by Guy Page
Both VT Chair Paul Dame and surprise House nominee Liam Madden explained their take on Madden’s decision to accept the GOP nomination, despite claiming before the election he wouldn’t.
The following is excerpted from comments made by VT GOP Chair Paul Dame, as published in True North Reports today.
“The fact that Liam entered the race as a Republican says something important. It says that even people who have a mix of conservative and liberal beliefs are more willing to work with Republicans because of our genuine commitment to openness, transparency and fairness. Democrats have routinely blocked out the people that don’t have party loyalty, or don’t follow the dictates of their leaders. See Bernie Sanders in the presidential race, or Cynthia Browning in the VT State House. Independents know that Republicans are open minded and independent thinkers.
“Liam is not a traditional Republican who came from inside the party apparatus, and won a multi-candidate race surprising many. You know who else did that? Donald Trump. A lifelong democrat donor, who previously ran as an Independent.
“Trump won his primary in VT with 30%, he had similar numbers in early primaries in other states. Many discounted him, but it’s undeniable that he activated a voter base that had not previously voted Republican. People came out and voted for Trump that had been ignored by the party establishment. One of the things I’m trying to evaluate is whether Liam is tapping into a voter base that had been ignored by everyone previously and may be harder to categorize as being right or left – depending on the issue. There are 10,000 Republicans in Vermont that think he is the best person to represent us. And while I suspect that there are few — perhaps no one in this room who voted for Liam — that indicates to me that about one third of Republican primary voters are not being represented by the people in this room. If we don’t know anyone who voted for the winner of our party’s primary — then it says that our circles are too small, and there are other Republicans out there that we need to meet, and listen and learn from. What would our party look like if these people came in and worked alongside us to defeat the Progressive agenda that is getting out of control?
“Liam received 10,701 votes from people who are Republican enough to go vote in the August primary and pull a Republican ballot despite an intense primary on the Democrat side. Liam’s number of votes is very close to Christina Nolan’s 10,825.
“I heard from others that we need to know that there are Republicans — real Republicans — out there in VT that have no connection to our current party structure. The same was true of all of us at one point. I think we have to consider whether Liam’s campaign has the potential to draw in some new people that have been on the sidelines.”
“I would like to explain my decision to keep the Republican nomination” – excerpted from a post Friday by Liam Madden on Ericka Redic’s Generally Irritable” Facebook page.
“Dear Ericka and Supporters of Ericka, I would like to explain my decision to keep the Republican nomination.
“Because I want to be an option for voters on the general election ballot, which was the entire purpose of my candidacy, I’ve decided to accept the Republican nomination. My entire life as a Vermont voter, I saw that Bernie Sanders participated in a party primary and declines the nomination to run as an independent in the general election. For nearly the entire election, I didn’t understand that the only reason Bernie can decline the Democratic party nomination and be an independent in the general was that he and the Democratic party had to agree ahead of time to not replace the spot on the ballot he was leaving open with another candidate. Upon learning this, I had reasonable doubts that the Republican party would want to leave the spot open if I declined the nomination.
“I obviously don’t want a three person race, that defeats the purpose of winning a primary.
“I also erroneously assumed that the winner of a primary automatically gets to be on the general election ballot, and if he/she and the party can agree to part ways mutually, then I would be able to be on a ballot as an independent without having to resubmit my 500 ballot signatures, or face a competitor I’ve already beat. (And why shouldn’t that be the case?)
“I want to emphasize that I made a mistake in my interpretation of election law, in assuming I could run as an independent if I won a primary and then declined the nomination. But I also have doubts that this mistake would have made a difference in outcome, because I would never have declined the nomination knowing that another candidate would be allowed to compete in the general after losing to me in the primary. Who among us would win an election just to allow the defeated competitor another chance?
“If the GOP wanted to keep the general ballot open, and the Secretary of State would allow me to run as an independent, that is exactly what I would want to do. I called the Secretary of State’s office, and they flatly denied that possibility.
“So here I am, an independent with a message that transcends parties, and I must use a party as a vehicle to deliver that message. If elected, I would govern as an independent and I would caucus with both parties cyclically or neither party to maintain my independence.
“Ericka Redic is making alot of comments that claim dishonesty instead of accepting the fact that I earnestly thought winning the primary entitled me to be on the general election ballot, and that party designation was there for me to choose or decline. I was wrong, bureaucratically, but not ethically. I was extremely up front with voters that I am an independent; and they chose my candidacy over hers. I think they chose me because they thought I would be a good representative, and the label was as unimportant to them as it is to me.
“I share values with Republicans. I believe in protecting the 2nd Amendment, enforcing strong borders, supporting our police, and championing small businesses. I stand on guard against the potential for the government to use fear narratives to weaponize health and environmental regulations to harm the freedom, openness and prosperity of our society. I do not think it is wise of Ericka to attempt to split the vote of people who share these values so that a Democrat can more easily waltz through the general election. If Ericka can’t beat me in a Republican Primary, we all know that she stands even less chance of winning in a general election with both me and the liberal darling Becca Balint. For all people who like and respect Ericka, as I do, I would urge her to understand that she is not being effective in helping uphold these shared values. She is an extremely bright and compassionate person who feels probably shocked, disappointed and angry. I am happy to talk to her publicly to be accountable for my mistake and to make clear that there are many ways I hope to work together to advance our shared values.
“Respect and gratitude, Liam”
Categories: Commentary
In short Liam is for:
Regulating “Assault Weapons”
Ranked Choice Voting
Abortion
Changing the Supreme Court
Reparations
Equity
Public Service Corps – (Straight up big gov socialism)
Universal Basic Income
Taxing all energy
It’s already become obvious that he cannot read the statutes to find out how to navigate through the political landscape here in Vermont where the number of statutes is significantly smaller than in the United States codes.
It’s even more obvious when you go read his page and then read his statements above where he says he’s for the second amendment and for small businesses. Yet he wants to regulate “assault weapons” and put small businesses out of work by creating “public service corps” to do the very work that small businesses often times do.
It’s very obvious that you can’t trust what he says.
Here are the excerpts from Liam’s page, that I suspect a large number of voters did not read:
https://rebirthdemocracy.com/reduce-gun-violence-protect-the-2nd-amendment
“And these community defense groups would only regulate weapons needed for community defense (assault weapons), whereas self defense and hunting weapons should remain freely accessible to law abiding citizens.”
https://rebirthdemocracy.com/democracy
”there is another way, ranked choice voting allows you to vote your conscience while not abandoning your pragmatism”
https://rebirthdemocracy.com/reproduction
“Pre-fetal-viability abortion, to me, is a healthcare option that is a part of bodily autonomy and it should be available to all women regardless of your state’s political or cultural makeup”
“Changing the make up of the Supreme Court.”
https://rebirthdemocracy.com/new-page-52
” I support reparations to the descendants of the enslaved”
Don’t remember which URL…
”EDUCATE WITH EQUITY”
https://rebirthdemocracy.com/new-page-58
“I support creating a large public service corps that is used to build needed public infrastructure like public transportation, housing, education, healthcare, and regenerative agricultural resources.”
“I believe the benefits of a UBI are instead best pursued as part of a more comprehensive and elegant shift to a focus on universal public services. Much of the same benefits of a UBI can be acheived via a federal work gaurantee, federally funded (and locally controlled) health clinics, federal funding for 0% home loans and public transportation.”
”TAX ALL ENERGY, ESPECIALLY THE MOST FINITE AND POLLUTING”
In short Liam is for:
Regulating *assault weapons”
Ranked Choice Voting
Abortion
Changing the Supreme Court
Reparations
Equity
Public Service Corps (Socialism)
Universal Basic Income
Taxing all Energy
Now we’ve already seen that he can’t read State statutes and navigate the political landscape here in Vermont. How is he going to navigate United States political landscape and much larger set of rules and regulations?
We can simply read above and then compare that to his page excerpts below to find out that he speaks out both sides of his mouth. He says that he supports the second amendment but yet wants to regulate “assault weapons”. He says he’s for small business yet he wants to tax all energy, and create public Service Corps to do government work instead of hiring it out to the private sector which would decimate small businesses.
It’s very obvious that he’s not telling the truth here, and is no conservative, Republican, or a champion of your individual rights. Just another snake oil salesman.
Here are some excerpts from Liam’s page, that I suspect a large number of voters did not read:
https://rebirthdemocracy.com/reduce-gun-violence-protect-the-2nd-amendment
“And these community defense groups would only regulate weapons needed for community defense (assault weapons), whereas self defense and hunting weapons should remain freely accessible to law abiding citizens.”
https://rebirthdemocracy.com/democracy
”there is another way, ranked choice voting allows you to vote your conscience while not abandoning your pragmatism”
https://rebirthdemocracy.com/reproduction
“Pre-fetal-viability abortion, to me, is a healthcare option that is a part of bodily autonomy and it should be available to all women regardless of your state’s political or cultural makeup”
“Changing the make up of the Supreme Court.”
https://rebirthdemocracy.com/new-page-52
” I support reparations to the descendants of the enslaved”
Don’t remember which URL…
”EDUCATE WITH EQUITY”
https://rebirthdemocracy.com/new-page-58
“I support creating a large public service corps that is used to build needed public infrastructure like public transportation, housing, education, healthcare, and regenerative agricultural resources.”
“I believe the benefits of a UBI are instead best pursued as part of a more comprehensive and elegant shift to a focus on universal public services. Much of the same benefits of a UBI can be acheived via a federal work gaurantee, federally funded (and locally controlled) health clinics, federal funding for 0% home loans and public transportation.”
”TAX ALL ENERGY, ESPECIALLY THE MOST FINITE AND POLLUTING”
“instead of accepting the fact that I earnestly thought winning the primary entitled me to be on the general election ballot”
In other words Mr. Madden, you’re so wholly unserious as a candidate that neither you nor your puppeteers ever checked to see what the rules were about your supposedly “earnest” campaign for Congress. You’ve chosen to claim that you were uninformed and unprepared because it doesn’t sound *quite* as bad as dishonest.
We must remember: what happens in Vermont doesn’t stay in Vermont. This is a test-tube for other states in allowing candidates to flip-flop post-primary. The Republicans need to ask themselves why they had to lose in this way.
Good point.
As far as concerns Trump, I still despise him as a human being. However, his policies, especially foreign, were not set against the best interests of this country. Madden’s policies are questionable. His word is seriously doubtful.
Big difference between you and Trump…he stands for Republican values, you don’t. FYI…Trump never for office before he ran for president in the GOP primary in 2016.
Paul Dame is contorting himself again to try and find a justification for the Unprincipled Vermont Republican Party.
Let’s face reality Mr. Dame, the truth is that Democrats in Vermont and many other places, have moved so far to the left the only place with anything remaining to the right is the Republican Party.
Many running for office as Republicans and voters who are voting Republican really don’t want a part in the Vermont Republican Party, but they have no other choice.
Isn’t it sad that the Vermont Republican Party is picked by voters and candidates for all the wrong reasons, because the State Party itself has weak, untrustworthy leadership that stands for nothing and a fake words only platform as well.
If this can be spun as good results or positive for the Party, you have truly dumbed down the standard to the lowest of lows.
Liam Madden and Donald Trump cannot be compared, Paul. Trump may have been an outsider in the beginning, but his campaign was hardly stealth. He was here, there, and openly everywhere. He traveled widely before the election. He made speeches. He announced his intentions all over social media. He gave voters the opportunity to know him. Liam did not do any of this in the primary. He was a sneak. Who are his backers and the sources of his funding? Trump took the Republican party label for himself but Liam Madden renounces it all the time. I am not a Republican, he says. I am an Independent. So let him run in the general election as an Independent and leave our Republican female candidates alone! Get out of the race as a Republican, Liam Madden. It looks to me like you and your unnamed and unknown backers and funding sources did this to deliberately mess with the Republican primary. And you want to be rewarded with our votes? Not likely.
Liam, if you ever hope to have a place in the Republican party in Vermont, bow out of this race and clear the way for Ericka Redic to be the GOP candidate, since she finished second. Real Republicans chose her and Anya. Their votes combined were more than yours. Looks to me like Progressives and Democrats chose you. If you do not bow out now, you will never erase this blot from your political record. Is that how you want to start? Why didn’t you run openly as an Independent? Why didn’t you pick the Democratic primary to enter? Why hurt the Vermont Republicans? I think we know the answer.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but as an Independent, you can’t run in the primary; later start/less name recognition.
Maybe Paul Dame is too young to remember John F Kennedy and many others like him who were Democrats. Back then, many Democrats were more Principled than the present Vermont Republican Party. Many older people were Democrats at one time.
Paul Dame and his Posse, openly welcome and support many pretend Republicans to run on the Vermont Republican Ballot who should if they are honest, run as Democrats, Progressives or Socialists. Please Paul, do tell us how you and others have devalued, diluted, fed the lack of trust and confused voters about the Vermont Republican Party. Truth is: Liam Madden is just another consequence.
If Donald Trump was a Democrat, giving to Democrats or if he was an Independent for a time, at least he was honest about where he really stood. We should change the State Vermont Republican Party to the “Anything Goes, Big Tent Party,” which is fitting for its present condition.
Paul Dame really should check his Trump Derangement Syndrome too. He distorts and twists things with great efforts in his attempts to tarnish Trump. Trump must really live in Paul’s head.
President Trump did way more for “The People of America” and for upholding our Constitution than Paul Dame will ever do for the Vermont Republican Party. Unfortunately, Paul cannot acknowledge his present state of blindness or his own self-destructive thinking and actions or their consequences.
Let’s leave Trump out of this discussion, because it’s LOCAL. I suspect that Mr. Madden’s support is primarily from the Progressives, to assure Bernadette Balint wins in November. My review of his financial sources on the Secretary of State’s website does nothing to alleviate my suspicions. And he continues to compare his decisions to Bernie’s … I see red flags popping up all over the place.
He Liam, bow out as you are about to tarnish your reputation in the political
field, real VT-GOP, not the ” RINOs ” running it today, will never let you forget
this and you will have a short-lived career in the GOP, as you have already
shown, your word means nothing…….. Pretty Pathetic !!
If you have a smidgen of decency, bow out and run as you label yourself, an Independent.
Vermonters, write in or vote whatever label Ericka will run under in November,
as she really one, the Conservative vote !!
Liam, they are already waltzing!
I voted for Anya as she is the most savvy candidate, by far. She sees what the deepstate players are doing to America and calls them out.
But at this point, anybody but Bernadette Balint is the better choice. Please leave the Communists out of our givernment.
I think if Liam is this confused about a fairly simple issue like being on the republican ballet verses the Independent ballet then the complexities of the federal government are way over his head. His very weak defense does nothing to change my mind. Paul Dame should be held accountable for letting Liam on as a Republican also.
Paul Dame does not control who can appear on the ballot. If you get the required signatures then your name appears unless you withdraw on your own before a certain date. Be mad that Madden won but you’re all looking in the wrong direction and should learn the rules before pointing fingers.
Why did he win? Did many republicans support him because they view the other too as too far right? Was it because of cross over voters? Was his ground game better? There are lots of questions that we’d like to have answers for but the law says he had a right to be on the ballot so stop focusing on that and let’s start focusing on the “how’d be win” question in as honest a way we can.