I’d like to welcome you to the Medina County Lincoln Day Dinner. I think it’s tremendous that you’re here. I’d like to take a moment right up front to thank the Lincoln Day Dinner committee, and in particular Sandy Calvert, for making the effort to reach out to grassroots organizations this year. Doing so was a risk; it’s just not how things are done, you know. My bride and I agreed to be involved this year because we believe that good can come of this when we work together towards a common purpose without sacrificing our principles. We believe that that is possible.
I’m going to talk a bit about the grassroots folks that have sprung up over the past 18 months. I want it to be known that I do not, and cannot, claim to speak for the movement in general, or any grassroots organization in particular. Just as we do not have a single leader but many; we also do not have a single spokesperson – we are each our own. I have far too much respect for the people within the movement – many of whom I am proud to call my friends – to presume to speak on their behalf.
So, my thoughts here tonight are just that. My thoughts. My perspective. Others might have perspectives that differ from mine and I encourage you to reach out to those folks in order to learn them. And I in turn encourage those gestures to be returned. That’s what this evening is all about.
So, who are we?
We have been called a variety of things. Grassroots; 9/12ers; tea partiers. Right-wing nutjobs, astroturfers, and other less flattering names. Some have even gone so far as to falsely blame for us for lawlessness, including this week’s tragedy at the IRS office in Austin.
Quite frankly, you can call us whatever you want. But the truth is, we’re just ordinary Americans. That’s it. Ordinary folks.
Up until 18 months ago, many of us – myself included – weren’t involved in politics. Most of us followed politics, but getting involved was another matter entirely. We were busy with our lives – with our work, with our kids, with our stuff. We were distracted easily by shiny things. In the meantime, we either trusted others to represent our interests, or we had written off the system as unfixable, knowing that our voice wouldn’t be heard anyway.
We were, in a word, apathetic.
Then, in the election of 2008, we saw two parties nominate two people, and quite frankly we didn’t think that either of them represented us. Now, John McCain is an honorable man. A good man. An American hero. But he is a man that, regrettable, doesn’t share many of our conservative views. Barack Obama? Well, we had a tiny suspicion that, he just might be a flat-out Marxist socialist.
It turns out we were right.
So, with two parties nominating people that barely represented their own parties much less the electorate, we began to get engaged. McCain may not have been our first choice, but when faced with the alternative, we were willing to swallow hard. We worked the phones, walked the precincts, and delivered the flyers.
But it wasn’t enough. We didn’t carry the day. And, beginning not in January, but in November, our concerns began to turn into reality.
And our fear turned into anger.
Ours is a country founded on ideas. God-given rights, not man-granted privileges. Responsibility, not dependence. Liberty, not tyranny. And for over two centuries, this grand experiment, borne out of the blood of patriots, has been the envy of the world. This is the country that freed the slaves, that stormed the beaches of Normandy, that first set foot on the moon.
And now, we are at a crossroads. We fear – we genuinely fear – that the country of Madison and Jefferson, of Lincoln And Reagan, is in mortal peril. We do not say that as an exaggeration. This is not hyperbole. We literally fear that our children will not have a shining city on a hill to pass on to generations yet to come.
That is why we’re angry. That is why we’re here. And quite frankly, we cannot fathom why more Americans are not as terrified as we are.
Now at this point, some of you may be thinking to yourselves, “yes, we do share that fear. But where were you? Where were you 5 years ago, 10 years ago, 25 years ago? You call yourself grassroots. Well, so do I. And I’ve been grassroots for longer than some of you have been alive.”
I have an answer to that.
You’re right.
Many of us weren’t there. We don’t have the history. We don’t have the tenure. We don’t have the experience. You’re absolutely right. And I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to you for all of the heavy lifting and thankless hours you have devoted to the cause.
Many of us weren’t there. But we’re. Here. Now. We’re here now, and although we may not have as much tenure as you in grassroots building, we are every bit as American as you, and every bit as concerned as you. And, where our Principles are Common, we want to work with you toward our Common Cause.
Where our Principles are Common. That touches on another point, a point that is of great concern to many of us here. It can perhaps best be illustrated by a quote:
“I consider myself a progressive Republican. I am liberal on social issues and I think the party is at a place where social issues shouldn’t be the issues that define the party. I’ve taken heat, but in fairness to me, I’m a different generation than the people that are giving me heat. I’m 24 years old I”m not in my forties, I’m not in my 50s and older and I think there’s just such a generation gap that the people who don’t understand me I actually take it as a compliment. Sort of this new young Republican can come forward and make progress and be successful in ways that this party has currently failed.”
This is not your ordinary, run-of the-mill, woman-on-the-street. No, this is the woman the State-Run Media is working hard to cultivate as the heir-apparent to the Republican brand. This is Meghan McCain.
And so, for us, it really isn’t about party. For too long our nation – and no doubt many of the people in this room – have viewed the ideological battle being waged as being between Republicans and Democrats. I’m here to tell you that I don’t see it that way at all, and I don’t think that many of the ordinary Americans in this room and across this nation who have melted switchboards and crowded townhalls and filled public squares see it that way. For us, there is little difference at this point between Republicans and Democrats.
That’s not the battle. The real battle is instead between Progressives and Conservatives. And while you may not find many conservatives in the Democrat party, you will find a dismaying number of progressives in the Republican party. This is not a new problem, of course. The disease of progressivism – which has as its basis a reverence for Darwin with a little Marx thrown in – can be traced at least back to Teddy Roosevelt, a Republican. It was personified in Woodrow Wilson, and has been present in varying degrees ever since – FDR and LBJ. Carter and Clinton. And now, Bush and Obama. Progressivism knows no party lines.
Where, then, is the party to represent Conservatism – which has as its basis a reverence for God, for country, for Constitution? Where, then, is the party to represent the ordinary American? The marketing materials of the Republican party would have you believe that it is them, but I would submit to you that if that were the case, we wouldn’t have Lindsey Graham or Olympia Snowe in the Senate or John McCain as a former Presidential nominee.
Where do we, as conservatives and Constitutionalists, as the heart of this country, go?
I believe the answer to that is still in the hands of the leadership of the Republican party at the county, state, and national levels all across this country. I believe there is an opportunity to reach out to these ordinary Americans, and say “we hear you, and we want you involved.” I believe that can be done.
But if it is not done soon the opportunity will be lost. The window will close. And the party will never recover. And I fear – and again, I say, this is only my perspective – that if that happens, if that gap is not bridged and that anger translates at the ballot box, then not only will the party not recover, but the country may not either. Because if we’re divided, they win. And we cannot afford that.
And that is why I am here tonight. Because I want to help bridge that gap. I want to seize the chance for a healthy exchange of ideas. And I believe that there are enough people in the party and in the movement who genuinely want to do that as well.
But for those conversations to be constructive, they can’t be had with ulterior motives, or ill intent. Do not come to the discussion thinking that principles are on the table. Do we have a lot to learn? Certainly; absolutely. Party politics is intricate, and messy, and entirely illogical. But Principles are none of those things, and they are not things that we must “learn.” Principles just are; so if your intent is to tell us how we sometimes must compromise our principles for the sake of getting something done, save your breath. There’s been far too much of that to go around.
I submit – and I say this for everyone in the audience, even those ordinary Americans that may disagree with me – that for the sake of the country, the movement and the party need each other. The party needs the new energy, the passion, and the principles of the grassroots movement, and the movement needs, to be blunt, the access to power, favorable election laws, and money of the party. That’s ugly, but from where I stand it’s the truth. We must find a way to work together without sacrificing our souls.
And my message to the grassroots (this won’t take nearly as long): it can be done. Too often we all paint the Republican party with broad brushstrokes, using paint diluted by compromise. I’m here to tell you that there are good, good people in this party. People that share your views, your anger, and your concern. People that I’m proud to know, and that I think you’d be proud to know too.
Time is of the essence. Even now, the democrats are working to ram through the cornerstone of socialism – universal healthcare – against the will of the people and with only a passing glance at congressional rules. After that it will be cap and trade – no matter how much it snows. After that it will be comprehensive immigration reform. After that it will be card check. The progressives know that a rare moment is upon them – for the first time in a generation, finally, their dark stars have aligned – and they are working tirelessly to slam shut the door of liberty forever.
We cannot allow that to happen. The stakes are too high.
I’ll end with a quote:
“In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. This is that moment and you are that generation.”
That was said by Judge Andrew Napolitano at last year’s Ohio State Sovereignty rally. But he was not the first to utter the beginning of that phrase. No, it was first uttered in 1962, by a democrat – by John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address. The stakes were as high then as they are now.
The only difference, is that this time, the enemy is from within.
It is not too late to summon the American spirit of the founders. It is not too late to meet our moment. Let us do now what was done at the birth of our nation and pledge together our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor, so help us God.
The Virginia GOP: Saying what so many of us were thinking this morning…from Ohio to Maine to DC.
Dave Yost
I’ve followed with interest and a little concern the developments in the grassroots movement over the past few days, and I wanted to take a moment to share my perspective on the circumstances surrounding Dave Yost’s decision to run for Auditor of State rather than Attorney General.
I want to preface this with one statement that I believe many of us can make: I don’t have all the facts, and neither does anyone else, aside from the people directly involved. I think it’s important to be rather clear about that, because there have been a number of conclusions drawn, and I’m not sure that all of them are based in facts.
I first heard of Mary Taylor running as John Kasich’s running mate from one of the State Central committee people who represents me. I haven’t asked whether any of the information shared with me was on or off the record, so I will refrain from naming names. Besides, telling you it was State Central Committee rep narrows the field down significantly.
In general, there was dismay at the announcement, with a number of insiders concerned that the Republican party was losing its one state-wide elected official, especially with an announcement this late in the game. It opened up the very real possibility that the AOS spot would be lost to a democrat that already had a statewide campaign well under way.
A few days later, I heard on the radio that Dave Yost had announced his intention to switch races. This was surprising and disappointing. I speculated – did not know, just speculated – that Yost had chosen to switch because the “writing was on the wall” for the AG race and, rather than lose a quality conservative candidate, it would be wiser to run for the auditor’s seat.
I voiced this rationale to the State Central Committee person previously mentioned, who honestly couldn’t verify my assumption because they weren’t in the know. It was shared that Dave Yost called them seeking council, and it was a tough decision.
There have been a number of assertions made, that, if they were all true, truly would be a terrible signal that the Republican party still doesn’t get it. Among them are:
- Dave had been pressured into the move to make way for Mike DeWine, since he and Kevin DeWine were family.
- Mary Taylor was forced to run for Lieutenant Governor because she wasn’t getting any funds from the Ohio Republican Party.
- Mary Taylor and John Husted are political enemies within the ORP, thus the reason for not having funds to fund her campaign.
- Dave Yost is the hand-picked candidate of Kevin DeWine and John Husted.
Once I saw the anger on the message boards, I decided to see if I could find out the truth behind the changes. The truth in politics is an elusive thing, but I felt it was better to try, rather than accept the assertions made by others without researching them myself.
So, I e-mailed Dave Yost, and he e-mailed me back. I got his permission to share this with others, so I am doing so via my blog. Here’s what I got back:
Thanks for the opportunity to respond.
Mary Taylor surprised us all a couple of weeks ago when she announced that she would not run for re-election for Auditor of State, but would instead become John Kasich’s running mate.
That created a special challenge. The Auditor of State is one of three offices that controls how legislative district lines are drawn. Ceding that seat to the liberals is simply not an option. But with our popular incumbent switching offices, what was the GOP to do?
Ohio is a huge state – more than 11.6 million people spread out over 41,000 square miles. If you could meet 300 people a day, seven days a week, it would take more than a century to meet everyone. A statewide campaign is different than a city or congressional race, and simply cannot be ginned up in the matter of a few months.
I was approached by local and state leaders and asked to consider running for Auditor of State. I’ve been a county auditor, and understand and value the work. After much prayer, reflection and taking of counsel, I decided that I could best serve the conservative ideals I’ve fought for by defending the Auditor of State seat.
It was clear that no matter what my decision was, there would be people who would be angry with me. I chose what I thought to be the right thing to do, and did it. Every Ohioan is free to make up his or her own mind – that’s the right of every free American patriot. But the sole basis for my decision was what I thought was right.
A few points in response to the various rumors and arguments swirling around the internet:
Qualifications. I’m the only candidate who has actually done the work of an auditor, as an award-winning county auditor from 1999-2003. That’s why more than half of Ohio’s county auditors have endorsed me for this position.
It’s true that I’m a lawyer, not an accountant – I hire and supervise accountants. I’ve met a payroll, stood up to political opposition, fought for what is right – and prosecuted and convicted corrupt politicians who used your money illegally.
The DeWine Connection. Mary Taylor’s decision to run for lieutenant governor was hers alone. She was not “pressured” into it by anyone – and anyone who knows Mary would laugh at the idea that a party chairman or anyone else could force her to do anything she does not want to do.
I quite frankly do not care what Kevin DeWine thinks about me. He has been unhappy with me in the past, and will no doubt be unhappy with me in the future. This decision was about what is right for Ohio.
I understand the frustration with Mike DeWine’s voting record. The fact that Kevin DeWine is a second cousin to Mike DeWine is the most meaningless fact in this whole debate. How many of your second cousins do you know? How much of risk would you be willing to take to help one of them?
Switching races. My opponent was running for re-election to his House seat when Mary made her decision. He abandoned that election to seize an opportunity. His campaign is 10 days old as I write this. The sole difference between his decision to switch races and mine is that he self-promoted, and I was recruited.
Principles are things like constitutionally limited government, lower taxes and individual freedom. A job application is not a principle, no matter how you slice it.
My decision to run for Auditor of State was based on what was best for Ohio, not the hatred of another candidate. I’ve met many of the patriots in the 9-12 movement and the Tea Party, and feel certain that they will make their decision that way, too.
In response to this, I asked a follow-up question:
You indicate that you were recruited. The speculation as to who recruited you and why – aside from the reasons you imply above – runs along two lines:
- You were recruited by the DeWine consortium because it opened the door for Mike DeWine to win the AG race.
- You were recruited to switch races because internal polling indicated the writing was on the wall for your AG race – DeWine was going to win the primary anyway.
His reply:
The first call I received on this was from a county auditor in western Ohio the day after Mary made her announcement. Several more auditors called in the next few days, as did a number of county GOP chairmen.
Six days after Mary’s announcement, ORP Chairman Kevin DeWine called and asked me to consider running for AOS. I promised to consider it. During the next four days, I spoke with a couple of hundred people. Some were movement people who were opposed to the move. There were others in the movement who thought it was wise, for they understood the problems of another candidate starting a statewide race from ground zero and wanted to make sure we protected the apportionment board seat.
I also received calls from several prominent people in the business community, all urging me to do run for AOS.
I never spoke with Mike DeWine, or anyone associated with his campaign. But I don’t think the party was particularly worried about the AG primary — the apportionment board and taking control of the House are the priorities.
As to the polling… not true. The party did not run a poll in the AG race as far as I know. My internal poll showed me beating DeWine if I got my message out.
At the end of the day, conservative are better served winning the AOS seat than the AG seat. I will take the brickbats and do what I think is right. This time, every time.
Thanks for the opportunity to explain. If you disagree with my decision, you will at least be doing so on the merits.
Now, I don’t claim to know Dave Yost. My first encounter with him was when we happened to sit at the same table at last year’s Lincoln Day Dinner where, incidentally, he was running for Attorney General – all the way back then. He seemed like a good guy, but the dirty little secret is that almost all politicians seem nice. If they’re not good at being personable, well, then, they’re not going to get very far. So I’m not going to base my opinion of any politician on a chance encounter.
My next encounter was when he spoke at the MCFAN meeting last year. Again, nice guy, and I thought he made his case quite well. He was unambiguous, principled, and conservative. He also seemed very real, in his Hawaiian shirt. I walked away a big fan, especially when compared to the known quantity that is Mike DeWhine. I know that a number of other people in the audience did so as well.
That’s one of the reasons why it’s puzzling to me to see such a visceral reaction directed toward Dave Yost. Take a moment and think it through – how is it that someone who seemed so principled to people just a few months ago has drawn such ire, just from this decision. I mean, I can mostly understand it if all of the assumptions in the bullet points above are actually true.
But what if they’re not?
What if all the speculation is just that, speculation, and not based on facts?
Now, I know that many of you are a big fan of Seth Morgan, Dave’s opponent. In and of itself, there’s nothing wrong with that, and you obviously don’t need me to tell you that. Everything I’ve read indicates that he’s a conservative. But think about this for a moment: are you rooting for Seth Morgan because of Seth Morgan, or are you rooting for him because he’s not Dave Yost?
Put another way, are you rooting for him because of politics, or because of principles?
And, as a corollary to that, how much do you actually know about Seth Morgan? Sure, he’s a conservative, a state rep, and a CPA. But did you know that he ran for auditor of his county – and lost? Does the fact that Dave Yost has been backed by 44 of the 48 Republican county auditors in the state carry any weight with you? Surely not all can be Republican tools. Surely a couple, at least, can be conservatives.
I’m not asking you to not back Seth Morgan. I’m just asking you to consider that things may not always be as they seem.
Last Friday, members of a number of local grassroots organizations met with Jim Renacci at his office in Wadsworth. It was at his invite, and each of the four counties was represented by at least one organization, plus a bonus appearance by a Summit group. My bride and I were there representing Medina Patriot’s Forum.
A couple of passing observations before I dig into the meeting. First, it was an astute move by Renacci. It afforded him to have a cozy gathering, on his own turf, and have a forthright conversation without the usual guardedness that goes along with camcorders and microphones whirring in the background.
Second, it is a sign of the times – and of our growing visibility – that a candidate would have groups like ours to reach out to in the first place. With the exception of a couple perhaps, 15 months ago – prior to to the election – none of these groups existed. Times have changed, and though we can’t and shouldn’t take the credit alone for the recent Republican wins in New Jersey & Massachusetts, only the willingly blind deny that the new grassroots were part of those victories.
Now, on to the meeting.
Process
The first half of the meeting was really a conversation between he and I (I was the aggressive, angry looking bald guy for those that were there :)), and most of my questions had to do with the process that he went through that led to his backing by the National Republican Congressional Committee, Kevin DeWine, Timken, and the three county party chairs. He took the time to step through the process and timeline that led to his decision to run – who he reached out to and why.
Renacci is a realist. Very few run for office to come in second (though I’m sure Bob Barr would have viewed that as progress), so he had to learn, first, how the process worked. And the process works with money. Specifically, at least $2.5 million to win, and perhaps as much as $3.5M (two years ago, Boccieri spent $4M).
No candidate is going to raise that from local resources alone, so he went to where the money was at: the NRCC. Now, they didn’t just hand over their support; I’m sure there was more work to it than I can convey here or that Renacci conveyed on Friday, but at the very least they conducted a background check on him and ran him through a series of questions to assess his viability. When I inquired as to the nature of the questions they asked, they focused more on “why do you think you’re the best candidate” and “why do you think you can win” kinds of questions. If there were questions of principles and issues, he didn’t mention them.
When the NRCC was ready to throw him their support, he went an extra step and asked them conduct a more thorough background check (to that point they already had 240 pages on him), to which they complied. The upshot was that there were no showstoppers. Sure, every businessman is going to get sued if they achieve some level of success, and Renacci is no exception. But we’re not talking about a love child squirreled away in a dark corner of the globe or a failed Ponzi scheme.
The NRCC was neither the beginning nor the end of the process he undertook. He talked to Kevin DeWine, presumably because of his position in the Ohio Republican Party, and made clear that he felt that if the party continued on this way they’d never win another election. He talked to most major elected Republican officials in all four counties, either directly or indirectly. He had the NRCC conduct a poll of his name recognition among other things. He talked to the Timken Empire to gauge their support. And he participated in the selection process that I wrote about previously and will write about again soon.
The result of all of this work is that he gained the support of the NRCC, the Timken Empire, and three of the four county chairs. For us grassroots folks, those are all what we consider “bad signs.” We don’t like the NRCC, we’ve heard that Timken chose Schuring, and we don’t like the selection process that the county chairmen used. NRCC represents RINOs, Timken represents influence peddling, and the selection process represents the wrong way to do it. Collectively, it smacks of a concerted effort by all three groups to circumvent the primary, and we really don’t like that.
But you know what? If I had been in Renacci’s position – if I were looking to win an election, I would have done it the exact same way even though I hate RINOs, influence peddlers, and all the rest. But it’s the process. The process requires money. It is what it is.
I suppose at this point that some grassroots people reading this are shaking their heads in strenuous disagreement. I get that, but let me ask you some questions: First, is the problem with Renacci, or with the process? Can you blame a person for learning to work with the system? I think we can all agree that the process as we understand it isn’t just flawed, it’s flat out broken. But frankly, that’s not something we’re going to get fixed this election cycle. Like everything else wrong with the republic, fixing it is going to take patience and perseverance.
Second, if this is what it takes to raise the money to win the race, did the other candidates have the savvy to go through the same process? If not, why not?
As far as process is concerned, I have no problem with Jim Renacci. I am impressed by his level of effort and thoroughness and did not conclude, based on Friday night and previous conversations, that he told half-truths or flat out lies about his relationships with the powers that be.
Principles
Most of the evening focused on the process, as you may have gathered. Principles were discussed, but mostly in a way that you had to derive them. Granted, some principles I already knew, such as his stance on abortion (conception through natural death) and the 2nd Amendment. He mentioned again that he signed the petition stating he’d work to repeal health care reform if it passed. Finally, he indicated that he most identifies with Mike Pence, and that ought to count for something.
But that leaves plenty of room for questions about immigration reform, card check, and other issues. Unfortunately, we didn’t touch on those issues as much as I’d've liked.
Now, I said before that Renacci is a realist. The same attribute that benefited Renacci in process is what worries me in principles. That is, it’s one thing to have principles, it’s another thing entirely to stick to them when in the midst of a legislative battle. The point that I made to Renacci a couple days later is that for too long we’ve seen Republicans sacrifice too much to progressives that are not as strong as they appear. How can we be certain that he, the pragmatist that he is, won’t do the same? It may be a question to which the only answer we can believe is “watch and see what I do,” but he made an effort to answer it nonetheless. The nutshell is, Jim Renacci doesn’t need the job, therefore he doesn’t feel compelled to do other’s bidding for the sake of securing their future support.
It’s a valid answer, but seeing is believing.
In Conclusion
In general, I think Renacci had a strong showing, and he tried to drive home the theme that the over-arching goal isn’t to win a primary, but to beat Boccieri. Point taken, and it was certainly a better showing than his appearance at the Akron/Summit breakfast meeting last Saturday. He was transparent, forthright in his answers, and personable. He made the effort, which is consistent with how he’s managed the process thus far.
I started this primary season supporting Matt Miller. As a result of Friday’s meeting, I am now undecided, and that surprises me. Both candidates have strengths and weaknesses. I need to know more about how Matt Miller intends to get the money to win, and I need to know more about Jim Renacci’s principles and how intends not to lose his soul in DC.
Not all are worth watching. This one is. Hope for the new year.
Now we must make sure that the promise is delivered upon. Remember three stats as we enter 2010:
- Congress approval rating two weeks prior to the 2008 election, according to Real Clear Politics: 14%.
- House of Representatives re-election rate two weeks later: 94%
- Average House of Representatives re-election rate of last 5 cycles: 96%
They don’t care because they don’t think it matters. Prove them wrong.
