Posted on 03/22/2013 2:57:56 PM PDT by Kazan
COLUMBUS, March 22, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Republican Party of Ohio has appointed as its executive director a registered lobbyist actively campaigning to redefine marriage in the state, deepening the conflict between voters and the party elite. The move triggered swift backlash, as a coalition of 80 conservatives from across the state issued a letter warning party bosses they “will not support them” in the future.
The new GOP leader is Matt Borges, a lobbyist for Equality Ohio, the group pressing to overturn the state's constitutional amendment against same-sex “marriage.” He was hand-selected by retiring state GOP chairman Bob Bennett, who has led the party since 1988, and is seen as Bennett's heir apparent.
“With this letter we put the party bosses on notice that we reject their betrayal of the party platform and our conservative values,” said Tom Zawistowski, the executive director of the Portage County Tea Party. “We will not support them going forward but will instead support those who are true to our cause."
The letter represents the views of a broad coalition, “not just liberty group members and social conservative voters, but rank and file registered Republican voters,” it states.
"Some of our Republican officials seem hell-bent on alienating conservative voters and volunteers, which reduces voter turnout," said Lori Viars, Vice President of Warren County Right To Life, who also serves as Vice Chair of the Warren County Republican Party. “They ignore the GOP platform, choosing to put themselves outside the mainstream of our party base.”
That's bad politics in a bellwether state.
"Never have I been more concerned for the direction of our state and country – largely due to a failure in leadership,” said former State Representative Seth Morgan, who now heads the Conservative Coalition. “Why would the Republican leaders put themselves at odds with sound public policy and the platform of their own party?"
Governor John Kasich and every statewide elected official signed a letter supporting Borges. He also has the support of former Ohio secretary of state Ken Blackwell and former Ohio Right to Life leader Mike Gonidakis, now a Kasich appointee to the state medical board.
Click "like" if you want to defend true marriage.
Kasich said through a spokesperson that he still opposes redefining marriage and creating civil unions.
Borges faces troubles aside from his opposition to the Republican platform on marriage. His role as a lobbyist has raised eyebrows, given Kasich's strong denunciations of their wheeling and dealing influence.
Previous charges of unethical behavior are also an issue. In 2004, Borges pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of using his office to grant political favors to his boss, then-State Treasurer Joe Deters. Borges rebuffs the concerns, replying that he paid a $1,000 fine to have his record expunged.
Borges' selection comes as much of the Republican establishment seeks to change the party's stance on affirming marriage.
Jennifer Thieme, director of finance and advancement at The Ruth Institute, told LifeSiteNews.com that too few politicians are asking the most important question: what is marriage, and what is best for society?
“Those who favor redefining marriage seem to believe that marriage is nothing more than romantic feelings that the government incentivizes with tax breaks and federal benefits,” Thieme told LifeSiteNews. “The conservative view is that marriage is based on two things: the biological fact that sex between men and woman makes babies, and the social reality that children are entitled to their mothers and their fathers. This is an objective view of marriage, one that is also pre-political.”
“This view serves children best,” she said. “The other view serves adults best.”
"Some of our Republican officials seem hell-bent on alienating conservative voters and volunteers, which reduces voter turnout," said Lori Viars, Vice President of Warren County Right To Life, who also serves as Vice Chair of the Warren County Republican Party.Thanks Kazan.
I think it’s time to start a new political party with ACTUAL REAL CONSERVTATIVES!@@
Just Republicans acting like..... well Republicans. Nothing surprising here.
On the Senate side, Sergeant Dave, similar treatment of Lindsay "Light in the Loafers" Graham in your home state (assuming that you agree that Pansy Graham needs to be ejected from office and that South Carolina owes soooooo much more to America), similar treatment of John Cornyn in Texas who did so much as head of the "Republican" Senatorial Campaign Committee over two cycles to put a thousand pound thumb on the scale for worthless $$$$ establishment jerks as "GOP" nominees, and put Lisa Murkowski in the same target range.
Anyone who wants to salvage the utterly useless GOP-E Party of money mavens and social revolutionaries and (count on it) gun grabbers, Romneys, McCains, Doles, Bush the Elders, can just do the heavy lifting, find some dependable conservatives to primary the trash ruthlessly AND, if such a primary succeeds in taking out the GOP-E trash, then the third party candidate can drop out. Otherwise, a primary waged so ruthlessly as to absolutely DESTROY RINO incumbents should suffice to teach the privileged brainless unprincipled greedhead bastards a lesson that even they can understand. If any of the useless GOP-Es survive the primary process, refuse to vote on that office as many of us did on Romney last year.
From within or without, we SHALL replace either the GOP-E suck-up "leadership" or the party itself. Continue to register GOP as necessary for the primary process but ever keep in mind that as Sarah Palin said last weekend: We are not re-branding a party. We are rebuilding a nation.
Oh, and unless and until the party purge (of the fudgepacker-cuddling, baby slaughtering, gun grabbing, sovereignty destroying, anti-religious GOP-Elitists) is complete and successful, not one red cent to the useless whores running the GOP.
Hi BE,
There is only one problem I see with this even if conservatives did in fact rout the GOPe. I have pointed it out in threads before but people really need to consider it.
The GOPe is a fraction of the problem. Most of them are mouthpieces. The behind the scenes aides/advisers etc are even more of a problem They prep the reports, rewrite and summarize. And THEY will still be there. They just play musical chairs between the GOP and Dem parties. They are entrenched, mercenary and would see the takeover as a passing thing. Then go into full sabotage mode across the board to hamstring the new arrivals. They want all the bennies they have the new crew would strip from them. You were on the inside so you know this to be true.
I see no positive end in a rebuild. Even if by some act of God you could replace every man woman and hamster in the machine, you STILL have the albatross of the Bhoner/Grahmm/McCain/Dole/Romney et all REPUBLICAN party. The name alone will keep people away. Because no one trusts them now and many would think “deck chair reshuffle.” It is a boat anchor legacy. And even Ronaldus’ 8 years of light cannot overcome the wreckage that followed and is fresh in young voting minds.
The only hope is a unified third party built WHOLLY outside the beltway. New aides/advisers... the works. Anything else only gets more of the same.
Did you see Pat Caddell’s speech at CPAC or read the Breitbart article about it?
He spoke EXACTLY about that problem.
I agree with everything you said.
Nope, but I’ve been saying it here for some time. Very few want to even discuss it on FR for some reason and I do not understand why.
good to hear from you LJ ;)
Actually I take it back. I think when people read it, the magnitude of the problem overwhelms them and they revert into “Elect good people mode”. Yes. We must. But if we send them into an abattoir, what happens? Same stuff, different day.
I was very sick twice since Dec and a bunch of other things... now busy up to eyeballs and above that.
I suppose the R party could be re-vivified if all the deadwood/moderates/self serving/professional class/elitits/closet dems etc were thrown out all at once and replaced with people with good character, morals, and who valued the actual intent of the Constitution.
Something has to happen, and it will, one way or another. I think it won’t be easy or pretty, though.
Even if you did, the media would still sing “The Party of Bush the evil tyrant?!!!
You would fare better changing the name and keeping the people than changing the people and keeping the name. Same end result, less wasted effort.
I don’t know the solution. I think my of my old taglines applies:
We’ll have to go through hell to get out of hell.
PS. There will be no cure until the leftist puke media aka propaganda arm of the leftist pukes is transformed. IOW leftist pukes GONE and replaced with ethical people who are concerned with the truth.
So how that will be accomplished short of utter collapse, I have no idea.
You would have more influence if you refrain from relegating everything to the lowest common denomanator. I refer to the childlike language.
The other thing with a ground up third party is no attachment to the media...or fear of it. Done right, any 3P and candidates/people would use the net ala Palin and have minimal contact with the MSM.
When the MSM can only throw stones AT the 3P and it refuses to grace their chat shows as targets, the utility and usefulness of the MSM in EVERYONES eyes takes a big hit.
Anf getting people off the Television/Dish/Cable hamster wheel and their $100 a month to fund the MSM is a good idea too.
Get 10 million people to drop dish/cable and watch what happens. % mil even.
It’s accurate.
“Even if by some act of God you could replace every man woman and hamster in the machine, you STILL have the albatross of the Bhoner/Grahmm/McCain/Dole/Romney et all REPUBLICAN party.”
You’re right. We need to build our farm team in the states to replace them. I think we have outstanding conservatives and patriots from the states waiting in the wings.
And I do not dispute that at all. Just not replace them IN the GOP. Replace them with a new and functional party.
I have no idea what you mean by lowest comment denominator, unless you object to the work “pukes” which is entirely accurate. “Childlike” btw means innocent and charming; I suppose you meant “childish”.
The time for dancing the minuette and shaking hands with leftist pukes was over a long time ago.
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There are only two choices. Have a mutiny and have real constitutionalist conservatives with sound moral principles on social and fiscal issues take over the party, or start a third party. Anyone else have good ideas, let me know. The R party is making itself a enemy of the Constitution just as much as the D party is. They don't even want to win any more.
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That is a very important point, for two reasons.
First, it shows that “caving” on key social issues often doesn't result in Republicans winning. It may only result in antagonizing the conservative Republican base with the result that Democrats win.
Second, why are Republicans doing this in a swing state like Ohio? That's just plain crazy. If we were talking about Massachusetts or some other left-wing state where the only chance a Republican has to be elected is to attack Democrats for irresponsible spending while taking liberal stances on morality and other personal responsibility issues, okay, I'd be willing to listen. Democrats win in red states by acting like moderates or adopting some conservative positions, and we can use those tactics in blue states with some effect. I can see the point in arguing that a moderate Republican who votes right some of the time is better than a liberal Democrat who votes wrong nearly all of the time. But there is absolutely no good reason to wave the white flag of surrender in a swing state like Ohio when the battle can still be won.
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