I liked most of what you said, Brian. However, I cannot agree fully. Especially with respect to Ammon Bundy, who essentially was driven out of the Republican Party.
Republicans still must vote their consciences: Support candidates who put country and Constitution first; avoid blindly supporting those with R after their names while ignoring their actions in office.
Mr. Bundy was not driven out of the Party, he was not even a registered voter when he tried to file for office. He hastily joined so he could file under our banner, and then quit. Not an ounce of leadership there.
Not true. Mr. Bundy has been a registered Republican since he was first old enough to vote, except for the years following his wrongful incarceration in federal prison. Ammon registered as a Republican at the time necessary to run for governor. He has stated that he believes the Idaho Republican Party Platform is a "righteous platform" and he "supports it". However, many of those holding elected positions, as Republicans, in Idaho are not honoring that platform. This is one reason he decided to file as an independent.
I stand by my statements Wendy: 1) He was not driven out of the Party; 2) He was not a registered voter when he first tried to file; 3) He then joined and then quit.
And if he wanted to lead he should have run - Janice did, Ed did. If he wanted to support and strengthen our Party he could have run for chairman - Dorothy did, Tom did. There's four people with more leadership than Mr. Bundy.
He wasn't "driven out", but Luna publicly denounced him. Isn't it strange that Luna can sue party members for supporting a candidate, but he, Luna can denounce a candidate? Something is wrong with that picture. He was a registered voter when he filed. He quit for strategic reasons and because of the reason I previously stated. He couldn't run for chairman, because he is independent of the party.
Everyone will be able to make their own choice when they cast their ballots in November. As a Republican PC I want to be careful about implying endorsements of non-Republican candidates. On the other hand, as a writer, I will be sure to cover independents like Bundy, Cleveland, and anyone else, sharing as much information and insight as I can.
No one talking about the voting machines, the drop boxes, mail in voting. All have been proven to make a difference in the outcomes. ESS just testified that all electronics can be hacked. What more even needs to be said. Enough with the machines, tablets, ID tablets. Please do your own research and start the end of the electronics in our voting.
"Can Republicans come together while still holding to our principles?"....first, you'd have to define what are the "principles" that define the Republican Party. The generalities that the party currently operates on are so "liberal", its no wonder we have "democrat type" representatives. Put an "R" by your name, claim a few of the "Republican Principles", spend a ton of money on your campaign and "voila" your an elected "republican" voting against "Republican Principles". Unity? Hardly. The current change in leadership in the party represents the simple fact that the previous "leadership" had no desire for "unity" or recognition that they were very far out of step with "the principles" of the conservative voters of the state. It looks to me that the the previous "leadership" purposefully did not want to vette the candidates in order to maintain their status quo.
It appears to me that the convention voters did exactly that....hold the previous "regime" accountable....they were all voted out!....too bad more of it didn't occur in the primaries. More of it would have occurred if the Republican party vetted the candidates. its not so much as supporting a specific candidate but stating that certain candidates don't meet the platform goals.
I liked most of what you said, Brian. However, I cannot agree fully. Especially with respect to Ammon Bundy, who essentially was driven out of the Republican Party.
Republicans still must vote their consciences: Support candidates who put country and Constitution first; avoid blindly supporting those with R after their names while ignoring their actions in office.
Mr. Bundy was not driven out of the Party, he was not even a registered voter when he tried to file for office. He hastily joined so he could file under our banner, and then quit. Not an ounce of leadership there.
Not true. Mr. Bundy has been a registered Republican since he was first old enough to vote, except for the years following his wrongful incarceration in federal prison. Ammon registered as a Republican at the time necessary to run for governor. He has stated that he believes the Idaho Republican Party Platform is a "righteous platform" and he "supports it". However, many of those holding elected positions, as Republicans, in Idaho are not honoring that platform. This is one reason he decided to file as an independent.
I stand by my statements Wendy: 1) He was not driven out of the Party; 2) He was not a registered voter when he first tried to file; 3) He then joined and then quit.
And if he wanted to lead he should have run - Janice did, Ed did. If he wanted to support and strengthen our Party he could have run for chairman - Dorothy did, Tom did. There's four people with more leadership than Mr. Bundy.
He wasn't "driven out", but Luna publicly denounced him. Isn't it strange that Luna can sue party members for supporting a candidate, but he, Luna can denounce a candidate? Something is wrong with that picture. He was a registered voter when he filed. He quit for strategic reasons and because of the reason I previously stated. He couldn't run for chairman, because he is independent of the party.
Many of us demanded Chairman Luna disavow the criminal as in any way representing our Party. And practically - donations would have dried up to zero.
Regarding Bonneville, they used Republican donor money to campaign against Republican candidates - that is the issue.
Everyone will be able to make their own choice when they cast their ballots in November. As a Republican PC I want to be careful about implying endorsements of non-Republican candidates. On the other hand, as a writer, I will be sure to cover independents like Bundy, Cleveland, and anyone else, sharing as much information and insight as I can.
Perfect! Thank you, Brian.
Very well done Brian, except for one thing and that was your reference to some "liberty wing." Unity doesn't have wings.
No one talking about the voting machines, the drop boxes, mail in voting. All have been proven to make a difference in the outcomes. ESS just testified that all electronics can be hacked. What more even needs to be said. Enough with the machines, tablets, ID tablets. Please do your own research and start the end of the electronics in our voting.
"Can Republicans come together while still holding to our principles?"....first, you'd have to define what are the "principles" that define the Republican Party. The generalities that the party currently operates on are so "liberal", its no wonder we have "democrat type" representatives. Put an "R" by your name, claim a few of the "Republican Principles", spend a ton of money on your campaign and "voila" your an elected "republican" voting against "Republican Principles". Unity? Hardly. The current change in leadership in the party represents the simple fact that the previous "leadership" had no desire for "unity" or recognition that they were very far out of step with "the principles" of the conservative voters of the state. It looks to me that the the previous "leadership" purposefully did not want to vette the candidates in order to maintain their status quo.
The Idaho Republican Party issues a new statement of principles every two years, it's called the platform. Here is our 2020 platform: https://www.idgop.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2020-Updated-Idaho-GOP-Platform.pdf
The 2022 version, which is even stronger in my opinion, should be available soon.
It is up to us as citizens, voters, and PCs to hold our elected officials accountable to this platform.
It appears to me that the convention voters did exactly that....hold the previous "regime" accountable....they were all voted out!....too bad more of it didn't occur in the primaries. More of it would have occurred if the Republican party vetted the candidates. its not so much as supporting a specific candidate but stating that certain candidates don't meet the platform goals.