Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Soon to Be Published Letter To Editor

I am posting the full text of a letter to the editor I sent to my county paper, the Brown County Press, in which I encourage true conservatives to stand up in the primaries. Here is the text. Your mileage, as Matt says, may vary.
Title: TIME TO SHAPE UP OR SHUT UP

Dear Editor,

Unlike others who write here with an air of non-partisanism while really being a party operative (Chris Fridel’s letters ring a bell), I am going to disclose up front that I am a member of the Brown County Central Committee of the Republican Party. I am writing because I hear a lot of noise but not a lot of action in regards to changing things in my party. I am talking about the race for US Senate between Mike DeWine and Bill Pierce.

Who is Bill Pierce, you might ask. Well, you are asking with good reason. The State GOP does not want you to hear about Bill Pierce. Why? Because he is a challenger to the incumbent Mike DeWine. Unfortunately, unlike the local central committees, which still believe in principle, the State GOP only believes in winning elections, or rather, having no primaries and no choice for who they put up. In a rare move, the State GOP endorsed Mike DeWine the day after Bill Pierce signed up to challenge him. This is unprecedented. Why would a state party line up to endorse such an unpopular person?

The answer is money. Mike DeWine has lots of it. He has lots of influence and ties to special interests. However, to my fellow Republicans who will vote in the coming primary May 2nd, I must ask: what has Mike DeWine done for Brown County, for you? All I have heard as I travel around Scott Township and others is that he is VERY unpopular and VERY disliked. When was the last time he was IN Brown County? Do you realize he is taking YOUR vote for granted? I don’t believe he has been to Brown County in 10 years or more.

If elected, Bill Pierce will make it a priority to visit each county sometime during his 6 year term. He wants to stop the bureaucratic waste going on in Washington. He wants to put the bureaucrats in check by actually overseeing what they do, instead of just rubberstamping it. He is running a clean campaign with no personal attacks, and he is picking up endorsements.

Pike Couny endorsed Bill Pierce. Clermont County’s GOP rated him as highly qualified, something they did not do in a head to head race for Mr. DeWine. However, the media hasn’t covered these underdog victories. Instead, they have refused to cover the inappropriate way Hamilton County endorsed Mike DeWine instead of looking into how they did it. Why, you might ask? Maybe it is because Mike DeWine will be easier to classify and beat than a fresh face that that GOP needs. We who call ourselves Republicans, the party of Reagan, talk a good game when it comes to wanting to clean up the party and get back to principles. Now is a good time. It is time to put up or shut up. If you believe in limited government and not kowtowing to leftist interests and the special interests, I would invite you to check out www.pierceforsenate.com and look into this uncovered but highly qualified challenger to Mike DeWine; or check out the coverage on the internet at www.massdiscussion.blogspot.com. The state GOP is not being upfront with Mr. DeWine having viable challengers, even though they know his popularity is less than 35% in most polls. And I would encourage you to ask yourself: what has Mike DeWine done, except disgrace Ohio by joining the Gang of 14 who sought to preserve the illegal filibustering, except take a left leaning position on abortion, on school choice. Think about these things and ask yourself: do we want to send him back for more of the same, or do we want a new, different face for the future of our party? Fellow members of the GOP, quite frankly, it is time to put up and get rid of the detritus of the past, or it is time to shut up.

Why am I so fired up on this issue? It was the way the Democrats handled the primary challenger to their candidate, Sherrod Brown--yes, I am talking about Paul Hackett, even though I disagree with what he stood for, he still had the right to run. Unfortunately, both State Parties are taking away choice to the locals on who we want to vote for in the primaries. We had this form of choosing candidates before, and it gave the nation the likes of Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed. Fair and open primaries for BOTH parties are the way to go, and they should be upheld, not subverted by “dirty tricks.” I have met Bill Pierce, looked into his eyes, quizzed him, and believe he is the one for Ohio’s Senate Seat. I couldn’t even get Mike DeWine to meet or return my calls. Tells you something about how he values our votes in Brown County. Think about it, and check out all candidates for your party before you choose just to follow the party line. God bless you all and God bless America!

Sincerely,

Mark XXXXXXX XX.
Brown County GOP Central Committee
Scott Township

3/8 UPDATE


This letter is up for publishing, I have been told by the editor, However, it will not be published until the week of the 19th. Also, I have to chop it down to 500 words or less. So, what you may read, if you read the Press, may be different than the original posted here.