Maine GOP More Unified at State Committee Meeting after Convention

Sounds good to me, too!

Same here, Dennis. Major celebration mode at Casa Kennebunk.

As a local candidate I say thank you. Without the support of all Republicans we will not continue our successes!

Not me. I am not ready to make nice with the republican party. Between the delegates not being seated and the rules change I have seen enough. I read something online that really hit home. If the rules that were just passed at the nationial convention were in place in 1976, the support for Ronald Reagan would have been squashed and 1980 would have very well been different.

Apparently this was by invitation only.

I'm a fairly active member of the County Committee and Delegate to the past several conventions, and the first I heard of this "emergency meeting" was on the TV news.

Were State Tea Party activists invited or excluded? It would appear that there is a purge going on in the "Big Tent", and if Rush Limbaugh is correct, then it is the pro-Life Conservatives, Christians, and TEA Party / Liberty movement Republicans who are getting the heave-ho out the back door.
In case you haven't noticed, we have become 'persona non gratia' in the New World progressive GOP.

Back in '09 I was hoping that the TEA and the GOP could form an effective, symbiotic coalition in order to win elections and take our Country back from the brink of socialism, despair, and economic collapse together. In 2010 it looked like we might have had a good thing going on there.... But Alas; the establishment would have none of it. They must control all, and whatever they cannot control, they must destroy... even, apparently, like an Islamic Haji zealot, if it means destroying themselves in the process.

Is it my imagination, or has Mitt Romney been avoiding TEApers like the bloody plague? If he wants anything to do with us at all, it's not yet come to my attention. It's like we've got cooties or something. Maybe he's afraid of Pete's red crawdad(?) like they might settle into his sacred undergarments and breed or something.
Apparently The good Bishop just wants us to hold our noses (Pete H's little crawdad clip might help) vote for him, then shut up and get the *bleep* out of the way until 2016 when we will be expected to repeat the process.

I get the impression that the establishment is none too happy with the conservative pro life anti Sharia platform - about like their reaction to our 2010 State platform which Snowe and Collins promptly vowed to ignore (and by gosh they did, too). Could that be another reason they've got it in for us?

The Country clubbers may be talking all peace and light now, but I have a feeling that they are bound for revenge, and the destruction of the TEA Party remains goal #1... "At all costs".

Shucks; I never expected a "Thank you" card from the GOP for handing them the Blaine House and both houses of the State Legislature in 2010, not to mention the US House majority, but having them turn around and put out a fatwa on us for our trouble strikes me as being a record breaking display of utterly uncalled for acute, barbaric ingratitude... at the very least.

TEApers and Paulers beware; just because you don't see the daggers right now, it's just because they've gone back under the cloaks... for the time being.

I wouldn't turn your backs on the establishment elite (and you know who they are by now) right away if I were you... at least not until after the election.

"Republicans seek to heal wounds at Waterville meeting" ....that is the title of the news article; operative work "seek".

"Maine GOP Unified at State Committee Meeting after Convention"...that is the title of this thread; operative word "Unified".

So after one meeting of 75 or so people, representing some undefined component of the Maine population one can simply declare: OK.....yes! We are united now? Saying the words does not make it true.

I don't know about "unified," but we are trying to mend the gaping wound which has been exacerbated by, among other things, GOP officials saying things like, "I doubt they [the liberty faction of the GOP] will make any difference in the next election" and RIGS ["Republicans in Good Standing"] urging our group to leave the GOP and join the Libertarian Party.

We hope to heal it, but it is the sentiment of many that those who have not spoken out against the wholesale disenfranchisement of the duly elected delegates -- or at the very least, against the emulation of the federal government by the national party in their latest overreaches -- will not get their support or their votes.

And to me, that seems reasonable.

The removal of half the properly elected delegates was unnecessary. Think about it. The wound or tearing of the party unity was not called for. Those who supported those who were not Paul supporters were, to put it simply, sore losers. I was there and saw the election of the delegates and saw well organized people win the day according to the rules. It is very sad and off putting to consider what happened in Florida. The sore losers caused the disunity, make no mistake about it.

I was there yesterday and I don't see it as unified. I just see it as the old guard Maine GOP establishment being replaced by another closed group who doesn't want any participation and opinions other than from their own "ranks", ie Ron Paul Supporters", No difference. Mainstream Maine Republicans are again being pushed out and ignored.

Nobody's saying that all the hatchets have been buried. However, presumably, Pete Harring represents at least a portion of Maine's Tea Party. From his quotes, it appears he's ready to move on. Everyone is welcome to make their own decisions.

Those who weren't notified of the meeting can check with the Maine GOP as to the reasons.

Myself, I continue to believe that no matter the past wrongs committed by the Maine GOP, the RNC, or the RP supporters, it's important to look at the most important goal.
To my mind, that's taking back the White House from the Obama administration on November 6th.

I was pleased to hear of at least some determination to put the past aside, and move on toward that most important of goals.

*****************

I have edited the thread title to include the word "more."

Will one meeting heal all wounds? No way! BUT it's refreshing and hopeful that this close to all the Turmoil in Tampa that both sides sat down and had an Adult Conversation. What's the old saying?... "You eat an Elephant one bite at a time" PUN unintended, BUT...
Bottom Line for me is, We need to get Mr. Obama out of OUR Whitehouse! GH

Shucks; I never expected a "Thank you" card from the GOP for handing them the Blaine House and both houses of the State Legislature in 2010,

You sure as heck won't get one from me unless you were out there working in the trenches the way all those old-school party faithful did in 2010 and the way they still are now. They don't like the acrimony either but are able to put it behind them as they know they are working for something bigger than just their egos.

And I didn’t expect a “Thank you” from you either for the years of being in the minority that we lowly GOP legislators had to endure and the work that we did over the past ten years, but a few less complaints might have been nice. At the very least I hope you are out there working for your local House and Senate candidates this election season - that is, of course, if they passed your litmus test.

This is not about "egos". This is about the RNC doing the wrong thing. Anyone that thinks that the events of the national convention were appropriate is being disingenuous at best.

Myself, I think there's been mistakes and inappropriate actions from all three "parties" to this controversy. That includes the Maine GOP, the Ron Paul supporters, and the RNC.

Maine Ron Paul backers force vote to condemn national GOP and longtime state party leaders

After a series of setbacks at the Republican National Convention last week in Tampa, Fla., the Ron Paul wing of Maine’s Republican Party gained a symbolic victory Saturday.

During a meeting from which the media was barred Saturday morning, the Maine Republican Party’s state committee passed four resolutions proposed prior to last month’s national convention by Paul supporters who are members of the state committee.

Bangor Daily News

Agree completely. And now, there's larger work to be done.

Agree completely. And now, there's larger work to be done.

Exactly.

Mike Lange, thank you for the link to the BDN article.

Hopefully, the resolutions that were approved will move the Maine GOP forward.

The article indicates that following the state committee meeting, Ron Paul supporters campaigned with GOP party leaders, going door-to-door in support of Waterville area GOP candidates for the Legislature.

Pfaff said “It’s time to move on and get Republican candidates elected,.”

The article indicates that following the state committee meeting, Ron Paul supporters campaigned with GOP party leaders, going door-to-door in support of Waterville area GOP candidates for the Legislature.

That is good news. A few have taken their ball and gone home, though.

"Myself, I think there's been mistakes and inappropriate actions from all three "parties" to this controversy. That includes the Maine GOP, the Ron Paul supporters, and the RNC."

At the risk of sounding overly harsh...the above statement, absent specifics, is idle rhetoric, also known as leadership by cheerleading.

If you have ever participated in a group with a healthy culture you understand the value of evaluation....different than criticism....evaluation as in a willingness to self-evaluate for the purpose of improving performance.
For example, the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA) boldly states their cultural values as folllows:
OPEGA seeks to be a model for best practices in government and is committed to:

Independence and objectivity

Professionalism, ethics and integrity

Participatory, collaborative approach

Timely, effective communications

Valuable recommendations

Continuous improvement

Using skilled and knowledgeable staff

Minimizing disruption of operations

Identifying root causes

Measuring its own performance

Smart use of its own resources

So in the OPEGA type culture, one would be required to list for examination the:
"mistakes and inappropriate actions"

Of: "all three "parties"

.....specifically to prevent re-occurance of poor performance paractices, and to identify root causes; ie dont treat the symtoms, treat the problem;

Having said all of that....my sense is that republican leadership is exhorting us to just get over it (whatever it is) and move on.
That commits everbody that follows that cultural bent to repeat the "mistakes and inappropriate actions from all three parties".
Republicans need new leadership.

my sense is that republican leadership is exhorting us to just get over it (whatever it is) and move on.

I think it's also rank-and-file Republicans who want to win and understand what is at stake if we don't who want us all to “get over it.” You know who they are - the ones who show up at every committee meeting and volunteer to drive candidates, the ones who hold meet and greets, the ones who make the phone calls and write the letters and help assemble lawn signs. They understand how thin our majority is in the legislature and how bad our current president is. They are not trying to make a point. They are just doing what is right. They’ve always been there for the Republicans, even when it wasn’t cool.

Jon, I was recalling the other day what I remember from the convention in 2008. John was running against Miller and he was the only one I was following. ;) There were the 2 mic stands and Knox County was seated on the floor to the right of the mic stand on the right. Delegates, in turn, were offering up amendments to our platform. John and I observed some extremely rude behavior from the folks sitting around us; snorting, calling out snide remarks; just all around rude. It was my first convention and I wondered what it was I was surrounded by. John and I tried to keep our attention on the actual amendments being put forth because our party's platform, our principles, folks were actively crafting and we thought this was important. Up until that year, my activities in the party were primarily planting signs on people's lawns, participating in phone banking, running absentee ballots and such. This whole convention thing and amendments and all was very interesting to me. We found ourselves stating to each other as we listened intently trying to hear the amendments and the names of the folks offering them, "That one sounds reasonable ... I like that one ... There's a good one...." all the while feeling really grossed out by the folks around us who wouldn't shut up.

So, 2008 passes on into the legislative season and Stimulus and Obama Care and an assortment of other offensive such things ...which went into the rise of the Tea Party ... which passed on into the next campaign season and oh, boy! look at this! we have another candidate that proved to be an inspiration to many; energizing lots of folks to get the job done; Paul LePage.

Some folks that were actively engaged in 2008 were still engaged through the legislative season , engaged in the Tea Party, and engaged in the next campaign cycle. Some went home. So, in early '09 into 2010 we saw a wave of folks, and I know plenty who registered Republican just to vote for Paul, and a host of folks turned out for the convention and blammo! a whole new platform was overwhelmingly adopted. And after the win in November, where did they all go??? I see a fraction of the folks who were engaged to get Paul elected still engaged. I see some folks I remember from 2008 and yes, some folks that were new in 2010 I see, but no where near the numbers at that time. So, here we are, with another wave. Some folks will stay, some will go.

Back in 2007, I began hearing folks say, "I didn't leave the Republican Party. The Republican Party left me." Every result and every effect has a cause. What is actually happening in a very apparent way with the party and has been happening for consecutive cycles and - maybe longer then I can remember - is folks trying to take corrective action and not just look away, or sweep under the rug that which needs to be dealt with. I cannot ever fault anyone for trying to make things better; for trying to restore truth and honesty and individual responsibility – not just through public policy but also through the party.

Folks who care about the principles of the party (our platform) and the health of the party (rules, bylaws) should also care about the effectiveness of the party (electing our candidates). Please, don't mistake the disappearance of some to be the disappearance of all. I don't mean to come off as some know it all. I just figured that sharing some observations might be helpful.

I'm equating what's been going on to growing pains; these are growing pains. Some will stay, some will leave. I am thankful for the folks that are staying. And I hope the folks that leave continue to fight for the restoration of constitutional governance. The grassroots continues to expand. Some of this will be expressed through the party. Some won't. I'd like to know that most of us are looking at each other and remembering that we are all here because we want to make things better.

The possible natural outgrowth of it all? A stronger, more responsible organization that wins elections - and an incremental movement to constitutional governance that the party can play a huge role in.

And I think, we can continue the arguments amongst us after November.

CJ - don't get me wrong, I love the enthusiasm and much appreciate the new blood. It is this combination of old and new that is very powerful. No one group "handed us" the 2010 wins, as UJ thinks. We need all involved. and when that happens, we win. And thank you especially for your commitment.

'It is this combination of old and new that is very powerful. ... When we're all involved, we win'

~ Amen.

Spider
Except there is no one to require any results of an examination of "mistakes and inapproriate " things to be published by any of the parties involved.

Besides if that happened people involved wouldn't be talking about it in 2016,20 ,24,28 !!!!!!

There is a bigger thing to do at this point as stated above.I have stated before if Romney succeeds everyone can say we were right.
If he fails then the wounded parties can claim a win also ! (Which I believe would be pleasing to many)

You are correct in your sense about the leadership,maybe they see the bigger thing at the moment.
This whole thing has been elevated to a level it really doesn't need to be at.
If any one can establish any laws were broken, not feelings,then continue but it is time to let it go .
Walk into the booth on election day excercize your individual vote ,say anything about what you did or not that you choose!