This Thursday the LRCC will be meeting UPSTAIRS at the VFW.  We will enter via the bar, downstairs, and then move up to the main floor, which is more "smoke free".

We will have the following Agenda:

1. Greet Visitors.
2. Approve minutes from last meeting.
3. Treasurer's Report (Submitted electronically, as Kamal Jain is unavailable).
4. Old Business: (Planned Activities, Ward Reorganizations, Get Out the Vote)
5. New Business: (Current local political controversy consequences, Possible Primary debates, Senate Primary Candidates)
6. Comments from Surrogates for Senate Primary Race Candidates.
7. Comments from the State Committee Reps.

Regards  --  Cliff

At The Boston Herald is an article on East Walpole baker Ms Andrea Taber, who stopped accepting EBT cards (food stamps) for her whoopie pies and pastries.  She has started her own political movement, "Operation Empty Wallet".

Does anyone have any 'gen on Ms Taber or her movement?

Regards  --  Cliff

On Lowell Telecommunications Corporation's City Life show this last Friday the Dracut co-host, Mr Brian Bond, said that the Republican Party, to survive, will have to move more to the center, to be more moderate.

What does that even mean?  And, more important, what will that mean for garnering votes?

It would seem the last General Election showed that a hard left Democrat (Professor Elizabeth Warren) can garner more votes than a moderate or centrist Republican (Senator Scott Brown).

What is it that Republicans can give up to become more centrist?

On the one hand they can give up firm positions on Social Issues, like abortion.  However, what can they offer that will make Democrats and Independents (Unenrolled) happy.  Will they have to agree to abortion on demand, or can they hold out for live-birth or partial birth abortion laws?

To be more moderate, will they have to agree that the Second Amendment is a source of much trouble in this nation and call for curtailing gun rights?  Will Senator Diane Feinstein be their model?

What about workfare vs welfare?  Will Republicans have to move toward President Obama’s position or will they be safe holding to something closer to what Republicans agreed to with President Bill Clinton, which reduced the welfare roles?

Will these Republicans be allowed to hold to the importance of American support to Israel, or is that becoming too radical?

Having gone wobbly on social issues, what will Republicans then have to offer?  Will they be able to say that, one. the budget should not exceed the revenue and two, that revenue needs to be at or less than 21.5% of GDP, to allow the economy room to grow?

Will it still be OK to say that Keynesian economics didn’t work in the 1930s and it won’t work today?

What will this new Republican look like and will anyone stand up and salute him?

I fear he will be amorphous and that none will salute him.

Regards  —  Cliff

Over at The [Lowell] Sun is an Editorial today suggesting we should just sit out the Special Election this year.  The "Bottom Line" from the editorial is:

If the GOP doesn't have a winnable candidate for the upcoming U.S. Senate race, it would be wise to pass it up and chart a patient, strategic, build-up-the-campaign-coffers course for the near future. Two years from now, Democrat-driven higher taxes, higher Obamacare costs, higher budget deficits and an underachieving economy are sure to open the door to political opportunity.

That is rational advice, but politics isn't rational business.  What is that line from the Ancient Greek leader to his soldiers?  "I don't want any of you showing how smart you are by calculating the odds.  We argo just going to go straight at them."

Here is what Joe Martin, of North Attleboro, Republican and TWICE Speaker of the US House of Representatives, said in 1960:

The shattering defeats of Hoover, Landon, and Wilkie made it far more difficult to keep the Republican Party alive and functioning than many remember in the prosperous times that shine upon the party now.

Remember—if it was going to be easy, they could have picked anyone.  As it is, we are the ones selected.

Regards  --  Cliff

On behalf of the Lowell Republican City Committee I would like to pass my congratulations to Quincy City Councilor Kristen Hughes, for her election as Chairman of our Mass GOP.

We are looking forward to a bright new future here in the Massachusetts Republican Party.

Regards  —  Cliff

Earlier this week The Boston Herald had a headline saying Republicans are begging former Senator Scott Brown to saddle up again to run for the US Senate. Frankly, this Republican thought it was time for Scott Brown to rest up and get ready to run for Governor.  I think he agrees.  Here are his comments from today.

“Over these past few weeks I have given serious thought about the possibility of running again, as events have created another vacancy requiring another special election.  I have received a lot of encouragement from friends and supporters to become a candidate, and my competitive instincts were leading in the same direction,” he said in a statement.

“Even so, I was not at all certain that a third Senate campaign in less than four years, and the prospect of returning to a Congress even more partisan than the one I left, was really the best way for me to continue in public service at this time.  And I know it’s not the only way for me to advance the ideals and causes that matter most to me,” he said.

“That is why I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for the United States Senate in the upcoming special election,” Brown concluded.

I think Scott Brown has served us well and I thank him for his service to the Commonwealth and the Party, but it is time to look elsewhere for THIS Senate Race.

My preference is former Lieutenant Governor Kerry Murphy Healey.

Regards  —  Cliff

Here at this link is a quick review of our recent Ballot Initiative Number 2, the so called Death with Dignity initiative.  As we recall, it failed at the ballot box, unlike Ballot Initiative Number 3, the Medical Marijuana proposal.

Once we look past the largest communities, [we] find 156 small to medium sized communities where Question 2 was defeated.  Scott Brown won 133 of them.  These communities are among those that traditionally have supported Republicans and are among the more conservative in an otherwise liberal State.

The top 15 (by population) communities account for 30% of the total population of the Commonwealth. Question 2 was defeated in 10 of these communities: Brockton (63.8% opposed), Fall River (63.1%),Haverhill (53.8%), Lawrence (69.4%), Lowell (57.6%), Lynn (59.2%),New Bedford (62.5%), Quincy (54.1%), Springfield (65.5%). andWorcester (58.7%), by large margins. In Boston it barely (51%) passed.

It is The Atlantic, but it is an interesting article, "Down and Out With Ted Cruz and the GOP".

The thrust of Senator Elect Ted Cruz's talk to the American Principles Project was the same as that of Governor Bobby Jindal.  Referring to the famous "47%" comment by Candidate Mitt Romney, Mr Cruz said:

"I cannot think of an idea more antithetical to the American principles this country was founded on."

And there it is.  Do you agree?

Hat tip to the Althouse Blog.  Check out the comments there.

Regards  --  Cliff

Investor's Business Daily had an article on Friday, 16 November, that was titled "Asian-Americans, Once a GOP Bloc, Now A Deep Blue".  The front page article, by Mr Tom Gray, tells us that the Republicans were doing well with Asian-Americans 20 years ago, but now that support is slipping.  In fact, it slipped to 73% for Candidate Obama and 26% for Candidate Romney this year.

As it went nationally, so it went locally.  There is work to be done by the LRCC.  I don't think there is much hope of outside help, so we have to figure this out for ourselves here as Lowell Republicans.

We have a meeting coming up, Thursday, 6 December.  Ideas and visitors welcome.  VFW on Plain Street at 7:00 PM.

Regards  —  Cliff

Columnist Peter Lucas, over at The Sun, is taking some incoming shots.  I sent a longish letter within the last fortnight, suggesting he had a wrong focus regarding the Benghazi Imbroglio.  And yesterday a letter from Ms Mary Sweeney took aim at a column on the recent election.  While I haven't checked the records to see if Ms Sweeney is a registered Democrat, the odds are.

Four years ago, we had approximately 287 races in Massachusetts.  The Republican Party ran 83 candidates.  Why weren't they interested in the other 204?  When we have had good candidates, we have elected them.

Fair point.  As Republicans we are not running sufficient candidates that if they all won it would change the balance on Beacon Hill.  (As an aside, I would argue that in the 17th Middlesex we have run two great candidates in the last dozen years to no avail.  Sigh)

The LRCC and the MassGOP do need to recruit, train and fund candidates at all levels of Partisan races.  If you are interested in being a Republican candidate, please reach out to us.  My EMail is "crkrieger" at "me.com".

We do get advice from Ms Sweeney:

What do the Republicans have to do?  Throw away the platitudes like "tax-and-spend Democrats" and stop just criticizing other people's ideas and start offering solid ideas of their own.  Don't just say you have plans that you will use when you get elected—show us your plans.

The critique about not talking about our plans is a good one.  Candidate Romney failed in this area.  He was playing, as someone said, "hold the ball".

And, as Governor Bobbie Jindal has pointed out, we need to reach out to 100% of the American voters.  We should not change our message of individual freedom and responsibility for all, but we need to learn to articulate it to the various stakeholders who make up this great nation.

Regards  —  Cliff