Maine Liberty Republicans, including RNC Member Mark Willis, leave GOP

[tsai3904]

One of Maine’s voting representatives to the Republican National Committee and six other libertarian and conservative members of the Republican State Committee have resigned their posts and left the party, citing a list of grievances at the state and national levels. Five other enrolled Republicans also joined the exodus.

“(We) can no longer allow ourselves to be called nor enrolled as Republicans; we 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,” reads a letter signed by Maine Republican National Committeeman Mark Willis and 11 others that was sent to a state party official. “We instead choose the path that focuses on ways to help our fellow Mainers outside of party politics.”

The decision by Willis and the others to unenroll from the Maine Republican Party and resign from their positions is a sign of the continuing discord among some within Republican ranks as the party struggles to rebuild after stinging losses at the ballot box.

Libertarian or “Liberty Movement” Republicans, although representing a small but growing faction, won control of their parties in Maine and several other states last year. But they have since clashed with more mainstream or “establishment” leaders. The discord has been pronounced in Maine, as evidenced by a high-profile internal fight that spilled onto the floor of the Republican National Convention last year and the recent resignations of the party’s two top officials.

More:
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Six-top-Maine-Republicans-quit-party.html?pagenum=full

 

[supermario21]

Discouraging, there goes any leverage to make the party less statist, though I'm sure the majority of Maine Republicans are the old Rockefeller type.

 

[FrankRep]

That was retarded.

 

[angelatc]

Dumb, but unless you have been in the thick of it, you cant understand it.

 

[CaptLouAlbano]

If I counted correctly, these folks made up about 15% of the state committee. Patience is a virtue. This is a shame, because now it is a step backwards for the liberty movement in that state. Time to find some new folks to take their place, that can hopefully have more perseverance.

 

[FrankRep]

If I counted correctly, these folks made up about 15% of the state committee. Patience is a virtue. This is a shame, because now it is a step backwards for the liberty movement in that state. Time to find some new folks to take their place, that can hopefully have more perseverance.

With more effort they could have owned the state committee.

The Neocons just won Maine.

 

[NoOneButPaul]

They should all move to NH...

 

[Keith and stuff]

They should all move to NH...

The NHGOP is very welcoming to liberty lovers. It is easy for a liberty lover to got on the state committee.

If I was on the ME State Committee I would be really annoyed by this. It is really hard for Republicans to get elected in many parts of ME and they need all of the help they can get. Now with less people on the Committee, it might be harder for some Republican candidates in 2014.

I'm not surprised that some of the newly political Ron Paul folks might get annoyed with ME politics. I thought GOP politics was pointless where I used to live. That's one of the reasons I moved to NH.

 

[Keith and stuff]

The letter. It deals with a lot of national issues. That doesn't make sense to me. These people should focus on their state party, state issues, state candidates and state bills. And sure, taxes went up in Maine but taxes always go up in Maine, people there love taxes. And yes, Gov. LePage did veto some good bills but what do you expect, he isn't Ron Paul or even Rand Paul or even Ted Cruz. Overall, he is pretty good on the issues, especially by ME standards.

http://media.kjonline.com/documents/MaineGOP-resignations-letter.pdf

August 18, 2013
To Maine State GOP Secretary Chuck Mahaleris:
There are times in your life when you must choose between two paths.
The first path, if taken, would require us to remain within the Republican Party despite the fact that we
know without a doubt that Republican ideas of more freedom and less taxes -- while sounding good
and repeated by any and all candidates – are in fact, worth no more than the paper that they are written
on.
The second path leads to a principled preservation of our individual integrity, helping out our fellow
citizens at the local level, and doing our level best for our Creator, our families, and our friends.
We have therefore chosen to follow the path of the latter.
Effective immediately, we the undersigned are unenrolling from the Maine Republican Party.
Furthermore, those of us who hold official Party positions, be they at the Republican National, State,
County or even Town Committees, hereby resign. Our reasons for doing so are as follows:
The RNC:
At the RNC, we have fought the good fight and kept the faith with regards to the rules. The Resolution
that was passed in January 2013 by the Maine Republican State Committee put the RNC on notice that
the grassroots were listening (and watching), leading to the rules battles which have taken place
consistently since the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa. The duplicity and lack of
political courage which has been on display in this matter has sealed the fate of this Party.
Furthermore, it has become clear to us now that the RNC has no intention of reforming and would
rather fly under invalid rules than to right the wrongs of Tampa. We therefore cannot, in good faith,
support or defend the actions of the RNC. To violate our consciences and support those actions would
make us part of the problem – especially after we clearly provided and handed the RNC the solution
which was flatly rejected. The RNC now owns their demise.
Congressional Republicans:
In the House of Representatives, the cowardly leadership of John Boehner reached a new low in
December 2012 when he purged the most fiscally conservative GOP members from leadership
positions, citing their “unwillingness to be team players.” Political punishment such as this from
Speaker Boehner has garnered justifiable rage from conservative groups, and from us, as we expected
better.
Furthermore, the House Republican leadership's utter disdain for the United States Constitution,
specifically the 4th Amendment, was on full display as they worked overtime to kill the Amash
Amendment which would have gone a long way toward constraining the NSA to the boundaries of the
Constitution and seriously curbed their ability to conduct mass surveillance of Americans. Be it known
that we cannot and will not support nor defend these actions.
In the United States Senate, we see Republicans all too willing to pass unconstitutional bills related to
subjects such as the Internet Sales Tax and Immigration. Whether through arrogance or ignorance, they
fail to understand the simple fact any revenue generating legislation must originate in the House of
Representatives.
Additionally, the Senate Republicans continue to support undeclared wars, meet in secret and supply
arms to our “terrorist enemies” who we vowed to destroy after 911, and then tell us they love our
troops – so long as it's our kids and not theirs who have to go fight.
Lastly, all too many Senate Republicans are more than willing to pass new “feel good” gun control
legislation that would do nothing to stop another Sandy Hook massacre, all the while restricting 2nd
Amendment rights of law abiding American citizens. We cannot support nor defend these actions in
good faith.
Maine Republican Legislators:
In Maine, the Republican legislators in the House and Senate failed to sustain the Governor's veto on
one of the most important pieces of legislation of the 126th. Maine Republicans were justifiably
outraged, especially at those legislators who campaigned on lower taxes.
We have been told that many donors have refused to donate one more cent to the MEGOP due to this
budget debacle, but nevertheless we are expected to ignore these facts and get out there and raise funds
for the party. This we cannot do in good faith; the Republican Party has lost its way and the donors
know it.
The LePage Administration:
Not to be outdone by the legislators, this Administration's support for Common Core Education
Standards, the Internet Sales Tax, the atypical meddling in the business of the Maine State Committee,
as well as the vetoes of the Drone and Cell Phone bills left many of us incredulous.
However, the straw that broke the camel's back for many of us was the veto of LD 1282 (the “Raw
Milk Bill”) and those who voted to sustain it: a sad day indeed for the small farmers of Maine. We
want our God-given rights to buy, sell and consume what we want protected by the law – not restricted
by FDA or USDA directives. These actions we cannot explain nor defend in good faith – the
Republican Party has lost it's way.
Therefore, for the above-stated reasons, we can no longer allow ourselves to be called nor enrolled as
Republicans; we 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.
We instead choose the path that focuses on ways to help our fellow Mainers outside of party politics.
Some of us may be town officers or board members.
Some of us may leave all options on the table with regards to running for higher office as Independents.
Some of us may be small farmers and gardeners who desire to help feed their communities.
Others may simply want to just get part of their life back, catching up and spending more time with
friends and neighbors.
Sincerely,
Republican National Committee Member:
Mark Willis, Washington County
Maine Republican State Committee Members:
Thomas Barry, Androscoggin County
Ann-Marie Grimes Grenier, Cumberland County
Gregory Hodge, Lincoln County
Olga LaPlante, Cumberland County
Russell Montgomery, Knox County
Violet Willis, Washington County
Maine Registered Republicans:
Sam Canders, Penobscot County
Bryan Daugherty, Penobscot County
Maria Hodge, Penobscot County
L. Scott D'Amboise, Androscoggin County
Debbie D'Amboise, Androscoggin County

 

[CaptLouAlbano]

Good observation Keith. I guess the question I would have to ask is what did they expect? They are a minority in the party. You bite your tongue, hold your ground and increase your numbers over time. Change doesn't happen overnight.

 

[jjdoyle]

Well, is this group the same group that were delegates for Ron Paul to the RNC, and were outright rejected at the RNC and not recognized, and basically abandoned by Ron Paul 2012?

 

[kathy88]

Well, is this group the same group that were delegates for Ron Paul to the RNC, and were outright rejected at the RNC and not recognized, and basically abandoned by Ron Paul 2012?

Some of them, I would imagine. They were all very very cool. Met them in Tampa.

 

[LibertyEagle]

Disappointing for sure. I wish they had hung on, but I wasn't in their shoes.

 

[Jackie Moon]

Disappointing for sure. I wish they had hung on, but I wasn't in their shoes.

That's pretty much exactly what I was going to say.

I can't judge them because I wasn't in their shoes. I know it was rough, especially for them with what happened at the RNC.

But it's still disappointing.

 

[FSP-Rebel]

Jeez louise, keep coalition building don't quit. Barely one election cycle and then out, even the NV folks have been through more and kept at it.

 

[CaptLouAlbano]

It took 15 years for libertarians to take the majority in our county.

 

[Bastiat's The Law]

Influence grows like a weed.

 

[jjdoyle]

Some of them, I would imagine. They were all very very cool. Met them in Tampa.

Maybe some are upset that after they paid their way to Tampa, for nothing, they are being charged for Ron Paul Channel also?

 

[lib3rtarian]

Well, that escalated quickly. Does anyone think the ME GOP gives 2 hoots about the feelings of these folks who left and now will change their ways based on a letter? These folks should have stayed on. But yeah, things must have been really screwed up.

 

[Bastiat's The Law]

Their influence would have grown with time. Just in time for Rand's run. But that takes a certain degree of forethought.