The Republican Party has been in a quandary where to go from here after losing the presidency and additional seats in congress. In Ohio and Seneca County, Republicans are asking the same questions. The trouble is, they don’t want to hear the answers. Today, like a hundred Wednesdays before, the Republicans got together for their informal lunch.
As usual they looked back on the election, but the blinders on the party faithful were so massive as to obstruct the view of the sky. Not only were they disappointed that their presidential candidate lost, but words like Marxist flew around the room. Would their retirement funds be confiscated and entered into a World Bank? (This is circulating around on the internet too). And an absurd story of African-Americans threatening white folks with “We’re in charge now”. This dialog at the meeting was confirmed, and a member of the press was present. It makes one wonder if this is how you talk with a reporter present, what do you say when the media isn’t there!
I barely know where to begin my ranting.
The United States is not going to come to an end because Barack Obama was elected. Will everything go well for him? Of course not. But you know what, he is the president-elect. Suck it up. I didn’t hear John McCain acting like the world will end, and neither should you. If you think that, then you have absolutely no faith in our founding fathers to have created a government with checks and balances. Personally, I like to give the ol’boys a little more credit than that.
And allow me to let you in on a little secret. The Republican Party does not endorse racism. Neither do the Democrats. Take your racist attitudes someplace else, because we don’t want you. However we all can agree to support fiscal responsibility, and personal responsibility. We can agree that larger government, doesn’t mean better government. We don’t need to wave a Bible in people’s faces. Yes, even Democrats go to church. The last time we checked, Republicans haven’t cornered the market on God. We don’t need to vilify all Democrats. Find fault with the issues, not the people.
Guess what else we don’t want, more ultra – conservatism. This may be a shock to some of you, but most folks have political ideologies somewhere in the middle. And yes we are still Republicans. I am tired of extreme members of both parties damning anyone who doesn’t think like them. As I recall, we decided that burning witches was a bad idea.
The Republicans are down to 25% in Seneca County. The Democrats have 35%, and 40% of voters are Independent. How many more Republicans are you going to lose before some members of the central committee wake up?
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That is just NAUSEATING! Someone needs to tell these people that this is Ohio, and it’s 2008; we’re NOT in the deep south, and it’s not 1860!
I would love to know who some of the people were who were making those remarks…….
Bitter fearful stupid old white men. H.L. Mencken had a word for the land these people inhabit…Moronia. Their class of people Booboisie.
It was rumination, I know……..
Here is the Pièce de Résistance – not one single member of the central committee spoke out to condemn this idiocy. Not one!
OMG – Was Mencken the reporter on assignment?!!
Small town rags ARE what they deserve. They don’t PAY for SUBSTANCE, so they get TRASH – second-rate service.
It does not surprise me sounds like some of my dear frinds. gloom!! gloom!! the sky is falling chicken little. If you wonder about a reporter being there look at todays A-T Opinion Page Michelle Malkin story.
With leaders like Palin, it is no surprise that the party faithful are spewing fear and hysteria. She is the Dick Nixon of our era. It is unfortunate that the party of Lincoln has veered so far off course. But then, we should remember that Joe McCarthy and other cold war opportunists were not reigned in by more rational party leaders like Ike and Bob Taft, himself, “Mr. Conservative”. The GOP is marginalizing themselves and turning off smart young people who are sick of the Karl Rove tactics and one-issue fanaticism.
William F. Buckley is spinning in his grave over these exhibitions of “ignorant conservatism”. He spent his life trying to change the perception that conservatives are a bunch of wack jobs.
While I was not present for the luncheon word has gotten back to me about several vile comments and disgraceful remarks made by my fellow Republicans. It is sad that we are allowing ourselves to be brought so low and say such things. Quit being sore losers and accept the fact that we have President Obama for the next four years. If anyone should be bitter it should be me, afterall, I was the McCain chairman for Seneca County . . . and last time I checked I am not bitter whatsoever. I look forward to the next four years with a historical President Obama and hope he will do the things he promised. I honestly want what is best for this country regardless of who our current president is at the time. WE (Republicans) lost this election because we were TOO conservative. People are tired of us trying to tell them how to live their lives and act. Unless we want the death of our party we must move towards the center to a degree. I am surely not a racist and if that is the route my party wants to take then I will be more than happy to “miss the bus.”
What is most frusterating is the notion that these conservatives only want ‘their own kind’ in office so that only their own kind would continue to be well served. What a horrifyingly antiquated notion indeed! Obama offers to work for the good of ALL Americans. Members of both the minority and majority across the United States should be thankful for this opportunity to see that all Americans will be accepted for their personal beliefs and served equally. It is about time that the self-righteous attitude of America’s religious right be laid to rest.
Mr. Montz, I hope you, or some other like-minded person will STAND UP and protest this behavior! It doesn’t matter what party, or group, or whoever, is responsible for this disgusting behavior….SOMEONE must take a stand against it – publicly, if needed.
If we expect to have a “clear and transparent” government, the citizens should KNOW what is being said behind their backs, especially things that are being said by those they supposedly respect as leaders or potential leaders. And those responsible for this filth should have to answer to the people of this county!
This mindset is obviously something I feel very strongly about. To expect the public to trust in someone for what they publicly say they represent, only to find out that, behind closed doors, they cannot/are not honest about those sentiments, is totally unforgivable.
And Anon – yes, I agree with you. “Our own kind”? Last I checked, we all bleed red.
Mr. Montz is a breath of fresh air. Let’s hope the panic mongers and dopes in the local party are listening.
The GOP has fallen into some dangerous habits of thought. Not only are they viciously attacking dissenting viewpoints within their own ranks, they are clinging to a worldview that cannot acknowledge any “Americanism” but their own. Their widespread addiction to a sense of victimhood (“the media is out to get us,” “the black people are out to get us,” etc) bespeaks a scary kind of mass hysteria–it’s as if they cannot get out of bed in the morning unless they have someone to hate and fear. The sensible, stubborn old Republicans of my youth would be horrified by these people. Palinism and rage are no substitutes for ideas. The country cannot thrive without a healthy, intelligent opposition party (this is true regardless of who is in power), so it is much to be hoped that saner voices within the GOP will begin to make themselves heard. I know they’re there; I also know that a great many of them are simply afraid to speak out while this internal process of “purge and purification” is going on. Scary stuff….
Old Crank: Someone really did a fantastic job of wiring your thought processes! See if you can get the schematics of your brain, and have them published!
Old Crank: you speak of this situation so well, would you be willing to write a letter to the A-T?
We, as a party, deserved to lose this election. John McCain, the most moderate Republican candidate in recent memory, had to back pedal and pander to the extremes of our party just as we had forced the Democarats to do in the 80’s and 90’s to the likes of Jesse Jackson, Barney Frank and Henry Waxman. look who’s calling the shots now? They learned to shut up and broaden their appeal to whites, hispanics and other forgotten Amerincans. Such local party meetings are indicative of our party as a whole – hackneyed, defensive and irrelevant to the things that our people are going through on a daily basis. We need ‘bread and butter’ Republicans, not ideological whack jobs. Ronald Reagan, the greatest standard bearer for our party since Ike, was untimately practical and knew how to strike a deal with the crusty sorts like Tip O’Neill and a democratic house and senate. He understood that politics is about compromise, and that we need that from our leaders in order to get things accomplished. Yes, another leader like that will come along – I just hope that the whack jobs in the party don’t chase him – or her – out because of their religion, views on guns, abortion, taxes, health care or what ever for not being “pure” or Republican enough. Until we grow up, we will be irrelevant at the state and local level
I abhor party politics, which is why I’m an independent, but Old Crank and Sidney Sea, I sure hope you’re right, that not ALL Republicans are like what we’ve read here. I hope saner minds crack the whip & get this kind of thinking OUT of our political process. We don’t need this kind of mental midgetry in our country – and certainly not in people who would be in charge of things.
Let’s encourage Dale Williams to write that letter to the A-T. He seems to have the ‘inside track’ with the editor.
puddintame – here is the problem with being an Independent. We have closed primaries, so you can’t participate in the first elimination round.
I’m not the greatest with terminology. I did indeed vote in the primary. In that case, I just asked for the ballot for the party who had the most things/people I agreed with, and went with that.
Perhaps “undeclared” is a better description. I don’t “belong” to any party, and I don’t vote along any party lines. I vote for what/who makes the most sense – to me, anyway.
I have a question. Generally speaking how does one claim to be a conservative and be for change? The definition for “conservative” is opposed to change, Is that not a oxy-moron? Just wondering!!!!!!!!!!
Puddintame – If you voted in the primary, then you chose to declare yourself either a Republican or a Democrat. Of course you can switch parties, but in order to vote, you do have to choose one or the other. You can look up which party you “temporarily claimed” on the Bd. of Elections website.
oldtimer – conservative and change or not opposite. Conservative represents a conservative view of the role of the federal government vs. states rights. Conservative represents a less broad approach to the meaning of the US Constitution in regards to Supreme Court decisions. As an example, our federal government is massive, and many departments have little interior over-sight. Ask those who worked for the feds. Not that private business is perfect, but it is more stream-lined than federal departments.
And allow me to offer this. The religious right hi-jacked the Republican Party. They offered up the bucks to get the airtime. Anyone can get publicity if they say something extreme – How about Howard Stern? How about Rush Limbaugh?
Most people have common sense. It is the extremes on both ends that grab the news bites.
If some of the discussions that occured at the Seneca Cty. Republican luncheon happened in Germany, we’d call it Nazism. In Italy, we’d call it fascism. Here in America, we call it conservatism. Horrifying, huh?
No, I call it racism. And BTW, racists come in all colors, sizes and shapes. So do extremists. As my father used to comment, “every family has a horse thief”.
That’s why people are dumping off dogs and cats at your house, Scout — to make up for the horse thieves in their families…
I hope to think that this luncheon did not start out as a hate-fest. A mob mentality most likely took a strong-grip over the group as the conversation progressed. As soon as one racist opened his or her mouth and was not attacked, an invitation was given for all racists to orate their hateful opinions. Equally troubling is the notion that nobody in the crowd had the backbone to end the hate-talk. Community leaders that were present at this luncheon and did not speak up should be ashamed of themselves! Aaron Montz: We are relying on you as a Republican Party leader in this county to let these folks know that this behavior is NOT respected or tolerable.
I have a lot of friends that are Republicans but many of their ideas and thoughts suck. Like: You cannot be Catholic and be a Democrat, Democrats just want to take your guns away, Democrats only want to spend and restrict rights. We can be in a war that is unjust due the incompetence of the Republican party and that is OK. I agree with some gun controls, but that is me, but I guess I do not hunt and do not think it is cool to fly around in a helecopter shooting animals for a sport.
I hunt. I have weapons of mass destruction. I farmed, raised animals, and have butchered them. Believe it or not, it takes a lot more time, effort, and knowledge to hunt, then to walk into the grocery store and pick up a package of chicken or a steak. It also costs more. Unless a person is a vegetarian, that is the reality of it. That being said, I would never kill something unless I had two purposes, one it was an animal causing destruction, like ground hogs, or I was going to consume it. I actually take pause before I kill anything, and have a deep appreciation for wildlife.
And the government can pass all the guns law they want. But I am not the problem. I don’t shoot people. I don’t sell drugs. Restrictions on people like me aren’t going to solve the problems society has with guns. I don’t care if someone wants me to register my gun. Fine with me. Fill out a form? Sure. Wait a few days? No problem. Again, restrict me all you want, but it won’t help solve the problems. Other things must be done on that avenue.
All Republicans do not think alike, any more than all Democrats. I may make jokes to my friends that are Democrats, but let’s be honest., they are individuals. All Democrats are not pro-choice, any more than all Republicans are pro-life. I don’t assume they feel a certain way about an issue because of one plank of the party platform. Both parties are full of moderates.
anonymous – the conversation did not progress as you describe. one person made the racist comment, one made the marxist comment, and one made the conservative comment. That is the point. A few people made the remarks. You don’t leave the party because of some bad apples. You throw the rotten apples out.
Can’t you vote in the primary without declaring a party affiliation, but you can only vote on the issues, not the candidates.
Scout sounds like a fan of Ted Nugent, and that’s a good thing. (cat-scratch-fever!)
speak – yes, but that usually amounts to a school levy.
Anonymous: How do you tell people who KNOW EVERYTHING that “their behavior is not respected or tolerable?” They are so stuck on themslves that they will listen to no one….. even you!
I think they just assume all white folks think alike.
Well, I’m not white – since my family background is English and Welsh, I’m more of a very pale florescent blue.
From my experience there isn’t an elk rack’s difference between conservatives and racists.
We should not stereotype every conservative as a racist. It is the conservative demagogues of this and many counties around the US, spewing their prejudices to anyone that will listen, that are destroying the reputation of many.
I’m glad to see SOME of you “open minded” Democrats place every Republican and every Conservative in the same negative categories. How are you different from those you complain about?
Democrats ARE different because we believe that the idealisms represented by the wide cross section of Americans are ALL acceptable and deserve the same value and respect, both in and out of government. The religious right supports and represents only one group. Are they saying that anyone that doesn’t fit into their box of virtues isn’t worthy of equal rights? Seems so. What type of democracy is that?
I agree with you, Someoneelse, only in that we need to be careful to keep our political views separate from personal attacks. We are all people here.
someoneelse-
We Democrats are perfect-that is why we can put others in negative categories. That was a no brainer.
We have the President, the House and the Senate and it is time it kick some butt and clean up the mess made by……get ready………here it comes….the REPUBLICANS!!
We are taking over Seneca County, next will be NW Ohio, then OH and it will grew and soon we will own the country. It will be our way or NO way. OMG! That is Republican thinking…..what is wrong with me!
Dearest Puddin,
The Smurfette was originally created by the horrible wizard Gargamel to cause trouble amongst the Smurfs. With a big nose and wild hair, she didn’t originally look like much. Using his alchemy and knowledge, Papa Smurf transformed her into a one of a kind…
blogger, that is.
Can we move on to something more interesting here….like Nutters jobs, Bridingers pick ups, Saubers favorite beer, when the courthouse is coming down? The blog needs some excitement!
Nice to see Governor Palin has joined the Seneca County Blog as MissI’llaskya!
Betty: Do you want to hear something exciting, the courthouse is NOT coming down!
Dear Scout, my remarks on Conservatives and change was ment to be retortical and satirical I guess I missed on both.Thank you for your answer.
Tubalub I like your thinking. The Republicans have controlled our county for years and what has it got us. Ineffective leaders of both parties need ousted.
So, what are Cheryl Huss, Marguerite Bernard, Ken Egbert, Terry Love, etc. doing these days?
As for me I blame The Republican party for starting this when thy tried to make the word laberal a four letter word I’M proud to be a liberal. The meaning off the word is generous, not strict, tolerant and favoring reform. That sure beats conservatives meaning opposed to change. Just kidding.
jonnyquest – Who you sayin’ has a big nose?!
I disavow all knowledge of this “Gargamel” person of whom you speak.
speak-
Obviously the people you mentioned have more to do than you. They are not wasting their time posting on the blog like us!
Rid the country of Republicans and what a wonderful place it would be!
Now things are starting to liven up once again. Terry is still Makin Love, Cheryl is looking for moles and clearing the county of them, Ken is still hiding out at home and Marguerite is trying to balance the checkbook. Jackie is still trying to save the courthouse and Stacy is back home counting her money made in Sandusky county where her heart is.
I hear Jr. is busy removing the letter “D” from all of the keyboards in the office.
Betty: I’ll bet they’re not having as much fun!
Just dawned on me today as I was out driving. Jooooonier can get started right now in a new career direction.
“Jooooooonier’s Snow Removal”. At least, that way, he’d finally be doing something worthwhile and constructive for everyone.
He’s good at throwing mud – let’s see how he handles other substances!
As much as I’ve bitched about Joonyer over the years, it’s long past time to leave him alone. He lost and I’m glad, but the election season ended 11 days ago. I’m sure he doesn’t need us to offer career suggestions for him. Moreover, the likely cut in pay and the loss of prominence will serve to punish him more than any of our harsh words might.
Please give it a rest.
Amen, Senator!
Senator-
Perhaps it is time for you to rest and let the fun for the rest of us! Bring it!
Speaking of PAY, what is the benefit-package for SENATORS these days? It’s nice to have a local resource for such information.
The current salary (2008) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $169,300 per year.
Members of Congress receive retirement and health benefits under the same plans available to other federal employees. They become vested after five years of full participation.
Members elected since 1984 are covered by the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS). Those elected prior to 1984 were covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). In 1984 all members were given the option of remaining with CSRS or switching to FERS.
Does anyone know how you rent the building at the fairgrounds? I was there Thursday and no one was in office and Friday no one was at Commissioners. Is it still available for the public? Who is in charge of the building? I heard radios going off but the door was locked. Is the Commissioners office closed when there are no board meetings? I drove from Findlay and assumed someone would be around. I had cash in hand and was willing to strike a deal.
I believe you can still rent it. We had the Dem meeting there Thurs evening and all I know is that the place has to be perfect when you leave or the EMA King will take your priviledges away from you. He is the King and that is his castle. He is very good at sitting on the throne.
The EMA King has had the Commissioners buffaloed for years. How much money has been wasted since he became King.
What are the requirements to be the EMA King? I would like to have that job or title. I could have my own county vehicle, expense account and be the supreme commander. I am ready to start tomorrow!
Stahlman – Which building do you wish to rent?
The civil defense building is what is used to be called. I do not know if the public can still rent it and we had used it once before and wanted to again. The tables and chairs are nice and there is a kitchen.
Yes you can still rent it. Most of the time no one is there. Call the commissioners office for that.
The new EMS echo unit is there from 8am-8pm everyday. Seven days a week,
They must have been out on a run when you were there those two days because I saw them on Channel 11 last night and they are based out of the EMA bldg at the fairgrounds.
We rented the bldg for a Christmas party….and they DO NOT accept cash. Bring your checkbook.
I didn’t speak to Stahlman…or whomever the hell he is…I talked to Mike, and he seemed nice enough to me.
The phone number is 419-447-0266…..it was in the phonebook.
Oh….and the kitchen has no stoves….just a couple of sinks, and a couple of fridges…..so don’t plan on cooking.
Thanks for the info-we need it 2 days and the parking is great and handicap accessible. You guys are great!
The EMA king is another story-he should be named the radio king. He used to be in charge of EMS and ticked off every county squad, people quit, and Sauber PROMISED to fire the man while campaigning…..guess what-it never happened and he got a plush promotion with less work under EMA. He does not have the education for the job but continues to collect a big salary. Sauber will not fire him, Nutter abstains and he stays. He keeps busy running to accidents, fires, and everything else in his county vehicle that he also uses for personal stuff. All this continues to be brushed under the carpet with Sauber who is the commish assigned to emergency services. Who voted for him? Sauber also is in charge of maintenance which is another huge joke. Has anyone looked at the buildings lately….filth, dirt, and plain disgusting-except for the big threes offiices.
Has anyone seen the ECHO unit and what did you think of it? I missed the article in the paper-is it just for Seneca County runs?
Four More Years!
Is that how many more years you are going to eat ants? Did you learn that from your dog? Can I pet your puppy?
Are those ants chocolate-covered?
At least they are not beer batter fried ants or our Commissioners would eat them.