“Losers,” “Winners,” and the Rhode Island GOP

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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Arthur Christopher Schaper, Guest MINDSETTER™

Contact my Republican leadership? A Republican leader in Rhode Island is kinda like a unicorn. I've seen one once in a painting, and I hear folk songs about them, but there is no evidence they exist. -- Petr Petrovich (GoLocalProv.com)

Point of fact, they have existed for a long time. When the Spanish explorers roamed colonial North America, they found a whole bunch of "one-horned" creatures, otherwise known as "unicorns." Today, we would call them "buffalo" or "bison", a creature that was hunted into near extinction, but is now on the rebound.

Unicorns do exist, and they are growing again. Much of the time, the issue is not so much "myth", but misstatement. It's not about “reality”, but “perspective”.

There is plenty of GOP leadership in the state. Believe it first, then you will see it.

[T]he Republican party in Rhode Island should get some leadership. Secondly, cultivate a farm team that is electable. People in districts vote for people who are electable. (Democratic code for I could have a beer and watch a ball game with that guy). If the Republican party insists on cranking out the island of misfit charlie-in-a-boxes they are not going to get any donations. There is an old saying, "no one likes a loser". I would like to see that article written. --- Petr Petrovich (GoLocalProv.com)

Let's talk about "losers."

Here’s one. This guy lost his mother at young age. Suffered with low-grade depression, according to some, and he had little education, according to most. He tried to run a small business, twice, and failed. He served as a postmaster for his state, had the worst record in his state's history, one of the slowest rates for mail delivery. As a soldier in the state militia, he could not lead a small regiment without making frequent mistakes. He ran for Congress, lost; ran again, won, served one term; ran for reelection, lost. He later ran for Senate, lost. Ran for President, finally won, but he spent his entire first term administering a war which he did not cause, with a cabinet which warred with him, and a wife who warred with everyone (she even hit the President on the face once).

This "loser" was the first Republican US President, Abraham Lincoln, now considered one of (if not "the") most popular politician in this country (whether anyone agreed or disagreed with his policies). Abraham Lincoln "belongs to the ages", according to Edwin Stanton, the chief of the "Chief of Rivals", a lawyer who had openly ridiculed and demoted Lincoln when they were associates in an Illinois law firm. There are more books written about Abraham Lincoln than any other historical figure, except for Jesus Christ.

Abraham Lincoln: a "loser" whom everybody loves, who ended up quite a winner. It's not about "myth" but "misstatement"; it's not about "reality", but "perception".

Here's another "loser". This guy grew up in a political family. His father was a governor, then a senator. The father planned to retire from the Senate, but died before his term ended. The son took his place, adopting a label which did not suit him. He won reelection the next year, running "in name only". He lost reelection six years later, running against his own party, railing against his own party's leader. He later lost his party label to become and independent. He won election to the governorship, the same position that his father had. He soon ended up assuming responsibility for the poor choices of his father, including the state income tax and collective bargaining for public sector employees.

This "loser" is another "Lincoln": Lincoln Chafee, who left the Republican Party's voice, values, and vote, with not much to show for it. Unless he demonstrates his former party’s Republican leadership, which Rhode Islanders claim is sorely lacking in their state, he will be the leader for the state which loses the most people to out-of-state emigration, along with the state with the highest taxes and highest unemployment: another losing streak.

And here’s an entire group of “losers”. This group has politically dominated one state for decades. They spend money which is not theirs on special interests which are not in the best interests of another group: the entire state’s citizenry. They raise taxes, when they should cut spending. They cuddle employee unions, when they should care about taxpayers and the poor. They claim to represent the voters, but they only represent themselves. They may drink one beer with a voter, but they get drunk on his tax dollars throughout the year.

These "losers" are the Democratic hypermajority in Providence, the worst type of "losers" because they turn everyone else around them into "losers". It's not about "myth" but "misstatement"; it's not about "reality", but "perception".

To identify the real "losers", look not at the "losing" Republican Party, but the “winning Democratic hypermajority, which makes everyone else lose. Wins from the “loser” GOP will transform Rhode Island from a losing state run by losers to a winning state where everyone wins, making a wave of difference in New England and across the United States.

Arthur Christopher Schaper is a writer and blogger on issues both timeless and timely; political, cultural, and eternal. A lifelong resident of Southern California, he currently lives in Torrance.

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• GOP Leaders Past & Present: How to Save the Rhode Island Republican Party

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