Sunday, June 28, 2009
How Crap-and-Trade and One Republican Just Made Me a Candidate
| I want to apologize to Republicans everywhere. I apologize for not having effected enough positive change in the state that I call home, New Jersey. As a result, New Jersey is home to the largest number of Republicans in Congress to have a hand in destroying the economic future of America and the economic well being of all Americans. Congressmen Frank LoBiondo, Leonard Lance and Chris Smith all jumped on board the recent Cap-and-Trade measure, or as I like to call it, the Crap-and-Trade measure, that was recently pushed through the House of Representatives. The fact that these three men willfully bought in to an environmental charade that even the radical environmental group Greenpeace said will do nothing to effect global climate change, is a betrayal of responsibility and common sense. LoBiondo, Lance and Smith have gone out of their way to have a hand in raising the cost of life in America on all Americans. The cost of everything from utility bills, gas prices, grocery prices and just about anything you do, use or buy will now be rising while at the same time jobs will be killed, productivity levels will decline, entire industries will be hurt and our nation’s prosperity will be derailed. It is said that in Europe, for every green job that they create, two manufacturing jobs have been lost. Is that the type of economic growth LoBiondo, Lance and Smith want for America? Do these three men honestly believe that the Waxman-Markey Cap-and-Trade bill will improve life in America? Furthermore, which one of the 1,200 pages in this bill did any of them read which sold them on the idea? Although the Cap-and-Trade legislation is the brainchild of Democrats the bill only passed the house by a handful of votes. Forty four of the Democrat’s own members opposed this cockamamie legislative creation yet thanks to the actions of LoBiondo, Lance and Smith it lives on to see another day as it goes before the liberal controlled United States Senate. I would expect liberals to promote measures that would damage Americans. Most all of their initiatives do more harm than good but I do not expect Republicans to aid and abed liberals in the wholesale robbery of our nation’s future. Any combination of the eight Republicans who went along with this bill would have enabled it to go down in defeat if they really cared about the damage its passage would create. Yet the eight reckless scoundrels, sold themselves and our future out. And at the same time, they demonstrated exactly why Republicans have lost favor in the current American political landscape. As a party, they have failed to stand together on any of the values that mainstream Americans stand on. This has caused countless Americans who sincerely believe in the principles of the Republican Party to abandon the party. They do so because they feel that the party has abandoned its own principles. Of course the New Jersey three were not the only Republicans to fail us once again. Five Republicans from other states joined with the liberal looters of our freedom who pushed through Crap-and-Trade. However, it is New Jersey which housed the largest group of Republican bandits. I have long been aware of the fact that as far as Northeast Republicans go, they have traditionally been among the most liberal Republicans in the nation and I have long since known that New Jersey bred some of the most liberal of all Republicans. But I must admit that the votes of LoBiondio and Smith on the Crap-and-Trade bill caught me off guard. I never had any reason to think that Frank LoBiondo and Chris Smith would ever betray our economic future. Leonard Lance on the other hand is someone who I could have easily assumed would have supported the cap-and tax environmental hoax. As the former New Jersey State Senate Minority Leader, Lance demonstrated himself to be a pseudo-Republican with as much backbone and fortitude as a dying snail. He was as much an embarrassment in the state senate as he is now, in this, his first full term as a congressman. As for Chris Smith though, he was the biggest surprise and he is also the turncoat whom I take most offense to. He is my Congressman. In the past, I have never known Chris Smith to be what I would call a leader in the conservative cause, but he has been loyal to it. Until now. Now, he has not just strayed off the reservation. He has abandoned ship. His vote to decimate industry and the economy in America was not just some unusual vote for a tax increase or a principled stand on something like abortion or a single national security measure. It was a vote on one of the most transformative pieces of legislation in our nation’s history. It was a defining vote. It was a vote that diminishes any and all other stances that he has ever taken on such things as jobs, taxes and even our national defense. This one vote on Crap-and-Trade defines Chris Smith forever more as a typical Northeast liberal. As a result, I am contemplating my own run against him for Congress. I do not have the access to the rich financial donors that he does. Nor do I have the loyal block of supporters that his over twenty eight years in office has gotten him through patronage and deal cutting. But what I do have is the inspiration and stamina to hold him accountability for doing us more harm than good by just this one vote in Congress. I also have more than a year to go door-to-door, utilize access to earned media and enjoin the help and support of others who believe that Chris Smith has failed us. Should another Republican step forward for New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District and decide to challenge Chris Smith for the Republican nomination, I will reconsider my candidacy. If any such person should present themselves I will consider withdrawing my own name from consideration and supporting them but such a decision will be based on two factors. First that individual must commit themselves to sound environmental protections and policies that unlike Cap-and-Trade are both reasonable and effective and they must also be a proponent of legislative restraint who believes in the enumerated powers of the constitution, adheres to the principles of our free market economy and understands that our nation’s defense and security is an effort that requires proactive policies as opposed to reactive measures. If such a person reveals themselves, the other consideration I will entertain is their viability. If that potential candidate can prove to have greater access than I to the endless financial resources that will be required to mount a credible challenge to Chris Smith and if they have a greater ability to articulate our cause than I, I will gladly withdraw from the race and commit my energy and resources to their candidacy. This challenge to Chris Smith is not about me. It is about filling the void that Chris Smith has created. It is about insuring the people of New Jersey’s fourth district with representation that will stand up for them and fight for a government that is not in our way but paving the way for all of us to fulfill our constitutional right to the pursuit of happiness without politicians making life harder than it is already in New Jersey. I fear that I may not be the most ideal person to challenge an entrenched incumbent in what is one of the most conservative congressional districts in New Jersey. This fear is not because I am not conservative enough. I am. However, it is because in the world of politics nothing is sacred and as such I am sure my sexuality and my being HIV+ will certainly at some point be turned into an issue. But my anger supersedes my fears and as I said this challenge is not about me. It is bigger than self. It is about restoring trust and faith in the Republican party, its values and its effectiveness in Congress with representatives who are not willing to abandon those values as Chris Smith and so many other Republicans who recently failed us have done. This is also a decision that I must consult with my family about. For whatever effects this potential campaign may have on me, it will also effect them. In the end, whether I am able to see this challenge to Congressman Chris Smith through with my own candidacy or not, I will see that Chris Smith is challenged. As for the rest of you Republicans, I won’t ask you to put your own lives on hold by running for Congress if that is not what you want to do. But I will ask that you do your best to insure that the eight Republicans who just voted to make life in America more difficult for us, go down in defeat in 2010. Below is a list of those eight. Not only should you call them and register your disgust but tell them that even though you may not be one of their constituents, you will be donating to their defeat come November of 2010. Mary Bono Mack (CA) 202-225-5330 Mike Castle (DE) 202-225-4165 Mark Kirk (IL) 202-225-4835 Leonard Lance (NJ) 202-225-5361 Frank Lobiondo (NJ) 202-225-6572 John McHugh (NY) 202-225-4611 Dave Reichart (WA) 202-225-7761 Chris Smith (NJ) 202-225-3765 |
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