Madison County, Idaho Republican Party

Madison County, Idaho Republican Party's official website offering election, political, local, state and national news, information and viewpoints.

Issues/Viewpoints

Chairman Peterson comments on ObamaCare Ruling

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Dear Fellow Idaho Republicans,

 

This morning’s Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of ObamaCare is a travesty.  ObamaCare is an example of overreaching government that strips Americans of their individual freedoms to choose for themselves.

 

The fact that the court’s ruling was based on Congress’s ability to raise taxes exposes the law for what it really is, a tax increase.  ObamaCare raises taxes for all Americans, breaking Obama’s promise not to raise taxes on the middle-class.  This law fails to fix the issues facing our healthcare system and places an added burden on the middle-class.

 

Furthermore, the government now has the ability to not only force American citizens to purchase products for themselves, but also for others who cannot afford those products.  America is not a nation of people unwilling to help those in need.  For example, when tragedy strikes, Americans are quick to act, giving up of their time and money to lighten the burdens of others.  However, when Americans are coerced into action, there is a natural resistance.  After all, mandated acts of goodwill are not truly acts of goodwill.  This law has already faced and will continue to face resistance from Americans.

 

Let us band together as the Idaho Republican Party to ensure a Romney victory in November so that we can see ObamaCare repealed and restore freedom and liberty rather than furthering the intrusion of our pocket books with more “taxes.”

 

Barry Peterson, Chairman

Idaho Republican Party

Elaine King on the 2012 Republican Convention

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2012 Idaho Republican Convention

The Idaho GOP Convention, held at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls this weekend, (June 21-23) was the best attended State Convention in recent history. At the convention, 24 of Idaho’s 44 counties including, Madison, Jefferson, Fremont and Bonneville received a “5-Star Award” plaque presented to each chairman by U.S. Senator Jim Risch. One of the five criteria needed to earn the award was to fill every precinct with an elected committee leader. Not only did Madison County fill every precinct, but it was the first time ever the county had more than one individual running for the same precinct leader position. Madison County Chair, Elaine King, attributes that success in part to the increase in interest in politics following Idaho’s first Republican Presidential Caucus. “After the caucus, several people approached me about getting more involved in the party.”

“Increased attendance at this year’s state convention mirrored other great Republican turnouts in Madison County,” she added. “At the GOP Primary in May, 63.7% of registered Republicans in Madison County came out to vote. And for the first time, during our county’s reorganizational meeting last month, we had to hold elections to determine who would be Madison’s nine voting delegates to the State Convention in Twin Falls.”

At the Twin Falls GOP State Convention newly elected state officers included an Eastern Idahoan woman, Cindy Siddoway, from Jefferson County, as the state’s GOP National Committeewoman. Other elected officers included State GOP President, Barry Peterson, and incumbents Mike Matthews and Todd Hatfield as 1st and 2nd Vice Chair.

The State Convention also nominated and approved the 32 delegates and 32 alternates who will attend the National GOP Convention in Tampa, Florida in August. A new platform plank was presented and approved along with two rule changes and several resolutions.

(For more details of the new platform, rules, and resolutions please contact me)

Elaine K King

MCR Chair

356-4419

Finally, Idaho has a Voice

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Come join the Grand Old Party and help choose a President, by Idaho GOP Caucus Committee Chairman, Ronald M. Nate, Ph.D.

After decades of politely waiting for the rest of the country to choose our Presidential nominees, Idaho finally gets a chance to make a difference.  You can be a part of history on March 6th, when Idaho Republicans caucus to assign their delegates for the Republican presidential nomination.

It’s been exciting to see candidates—note the plural—visit Idaho in hopes of winning the nomination.  After this week, all four major republican contenders will have made a stop in Idaho.  The campaigns are organizing get-togethers, phone banks, and get-out-the-vote efforts.  Maybe we’ll even see some signs and/or media ads.

It’s a great time to be an Idaho Republican.  The best the democrats can do is to occupy a voting booth, cast an obligatory re-election ballot for a failed president, and then hope for a miracle.  Meanwhile, Republicans are attending campaign events, listening to candidates, enjoying some media attention, and getting fired up for a meaningful caucus. 

Of course, we know that after the Republican Caucus all will return to normal.  We will again be taken for granted in the fall.  Idaho will be a red state, and both parties know it.  So, now is our chance.  Make the caucus matter.  Tell your friends and families that March 6th is their best opportunity to help decide the presidential election.

Here are some things to remember for the caucus:

1.  It is not a traditional election.  It is an event—a gathering.  Don’t expect it to be like a wedding reception or open house where you come, say “Hi” (vote) and then leave.  The caucuses begin at 7pm and include a program.  GET THERE EARLY!!  The voting will take place in successive rounds until a candidate wins the county.  Plan on spending an hour or more at the caucus.  Heck, make it a date night.

2.  Register early.  Part of the requirements to participate is that you are a registered Republican.  If you’re already a registered voter, you still need to declare your Republican Party affiliation.  You can do this in advance (avoiding potentially long lines at the caucus) by going to your county clerk.

3.  Bring a few dollars to the caucus.  There will be snacks, raffles, and various other small fundraising efforts for the local Republican Party.

4.  If you’re an independent, come join the party.  You already know the democrats’ nominee, so come take a look at the Republican candidates.  We would love to have your (I) in our team. 

5.  Be patient.  This is huge event and there has been tons of planning.  But there are bound to be some glitches.  The local Republicans are working hard, and your help and understanding will go a long way to make it a success.

 

For more information on the Idaho GOP Caucus, including voting locations, visit our caucus website at www.idaho-republican-caucus.com

 

 

FAILED LEADERSHIP (op-ed)

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Four years ago a candidate for the Presidency of the United Sates campaigned on a slogan of “ Change You Can Believe In” Now, three years after he was elected,  we have witnessed first hand the change spoken of by President Obama:  a series of failed economic and social policies.  Here at home, we have big government and unbridled bureaucracy, which have brought our free market system to its knees and our economy to a crawl. And abroad, we have a foreign policy based on a practice of appeasement and apology to the enemies of democracy.

President Obama is not a John F. Kennedy Democrat, who said “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Obama believes that bigger government with more handouts and greater dependency,  is the answer to all of our problems.

Neither, is President Obama a Harry Truman Democrat, with a sign on his desk that says “The Buck Stops Here.” He is unwilling to accept even a little responsibility for his failed economic and social policies of the past three years. He places the blame on the previous Bush Administration, or the U.S. Congress — overlooking the fact that the Democratic Party controlled both the House and the Senate during the first two years of his administration.

President Obama’s far left-wing liberal policies make some of his more liberal Democratic presidential predecessors, such as Woodrow Wilson, FDR and LBJ, and their progressive reforms, appear in retrospect, to be social and fiscal conservatives.  Obama’s socialist’s policies have brought several European nations to the brink of economic default and ruin. They have not worked in Europe, and they are not working and will not work in the United States.

Now, as we turn our attention to the next National Presidential Election, President Obama says “Trust Me.”  With nothing but a series of failed economic and social policies to run on, he is basing his campaign for re-election on class warfare, with yet a promise of bigger government, a larger national debt, and  continued erosion of our personal freedoms and liberties.

Fellow citizens, this is a historic time in our Nation’s history. This is not a time for division, a time to pit brother against brother and sister against sister. We need a President who has a vision of a united America, someone who can rise above partisan politics and build a national consensus, someone who can make the hard choices, and rekindle a spirit of faith and hope in a future for all Americans.

This is about real leadership. We cannot endure four more years of “on-the-job” training for President Obama.  We need someone who not only can talk the talk, but who can walk the walk —-  someone with actual experience in governing, someone who respects the Constitution, someone who understands the free enterprise system, and someone who knows how to balance the check book.

This is America, the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.  This is the nation that has given hope to so many, not only here at home, but around the world. We cannot stand by and watch the continued erosion of the values and principles that our founding fathers fought for and often died to acquire, and our forefathers sacrificed to protect and preserve. How much further off course can we go without a mid-course correction?  We can no longer allow the “American Dream” to be driven by the winds of folly, to run aground on the rocks of despair.

With all the doom and gloom, there is some good news. The Madison County Republican Caucus is being held at our new Madison High School on Tuesday, March 6, 2012.  Party registration will begin a 5:00 p.m., with the caucus to follow at 7:00 p.m.

Republicans of Madison County, this is our time. Our voices must be heard.  We must draw our line in the sand, stand up, and be counted. We must say an emphatic “NO” to four more years of failed leadership under President Obama.

Plan on attending the Caucus and casting your vote for faith and hope in the future—the Republican Presidential candidate of your choice.

 

Bob Jones
Rexburg, Idaho