Posted on 08/25/2013 10:58:59 AM PDT by NewHampshireDuo
Gregory Hodge, of Jefferson, is urging people on the political left and right to look critically at their party affiliation.
Hodge was the state committeeman for the Lincoln County Republicans until he and 11 other Republicans unenrolled from the Maine Republican Party and resigned related positions this week,
Hodge joined five other state committee members, Republican National Committee member Mark Willis, and five other registered Maine Republicans in writing a letter outlining their disaffiliation and the reasons behind it to Maine GOP Secretary Chuck Malaheris.
The Aug. 18 letter criticizes a number of people, actions, and groups, including rule changes by the Republican National Committee, "the cowardly leadership of John Boehner" in the House of Representatives, "House Republican leadership's utter disdain for the United States Constitution," failure of Maine Republicans to support Governor Paul LePage's veto of the biennial budget, and LePage vetoing LD 1282, a bill related to the sale and labeling of raw milk, among others.
"[W]e can no longer associate ourselves with a political party that goes out of its way to continually restrict our freedoms and liberties as well as reaching deeper and deeper into our wallets," the letter reads.
The authors wrote they were pursuing a path of individual integrity over the Republican parties ideas of "more freedom and less taxes" that are "worth no more than the paper that they are written on."
Hodge, in an interview on Aug. 20, said his actions are not designed to elicit anything from the GOP.
"I've found [the Republican party] to be not representing of me or my opinions or beliefs," Hodge said. "Moreso I find them to be unwilling to accept views other than those that are established at the top of the party."
By stepping away, Hodge said he will be less hampered in whatever he chooses to do regarding political issues.
"I'm not doing this to do anything to them, I'm just disassociating myself from them," he said. "I wish them the best. There are a lot of hardworking people doing what they believe in ... I just find it to be very dissatisfying for me to be a part of this organization at this time."
Still, Hodge said he believes people associated with either the Republicans or Democrats need to think about whether their party really represents them and their beliefs.
"I would recommend that others take a closer look at who they associate with, not individually perhaps, but an organization," he said.
"Gamesmanship" was what Hodge said he found on the third floor of the capital, with people in both parties focused more on what they were going to do to the opposing side or what the opposing side was going to do to them, instead of focusing on the issues.
The important question is what is best for the people of Maine, not what is best for someone's particular career or their ambitions outside the state, Hodge said.
Hodge said he is pursuing no political ambitions, though some of the other authors of the letter may be considering it or have been asked to do so. Either way, "we are not forming another party here, we are just disassociating ourselves from the two parties that exist," he said.
Stuart Smith, the chairman of Lincoln County Republicans, said the county level impacts of Hodge's resignation as state committeeman may be minimal.
"We're sorry to see him go. We already have a couple people interested in that position so we'll fill it fairly quickly, so we'll plug along," he said.
"I'm sorry to see him go, but everyone has their issues and their guiding principles and they do what they feel is right and I'm sure Greg had to do what he felt was right. I respect that," Smith said. "Everyone should be able to follow their heart and their gut."
ping - I’m not the only one who sees it
I thought the Republican governor of Maine was a strong conservative....dammit, we ought to work to change this beast from within.
the beast, bad, has at least a distribution method and apparatus...a structure and organization.
We need to get hold of these things as conservatives and turn them for our use.
Reagan didn’t leave the Republican party, he stayed in it and took it OVER.
Leaving only keeps us OUT of power....imho.
In before they sycophants demanding we vote R no matter how liberal.
He left the dems for the exact reasons they left the dem...er the GOP.
/johnny
True. Hamilton was an idiot afterall ;)
What positions does this GOP State Committman hold?
I read the article, and cannot tell precisely what his issue is.
Is he for jobs and Maine? Is he perhaps rebelling against jobs being sent overseas?
What?
With crap asses like boehner mc connel,romney as the republican leadership ya can’t expect much.
Bunch of worthless babosos
yes, leaving only keeps the power out. Conservatives, for years, have not really “done politics”. Notorious for being like herding cats, we have to learn it is a team sport with a helluva lot of give and take.
If we can square sticking to our principles with “compromise” (I’m puking as I say it), then we can take power.
Notice that the ones who have power we see as spineless opportunists.
A Chad Brown resigned from a position in GOP in Iowa and wrote a letter that the GOP was Too conservative and in doing an online search of him when that happened I got 4+ pages of it. I just searched this guy and I didn’t even get a page.
And so it begins.
Never no more. I am looking real hard at toomey with as evil an eye as I can muster. I am bitterly disappointed in pat. Notice I even quit capping his name. That is my ultimate insult. I haven’t even reregistered to vote where I live now. If/when I do, it will likely be Independent.
MAYBE r depending on who the pres prospects are.
I realize that, but he had a VIABLE option to call home...he didn’t go third party even after the debacle of Nixon and Ford...I remember watching tv coverage at the Ford nomination: Reagan supporters crying at the 1976 Republican convention, knowing the party was putting up a nominee that wasn’t a strong conservative.
Reagan didn’t walk away mad...he supported Ford, but was determined, win or lose, to CHANGE his party...and he did.
That was my point. :)
“I thought the Republican governor of Maine was a strong conservative..”
Didn’t his statement include as one reason the ME GOP’s failure to support the governor’s veto of a bloated budget?
I would submit that at this point in the game, anyone not mad isn’t paying enough attention.
These guys do have a home to go to. America. It may be split up amongst several of the backbench parties and no party at all. But it’s there. And the sooner we bring it all together, the sooner we ditch both wings of the albatross we have now.
Or fail. Because what exists now is not America. And the R’s are not going to return to constitutional government. They proved it. They keep proving it.
And if we fail, I for one will welcome our Russian overlords. They are also a lot closer to the America we lost than the GOP is headed.
Progressives come in both "R" and "D".
So Glad I am Neither!
They are Scum.
Abraham Lincoln came in as President thanks to the Republican party nominating him in the Dred Scott" decision days, where Stephen Douglas favored positive laws to support slavery.
And so it is that Sarah Palin could be the best thing for America to salvage individual freedom from the current socialist/communist/democratic pathway ... using common sense.
And yet some on FR DEMAND we elect more of it. And possees of their supporters sing in chorus.
Of course the last week has seen a lot less of that and many of the names who used to sing so are singing a far different tune. And if you happen to come across one in your travels, as Ronaldus Magnus said...”Trust but Verify”.
Heavy on the verify.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.