Growing up in Maine, at the age of 16, I read a tattered copy of Barry Goldwater’s “Conscience of a Conservative.” It began my journey with conservatism and the Republican Party. At the age of 42, I have yet to discover more cogent ideals than those of personal responsibility, small government, fiscal conservatism and personal liberty.
With a background in the U.S. Army and the ministry, I have also worked on Republican campaigns and attended a few conventions. I did this believing that one day the chance for returning our party to its core ideals was our state and nation’s greatest chance for reform.
With the presidential candidacy of Texas Congressman Ron Paul, the conversation about constitutional conservatism has returned to the fore of the party. I found myself excited for the convention this past weekend. I have worked on Paul’s campaign, believing he has the best opportunity in the general election to win back the White House in November.
I have been thrilled to see Republicans having the same awakening to conservatism as I had when I was a young man, but this weekend the party leadership let Republicanism down.
After the contentious straw poll of Feb. 18, it was not surprising that new Republicans were participating in the process. Going in to the convention, everyone knew there would be a large number of attendees. Registration had been closed for a while, but the convention started an hour late because of the time it took people to finish the credentialing process. Everyone knew the ballot for the chairman and secretary of the convention would be contested, but it took until 2 p.m. to pass the gavel to the duly elected chairman.
The disorganization of the balloting process further delayed the schedule. The number of challenges to credentials, frivolous motions and obstructionist behavior of orderly business was absolutely unacceptable. The tone of civility that such conventions require was lost through dirty tricks and hostility. Having seen other conventions of this scale, I doubt whether anyone elected chairman would have been able to bring more order to the proceedings.
I have questions for my party leaders: Why weren’t the doors opened earlier or more staff invited to accommodate new arrivals? Why were ballots not prepared for the chairman and secretary and provisions made for counting in a timely manner? Why were provisions not made for safeguarding and properly distributing ballots?
As I reflect, I come to possible answers: Either 2,800 people is simply beyond the scope of party leadership’s ability to logistically manage, or the delays were intentional to spoil the process and enable questioning of the convention results, preventing the Maine delegation from being seated in Tampa, Fla.
Whichever the reason, they are both equally abhorrent. They are both disrespectful to the Republicans that arrived on Saturday morning to participate in their party’s process. I ask only one thing of my party’s leadership: Fix it now.
The Rev. Andrew Stinson of Woolwich is an alternate delegate to the National Republican Convention for Maine.
“I ask only one thing of my party’s leadership: Fix it now.”Rev. Stinson you made some good points. I have been a registered republican since 1967 and to be perfectly honest with you I think the problem with the current leadership of Maine’s Republican Party is that they are constantly fixing things. Chairman Webster tried to “fix” the convention by naming a Chairperson before the convention met, even though convention rules called for the Convention Chairman to be elected by those in attendance at the convention. Chairman Webster tried to “fix” the outcome of the caucuses by announcing a winner before all the caucus ballots had been counted and in a couple of cases before the actual caucuses were held. He tried to “fix” voter fraud even when the Secretary of State’s office was able to uncover only one case in an 8 year period. Yesterday it was reported that he “fixed” a former volunteer Treasurer’s embezzlement by covering it up. I think the time for asking the current leadership of the Maine Republican Party to fix anything has long passed. I think the only way to fix what is wrong with the Maine Republican Party is to toss the entire bunch out and start fresh with some honest people.
I couldn’t agree more. Good post.
You want to complain about your party, which is fine, but there are two sides to every argument. Being a conservative and a reverend you are unyielding. You adhere to bronze age dogma and yearn for the second coming of Reagan. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your party has evolved. As a man of god I understand you have a difficult time in understanding or even believing in evolution so I will attempt to put it in simple terms so you can understand. See over time things change, ideals change, people think differently about issues. Sometimes for the better (outlawing slavery, women’s rights, etc.) sometimes not so good (think New Coke). At the convention, this evolution took hold. The stoic, unbending old guard were trying to get the party line towed, and the free thinkers who refuse to tow the party line simply because it is the party line wanted change. The free thinkers won. Which is, I know very upsetting for you.
Picture a statue of Ronald Reagan, old guard republicans like you who see no difference between today and 25 years ago, see their Republi-god in all his glory. This new generation republican sees a weathered hunk of marble covered in pigeon poop. It just so happens there were more people who saw poop at the convention. What your biggest mistake is, and again it is due to your unyielding natures, is that you are concentrating and bickering about your differences rather than charging ahead with what you agree on. Both factions hate the same things, minorities, women, homosexuals, free thinking, free choice, etc.
Your party gained power, and all those that gain power fear to lose it. Your party is imploding because they know they are in real danger of losing their power. Don’t blame the Ron Pauler’s for it though, blame your lousy leadership in the likes of LePage and Webster. With leadership like that, I can see where even a Christian Conservative would want change. Also try and reflect on how things could be worse. After all, at 16 when you picked up the Bible and Goldwater’s book, you could have taken the next step down and read Mein Kampf.
But YOUR party has been positively WORSHIPING F.D.R. for 75 years, and would never allow one iota of dissent about the “truths” which he so “brilliantly brought forward”.
Hypocrite.
Lets see… F.D.R. helped millions of Americans, Reagan provided the climate for the largest spread between the 99% and 1% in U.S. history. Besides, we have evolved much since F.D.R. there was Kennedy, Johnson, and Clinton. While providing services to the poor, elderly, and disabled was credited to F.D.R. the way in which those services are provided have evolved much over the last 75 years. Your argument has no validity what so ever, which in and of itself speaks volumes to the rights inability to let it go.
This made me laugh. FDR built the foundation and LBJ added the fertilizer to our current entitlement society. Before the New Deal and Great Society, people actually understood that you couldn’t rely on the government to take care of your every need – as millions do today. The failure of the modern left to comprehend this is the exact reason we will continue on our path to economic failure and bankruptcy. Everyone knows we are heading for a fiscal disaster, yet the left won’t check the premise of their opinions.
Lets imagine for a second the republican utopia of no social safety net, no minimum wage, etc. for a moment. What do you think would have happened after WWII with all thsoe hundreds of thousands of vets returning home where there were no jobs? Same with Johnson and the Vietnam vets. The reason social programs are needed, is 1) need 2) the “job creators” do not create jobs and 3) we simply have more people than living wage jobs. Kennedy/Johnson stopped the cruel and inhumane practice of warehousing peopel with mental illness. Republicans said that would cost too much. I would rather do the right thing then save a few bucks. I am still confused about one thing though. I don’t get how republicans could be so fervent about the life of a fetus, but not care about it at all after it takes its first breath.
“.. or the delays were intentional to spoil the process and enable questioning of the convention results ..”
I think anyone at the convention could see this is exactly what was happening.
Saving conservatism will take far more than running meetings right. To get back to the thoughtful conservatism of yesteryear the GOP needs to stop its flirtation with the uninformed, reactionary sort of politics advanced by its Tea Party faction. While there certainly is room for the Tea Party within the larger American political spectrum it is destroying a once great party from within causing it to lose most of its appeal for the larger faction of moderate conservatives.
Going back to yesteryear IS the GOP’s problem. The right’s failure to progress and their desire to regress drives people away.
Seems like conservatism and conspicuous consumer are one in the same?