Thursday, February 7, 2013

Dan Winslow for Mass Senate - a record the Grassroots can support?


After fighting along side fellow Conservative/Liberty and Grassroot Republicans to try and elect Rick Green for Mass Chair I ponder the following. Dan Winslow embodies almost everything we were fighting against. I will lay out his record, tone and you decide.

* A supporter of taxes on commuter tolls, campaign funds, cigarette taxes
A supporter of same-sex marriage and Self avowed social moderate
A supporter of abortion rights and again self avowed social moderate - Liberal?
* Only Republican in the MA House of Representatives to vote for Bathroom bill
* Would not say whether he would back a repeal of ObamaCare - Why?
* Is heartened by recent push on immigration, but would not say if he opposed Amnesty - Why not?
* He declined to say if he supports a ban on assault weapons - Why?
* He said one of his top priorities is climate sustainability - What? Pro Climate change? 
* Winslow said "You don’t lock yourself into the ­extremes" - a dig at and Distancing himself from Romney & Grassroot Conservatives apparently?

Is Dan Winslow running as the Republican opposition for the open Senate Seat or as a defacto Democrat? The contrasts seem to be sorely lacking, in substance and tone. I am personally hoping that a more Conservative/Liberty candidate steps up and challenges the moderate status quo in the Mass GOP.  

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/02/06/dan-winslow-former-judge-and-romney-aide-moves-toward-senate-run/P9sPcRxXctIubeGa2JIkwL/story.html




3 comments:

  1. Let me begin by saying that I have not decided who to support in the Republican Primary, and will not until the candidates have released platforms. Having established that, I take issue with several things you've said here.

    1)"* He said one of his top priorities is climate sustainability - What? Pro Climate change?"
    ...REALLY??? I guess you're going to tell us that evolution isn’t real either, or that the earth is only 6000 years old. With an overwhelming majority of the scientific community agreeing that humans are negatively impacting the environment, it is absurd to believe otherwise. Even if you don’t believe in climate change, it is an undeniable fact that eventually we are going to run out of the resources that we rely on for energy. If modern history has taught us anything, it’s that energy is not only an extremely lucrative commodity, but that it is essential to the strength of any nation. A fiscally conservative candidate like Winslow who supports climate sustainability not only cares about the environment, but sees the potential in what green energy can do for this nation’s security and economy. I’m sure that even you can get behind that.

    2) With the election still in its infancy, don't you think it’s a tad sensationalist to draw conclusions and label a candidate a "de facto Democrat" because he declined to comment on complex issues? For example you wrote that Winslow " Would not say whether he would back a repeal of ObamaCare - Why?" as if to imply he supports it. Well I can give you a pretty good reason why he wouldn’t comment. Massachusetts happens to be one of the more liberal states in the Union, so its pretty fair to assume that the majority of the voting population supports ObamaCare. If anything declining to comment shows political savvy and an understanding of his constituency. By not taking time to construct a well thought out response and patently denouncing something as complex as ObamaCare, Winslow would most definitely alienate a large demographic of voters. A demographic a middle of the road Republican could and would utilize to win in Massachusetts. This wouldn’t be the first time this has happened in recent history either... i.e. Scott Brown.

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  2. 3)"[Winslow is] A supporter of same-sex marriage and Self avowed social moderate"
    There are many reasons I don't see why this is a problem. First I’ll start by saying its the 21st century... wake up. You yourself are a "self avowed" "freedom seeker" and proponent of Liberty, so why wouldn't you be a supporter of equal rights for people of all races, genders, creeds, or life-styles. I assume you are an intelligent guy, so I'm hard pressed to believe you don't see the blatant irony and contradiction in your own beliefs. I can’t decide whether this kind of thinking is more comical or scary, especially when it’s coming from someone like you who has somewhat of a following. This is beside the point however. Like I said before, Winslow's middle of the road beliefs are what make him such strong potential candidate. Even you have to admit you would rather see Winslow, with the fiscally conservative ideals we need to fix our country, win than someone like Lynch or Markey. The fact of the matter is, candidates like Sullivan and other social conservatives, despite their delusional hubris, are too conservative to win in a state like Massachusetts. With this being said, wouldn't it be nonsensical and almost irresponsible for people, like you, to denounce a candidate like Winslow? Especially when you could potentially harm the GOP’s opportunity of getting another Republican in the Senate before this race before it even starts?

    4) “* He declined to say if he supports a ban on assault weapons - Why?”
    I could tie this one to my second point but I’ve decided to single it out to tell you... you need to check your facts before you put stuff up on the Internet. There is evidence to support the assumption that Winslow would not support a ban on assault weapons. “I have a proven record of respect for Second Amendment constitutional freedoms.” http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/02/republican_state_rep_daniel_wi.html
    It really doesn’t get more clear-cut than that. He’s pro-gun rights, and your questioning otherwise has no basis.

    I’ll end by saying this. I know you would like to see a more conservative candidate run and win, but lets face it that is just not going to happen in this election. Politics is a game, and running the same failing play over and over again isn’t going to win it. You have to adapt and play with the cards you are dealt. As evidenced by our last election cycle, it’s almost impossible for a Republican to win in Massachusetts. Moderate Republicans let alone Conservatives are struggling to win here, as well as nationally. With the GOP in free fall we don’t need people like you shunning potential candidates when we need as many fresh faces as we can get.

    Like I said before I haven’t decided which Republican candidate I will support yet, since I am waiting for them to release their platforms. I suggest you do the same and ponder a little harder next time before you slander a candidate that could get us one more vote in the Senate.

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    Replies
    1. Dan Winslow's record is a Democrat's record. Reporting on that is not slander. We need to contrast with Dem's not appease and cowher.

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