Rebuilding the New Hampshire Republican Party: state chairman

Showing posts with label state chairman. Show all posts

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Andy Martin stuns New Hampshire GOP by backing Jennifer Horn and Senator Kelly Ayotte on Benghazi attacks

New Hampshire Republican Party leader Andy Martin is defending State Chairman Jennifer Horn and U. S. Senator Kelly Ayotte for Horn’s comments on Ayotte’s actions after the Benghazi embassy attacks on 9/11/12. Andy, who has a lifetime of national security experience and is one of the GOP’s preeminent foreign policy experts, says that Senator Ayotte performed admirably after the Benghazi attacks. “It was not ‘partisanship,’ as some at the Concord Monitor claim, to demand the truth and nothing but the truth from the Obama administration,” Andy says. “President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U. N. Ambassador Susan Rice were the people who ‘politicized’ Benghazi, not Senator Kelly Ayotte. While Ms. Horn and I have our differences, they do not extend into the area of national security.”

NEWS FROM:

New Hampshire Republicans

www.NewHampshireRepublicans.wordpress.com

WWW.NewHampshireRepublicans.posterous.com

www.NewHampshireRepublicanParty.blogspot.com

www.NewHampshireRepublicanParty.wordpress.com

Andy Martin, J. D.

executive director

New Hampshire Republicans

you can call Andy:

(603) 518-7310

you can email Andy:

andynewhampshire@aol.com

you can write Andy at:

fax (866) 707-2639, or

816 Elm Street #251

Manchester, NH 03101-2105

Blogs/web sites (partial):

www.AndyMartin.com

www.FirstRespondersOnline.us

ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com

ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

New Hampshire Republican leader and corruption fighter Andy Martin says Jennifer Horn was right to defend Kelly Ayotte, and Ayotte was right to question President Obama’s Benghazi cover-up

Andy Martin says that on foreign policy and national security he answers to a “higher authority” than mere partisanship, the national interest

Although Andy does not support Horn, and Horn attacks Andy, he will not hesitate to back Horn where she speaks the truth on matters related to national security

(MANCHESTER, NH) (March 1, 2013) New Hampshire Republican leader and corruption fighter Andy Martin, who is one of the GOP’s preeminent national security experts [see below], says he supports GOP Chairman Jennifer Horn for defending U. S. Senator Kelly Ayotte’s inquiries after the Benghazi, Libya attack on September 11, 2012.

“My differences with Ms. Horn are well known, and her attacks on me are equally well-known (and unfounded)” Andy says. I obviously did not agree with Kelly Ayotte’s choice for state chairman.

“But on issues of foreign policy and national security, I do not play mere politics or act on the basis of mere partisanship. I answer to a higher authority, the national interest.

“Jennifer Horn is 100% correct and justified in defending Senator Ayotte’s aggressive questioning after the Benghazi attacks. Senator Ayotte’s probing of the lead-in and cover-up of the Benghazi attacks were 100% correct and appropriate.

“There was a Benghazi cover-up. President Obama tried to manage and manipulate the news, and U. N. Ambassador Susan Rice – knowingly or unknowingly – was a critical part of the attempt to deceive the American people.

“If Rice unknowingly deceived the American people, then she was too unsophisticated, too inexperienced and too gullible to serve as Secretary of State. If Rice knowingly deceived the American people then her behavior was at least despicable and may have bordered on criminality.

“Obama, Rice and Hillary Clinton were trying to conceal their incompetence before the attack, during the attack and after the attack. Their efforts to manage the message after the tragedy were outrageous.

“I have a lifetime of experience in the area of national security. I would not compromise my integrity by taking a stand that I believed was contrary to the national interest. My ‘higher authority’ is the national interest. There is certainly room for partisanship where domestic politics is concerned; ‘politics’ is part of the political process. But where national security is t stake I would never compromise national security by taking a position I knew was unjustified.

“I regret to say that I sincerely believe President Obama undermined both our national security and our foreign policy with his actions during and after the Benghazi attack. More importantly, Obama compromised national security on September 11, 2012 when he took no action to rescue embattled Americans. I do not accept Obama’s explanation that no timely reaction was possible. If our military is so sclerotic that ‘nothing can be done’ for hours on end, then we do not have a defense establishment, we have a defense Potemkin. No man or woman in uniform would sit back and do nothing knowing any of our men and women were under attack anywhere around the world.

“Frankly, I believe Obama ‘sequestered’ the military during the Benghazi attacks because he put his own personal interests and political interests above the lives of embattled Americans.

“Months later, we still do not know the complete truth about Obama’s actions and inactions.

“Had I been a U. S. Senator I would have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Senator Ayotte in her actions and inquiries after the Benghazi attack. Ms. Horn has been criticized in the Concord Monitor (please see links #1 and #2 below) for her defense of Ayotte. On this occasion, I stand behind Horn and support what Ms. Horn has said about Senator Ayotte’s actions.”

[Andy has over forty years of familiarity with Asia, Southwest Asia and the Middle East; he is regarded overseas as one of

America

’s most respected independent foreign policy, military and intelligence analysts. His analysis of the terrorist threat in

Iran

during the 1979-80 hostage crisis, and again in

Iraq

in 2003, were leading-edge predictions of what Americans faced in the future. Andy first went to Asia in 1967 and has lived in or been in Israel, Jordan, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Viet-Nam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Burma, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. Andy was in Iran and Afghanistan during the American hostage crisis in 1979-80. He has regularly returned to Southwest Asia since then. He lived in Iraq in 2003.]

__________________________

MEDIA CONTACT: Andy Martin (603) 518-7310; CELL (917) 664-9329
E-MAIL: AndyNewHampshire20@aol.com

_______________________________

LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not just the underlined portion):

Link #1

http://www.concordmonitor.com/community/town-by-town/

concord/4725666-95/horn-iraq-war-american

Link #2

http://www.concordmonitor.com/community/town-by-town/

concord/4725666-95/horn-iraq-war-american

______________________________

ABOUT ANDY:

Andy is a legendary New Hampshire, New York and Chicago-based muckraker, author, Internet columnist, talk television pioneer, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. Andy’s family immigrated to Manchester 100 years ago; today his home overlooks the Merrimack River and he lives around the corner from where he played as a small boy. He has forty-five years of background in radio and television. He is the author of “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” [www.OrangeStatePress.com] and he produced the Internet film "Obama: The Hawaii’ Years” [www.BoycottHawaii.com]. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of the “Internet Powerhouse,” www.ContrarianCommentary.com. He comments on New Hampshire, national and international events with more than four decades of investigative and analytical experience both in the

USA

and around the world. For more, go to: www.AndyMartin.com

Andy has also been a leading corruption fighter in American politics and courts for over forty-five years and he is executive director of the National Anti-Corruption Policy Institute. He is currently sponsoring www.AmericaisReadyforReform.com. See also www.FirstRespondersOnline.us; www.EnglishforAmerica.org

He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York (LaGuardia CC, Bronx CC).

UPDATES:
www.twitter.com/AndyMartinUSA
www.Facebook.com/AndyMartin

Andy's columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com

ContrarianCommentary.typepad.com

andymartinusa.posterous.com

[NOTE: We try to correct any typographical errors in our stories; find the latest version on our blogs.]

--------------------------

Corruption fighter Andy Martin on his candidacy for New Hampshire GOP state chairman

Andy Martin explains why he is campaigning to be nominated as state chairman of the New Hampshire GOP and suggests he will not attend the Annual Meeting if he has not lined up nominating/seconding support in advance. Andy says he has more support among ordinary Republicans than he does within the party’s insiders. Andy says the Republican Party’s claim that it needs to work on “messaging” is erroneous; Americans are rejecting the Republican Party’s message, not its “messaging.”

New Hampshire Republicans

www.NewHampshireRepublicans.wordpress.com

WWW.NewHampshireRepublicans.posterous.com

www.NewHampshireRepublicanParty.blogspot.com

www.NewHampshireRepublicanParty.wordpress.com

Andy Martin, J. D.

executive director

New Hampshire Republicans

you can call Andy:

(603) 518-7310

you can email Andy:

andynewhampshire@aol.com

you can write Andy at:

fax (866) 707-2639, or at home

144 W. Webster, #1E

Manchester, NH 03104

Blogs/web sites (partial):

www.AndyMartin.com

www.FirstRespondersOnline.us

ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com

ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com

January 25, 2013

Dear Republican Party

Leader/State Committee Member:

I promised to send you a series of serious letters setting out my views on issues which could influence your choice of a new state chairman for the Republican Party. And I have done that. More letters/statements are coming later today.

1. My efforts to become state chairman

I have spent my life as a political reformer, working for public integrity, political ethics and government accountability. In general, political party organizations are resistant to change. So party people don’t always like what I have to say.

On the other hand, while many voters dislike what the Democrats are doing they don’t trust Republicans to do better.

More particularly, ordinary people believe politicians in both parties cannot be trusted. But I have a record going back decades, a record people can trust. I have done exactly what I promise to do for New Hampshire Republicans: fight corruption, work for public integrity and political ethics, and strive for greater government accountability in New Hampshire (go to www.AndyMartin.com for my detailed biography). That’s the only way we can regain the trust of voters and win elections.

Earlier this week a long-time Republican who is a radio station owner here in New Hampshire sent an email asking state committee members to nominate and second me as a candidate for state chairman. That radio station operator represents ordinary, Main Street Republicans.

A political organization should be a service organization. What service has the New Hampshire Republican Party rendered to ordinary voters recently? None. And so it is not surprising that the radio station owner – someone in the communications industry – asked for me to be nominated. I have a record of working for ordinary people, not just party professionals.

Alas, the party insiders are not listening. No one has stepped forward to say to the radio broadcaster, "OK, let Andy run, and let’s hear what Andy has to say.” In fact, some insiders are working hard to silence me.

The radio guy got a reply from one Republican committee member, a Horn supporter, quoting Obama organization talking point smears about me. Thirty year-old smears. It’s a sad day when a reform Republican is smeared by another Republican using Barack Obama’s talking points.

I have a consistent record of public service, and I am serving the people of New Hampshire. I am ready to work for you, and lead you to victory. In my opinion, I have strong qualifications and I would like to present those qualifications to the Annual Meeting. So far, none of the committee members agree with me. And none of them agree with a New Hampshire radio station owner who has been a Republican for 40 years. They don’t want to listen, and they don’t want change. Sound familiar?

Is it any wonder we as a party are losing ground, and have lost 8 of the last 9 elections? If a radio station owner – someone for whom communications is a business – thinks you would benefit from meeting and hearing me, shouldn’t that be enough? Ordinary people would think so. So far, two committee members (nominate/second) have not appeared to agree.

So what should I do Saturday morning? Here are my thoughts.

2. Why I may not attend the Annual Meeting if I cannot be nominated

As of this morning, no one has come forward to nominate me and to second my nomination. The party is resistant to change, and resistant to new personalities. My message of “Renew, Rebuild, Reform” represents a call to hard work and searching reexamination of our approach to New Hampshire voters. Neither of those come easily.

If no one comes forward today to announce they are going to nominate me and second my nomination, tomorrow I will simply accept that fact and skip the meeting. I will not appear at the Annual Meeting. It would be impolite to campaign while others are speaking during the Annual Meeting. I do not want to be either bad mannered or disruptive.

I think it is a loss for the party's committee members when they are denied another choice, and denied an opportunity to look at new, dynamic and creative approaches to developing a 2014 campaign.

Whatever happens on the 26th I will put aside my disappointment and keep working to “reform, renew and rebuild,” on January 27th. But on the 26th I do not want to be either disruptive or disrespectful; campaigning during the meeting might be both. So, somewhat reluctantly, if no one today announces they want to nominate me to provide a choice for the committee members, I will simply step aside and cede the field to my two competitors on Saturday morning.

3. The long road ahead for New Hampshire Republicans

One of my conservative friends kept telling me during 2011 and 2012 that Obama was finished. He told me a “ham sandwich” could defeat Obama. I told him defeating Obama would be difficult, and that the Republican Party’s national candidates all had significant weaknesses. No matter. He still believed defeating Obama would be easy. Now he knows better.

New Hampshire Republicans are already counting their 2014 chickens. But defeating the Democrats in 2014 will not be any easier than it was in 2012. The Republican Party has still not woken up to the threat posed by Obama’s “permanent campaign.” Obama’s minions have exported the “permanent campaign” to New Hampshire and every other state. Democrats beat us in 2012, and they will be hard to beat in 2014. Their 2012 campaign machine is intact and already at work for 2014. Republicans are lulling themselves into a false sense of inevitable victory. Shades of 2012.

Let me explain why Horn, Hemingway and the national GOP is wrong. They keep using the word “messaging” to explain our defeat. This weekend, national Republicans are meeting to study why we lost last year. Both Horn and Hemingway say we need to improve the party’s “messaging.”

The problem is not “messaging;” the problem is our message.

Our political approach to the American people has been frozen in amber since 1980. While America has changed since 1980, the Republican Party has not. Our platforms have become increasingly extreme and increasingly detached from the reality of the average New Hampshire family.

New Hampshire voters are not rejecting us because they don’t get “our message.” They are rejecting our candidates because the message is all too clear. Jennifer Horn tells Republican meetings we as a party are “for women.” Women who vote don't agree. They get our message and reject it. We are fooling ourselves if we think otherwise.

No political organization can survive if it refuses to change and adapt to changing times. What worked for Ronald Reagan in 1980 will not work for candidates in 2014. Just ask Ovide Lamontagne. He ran the same campaign in 2012 that he ran in 1996, and he was attacked by the Democrats both times with the same negatives. And Ovide lost both times.

I realize that many committee members have been on the committee during the period when we lost 8 out of 9 gubernatorial elections. The party is resistant to change. Perhaps I represent uncomfortable change. But uncomfortable change is the only way the party can survive. If we go forward with a message that was locked in 34 years ago in 1980, we will lose again in 2014. Many of you may disagree with me. But you can’t disguise the track record, 8 out of 9 losses.

You may claim the Republicans’ message is not being received, but I would say exactly the opposite: we are not receiving the message the people of New Hampshire are sending us.

4. My opponents for state chairman

Jennifer Horn

“On paper,” Jennifer Horn looks like a strong candidate for state chairman. “In reality,” she is a disaster. Horn has made a lot of friends over the years. But, friendship is no basis in picking a party leader. Horn is unacceptable for three reasons.

First, Horn’s well-publicized financial problems reflect callous disregard for financial responsibility. She has over $90,000 of unpaid federal taxes going back five years. Why is she running for an unpaid, full-time position when she owes $90,000 in back taxes? She should be looking for a paying job. The Democrats will rip Horn to shreds because of her financial impropriety.

It’s not enough to say we have a “bad economy,” which is Horn’s excuse. People who are suffering from the bad economy are out looking for paying jobs, not looking for full-time unpaid work. What kind of “family first” mom puts politics ahead of earning money to support her family?

Horn has not only mismanaged her family’s finances she has apparently also mismanaged a political group she created, We The People. Seen any We The People financial reports lately? There aren’t any. There is no question that Horn is going to be investigated by federal authorities. What the result will be, I do not know. But in my opinion Horn’s personal mismanagement and political corruption have violated the law.

Why would any committee member vote for a leader who will become an immediate laughingstock for the Democrats and for the general public? Why?

Second, Horn is a “ready, aim, fire” type personality. She attacked me two years ago without ever making a phone call or attempting to speak with me. She just went out and attacked. What did Horn use as her bible? She used the talking points of Barack Obama’s political operation as laundered through Internet web sites. She admits she participated in meetings which lied to the media, and attacked me for events taking place 30 years ago.

A state chairman has to be someone who can act with restraint.

Third, if Horn is elected some people will continue to work against her to see she is removed as chairman as soon as possible. I have spoken to many Republicans who know Horn is dead-in-the-water if she is elected chairman, but they are still supporting her because they are afraid to make waves. People who are afraid to make waves can still drown. People who oppose Horn will continue to work against her. Horn is a polarizing candidate, the most polarizing candidate of the three candidates.

If “friendship” and long acquaintance are your sole criteria for voting, then Horn is your candidate. But don’t say you are surprised when Horn turns out to be a disaster.

Andrew Hemingway

I like Andrew Hemingway and if he is elected I will offer to work for and support him in any way he asks. But I am not sure he is the right man for chairman. He represents the future of the party, maybe not yet the present.

First, and most obviously, Andrew is a young man building a business. The state chairman’s role is not “part-time.” It is more than “full-time.” A state chairman is on call 24/7. There is no way someone building a new business can devote adequate time to the business and also be working full-time for the party. It simply isn’t possible.

Second, Andy is supported by a segment of the party that feels aggrieved. Will they be in a mood for compromise if he wins? Or loses? I am not sure. The Horn vs. Hemingway dynamic may continue to play out after the election. Brining the party together will not be easy. In an earlier letter I suggested only half-jokingly, “Vote for Andy; No one Likes Him.” Sometimes contesting factions can accept a neutral leader more easily than accepting the winner of a factional fracas.

Third, Republican Party bylaws/rules bar a chairman from being involved in primary campaigns. If he cannot be involved in advising primary candidates in New Hampshire Andrew may find a conflict arises between his political consulting business and serving as chairman.

I do not doubt Andrew has many technical sills. But a state chairman’s role is not about technical skill, it is about techniques, techniques of leadership. A state chairman has to be a team builder, not a computer whiz.

As I said, if Andrew wins, I will offer to support him. But I think his political skills might need more seasoning, seasoning that only comes with experience, and experience that only comes with the passage of time.

5. Why I am still the best and only serious candidate for state chairman

I told you earlier in this letter about the owner in one of New Hampshire’s leading local broadcasting companies who sent out an email asking Republicans leaders to make arrangements to see I am nominated Saturday. This broadcaster is (not yet) a close friend and only knows me by efforts on behalf of political reform and New Hampshire working families.

The broadcaster is a long-time Republican who is who is not satisfied with the current candidates. He wanted more candidates for state chairman and, unfortunately, he was apparently rebuffed by Republican leaders. Not surprisingly, someone sent him a link to an article authored by the Obama campaign and inserted in a supposedly-neutral database that attacks me. That Obama and his team try to undermine me is no surprise. I was Obama's first opponent and I have been Obama’s most consistent and conscientious opponent.

But why would any Republican regurgitate 30 year-old accusations about me?

In a way, the stale smears against me are a compliment to a life well-lived and cleanly-lived. No one gets to advanced years without the occasional misstep, and without accumulating the odd baggage. My life in politics began 48 years ago. Forty-seven years ago I used to line up rural mail carrier jobs for the party faithful. I have done it all and seen it all and have overall acted with a general sense of decency.

If my opponents, who apparently include Horn supporters disseminating the old slurs, can't find anything more current to smear me with than 30 year-old accusations, I think you will agree I have led a pretty good life.

And guess, what: in the same vein I would probably be a pretty good chairman.

In closing, here’s an interesting question: What should the lack of a positive response by committee members to the radio station owner’s effort to nominate me tell you? My thought: That I have more support among ordinary Republicans than I do among the state committee members.

Unless someone contacts me today I do not plan to attend tomorrow. If, in the end, you only have two choices on Saturday, the Republican Party itself will be diminished. The Annual Meeting will appear to have been “bossed,” “brokered” and “bought” in advance. In other words, more of the same old, same old.

With God’s help and – some day perhaps even your own help – I hope we succeed. Until then, I will keep trying.

Sincerely,

Andy

Vote for Andy Martin for New Hampshire state GOP chairman – no one likes him

Andy Martin explains why occasionally a candidate who is equally disliked by all party factions can be the best person to unite warring cliques. Andy says he began managing at the age of 10, and he has a gentle and caring personality which is what the state GOP needs right now. Andy can also laugh at himself, and look at life and leadership with a lifetime of challenging experiences.

New Hampshire Republicans

www.NewHampshireRepublicans.wordpress.com

WWW.NewHampshireRepublicans.posterous.com

www.NewHampshireRepublicanParty.blogspot.com

www.NewHampshireRepublicanParty.wordpress.com

Andy Martin, J. D.

executive director

New Hampshire Republicans

you can call Andy:

(603) 518-7310

you can email Andy:

andynewhampshire@aol.com

you can write Andy at:

fax (866) 707-2639, or at home

144 W. Webster, #1E

Manchester, NH 03104

Blogs/web sites (partial):

www.AndyMartin.com

www.FirstRespondersOnline.us

ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com

ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com

January 21, 2013

Dear Republican Party

Leader/State Committee Member:

But occasionally life calls for a lighthearted approach to reality. Well, today we are inaugurating one of the worst presidents in American history, for a second term, in a negative triumph of hope over experience. So a little light relief is called for.

In addition, whether you like me or dislike me, at least I don’t take myself too seriously. That’s an important qualification for a leader.

You are probably wondering why I’m running for state chairman. I think we could almost adopt the slogan, “Vote for Andy: No One Likes Him!” The party “Establishment” probably shudders at the mention of my name. And the right-wing, pseudo-Brit Groksters think of me as a form of fertilizer, or religious nightmare or worse. Well, that’s not all to the bad.

People on both extremes, all of whom have a history of losing in New Hampshire, don’t like me because they think I would upset all of their applecarts. And they’re all right.

Like Groucho Marx, I would never be part of any “establishment” that would have me. And while I am a conservative, I am a conservative with a positive attitude towards life. I’m a constitutional conservative on most issues, but not to the point of blindly marching into the sea.

Here are the facts about me, and why I would probably make the best state chairman:

Through my entire life I have shown extreme guts standing up for what’s right, and against political corruption. I stood up against the Mafia, and helped send crooked politicians to federal prison. Not many people can make that claim. I am not a summertime soldier and sunshine patriot. I am tough.

Lots of people, of course, “talk tough.” But few adults can point to an entire lifetime committed to public integrity, political ethics and government accountability. Take a look at AndyMartin.com. I have a record I am proud of, and which you can also be proud of.

To be sure, I’ve uttered the occasional wrong word, or acted in a way I wish I could retract. But no one in a half century of public life can be perfect and guess what, I’m not perfect. But I don’t pretend otherwise.

I started early in life as a leader and manager. One of the proudest moments in my little life at the time was when the director of the city’ farm system baseball program took me, at age 10, and dumped a team of 8 year-olds under my supervision. The St. John’s baseball team went from last to first under my management; one of the kids I managed later became an All-Stater. He taught me lessons, at the age of 10, I have never forgotten.

If the New Hampshire GOP is ever going to win the governor’s office again you need a chairman at least as tough as I am. But someone who will also lead with a smile, not a frown.

And, finally, surprisingly enough, I also have a track record of working with people who disagree with each other but who are willing to try and come together for a common purpose.

So, maybe the slogan “Vote for Andy – No One Likes Him,” might not be such a campaign banner for state GOP chairman after all.

If you just want more of the same, because it feels good, you have two other choices for chairman.

If you want someone who will bring people together, I am your candidate for chairman. I will work for you with only one goal, to unite the party and lead you to victory.

Best wishes and commiserations on

More-of-the-Same-Obama-Day

Sincerely,

Andy

U S Senator Kelly Ayotte asked to withdraw endorsement of Jennifer Horn

Republican leader and New Hampshire corruption fighter Andy Martin faxed a letter to U. S. Senator Kelly Ayotte Friday afternoon asking the senator to reconsider and withdraw her endorsement of Jennifer Horn for state party chairman. “According to John DiStaso at the Union Leader, two more Republican suicide bombers blew themselves up Friday ‘endorsing’ Jennifer Horn for state chairman,” Andy says. “It is sad to see good Republicans endorsing bad financial practices by a potential leader. I will continue to spearhead the effort to defeat Jennifer Horn. We are evaluating new evidence concerning Horn’s financial fraud. Then media are asleep; or are they lapdogs? Or what? I want to stress we are searching only for solid evidence, hard facts, and the truth. Nothing more, and nothing less.” Andy is available for interviews in Manchester but otherwise is working this afternoon on the continuing investigation of Ms. Horn. This release is in lieu of a news conference.

New Hampshire Republicans

www.NewHampshireRepublicans.wordpress.com

WWW.NewHampshireRepublicans.posterous.com

www.NewHampshireRepublicanParty.blogspot.com

www.NewHampshireRepublicanParty.wordpress.com

Andy Martin, J. D.

executive director

New Hampshire Republicans

you can call Andy:

(603) 518-7310

you can email Andy:

andynewhampshire@aol.com

you can write Andy at:

fax (866) 707-2639, or at home

144 W. Webster, #1E

Manchester, NH 03104

Blogs/web sites (partial):

www.AndyMartin.com

www.FirstRespondersOnline.us

ContrarianCommentary.wordpress.com

ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com

January 18, 2013

Senator Kelly Ayotte

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

via fax (202) 224-4952

Re: Endorsement of Jennifer Horn

Dear Senator Ayotte:

I am writing to ask you to withdraw your endorsement of Jennifer Horn for state chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party.

As someone who served has the chief law enforcement officer of the State of New Hampshire, people look to you for leadership in legal and ethical matters.

I am running against Ms. Horn for the chairmanship. During the past few days I have also focused attention on Ms. Horn’s IRS problems. I am enclosing a copy of a statement I issued yesterday.

Republicans should be above reproach when it comes to issues of IRS liens and questionable campaign practices.

I realize you may have issued your endorsement at a time when the full picture about Ms. Horn’s finances was not available. I am also aware that you told New Hampshire Public Radio that Ms. Horn’s tax issues were a legitimate issue. A poll by the New Hampshire Journal suggests 63% of its readers support a public discussion of Ms. Horn’s family problems (see enclosed excerpt).

My team is currently working on analyzing and interpreting new questions about Ms. Horn’s finances.

I don’t see how Ms. Horn has the time to serve as state chairman – a part-time, unpaid but virtually “full-time” position - when she has such pressing financial problems.

“Long-term,” Ms. Horn is simply not viable as a state chairman. Her tenure would be controversial and impacted by the ongoing financial crises in her life, of which there may be more surfacing shortly. Your endorsement may aid and comfort and encourage some state committee members into voting for a chairman whose election would do incalculable damage to the New Hampshire GOP and, ultimately, to your own local and national prospects.

I understand the issues swirling around Ms. Horn are moving quickly, but with the deepest respect I urge you to reconsider your endorsement at your earliest opportunity.

Respectfully submitted,

ANDY MARTIN

AM:sp

W/encl.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

New Hampshire news conference: Andy Martin challenges Jennifer Horn, Andrew Hemingway to series of statewide debates before January 26th

Republican leader Andy Martin will hold a telephone news conference today, Sunday evening, January 13th to challenge state chairman candidates Jennifer Horn and Andrew Hemingway to a series of statewide debates before January 26th. Andy is also a candidate to lead the New Hampshire Republican Party.

“So far, the New Hampshire GOP state chairman’s ‘election’ has been ‘brokered’ with Chicago-style endorsements seeking to prevent an open campaign and an honest vote,” Andy says. “The ‘winner’ of such a closed process will not and cannot enjoy legitimacy. I suggest we open up the state chairman’s election, with the three candidates, Ms. Horn, Mr. Hemingway and me holding a series of statewide debates before January 26th from Colebrook to Nashua, from Keene to Dover. If my opponents are afraid to debate me and to debate the obvious issues, what does that say about their future as ‘leaders’ if they win a rigged election? I believe New Hampshire Republicans are ready for reform; they want to win again,” says Andy. “The old ways are not working. The establishment is discredited. The hard, right, as always, is restless. Only a strong leader can lead under these circumstances.”

NEWS FROM:

New Hampshire Republicans

www.NewHampshireRepublicans.wordpress.com

WWW.NewHampshireRepublicans.posterous.com

www.NewHampshireRepublicanParty.blogspot.com

www.NewHampshireRepublicanParty.wordpress.com

Andy Martin, J. D.

executive director

New Hampshire Republicans

you can call Andy:

(603) 518-7310

you can email Andy:

andynewhampshire@aol.com

you can write Andy at:

fax (866) 707-2639, or

816 Elm Street #251

Manchester, NH 03101-2105

Blogs/web sites (partial):

www.AndyMartin.com

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ATTENTION NATIONAL AND NEW HAMPSHIRE DAYBOOK/ASSIGNMENT EDITORS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ANNOUNCEMENT OF TELEPHONE NEWS CONFERENCE

New Hampshire Republican leader Andy Martin challenges Jennifer Horn and Andrew Hemingway to a series of statewide debates before January 26th

Andy is working to open up the New Hampshire GOP to new people and new ideas

Andy says the New Hampshire GOP is “not just the party activist delegates that will vote on January 26th”

Andy says the state GOP has an unusual and challenging set of three very different candidates for state chairman

Andy says he represents the “Lincoln” wing of the Party, committed to public integrity and political reform

Andy says that if the GOP “establishment” tries to “broker-in-advance” the January 26th chairman’s election, there will absolutely be a backlash from ordinary Republicans and conservative independents

(MANCHESTER, NH) (January 13, 2013) New Hampshire Republican leader Andy Martin will hold a telephone news conference this evening, January 13th, to call on Jennifer Horn and Andrew Hemingway to agree to a series of statewide debates before the party leadership votes for a new chairman on January 26th. Horn, Hemingway and Andy are candidates for state chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party.

“Some people have suggested party members meet for a discussion or ‘debate’ after January 26th,” Andy says. “The debates should take place before Republicans vote on January 26th, not afterwards. This is New Hampshire, not Barack Obama’s Chicago. The efforts to ‘broker’ the state chairman's election in advance look more like an Obama-style Chicago fix than a traditional New England town meeting.

“If the state chairman’ election is brokered-in-advance on January 26th, the winner will not enjoy legitimacy, not as a leader for Republicans generally and not with independent conservative voters in New Hampshire.

“Republican leaders have an interesting slate of three candidates to choose from, representing three very different approaches to politics and party leadership:

“Jennifer Horn comes from the hard right of the party, the dead-enders who always say our candidates were ‘not conservative enough’ after they lose an election. In a switch, Horn is now backed by the party’s desiccated ‘establishment,’ reeling after the humiliation of last November. Horn’s ‘real’ constituency, however, always supports primary candidates who are more conservative (and presumably even more out of touch) than anyone who can win a general election in New Hampshire.

“Horn turns the old adage, ‘don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good’ on its head. She demands ‘perfection,’ and her slate always loses. They have lost 8 out of 9 gubernatorial elections and she is positioned, and ‘brokered,’ to make it 9 out of 10 losses in 2014.

“Horn does not accept and probably does not realize that you cannot force the voters to agree with you.

“New Hampshire is not a hard right state. Nothing Horn says can convince sentient voters it is. Once again, the party’s establishment is backing a sure and certain ‘loser’ in Horn for party chairman.

“Andrew Hemingway certainly qualifies as a ‘technocrat.’ Ironically, Horn's natural constituency is supporting Hemingway, not Horn, because the ‘right’ perceives Horn as having ‘sold out’ to the establishment. Andrew is a whiz on technology, and his platform is focused on technology and online politicking. But Andrew lacks the decades of political seasoning that are called for in a statewide leader or senior public official. Andrew may represent the ‘future,’ but he is probably not the leader Republicans need in 2013.

“I come out of the ‘Lincoln’ wing of the party, reformers who are committed to pubic integrity and political reform. Generally speaking, we want to make government more honest and more service oriented. But we are prepared to accept incremental, not radical, reform. Nevertheless, I want New Hampshire Republicans to come out swinging and take down the corrupt Democratic Party machine in New Hampshire.

“No one doubts I know how to hit hard and dish the dirt on the Democrats. The New Hampshire Democratic Party has become a freak show, but Democrats still win by default because of the unpalatable candidates Republicans offer on election day.

Republicans desperately need an aggressive leader, right now. Ironically, I could be the ‘compromise’ candidate between Republicans who don’t trust ‘switcher’ Horn, and leaders who accept that Hemingway is not yet ready to be a statewide field general. I also promise to be ‘collegial’ leader, who will consult first and act second.

“Horn has a history of a ‘ready, aim, fire’ approach to leadership. The conservative ‘speakers’ Horn invited to New Hampshire in 2012 were all hard right; none of them could actually win an election in New Hampshire.

“Republicans need a ‘General Grant’ who can fight and lead, not party holdovers from the past. I have forty-five years of public experience and radio and TV experience exposing corruption and fighting for public integrity and political responsibility.

“I believe I can work longer, fight harder and lead better than either of my two opponents.

“I will take the ‘war’ to the Democrats, and discourage any intra-party battles that divide Republicans and reelect Democrats. Just now, Republicans need a leader who is above all perceived as tough, aggressive, ready to lead and ready to attack the opposition. When I was fighting for ballot-integrity in a Strafford County court last September, fighting against an ACLU onslaught, the Republican Party was nowhere to be seen. I can talk the talk, but also walk the walk. Can Horn and Hemingway?

“I want to bring the party back to its traditional New England roots, to public integrity, government accountability and political independence. I am neither a ‘RINO’ nor a hard-rightist. I grew up in a Republican Party where New England was a ‘base’ of the party, not a vast wasteland of liberal dictatorship. I represent the ‘core’ of today’s New Hampshire voters, which we know from November 6th is absolutely not the ‘core’ of the Republican primary electorate.

“I have the experience and background fighting corruption to lead the battle to restore Republican Party to leadership and victory in New Hampshire.

“So, Ms. Horn and Mr. Hemingway, let’s debate. Now. Anywhere. Any time. Before January 26th. Take your best shot.

“If my opponents are afraid to face off against me,” Andy chides. “How are they going to face the Democrats?”

Andy is continuing his efforts to permit every Republican to participate in news conferences, by scheduling some of them at convenient evening times when all voters can listen in and participate.

JANUARY 13TH NEW HAMPSHIRE [TELEPHONE] NEWS CONFERENCE DETAILS:

WHO:

New Hampshire Republican Party leader Andy Martin

WHAT:

Andy Martin challenges Jennifer Horn and Andrew Hemingway to a series of statewide debates before January 26th, debating the future of the New Hampshire Republican Party

WHERE:

Telephone news conference:

Dial-in Number: 1-800-466-8543

Conference Code: 510518

WHEN:

Sunday, January 13th, 2013 - 7:00 P.M.

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MEDIA CONTACT: (603) 518-7310; CELL (917) 664-9329
E-MAIL: AndyMart20@aol.com

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LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not just the underlined portion):

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ABOUT ANDY:

Andy is a legendary New Hampshire, New York and Chicago-based muckraker, author, Internet columnist, talk television pioneer, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. Andy’s family immigrated to New Hampshire 100 years ago; today his home overlooks the Merrimack River and he lives around the corner from where he played as a small boy. He has forty-five years of background in radio and television. He is the author of “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” [www.OrangeStatePress.com] and he produced the Internet film "Obama: The Hawaii’ Years” [www.BoycottHawaii.com]. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of the “Internet Powerhouse,” www.ContrarianCommentary.com. He comments on New Hampshire, national and international events with more than four decades of investigative and analytical experience both in the

USA

and around the world.

Andy has been a leading corruption fighter in American politics and courts for over forty-five years. [www.AndyMartin.com] He is currently sponsoring www.AmericaisReadyforReform.com. See also www.FirstRespondersOnline.us; www.EnglishforAmerica.org

He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York (LaGuardia CC, Bronx CC).

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