Conservatives Must Rally to Hold This Seat: We Endorse Paul Broun (GA-10)
By The Directors Posted in Endorsements — Comments (21) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
If you can only give money to one candidate or cause this election year, we have just the candidate and cause for you, the re-election of Congressman Paul Broun (GA-10). This is a bit of a deviation from your standard cause. In addition to being a re-election campaign, it is also a Republican primary fight.
In the battle between left v. right, squishes v. conservatives, status quo vs. trench fighter of the right, establishment Republican vs. grassroots leader, we have two candidates in the GOP challenging Paul Broun for his district -- and only Broun is the right conservative trench fighter who is also a grassroots leader. All the others are out to get him simply because he is not part of the status quo, out of touch establishment. In an age of GOP despondency caused by fiscal recklessness and the selling out of conservative values, you would think the Republican Party would line up behind a guy like Paul Broun — a die hard social and fiscal conservative. You would be wrong. The establishment wants a party man, not a conservative.
Some of us around here like to call Paul Broun "Ron Paul without the crazy." A doctor by training, Broun ran a campaign that tied together conservative Christians and hardcore libertarians. We don't always agree with him; for example, he's opposed to the war on drugs and supports state medicinal marijuana programs. We cannot, however, help but like and admire Paul Broun — a champion for home schoolers, free markets, and life.
Members of the Republican Study Committee tell us that Congressman Broun has been a solid, reliable vote and supporter of conservative causes. He's their point man on fighting against escalated government incursion into the mental health arena — all the more commendable considering that issue has, in the past, affected a member of his family and there is always the temptation to want the government to solve this sort of problem.
Broun has two primary opponents -- Barry Fleming and Nancy Schaefer. They are both good people, but Fleming is a party man through and through. He craves leadership and will not be a conservative fighter against a drifting GOP establishment. Nancy Schaefer is a social conservative, but, in her years in the Georgia General Assembly, has done little to lead and has been an ineffective campaigner. And frankly, we give credence to the rumors that Schaefer is in the race to hurt Broun -- putting her party ties ahead of conservative conviction.
In past years we have not been so bold as to say this, but we will do so now: if you can only give to one issue, cause, or campaign this year, Paul Broun's re-election effort should be it. He needs all the help he can get. And make no mistake, he is one of us through and through.
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Conservatives Must Rally to Hold This Seat: We Endorse Paul Broun (GA-10) 21 Comments (0 topical, 21 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
I hate it when the RNC gets involved in this kind of fight (and it's why I don't give them money), but to me its a fight for the people of his district.
(NOTE: I hate it when CfG knocks off Republicans too, but that's another diary).
I'd much rather people gave to McCain or someone in New Hampshire who is trying to turn a Democratic seat back to the GOP.
Is this really the place for "if you can only give to one race" endorsement or is that just standard fare for all endorsements these days?
Let me be clear that I have no problem with the endorsement, but in a year when we are fighting up hill to retake the congress and presidency, it seems like the wrong place for people to put their money.
Oz, Id' normally agree with you, but I view this race as extremely important. This is a district conservatives should and must hold. We can win back the House, but without a conservative in seats like these we will never win back our principles.
The reason why is due to his membership in the Republican Study Committee. Those people are the last of the adults we need to save and keep in place. If anything, we need to find more people like this and expand their numbers! The other two members in this primary are not going to join the study committee. That is reason enough to oppose them.
Wubbies World, MSgt, USAF (Retired):
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("An argument is a sequence of statements aimed at demonstrating the truth of an assertion.); }
Hi. I'm new. Long time reader of Peach Pundit but I've never posted. I followed the link over here to read the maintainer's thoughts on the race in my district.
I'm surprised by your comment about Barry Fleming and Nancy Schaefer not wanting to join the Republican Study Committee.
As a lifelong resident of east Georgia, I've always assumed the Georgia representatives do things as a group for the good of the state. That's the rumor anyway. I Googled the Republican Study Committee and I believe all other Georgia Republicans are on that membership list. (I might've missed someone.)
I don't have a dog in this fight yet but I did vote for Broun's opponent in the last election. I'd like to know where you're getting the information that Mr. Fleming and Ms. Schaefer wouldn't join the Republican Study Committee? If they have said something like that I think it's important for the voters to know!
...a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right...
---Thomas Paine---
" if you can only give to one issue, cause, or campaign this year, Paul Broun's re-election effort should be it"
Umm, there is a presidential race this year. That is a tad bit more important then a single republican congressional primary.
Why are we fighting against this? If we can build a better party by spending on primaries do it. Send the man some cash!
“The difference between a Republican and a Democrat is the Democrat is a cannibal -- they have to live off each other--while the Republicans, why, they live off the Democrats.” --- Will Rogers
Let's see the conservatives step up to the plate. Here's a chance for conservatives to do for Broun what wasn't done for Thompson.
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
If some of us cannot help financially - how about phone support? I went to the campaign website and sent an e-mail to offer such support.
Thanks to RS for letting readers know how we can help in crucial races around the country.
HTML Help for Red Staters
"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
...a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right...
---Thomas Paine---
how this particular district voted in the presidential primary. That might provide a clue into how the conservative (Broun) would fare aganist the establishment/status quo. If I recall, it was basically a 3 way tie between Romney, Huckabee & McCain statewide, so Georgians seem to be pretty split about which direction the party should head.
How do you know the race will be competitive? I like Broun, he's like a Southerner Jeff Flake and I'll donate him $25 for now, but I'd appreciate further evidence that he really needs the money to hold the seat.
cordpt,
From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Some state Republican leaders have lined up behind state Rep. Barry Fleming of Harlem, Ga., who began organizing in the district's 21 counties and has set up a fund-raising machine that is out-raising the incumbent Broun 5 to 1.
Broun, who once claimed he was too busy doing the people's business to raise campaign cash, had $125,000 on hand at the end of January, the most recent reporting period; Fleming had $488,000.
The race expanded this week when state Sen. Nancy Schaefer (R-Turnerville) announced that she, too, would challenge Broun in the July primary.
The lack of a competitive war chest, however, doesn't mean Broun is about to lose his seat in November. He faced similar obstacles in 2007 in the race against Whitehead. At least half of Broun's money for that race, more than $200,000, came out of his own pocket. He still owes himself more than $185,000 of that.
What helped Broun win, however, wasn't the money but his tireless campaigning between election day and the runoff election with Whitehead, according to former Whitehead campaign aides.
Whitehead did too little while Broun was racking up hundreds of voters who didn't support him in the primary but did in the runoff, his former aides said. And while the race was pitched as a geographic power struggle between Augusta and Broun's hometown of Athens, Broun managed to build a coalition of Republicans, Democrats and independents from both areas.
Link has more details: http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2008/03/08/broun0308.htm...
I'm a registered voter in his district and am actually excited about supporting and voting for him in the primaries. Imagine that. A Republican that can fire this conservative up. At the moment, there aren't that many of them out there.
**********************************
And statesmen at her council met
Who knew the seasons when to take
Occasion by the hand, and make
The bounds of freedom wider yet
- Tennyson, _To the Queen_
...a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right...
---Thomas Paine---
He certainly can use some help and he surely deserves it. I'll try to keep sending him a few bucks every two weeks. Wishing you guys the best, good luck!
Broun is an incredible guy and deserves our cash.
Are you sure about him being opposed to the war on drugs? He is strictly supportive of the Constitution and it wouldn't surprise me if his position is one of keeping the federal government limited to the power explicitly granted in the Constitution and that he would not be opposed to states fighting drugs. I think his first vote in Congress was whether the federal government should prosecute medical marijuana and he voted with the Dems in saying it shouldn't but his position was that it is better a state issue. I could be wrong.
"liberal-lite with no-fight" type republicans playing house and being chummy with the liberal democrats.
A fighting libertarian-conservative hybrid is exactly what we need in DC. He gets my money, unlike the RNC and McCain.
Redstate gets it right. 2007 was a race between the RNC's establishment candidate and a true conservative. Fleming is a friend of Whitehead and did not run against him, assuming he'd win. Whitehead lost, having handed over his runoff campaign to "national" advisers. Fleming is running now, part to avenge, part to win. The geographic arguement is hogwash as Rep. Broun has spent a good deal of time down here in the east end of the district, very visible in greater-Augusta and on Fort Gordon.
I supported Broun and now that my Fred Thompson sign has come down in my yard, my Broun one will be going back up again. For all those who lamented over McCain getting the nomination instead of a die-hard conservative, this is one race where you can make a difference.
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So much more could get done if no one gave a damn who got the credit.
Here is a CQ artical on this race.
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002686784
...a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right...
---Thomas Paine---
Wubbies World, MSgt, USAF (Retired):
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("An argument is a sequence of statements aimed at demonstrating the truth of an assertion.); }