Republican Liberty Caucus

McKinney: We let Democrats define the terms of our defeat

andrew — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 20:17:23 +0000

When Democrats set the terms of the 2012 campaign for state and federal offices, Republican leaders blew their horns about jobs and the economy and counted on their position of strength and the glaring weaknesses in their enemy’s lines to secure victory. Republicans lost because they forgot to tell the troops about the Democratic weaknesses. Democrats took advantage of the oversight and rolled over the field.

Democratic victories last Tuesday quite simply reflected a tactical failure of top-ticket Republicans to defend the party’s message. This wasn’t a failure of Republican principles, but a failure to define and defend Republican principles. Democrats successfully distracted voters with complete fabrications of reality, and Republicans let them do it without response.

Predictably, Republican Party leaders assumed that the people had enough of the social issues and wanted to focus on the economy instead—and by in large, Republicans successfully governed on economic recovery issues during the past two years. Democrats understood the visceral nature of social issues and successfully tarnished liberty as the enemy of their carefully crafted relationship between business and government. Republicans didn’t respond, despite the prescient need. They thought that by ignoring the problem it would go away.

Even if it was a good idea—and I strongly contend that it is not—the Republican Party is never going to rid itself of social conservatives, and it won’t dismiss the libertarian faction either, if the libertarians don’t dismiss themselves, first. Due to the way the two-party system has been solidified in state and federal law, neither group has anywhere else to go if it wants any influence, and neither will the Republican Party have any influence without these two groups.

The only solution is for the Republican Party to fully embrace its platform, which is actually more conservative and libertarian than anything else. Had Republican leaders chosen to explain the Republican Party to voters, they just might have received some votes.

In other words, a “big tent” Republican Party includes moderates and the socially agnostic, but let’s be clear: the tent is held up by conservatives and libertarians. There is no tent without them. There’s just Democrats and Democrats-lite. I contend that New Hampshire truly wants neither—and so goes the nation.

Enough with the rhetoric, here’s some realism: Faced with the ludicrous and fallacious Democratic idea that Republicans want to end all abortions and take contraceptives away from women, Republicans should have explained that Roe v. Wade is the law of the land until it’s overturned. And at the same time, they should have explained that there are alternatives to abortion; that women deserve other options, such as child care services, especially if they’re going to college (tuition certainly does pay for it already).

Republicans should have turned the tables on Democrats: “Who are the real extremists? Who removed from their platform the goal that abortion be ‘safe and rare’? Who supports living children being murdered when their body is already outside the womb? Who supports letting infants die on a surgical table because their abortion went wrong? Who wants taxpayers to foot the bill for this stuff? Really? Even if they morally object? Doesn’t a human being have an inalienable right to life, endowed by his or her Creator? So, tell me again why Democrats oppose Republican proposals to decrease the number of abortions in favor of alternative solutions that both respect women and favor life.”

Without a doubt, Democrats had the extreme agenda, but we didn’t tell voters about it!

Let’s be clear: We Republicans can change some of our policy positions to more consistently represent the principles in our platform. On immigration, for instance, there are millions of inalienably free human beings who simply want to live a better life in America, but our laws don’t allow it. While Republicans are known to support the rule of law, we are also known to be a group that favors Judeo-Christian values, which include love and charity. We must craft a common sense solution that balances the rule of law and the reality that these illegal immigrants must be treated with the dignity that we must afford to all human beings. We also must recognize that the large illegal immigrant population contributes to our economy in important ways, and we need to stop catering to the people who resist a common sense policy that allows for the free trade of labor across national boundaries. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating for citizenship for all; that’s something that has to be earned. But a guest worker program would certainly go a long way to help the market meet its needs for labor without sacrificing national sovereignty or identity, and it would also be more conservative.

The bottom line is this: Republicans need to unite around their platform or they’ll all be lost to the isolation of their own personal perfection. There’s no doubt that herding cats is difficult, but that is the task for those who lead people who want to be free. Let’s hope they get it right next time, for the sake of us all.

RLCNH Supporting Endorsed and Recommended Primary Election Victors in General Election

andrew — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 21:20:03 +0000

CONCORD, N.H.―The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire urges voters tomorrow to support the 124 candidates for state offices that the organization endorsed or recommended during the primary election as well as constitutional ballot questions one and two.

Of the total 124 RLCNH endorsed or recommended candidates on the ballot for Nov. 6, 116 are candidates for state representative, six are candidates for state senator and two are candidates for executive councilor.

“We expect the group that’s elected tomorrow to lead New Hampshire back to its roots, which will ensure liberty and prosperity for the most people,” McKinney said. “These candidates will represent the nation’s founding principles of limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility and free enterprise, and I’m confident that New Hampshire voters as a whole want to advance these ideals. Most people know that individual freedom and free markets led to our state and nation’s early success, and once we reinstall these principles by restoring a leaner, more affordable government, the state and nation will prosper once more.”

Additionally, RLCNH is supporting questions one and two on the ballot.

Question 1 on the ballot would add a constitutional ban on a personal income tax in New Hampshire using the language passed by the Legislature as CACR 13.

“With the passage of question one, the people will be helping to guarantee future generations a limited, affordable government that does only what is essential to keep order and leaves the rest to a free people, just as our founders intended,” said Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “By passing this constitutional amendment, the People will be agreeing with the Legislature that its budget cuts this past session were just the start of a new era in New Hampshire of responsible governing. The people will be ensuring stability in budgeting and taxation, and consequently, a more stable economic environment for job growth, entrepreneurship and prosperity.”

Question 2 would restore some oversight over New Hampshire’s Judicial Branch by the people through their Legislature. Due to an amendment in 1978, there is currently no oversight over New Hampshire’s court system, a very dangerous situation that this amendment would fix. The Legislature passed this language on to the people for consideration via CACR 26.

“This constitutional amendment will put the court back in its place as an interpreter of law for individual cases and not as the policy maker that explains how the law must be applied in all situations—that is a power reserved for the people’s Legislature alone,” McKinney said. “When the powers of government are balanced and held in check by one another, there is a greater chance that no branch of government will grow too strong or powerful, and that the people will remain free. Restoring this balance of power is the purpose of question two.”

The following list includes the RLCNH’s endorsed and recommended candidates for state offices:

RLCNH ENDORSED AND RECOMMENDED GENERAL ELECTION CANDIDATES

Executive Office Primary Winners

Robert Burns, Executive Council District 4 (Endorsed)

David Wheeler, Executive Councilor District 5 (Endorsed)

State Senator Primary Winners

Joseph Krasucki, Senate District 13 (Recommended)

John Reagan, Senate District 17 (Endorsed)

Phil Greazzo, Senate Hillsborough 20 (Endorsed)

Phyllis Woods, Senate District 4 (Endorsed)

Joshua F. Youssef, Senate District 7 (Endorsed)

Andy Sanborn, Senate District 9 (Recommended)

State Representative Primary Winners

Colette Worsman, Belknap 2 (Gilford, Meredith) (Endorsed)

Kevin Leandro, Belknap 2 (Gilford, Meredith) (Endorsed)

Robert Greemore, Belknap 2 (Gilford, Meredith) (Endorsed)

Robert Kingsbury, Belknap 3 (Laconia Wards 1-6) (Endorsed)

Guy Comtois, Belknap 7 (Barnstead) (Endorsed)

Jane Cormier, Belknap 8 (Alton, Barnstead, Gilmanton) (Endorsed)

Frank McCarthy, Carroll 2 (Chatham, Conway, Eaton, Hale’s Location) (Recommended)

Norman Tregenza, Carroll 7 (Albany, Bartlett, Chatham, Conway, Eaton, Freedom, Hale’s Location, Hart’s Location, Jackson, Madison, Tamworth) (Endorsed)

Anne Cartwright, Cheshire 2 (Alstead, Marlow, Surry) (Endorsed)

Keith Carlsen, Cheshire 6 (Keene Ward 3) (Endorsed)

Charles Moore, Cheshire 9 (Dublin, Harrisville, Jaffrey, Roxbury) (Endorsed)

Duffy Daugherty, Coos 1 (Atkinson, Gilmanton Academy Grant, Cambridge, Clarksville, Colebrook, Columbia, Dix’s Grant, Dixville, Errol, Erving’s Location, Millsfield, Odell, Pittsburg, Second College Gt., Stewartstown, Stratford, Wentworth’s Location) (Recommended)

Laurence Rappaport, Coos 1 (Atkinson, Gilmanton Academy Grant, Cambridge, Clarksville, Colebrook, Columbia, Dix’s Grant, Dixville, Errol, Erving’s Location, Millsfield, Odell, Pittsburg, Second College Gt., Stewartstown, Stratford, Wentworth’s Location) (Recommended)

Eric Catman, Coos 3 (Berlin) (Endorsed)

Leon H. Rideout, Coos 7 (Carroll, Dalton, Dummer, Jefferson, Kilkenny, Lancaster, Milan, Northumberland, Randolph, Stark, Whitefield) (Recommended)

Paul Mirski, Grafton 10 (Enfield) (Endorsed)

Joe Frazier, Grafton 11 (Canaan, Dorchester, Wentworth (Endorsed)

Paul Ingbretson, Grafton 15 (Bath, Benton, Easton, Haverhill, Landaff, Orford, Piermont, Warren) (Endorsed)

Charles Sova, Grafton 16 (Canaan, Dorchester, Ellsworth, Groton, Orange, Rumney, Thornton, Wentworth) (Endorsed)

Gregory Sorg, Grafton 3 (Bath, Benton, Easton, Landaff, Orford, Piermont, Warren) (Endorsed)

Jeff Chamberlin, Grafton 7 (Campton) (Endorsed)

Harold “Skip” Reilly, Grafton 9 (Alexandria, Ashland, Bridgewater, Bristol, Grafton) (Recommended)

Holly Mecheski, Hillsborough 1 (Antrim, Hillsborough, Windsor (Endorsed)

Dan Garthwaite, Hillsborough 12 (Manchester Ward 5) (Endorsed)

Tammy Simmons, Hillsborough 17 (Manchester Ward 10) (Endorsed)

Emily Sandblade, Hillsborough 18 (Manchester Ward 11 (Endorsed)

Jeanine Notter, Hillsborough 21 (Merrimack) (Endorsed)

Lenette Peterson, Hillsborough 21 (Merrimack) (Endorsed)

Phil Straight, Hillsborough 21 (Merrimack) (Endorsed)

Richard Barry, Hillsborough 21 (Merrimack) (Recommended)

Peter Hansen, Hillsborough 22 (Amherst) (Recommended)

Stephen Palmer, Hillsborough 23 (Milford) (Endorsed)

Bruce Marcus, Hillsborough 24 (Peterborough) (Endorsed)

James Parison, Hillsborough 25 (New Ipswich, Sharon, Temple) (Recommended)

Carl Seidel, Hillsborough 28 (Nashua Ward 1) (Endorsed)

Kevin Avard, Hillsborough 28 (Nashua Ward 1) (Endorsed)

Sean McGuinness, Hillsborough 28 (Nashua Ward 1) (Recommended)

Donald McClarren, Hillsborough 29 (Nashua Ward 2) (Recommended)

Michael Balboni, Hillsborough 29 (Nashua Ward 2) (Recommended)

David Schoneman, Hillsborough 30 (Nashua Ward 3) (Endorsed)

Doris Hohensee, Hillsborough 30 (Nashua Ward 3) (Endorsed)

David Murotake, Hillsborough 32 (Nashua Ward 5) (Endorsed)

James Summers, Hillsborough 32 (Nashua Ward 5) (Endorsed)

Greg Surbey, Hillsborough 33 (Nashua Ward 6) (Endorsed)

Edith Hogan, Hillsborough 34 (Nashua Ward 7) (Recommended)

Timothy Twombly, Hillsborough 34 (Nashua Ward 7) (Recommended)

Andrew Renzullo, Hillsborough 37 (Hudson, Pelham) (Recommended)

Mark Warden, Hillsborough 39 (Deering, Goffstown, Weare) (Endorsed)

Gary Daniels, Hillsborough 40 (Hollis, Milford, Mont Vernon, New Boston) (Endorsed)

Laurie Sanborn, Hillsborough 41 (Amherst, Bedford) (Recommended)

Kathleen Souza, Hillsborough 43 (Manchester Wards 4, 5, 6 & 7) (Endorsed)

George Lambert, Hillsborough 44 (Litchfield, Manchester Wards 8 & 9) (Endorsed)

Matthew Swank, Hillsborough 45 (Manchester Wards 10, 11 & 12) (Endorsed)

Bill O’Brien, Hillsborough 5 (Mont Vernon, New Boston) (Endorsed)

Calvin Pratt, Hillsborough 6 (Goffstown) (Endorsed)

John Burt, Hillsborough 6 (Goffstown) (Endorsed)

Richard Meaney, Hillsborough 6 (Goffstown) (Endorsed)

Keith Murphy, Hillsborough 7 (Bedford) (Endorsed)

Kelleigh Murphy, Hillsborough 7 (Bedford) (Endorsed)

Moe Villeneuve, Hillsborough 7 (Bedford) (Endorsed)

Omer Beaudoin, Hillsborough 8 (Manchester Ward 1) (Endorsed)

J. Michael Ball, Hillsborough 9 (Manchester Ward 2) (Endorsed)

Jennifer Coffey, Merrimack 1 (Andover, Danbury, Salisbury) (Endorsed)

Brandon D. Ross, Merrimack 20 (Chichester, Pembroke) (Endorsed)

G. Brian Seaworth, Merrimack 20 (Chichester, Pembroke) (Endorsed)

J. Brandon Giuda, Merrimack 20 (Chichester, Pembroke) (Endorsed)

Dan McGuire, Merrimack 21 (Epsom, Pittsfield) (Endorsed)

Gerard A. LeDuc, Merrimack 21 (Epsom, Pittsfield) (Endorsed)

J.R. Hoell, Merrimack 23 (Bow, Dunbarton) (Endorsed)

Ron Noyes, Merrimack 27 (Concord Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7) (Endorsed)

Carol McGuire, Merrimack 29 (Allenstown, Epsom, Pittsfield) (Endorsed)

Gregory Hill, Merrimack 3 (Franklin Ward 3 & Northfield) (Endorsed)

Steven Winter, Merrimack 5 (New London, Newbury) (Recommended)

Susan Olsen, Merrimack 7 (Warner, Webster) (Endorsed)

Kenneth Kreis, Merrimack 9 (Canterbury, Loudon) (Endorsed)

Daniel Itse, Rockingham 10 (Fremont) (Endorsed)

Adam Schroadter, Rockingham 17 (Newfields, Newmarket) (Endorsed)

Joshua Davenport, Rockingham 17 (Newfields, Newmarket) (Endorsed)

Brian Griset, Rockingham 18 (Exeter) (Endorsed)

Christopher Suprock, Rockingham 18 (Exeter) (Endorsed)

Joe Duarte, Rockingham 2 (Candia, Deerfield, Nottingham) (Recommended)

Kyle Tasker, Rockingham 2 (Candia, Deerfield, Nottingham) (Endorsed)

Tracy Emerick, Rockingham 21 (Hampton) (Endorsed)

William Smith, Rockingham 24 (New Castle, Rye) (Recommended)

Kathleen Hoelzel, Rockingham 3 (Raymond) (Recommended)

Kevin J. Kervick, Rockingham 30 (Portsmouth Wards 1, 2, 4 & 5) (Endorsed)

Robert Boyle, Rockingham 31 (Greenland, Newington, North Hampton, Portsmouth Ward 3) (Endorsed)

Donald Gorman, Rockingham 32 (Candia, Deerfield, Northwood, Nottingham) (Endorsed)

Timothy Comerford, Rockingham 33 (Fremont, Brentwood, Danville) (Endorsed)

Jeffrey Oligny, Rockingham 34 (Atkinson, Hampstead, Kingston, Plaistow) (Recommended)

Robert D. Goodman, Rockingham 36 (Exeter, Newfields, Newmarket, Stratham) (Endorsed)

Stella Tremblay, Rockingham 4 (Auburn, Chester, Sandown) (Endorsed)

Alfred Baldasaro, Rockingham 5 (Londonderry) (Endorsed)

Daniel Tamburello, Rockingham 5 (Londonderry) (Endorsed)

Kevin Reichard, Rockingham 6 (Derry) (Recommended)

Walter Kolodziej, Rockingham 7 (Windham) (Endorsed)

Bianca Garcia, Rockingham 8 (Salem) (Endorsed)

Marilinda Garcia, Rockingham 8 (Salem) (Recommended)

Patrick J. Bick, Rockingham 8 (Salem) (Recommended)

Warren Groen, Strafford 10 (Rochester Ward 3) (Endorsed)

Susan DeLemus, Strafford 11 (Rochester Ward 4) (Endorsed)

David K. Martin, Strafford 16 (Dover Ward 4) (Endorsed)

Donald Andolina, Strafford 17 (Dover Wards 5 & 6, Somersworth Ward 2) (Recommended)

Antonio Luciani, Strafford 2 (Farmington) (Endorsed)

Joseph Pitre, Strafford 2 (Farmington) (Endorsed)

Frederick Leonard, Strafford 22 (Rochester Wards 1 & 6) (Endorsed)

Clifford Newton, Strafford 23 (Rochester Wards 2 & 3) (Endorsed)

Laura Jones, Strafford 24 (Rochester Wards 4 & 5) (Endorsed)

Len Turcotte, Strafford 25 (Barrington & Lee) (Endorsed)

Kurt Wuelper, Strafford 3 (New Durham, Strafford) (Endorsed)

William O’Connor, Strafford 4 (Barrington) (Endorsed)

Bill Walker, Sullivan 1 (Cornish, Grantham, Plainfield, Springfield) (Endorsed)

Paul LaCasse, Sullivan 10 (Claremont Wards 1-3) (Recommended)

Steven Smith, Sullivan 11 (Acworth, Charlestown, Goshen, Langdon, Lempster, Washington) (Endorsed)

Spec Bowers, Sullivan 2 (Croydon, Sunapee) (Endorsed)

Thomas Howard, Sullivan 9 (Cornish, Croydon, Grantham, Newport, Plainfield, Springfield, Sunapee, Unity) (Endorsed)

McKinney: Liberty will advance with Ovide as governor

andrew — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 20:33:02 +0000

As the leader of a Republican organization focused on liberty in New Hampshire, I often come across people who refuse to go along with the party nominee in higher-end races and vote their conscience instead.

A vote on principle is certainly something of value and thankfully common among people who truly understand what liberty means. At the same time, it’s important for liberty-minded Republicans and independent-minded voters out there to consider that no person can possibly agree with them on every subject. For that reason, voting on principle sometimes requires a little more deliberation, especially in this election when the momentum of liberty counts so much on the results.

There is no doubt that Gov. John Lynch was a barrier to liberty in the last two years, despite the Republican supermajorities in the House and Senate. Right to Work would be law today, guaranteeing the freedom of individuals to earn money wherever they could find an employer willing to hire them, and they wouldn’t have to share their wealth against their will with a third-party. New Hampshire would no longer be a member of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a tax scheme with no real benefit to the environment that has made a few connected businessmen wealthy at the expense of everyone else.

Unfortunately, Maggie Hassan is so much worse than Gov. Lynch on so many issues, as her time in the N.H. Senate should make clear. She was a co-sponsor of the bill to force New Hampshire into the cap and tax scheme, for one thing. She was also largely responsible for the spending and taxing policies that stifled New Hampshire’s economy, destroyed private sector jobs and eventually led to the complete rejection of Democrats during the 2010 election. Those 2010 election results were no mistake. The Republicans we elected did as much as they could to reverse course and advance liberty, and they’ll continue to do that even if we give them only the slightest majority in the Legislature.

But with Maggie as governor, the Legislature will be starting with a budget that drastically increases spending, along with the necessary taxes, fees and borrowing to pay for it. They will face a roadblock to any deregulation, tax or fee cut, or any move to make the government more efficient, and many bills that increase the power and authority of government will sneak through without the threat of a veto. Even with a Republican Legislature, the force of a statist governor who’s never seen a government program she doesn’t like will smother the spark of liberty and prosperity ignited by Speaker O’Brien and the Legislature he led during the past two years. Everything we just accomplished will be stopped dead in its tracks, if we’re lucky, and we could even see many of our accomplishments reversed.

It is for the sake of helping our Republican Legislature continue its good work that the principled vote is in favor of Ovide Lamontagne, the only candidate that can legitimately beat Maggie Hassan. This is not the time for liberty-minded people to work toward any other political goal. Liberty is truly at stake, and Ovide is the only candidate for governor who can and will advance our cause.

Ovide may not be the perfect Republican candidate for governor, and we’ve had very public policy differences with him in the past. If Ovide is elected, I expect that we will have to fight hard to advance freedom in some of these same policy areas, particularly in the area of education reform and reductions in state spending that go as far as we need them to go.

Despite these foreseen battles, Ovide Lamontagne instinctively knows that small government and economic freedom are necessary for New Hampshire’s future prosperity. That’s why he would sign a Right to Work bill. He’d repeal the cap-and-tax scheme. His budget would be a reasonable starting point for the House before representatives add further spending cuts. Importantly, the executive bureaucracy would be held in check by his oversight. For these reasons, I am definitively recommending a vote for Ovide Lamontagne as the only gubernatorial option for voters who love liberty.

For anyone who still doubts Ovide is the only choice for governor, please consider that the liberty contingent of Republican and independent voters are the only people who can help him top Maggie. We will not let Gov. Lamontagne forget that once he makes it into office. If led by principled Republicans in the Legislature and advocates of liberty from the outside, we can expect that liberty will not only advance in New Hampshire, it will thrive under Gov. Ovide Lamontagne.

RLCNH Sponsoring Forum Wednesday to Educate Voters on Two Constitutional Amendment Questions

andrew — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 19:38:48 +0000

CONCORD, N.H.—The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire is sponsoring a forum Wednesday evening at Thomas More College to educate voters on the importance of passing questions one and two on the Nov. 6 ballot. These two constitutional amendments would permanently ban a New Hampshire income tax and properly balance the power of the courts by providing legislative oversight of the court’s rule-making process.

Details: 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24, Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, 6 Manchester Street, Merrimack, N.H.

State Reps. Paul Mirski, Paul Ingbretson, Dan Itse and Gregory Sorg will present information on the two constitutional questions, and then they will answer questions from the audience. Rep. Mirski is the prime sponsor of both amendments, and the three other representatives are well versed in the rationale behind these changes. All four of them will be a great resource for anyone who doesn’t understand why these changes are necessary.

Question 1 on the ballot would add a constitutional ban on a personal income tax in New Hampshire using the language passed by the Legislature as CACR 13.

Support of the Resolution to Restore the Power of the GOP Grassroots

carolyn — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:04:38 +0000

I am moving this resolution today rejecting the RNC rule changes out of concern for our party’s long-term health and success. Since I can remember — even from my memories as a child when my parents were Republican activists — the Republican Party has been the bottom-up party of the grassroots.

But now, through the recent RNC rules changes in Tampa, we have borrowed the organizing structure of the Democrats—removing control over the rule-making process from the grassroots delegates to the party elite who can change the rules under which the party operates at any time.

If we allow the changes to Rule 12 to stand, no longer will the rules shaped at the convention be a protection for input by grassroots conservatives. Like the Democrats, our party will inevitably spend its time between national conventions fighting in the national committee over rules changes to benefit certain factions. But most importantly, in stark contrast to our past primary elections where the rules of the game were set in advance, the RNC in Tampa just opened up the door to party bosses changing the rules in the middle of the game—the results of which could be anything from benefitting a particular candidate to even removing New Hampshire’s First in the Nation primary status.

To add insult to injury, the process by which these rules changes took place was highly suspect. Delegates in Tampa reported that party leaders were nowhere to be found in order to file minority reports, that some delegates were coerced into removing their names from petitions, that there was no debate on the contentious rules changes, and despite the fact that there was no clear winner on the voice vote (I’ve watched the video), it was gaveled as passed with no opportunity to request a roll call vote.

For these reasons, I ask all New Hampshire Republicans here who value the grassroots and their voice in the party to vote in favor of this resolution rejecting the RNC rule changes.

This speech was delivered, in part, by Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the RLCNH, at the New Hampshire Republican Convention on September 29, 2012.

RLCNH-Sponsored Resolution for Opposing RNC Rule Change Passes at N.H. GOP State Convention

andrew — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 03:00:48 +0000

CONCORD, N.H.—New Hampshire Republicans overwhelmingly supported the party’s traditional bottom-up power structure at the N.H. GOP State Convention on Saturday in a nearly unanimous voice vote that passed a RLCNH-sponsored resolution rejecting RNC Rule 12 and asserting the primacy of RNC delegates in setting party rules.

The resolution, incorporated below, is a rejection of Rule 12, which was passed under questionable circumstances during the Republican National Convention in Tampa along with other problematic rules. The rules impose a top-down structure of governance over the party’s traditional grassroots makeup and reduce the power and autonomy of state and local party organizations by removing their oversight over the national organization.

“Although the effort to pass Saturday’s resolution was led by liberty-minded Republicans through the RLCNH, it is clear from the overwhelming support of the New Hampshire GOP delegates that Republicans from all corners of the party are concerned about the new national party rules,” said Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “I’m so proud that even after a contentious state party platform debate, the New Hampshire Republican Party sent a strong, united message to the RNC.

“After all, one of the cornerstones of the Grand Old Party is a belief in republicanism, which is the idea that power is distributed and limited by checks and balances,” McKinney added. “Those values are embodied in our Constitution and they were the basis of the Republican Party when it was founded and for most of its history. This resolution will hopefully send a message from all Republicans in New Hampshire that we want our party to remain republican, because those are the values that will give us the moral foundation to continue to advance our Republican ideals.”

RESOLUTION TO RESTORE THE POWER OF THE GOP GRASSROOTS

Whereas, the new party rules at the Republican National Convention in Tampa were adopted under questionable circumstances with disregard for convention rules;

Whereas, the new rules impose a top-down structure of governance in place of the party’s traditional bottom-up structure and reduce the power and autonomy of state and local party organizations;

Whereas, the changes to Rule 12 give unprecedented power to the national committee to change party rules without the input and approval of state parties and their members;

Whereas, it is to benefit of the New Hampshire Republican Party that First in the Nation rules not be open to change between conventions;

Therefore, be it resolved that:

We condemn Rule 12 as antithetical to Republican values and assert the primacy of the delegates to the Republican Convention in setting party rules;

We reject the new top-down structure of governance as detrimental to the long-term success of the Republican Party.

It’s important to note that New Hampshire Republicans were the first to advance this resolution at a state party convention in an effort to lead the nation’s Republicans in a grassroots’ effort to reclaim the party for the people. RLCNH Chairman Carolyn McKinney was the author and sponsor of the resolution, and she was the only state delegate to speak about the resolution before it was almost unanimously adopted. Various observers said the voice vote enjoyed 90:10 support.

RLCNH Supports N.H. GOP Platform Proposal, Suggests Resolution Opposing RNC Rule Changes

andrew — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 19:02:40 +0000

CONCORD, N.H.—The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire endorses the proposed New Hampshire Republican Party platform, which will be considered on Saturday by party delegates in Derry, as a document that advances the founding principles of limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility and free enterprise, which the RLCNH supports.

In addition to endorsing the platform and supporting it during Saturday’s convention, the RLCNH will be introducing a resolution to challenge the legitimacy of the national party rule changes passed during the Tampa convention and to assert the primacy of the state parties in their long-standing ability to conduct party elections, nominate candidates and appoint delegates without the interference of the national committee or any other outside authority.

“This year’s GOP State Convention will be bitter-sweet for the RLCNH, as we are happy to endorse and support changes to the state Republican Party platform as beneficial to the long-term liberty and prosperity of New Hampshire citizens,” said Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “At the same time, we regret to have to bring forward a resolution rejecting the changes of the national convention. We think the resolution is necessary considering the authoritarian power grab we witnessed at the RNC that has trampled the liberties of the 50 state parties.”

The proposed N.H. GOP platform includes a statement of principle in the beginning of the document that highlights Republicans’ respect for the traditional values of liberty that ensured America’s initial success. It continues by applying those principles to the several issues now important to voters, including “jobs and the economy,” “taxes and spending,” “health,” “education,” “the family,” “law and order,” “the judiciary,” “the environment” and “federalism.” Many of the policy proposals under the new platform’s application of principles align perfectly with the RLCNH’s Liberty and Prosperity for New Hampshire 2013-2014 Legislative Agenda.

“We’re excited to see that the New Hampshire Republican Party is headed in the right direction, and we firmly believe that an increasing number of New Hampshire voters will find themselves aligning with it as time goes on,” McKinney said. “We expect elected Republicans will abide by this proposed platform with their votes in Concord, and we are confident that Republicans who stick with this platform will gain the respect of voters for their re-election. Over time, a strengthened Republican Party and the representatives, senators and governors who stand with its principles, will lead New Hampshire toward the liberty and prosperity that it has always deserved.”

While it is important that New Hampshire Republicans continue to set the right direction for the state, it’s also important that New Hampshire Republicans stand united with Republicans in state parties across the country to take back the national party from those who want to run everything from the top.

In Tampa earlier this summer, RNC management showed a blatant disregard for the party rules by removing legitimately elected delegates, removing members of the rules committee or preventing them from voting, silencing dissent, and disregarding the results of votes. Because such fraud and coercion were used to pass new rules that reduce the power and autonomy of state and local party organizations and impose a top-down structure of governance in place of the party’s traditional bottom-up structure, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire is proposing a resolution from the New Hampshire Republican Party that outright rejects the rules changes.

“We are asking Republican delegates in New Hampshire to respect the value of their own legitimate power by passing this RLCNH-proposed resolution,” McKinney said. “We hope to restore the traditional principles to the RNC that we already know and love here in New Hampshire. Only when state primaries and processes are given the respect they deserve can we expect our First in the Nation Primary status to mean something again. If the national rule changes remain, our primary will become a facade.”

McKinney: Restore the people’s oversight over their court system

andrew — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:25:06 +0000

As voters, it’s troubling to watch a Legislature act against the people’s best interest in times of economic distress by raising tax after tax or fee after fee to pay for unrealistic increases to public employees’ salaries or benefits, or to grant special-interest requests without regard to their need or effectiveness.

Such was the case during the 2007-2010 period when Democrats controlled the N.H. Legislature and governor’s office.Yet, in our system of government, the people have control over how the government spends their money, and voters overwhelmingly rejected the Democrat’s spend-then-tax agenda when they elected a Republican Legislature in 2010. Republican representatives and senators, answering the people’s call to create the proper conditions for economic growth, promptly cleaned up as much of the mess as they could within a two-year period by cutting spending, lowering taxes and fees, and saying “no” to those special interests.

Unfortunately, since 1978 when the Legislature and the people were duped into passing Article 73-a to the N.H. Constitution, the people have not had similar oversight over their court system, which now has the autonomy to write its own rules that have “the force and effect of law.” Many people perceive this constitutional language to be minor—affecting only how the courts run their courtrooms—but they are wrong.

The courts have used the 1978 change to control the behavior of the Legislature, the Executive, and innocent, law-abiding citizens, both inside and outside the courtroom. Because of Article 73-a, the courts have assumed a role that the “separation of powers” clause previously reserved for the elected Legislature. As a result, and because of complacent legislative and executive officials, the court has become an unaccountable and arbitrary power unto itself, which is the exact type of government that our constitution was supposed to prevent.

Article 73-a is the language that gave the Supreme Court hubris to think it could legislate from the bench, such as it did with the Claremont decisions in the 1990s when it said that the constitution’s imperative that individual “legislators… cherish … public education” means that the Legislature must define and fund an adequate education.Under 73-a, the family court has used its rules, including a particular rule that allows all court rules to be waived, in cases where it has ordered children removed from fit parents on mere accusations from third parties. By waiving rules, these courts have admitted hearsay evidence and used it to make a decision without a finding of abuse or neglect or any due process of law.

District court judges have used court rules to throw citizens in jail for contempt on minor decorum issues, and they have used their office to send journalists to jail for simply asking questions about their decisions. Just last year, a Superior Court judge used court rules to prevent two innocent citizens who were not accused of any crime from engaging in a legal activity. He also ordered the citizens to post his ruling on their Web site. Had they disobeyed, the judge threatened to imprison them on charges of contempt of court.

Thankfully, the Republican Legislature that the people elected to correct the wrongs of the previous Democratic Legislature also passed a constitutional fix that will give the people oversight over their court system again. Upon passage of Question Two on the Nov. 6 ballot, the people will restore some checks and balances to their judicial branch.

The change to Article 73-a will make sure that the laws passed by the Legislature are superior to court rules, as they should be. The amendment will put the court back in its place as an interpreter of law for individual cases and not as the policy maker that explains how the law must be applied in all situations—that is a power reserved for the people’s Legislature alone.

When the powers of government are balanced and held in check by one another, there is a greater chance that no branch of government will grow too strong or powerful, and that the people will remain free.

Article 73-a made the courts untouchable, and the people lost control of their government as a result. Question Two on the Nov. 6 ballot will restore the balance of powers by making the court accountable to the laws passed by the Legislature. The people, who elect their legislators, will once more have necessary oversight over all three branches of their government.

RLCNH Celebrates Extensive Primary Election Successes

andrew — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 15:00:23 +0000

CONCORD, N.H.―According to preliminary primary election results, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire is excited to announce that 124 of its 145 endorsed or recommended candidates for state offices, or 86 percent, were nominated as Republican candidates and will appear on their respective general election ballots on Nov. 6. These results are essentially equivalent with the 88 percent success rate from the 2010 primary.

Of the 83 endorsed or recommended candidates in contested races, 62 of them, or 75 percent, earned the support of voters in their districts. Again, these numbers are nearly equivalent with the 79 percent success rate from 2010.

“As an organization that is trying to push the envelope in the Republican Party to bring liberty and prosperity to New Hampshire by electing liberty-minded, conservative legislators, these consistent results indicate that our efforts so far have been successful,” said Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire.

Of the total 124 candidates who will move forward after Tuesday’s primary, 116 are candidates for state representative, six are candidates for state senator and two are candidates for executive councilor.

“These election results clearly show that Republicans in New Hampshire want a party and a government that represents the nation’s founding principles of limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility and free enterprise,” McKinney said. “I’m confident that New Hampshire voters as a whole want to advance these same ideals, because most people know that individual freedom and free markets led to our state and nation’s early success, and once we reinstall these principles by restoring a leaner, more affordable government, the state and nation will prosper once more.”

Of further note from Tuesday’s primary election, 26 of the 32 candidates RLCNH actively supported heading into the primary, or 81 percent, advanced to their general election contest. These are the candidates who received financial assistance, Web site development, dedicated election-day volunteers or other active support in their campaigns. Additionally, 97 of the 113 candidates the RLCNH endorsed made it past the primary. This is also an 86 percent success rate.

Even more impressive, the RLCNH was able to knock out at least half of the six big-government Republicans that it targeted for defeat in their primaries: RLCNH-endorsed Cliff Newton knocked out Julie Brown in Strafford 23, RLCNH-endorsed Jane Cormier defeated Peter Bolster in Belknap 8 and RLCNH-recommended Leon Rideout topped Bill Remick in Coos 7. A fourth race between Joanne Ward and big-government Republican Tim Copeland in Rockingham 19 is still being contested.

“People have lost trust in politicians because of people like the six incumbents we targeted, who misrepresent themselves as Republicans and actively work against Republican campaign rhetoric once they get into office,” McKinney said. “The elimination of just one of these turncoats is a victory for the people of their district, the state as a whole and the Republican Party, and we’re elated we were able to defeat three of them.”

To educate voters leading up to the primary election, the RLCNH released its 2012 RLCNH Voter Guide, which identified the 145 endorsed or recommended Republicans who made it through a vigorous reputation-screening process run by the RLCNH Endorsements Committee. The committee confirmed that these candidates would likely advance RLCNH’s Liberty and Prosperity for New Hampshire agenda upon their election to office. The committee’s endorsements and recommendations were then confirmed by the RLCNH Board of Directors.

Endorsed Republicans earned a score of 85 percent or higher on the 2012 RLCNH Legislative Scorecard if they were incumbents, or they scored an 85 percent or higher on the 2012 RLCNH Candidate Survey if they were first-time candidates. They were also rated on their overall understanding of liberty. A recommended candidate earned this lower standard for scoring at least 80 percent on the scorecard or survey and generally supporting the RLCNH’s Liberty and Prosperity for New Hampshire agenda.

“We will continue to support the 124 endorsed or recommended candidates who have advanced past their primary to ensure their election in November,” McKinney said. “We expect the group that makes it into office to lead New Hampshire back to its roots, which will ensure liberty and prosperity for the most people.”

RLCNH ENDORSED AND RECOMMENDED PRIMARY WINNERS