants to help, then they need to focus on getting out the vote – PERIOD…
My Response was the following:
<Redacted>,
I have been watching this discussion for a while now. While I am a registered Republican, I can assure you that I am among the foremost of those that have been out there whacking Republicans – just ask Phyllis – with GraniteGrok and the radio show we had. You vary from a conservative standpoint? You heard about it.
<Redacted>, bluntly put, you have no chance with the Democrats to turn them around. You have zilch chance with the Libertarian Party to even get elected (sorry, but I was at the World of Life Christian Fellowship forum where they, along with the Republicans [Dems refused to show up] , had the chance to speak to about 500 people; they were, on average (to be kind), pathetic, in enumerating their points in an articulate manner. Ditto with any other Party here in the State. You may not like it, but them’s the rules until YOU (and others) get them changed.
You are, then, restricted to very few choices:
In yet another email, my answer (posted here) was challenged as to why we Conservatives / TEA Party / 9-12ers / Liberty & Freedom type folks should be working from within the Republican Party:
Skip, it’s not about the party, it’s about the people…I may have lost faith in the party, but I’ll never lose faith in my ability and willingness to keep on fighting for what I believe is right in the best way I can…the party has so little meaning as I illustrated by saying what good is a platform (or a party for that matter) when there are no consequences for breaking the rules laid out by the party?…if the party is so loosely defined and controlled it becomes too difficult to actually fight for a common cause…this party (the GOP) appears to more interested in keeping the party together than it is serving the people…so then the cause becomes fighting for the party?…I’d rather fight for the people and for myself and my family…it’s about the people and not the party Skip…
My answer was this (given that the Democrat Party, now controlled by their Constitutional value hating Progressive Wing):
First, read the Platform – really! Then come back here and tell me where it is wrong (and…
Still culling emails (gosh, this could take a good long time!) and although written a while ago, it fits what I posted here concerning shaming RINOs (edited just a tad for posting):
>> Sensitivities
No one has the right to not be offended. Period. If you need a good telling off, deserves such, then don’t complain when someone delivers it to you.
When an elected Republican (like Doc Pilliod of Belmont, NH) is voting more in line with the Dems than with the Party Platform, I have no problem in pointing that out over and over and over again in public. Sure, when two candidates in a primary are close to each other philosophically, and are pretty much in line with the Platform, the Party ought to either leave them totally alone or support each equally. I don’t think anyone has a problem with that.
Now take a case of a Liz Hager (former Repub House Rep from Concord, NH) – she got primaried out – the proper thing to have done and much more conservative folks in that Concord district won in the primary. Unfortunately, the reality is that Concord is a very liberal town and they lost in the general election. You can bet, however, they demonstrably showed the chasm between them and her, her voting recording vs what they stood for.
I was at a gathering of Conservative activists last night, and of course, the majority of the watercooler talk concerned that of the Sept 14 Primaries – US Senate, US Congress, NH House, NH Senate, and of course, NH Governor.
Which led me to put this up on FaceBook:
So, how many republicans here in NH are planning on voting for Democrat NH governor John "lied to us" Lynch while giving lip service to the Republican Candidate? it’s time to bring the concept, accountability to, & the word "Shame" back to common usage.
Don’t tell me you hate where NH has descended to & be a "Great Enabler"…and vote for the Democrat leader here in NH.
Sure, he may be a nice guy – but he has overseen a 25% (-/+) rise in NH spending the last two cycles – THAT’S being smart? The increase in the size of government – THAT’S being smart? The enlargement of the Regulatory State (and resulting loss in freedoms here in the "Live Free or Die" state) –THAT’S being smart?
Nay, I say! For those that publicly profess to BE Republican, to voluntarily decide to associate themselves with the Republican Platform, yet repudiate it semi-privately within closed groups and within the voting booth?
Shame on you!
I have no problem in voting your conscious – but be honest with yourself and the rest of of – if you care not for the consequences of your political donations and votes by supporting Democrat John "Do Nuttin’" Lynch, perhaps it is time to uncheck that R next to your name – and stop lying to both yourself and to others that may be depending upon you.
Of course, this might be fun to publicly resort to this:
Another in a series of emails culled from some of the lists I’m on. This was from a thread of on the idea of "not a tinker’s dam difference between them".
A bit of time has passed since I wrote the following – and the past several months has shown that Conservatives, TEA Party, 9-12ers, (and yes, Tim, rational libertarians!) have said "Thus far and no further!"
I started to work from within the Party after 2006 – I realized that the current Repubs had screwed up so badly, somebody had to go scream at them. From the outside? Didn’t work. Inside (going to the local committee meetings, the county meetings, the state meetings) and arguing points based on Conservative values, based on Constitutional values, based on traditional values, was the only way to have MY voice heard.
It also allow other like minded people to start moving the Party in the right direction – back from whence it had strayed. Look, the Progressives / Socialists / near Communists have all but taken over the Democrat Party – and did so by years of showing up, arguing, and getting themselves high up into their Party structure. They are winning their battles within their Party – which hopefully means, they’ll lose with the American people. The question is, how much long term damage will they create before getting the boot?
And many "Repubs" have assisted in this, either because they too are Progressives, love their own power, or our equivalent of "useful idiots" (and yes, Chuck Hagel and Liz Hager come to mind). We have to either remove them from Repub office or structure, or wear them down so much that they leave on their own.
But that takes people like Phyllis Wood, Bill O’Brian, Dan Itse working hard on the "inside" – and they need help. 4 years ago, when I got up to speak in favor of…
"…Then you’ll get the GOP you want. But not until…"
Another abstraction from an email thread that I am on (somewhat abridged and edited):
I know that you asked, but I hope you would accept my comments as well (and for the record, I have endorsed Jack [Kimball for NH Governor] and Ovide [Lamontagne for US Senator] both). And yes, this time around, I think the GOP will support them both if they win the primaries (as opposed to what they did to Coburn and Kenney). I will back what <redacted 1> said – Sununu wants conservatives (as opposed to {Fergus "The Fringe"] Cullen who has only shown utter disdain for Conservatives and our positions).
I have never looked to see if other counties have actual platforms, but I can assuredly tell you that there is no Belknap County "platform". Different State platforms – sure and why not? Decentralization allows for each state to discusses the problems it must address politically – and those issues may not exist in other states. It also allows for more local control than if there was a single platform – an application, of sorts, of Federalism.
You have struck at the nerve of…
Everyone, what follows is an email that has gone out to pro-liberty activists throughout the state of New Hampshire, and indeed, throughout America. Join up, and "pass it on"….
John, one of the "lower keyed" speakers (when compared to Curtis Sliwa) talked about the current political environment in great detail and range (er, lower key does not mean less content!). He brought up the NetRoots problem; the general public do not like the "nice things" government is giving them. They are plunging in the … Read more
Roger is a conservative radio host out of the San Diego area – whenever I am there, I try to listen in (sometimes hard to do, given time schedules). He takes quite the pleasure in raking the NetRoots over the coals for being America-haters, talks about Arizona being under attack, and is in disbelieve that … Read more
Erick Erickson is another gentleman that I met a few years ago at the Chicago Sam Adam’s Alliance blogger get together. At that time, RedState, one of the biggest political blogs on the Right, was just really gaining steam in being on of the most influential blogs around – and Erick is one of the … Read more
Sorry folks, with all of the craziness in running hither and thither, I’ve let a couple of vids fall on the floor – time to put them up! First one is the Closing remarks from last week’s SRW Governor Debate:
details may be dripping in…drip….drip….drip…do we need to call in Joe the Plumber? Kinda makes one go all…well…you get the idea….
Well, here (belatedly!) are the other two Micro-Interviews that were done during the Seacoast Republican Women’s Gubernatorial Debate. The first two are here, and at the time, I wrote this: As per normal (well, as long as this witless one can keep what remains of his wits about him), after the debate I got the … Read more
I first learned of Barbara (who lives in my hamlet in central NH) about a year, year and a half ago (I am just so terrible at dates….) when she approached me on her private property problem – involuntary merging of land sites. In her case, the Town had decided that her two adjoining pieces … Read more
I got there late – the official start time was 2pm and because of a previous engagement, I did not arrive until 3:30. Even though the speeches were done, there were still scores of cars around and people animatedly talking with others. Former US Senator Gordon Humphrey has been on a tear lately – he … Read more