The Martin County
Defender
The e-newsletter for aware citizens – No. 77
The frozen-out Republicans
HALF OF THE COUNTY’S REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN EXCLUDED FROM THE PARTY’S INSIDE DECISION MAKING
About half of all Martin County registered voters are Republicans. Though they may differ on the details, they generally favor business support, environmental protection and limited spending. However, based on the District 1 and 5 Primary Elections, about half of those Republicans favor more restrictive development, greater protection of neighborhoods, and opposition to Comp Plan amendments designed to accelerate growth. Those are the Republicans who are finding an increasingly unwelcome reception by the other half - sometimes subtle, often brazen - in the party’s inner councils.
Let’s be more specific about those inner councils. Within the party, there are such influential groups as the Republican Executive Committee, the Council of 100, and the Republican Club of Martin County. Many of the financiers and foot soldiers come from such organizations as the Chambers of Commerce, Economic Council, and Future Group. Speak up in some of these groups as being in favor of rescinding the Valliere Amendment, or increasing impact fees, or not extending public utilities beyond the primary Urban Service boundary, or keeping giant warehouses from looming over homes – to take a few of many examples – and you are likely to be treated like the proverbial skunk at the garden party.
With new Democratic voter registration outstripping that of Republicans, this exclusionary sentiment does not bode well for the Republican Party in the years ahead. And that is a shame because the basic Republican philosophy has so much merit. A bigger political tent is needed, not a smaller one. We don’t need reformers to be mislabeled “not real Republicans” by insiders in control.
The long term solution is balance, compromise and working out differences between opposing views. Both sides need to welcome each other in their inner councils. The short term solution is to send a strong message to those now at the top of the Republican power structure that money from Big Sugar, the growth machine and its allies can not buy our votes.
About half of voting residents in the recent Republican primary voted for quality-of-life candidates Henry Copeland, Ian Pollack and John Born. They – and independents who did not get the opportunity to do so – can make sure their voices are heard by voting for two long term active Republicans running without party blessing: Joan Wilcox (District 1) and John Patteson (District 5). And for those Democrats willing to support the best qualified candidates, irrespective of party affiliation, Wilcox and Patteson should be appealing.
This is the year of national Republican maverick reformers who stood up to the old establishment to improve the party. It can happen in Martin County as well.
BLIND LOYALTY DEPARTMENT
“We do still support Tim Mahoney” - Pat Emmert, President,
Palm Beach-Treasure Coast AFL-CIO
Undecided voters really aren’t
A recent issue of Science carried a research report that people who think they are undecided about an issue often have made up their mind at an unconscious level. Using a computer-based psychological tool called the “implicit association test,” the researchers were able to predict with a high degree of accuracy whether study participants who sincerely considered themselves undecided would later be for or against a candidate or political viewpoint.
Participants were asked to respond as quickly as possible to word and picture cues by pressing a negative or positive key as directed. The reaction time difference between groups was small, about 100 to 200 milliseconds. However, the delay was long enough to predict their eventual positions.
+++++
For a free subscription to The Martin County Defender, send request with “Subscribe” in the subject line to: mcdefender@gmail.com
Comments and requests to unsubscribe may be sent to this same address.
Al
Al Forman, Editor 10/25/08
The Martin County Defender is published and Copyright 2008 by WordsmithAmerica, . All rights reserved. No part of this issue may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording for public or private use, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. NOTICE: All correspondence not bearing legal copyright notice which is sent to the Defender or its editor is subject to being edited and published.
Box 1828, Palm City, FL 34991
All previous issues of the Defender are archived at our website:
-- Al Forman mc_defender@fastmail.netSphere: Related Content
