Not your average Republicans

Susan Emerson of Rindge (4.00 / 1)

Is a Republican with a heart. Her calling is to work for people in need... real old fashioned noblesse oblige. I wonder how she will be able to square the circle of her heart and her politics.

The article was re-printed in the Keene Sentinel today as well. I was really stunned to read that only 25 current Republicans consider themselves mainstream. Does that give us enough when it comes time to sustain a veto?  Not sure what is required.  

""Hope is the dream of a soul awake.""

/French Proverb quotes.

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by: susaninrindge @ Sat Apr 02, 2011 at 20:59:10 PM UTC

One of the mainstream (4.00 / 1)

is Frank Case, who his fellow Rs tried to primary out in Rockingham 1.  He's pretty popular with everyone.  Has cast a few votes I don't like at all, but did vote against the budget.  

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by: Lucy Edwards @ Sat Apr 02, 2011 at 21:17:23 PM UTC

Frank Case (4.00 / 2)

For three years I commuted from Dover to Concord for school.  Generally departing Dover around 7, and leaving Concord around 4:30.

Inevitably, during election season, as I made my way up and down Route 4, I would see Frank Case standing somewhere in Deerfield/Northwood/Nottingham holding his sign waving at everyone who passed by.

I always gave him a honk as I passed.  I had no real opinion on his politics, but I respected the effort.  I'm glad to know that my honks were directed at a reasonable Republican.

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by: demondeac007 @ Sun Apr 03, 2011 at 00:56:02 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Frank Case (4.00 / 2)

Is a dedicated public servant.  Although a Mainstream Republican, I would take an honest hard working, caring, compassionate, Yankee Republican any day compared to the extremists at work in Concord destroying our state one vote at a time.  

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by: Alexandra the Great @ Sun Apr 03, 2011 at 01:17:37 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Story from Wisconsin (4.00 / 1)

Good example of the alienation going on with public employees in Wisconsin. Good reading: http://www.greenbayprogressive...

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by: kcollman @ Sat Apr 02, 2011 at 22:38:36 PM UTC

Excellent story! (0.00 / 0)

Great find!  I forwarded that on to several of my friends and many SEA members as well.  Perfectly parallels what is going on here in NH!

"We start working to beat these guys right now." -Jed Bartlet

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by: cblodg @ Mon Apr 04, 2011 at 14:22:41 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

New London's David Kidder (4.00 / 3)

too:

http://birchpaper.com/post/428...

birch paper; on Twitter @deanbarker

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by: Dean Barker @ Sun Apr 03, 2011 at 01:35:18 AM UTC

The real RINOs (4.00 / 3)

are the ones who are perpetrating this travesty on our state.

They're not real Republicans, they're barbarians.

They. Don't. Care.
We do.
Rinse, repeat.

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by: GreyMike @ Sun Apr 03, 2011 at 01:49:20 AM UTC

Tim Copeland (4.00 / 1)

I e-mailed every single rep listed in the article, thanked them for their willingness to maintain an open mind, and encouraged them to stand up to O'Brien.

Here's what I heard back from Stratham's Tim Copeland (R):

Thank you for your communication. I appreciate your sentiments. As far as
standing up for New Hampshire, I always will. No one intimidates me,
especially the Speaker and he knows that. I work for the people of my
district, and then the state, not him. I'm a retired NYPD commander. I've
gone up against some real tough people in my 20 + years there. I'm a
tenacious individual that is independent minded and believes in principals
that I wouldn't violate for anyone. It's all about integrity. When I ran for
office, I didn't hide from anything, and many of the people in my district
know of my politics as a Selectman. I'm proud of the service to my town and
this state.

Then I checked his record on a few key education/labor bills I follow: he voted against the HB 2 budget, against HB 580 pension, against HB 542 eliminating compulsory school attendance, against HB 474 right to work and against HB 631 repealing public kindergarten.  

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by: dooper @ Sun Apr 03, 2011 at 03:48:59 AM UTC

Couldn't have put it better (0.00 / 0)

than Alton Republican Rep. Peter Bolster:

"The Republicans of today are people that Republicans of 20 years ago wouldn't even recognize."

I hope voters recognize that in 2012.

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by: FrankLloydMike @ Sun Apr 03, 2011 at 13:35:51 PM UTC

The problem the Republican party has is that the scam it's been (4.00 / 1)

running for four decades has finally been revealed.  Under the false flag of "free enterprise," they were pretending to be the party of the heartland and Main Street and small business, when, in reality, they were promoting the interests of mega corporations which preferential legislation enabled to transition from production to speculation and gambling. What was good for GM may have been good for the nation, but not once they got into financial engineering.
Of course, there's a question whether any political parties are needed in the age of government BY the people. Conservatives may be convinced that there's always a need to keep the people in check and Democrats may continue to believe that most people need someone to look after them.
From where I sit, political parties would do well to recruit and promote competent candidates for public office, if only because direct democracy is terribly time-consuming. Republicans would seem to be ideally situated to provide competent representation, but they've really blown it with a crop of office holders who are nothing short of a disgrace.
I'm still undecided about how to refer to them. Perhaps "stand-up politicians" to provide fodder for stand-up comedians would do.
Maybe we should run a contest.

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by: hannah @ Sun Apr 03, 2011 at 22:37:46 PM UTC