Angering the local base?

Got this in my e-mail this morning, from the Gilchrest campaign:

National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Congressman Tom Cole endorsed the re-election bid of U.S. Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest today, and urged Marylanders to return Gilchrest to Congress in the 2008 election.

“Wayne Gilchrest is an important part of our Congress and our Party, and I am pleased to offer my strong support for his re-election,” said Cole.

“While we may not agree on every issue, the strength of our Party lies in our diversity of opinions, and in the end, Wayne offers an honest and thoughtful perspective in the House.”

The NRCC is the Congressional arm of the Republican National Committee. U.S. Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma is the elected national Chairman.

Gilchrest said there are several issues that the Congress must face, including addressing deficit spending, resisting the urge to raise taxes, pushing through strong border security legislation, passing a comprehensive energy independence policy, and stabilizing Iraq and improving the United States’ standing in world affairs.

Gilchrest recently voted against a proposed $200 million tax increase put forth by Congressional leaders, co-sponsored legislation to strengthen border security and has co-sponsored legislation to make President Bush’s tax cuts permanent.

Gilchrest is currently serving his ninth term in Congress. He lives in Kennedyville with his wife, Barbara, and has three grown children. Prior to his election to Congress he was a public school teacher in Kent County. He is a former United States Marine who was wounded in combat in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Navy Commendation Medal. He has an associate’s degree from Wesley College in Dover and a bachelor’s degree in history from Delaware State College.

Oddly enough, I guess it was Friday afternoon I got a phone call from this very same organization, looking for contributions. I explained to the lady on the other end that my policy is to donate to individual candidates, and this is the very reason I refuse to donate to such organizations.

The NRCC should be advocating the benefits of restoring a Republican Congress, but not supporting individual candidates at this juncture. Unfortunately, like Lincoln Chafee in 2006 and Arlen Specter in 2004, the RNC puts its weight behind incumbents who seemingly have the “R” behind their name for decoration rather than principle at the expense of candidates who I feel would align more closely to Republican principles.

And they’re doing it again here. So, instead of sending my money to the party I’m going to send it to Andy Harris. Hopefully the Maryland GOP is carefully reading what I say because I got into the group in order to stop their ludicrous pro-incumbent policies unless the voters wish to retain them. Obviously, the First Congressional District jury hasn’t spoken yet and I personally condemn the NRCC for taking sides already.

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer.

9 thoughts on “Angering the local base?”

  1. (My original comment got garbled in transmission.. here it is again..)

    I’m with you 100% on this, Michael.
    The NRCC has been on my “hang up on ‘em” list for a long time now.
    Why?
    Quoting Tom Cole from above:
    >>..the strength of our Party lies in our diversity of opinions..”
    Voting with the democrats is “diversity of opinions?”
    Is that what they call it?
    The NRCC has lost touch with reality, and certainly with the conservative base.
    Get with the program, Tom.

  2. No, the base has spoken resoundingly on the issue of Gilchrest. Year after year, we vote overwhelmingly in the primary to send a principled, independent voice to DC to represent, not the values of a political party, but rather our Eastern Shore values.

    We are proud of our Congressman.

    We aren’t a handful of central committee or Republican club members or donors. But we are the base of tens of thousands of Republican primary voters who turn out every two years to re-elect our Congressman.

    And election after election we have spoken. You just don’t want to listen to what we have said.
    Given the state of the party in the County, District, State, and Nation, maybe you should begin.

    Principle and people – not a political party – first.

  3. I’ll be curious to see what the MD State Republican Party decides to do in this race. Last election, I was disgusted by the way the MD GOP treated primary challengers in State Delegate and State Senate races in Howard County in favor of incumbents. I say this as someone who supported the incumbents getting re-elected, but I felt the party should have stayed neutral until the people spoke instead of providing resources for the incumbents in the primary. All I know is that it ticked off a lot of people who ended up staying home in the General Election and almost cost Republicans a Delegate seat in Howard County.

  4. “thelocalbase” said:

    “Principle and people – not a political party – first.”

    And I agree. While I don’t care for Mr. Gilchrest on a number of issues my beef wasn’t with him specifically, but on a party apparatus that chooses sides before the voters have an opportunity to do so.

    Also, thanks to Dave Wissing for a) linking and b) having a link to a third Republican in the race, Joe Arminio. In addition it’s good to see someone who shares my displeasure with the previous pro-incumbent slant of the Maryland GOP, one I’m told they’re reforming.

  5. I did a little research on Harris last night after reading on his website that he was the Senate Minority Whip under the Ehrlich administration.

    As the minority whip, he ran the Senate Slate which was the vehicle for the state party’s incumbent protection policies in 2006.

    Pretty ironic considering he defeated an incumbent in 1998 to become a Senator and is running against one now.

    Thankfully, it sounds like we have a real republican in Arminio running for Congress instead of a tool for the Republican elites who ran our party into the ground over the last four years.

  6. Principled? Share’s Eastern Shore values? Please show me where…in a District that voted overwhelmingly for George Bush as President, why does he not stand with the President?

  7. When Tom Cole took over as chair of the NRCC he promised that the NRCC would stop meddling in contested primaries and that he would not endorse candidates in contested primaries (for details, http://redmaryland.blogspot.com/2007/07/not-one-penny-more.html).

    I called an acquaintance in the NRCC this morning and the Gilchrest campaign had the okay to send out this email.

    Mr Gilchrest’s merits aside, I happen to think they are darned few, the NRCC should not be interjecting itself into these races. Their interference has been an unmitigated tragedy for the party and for conservatism.

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