Here we go...

Happy new year to all!

My intent and purpose this year will be to periodically post about various issues affecting us locally or statewide. I won't as a rule attempt to tackle Federal issues as I don't have time to delve into them.

From time to time as has unfortunately been the case since this blog started, I must address issues within our own party. I truly believe the Republican party is a big tent party. We don't have to agree with every jot and tittle of the platform or with every word spoken by other Republicans. We should be able to disagree without being disagreeable giving everyone their "quarter".

It is also unfortunate that there are those in our party who appear to have the attitude "Believe exactly as I believe or you are not a good Republican. In fact, fail to agree, and you may not be a Republican at all." This attitude is giving aid and assistance to our political enemies at a time when they are looking to reduce the Republican influence in St. Charles County.

Our political enemies know that they cannot win St. Charles County, at least not right now. They do believe that they can reduce the Republican vote margins in St. Charles and do so by enough to make a difference in statewide races. Their test race will be Talent/McCaskill. If they can reduce the vote margin in St. Charles through discouraging Republican voters that are not "hard core" and independents who lean Republican from bothering to go to the polls, they will stand a very good chance of succeeding in their goal and setting up an even more intense campaign for 2008. How are they going about this? I wouldn't pretend to know all the ways but let me speculate about some.

I would submit that many of the activities taking place on the St. Charles City Council are related to the democrat plans. I wouldn't necessarily go so far as to suggest that all the players on the City Council are knowing pawns but some surely know. Riddler has been a democrat player for a long time. Koester, although not the sharpest knife in the box, was the former Chair of the Democrat Central Committee. I don't think he would be able to carry out the complex plays necessary to execute the game plan but he makes a good pawn. Of course, Brown's North County involvement and clear democrat ties (assisted Tom Green and others) could very well be part of the game plan. Personally, I don't think Greer is capable of being part of any such action and they are just using Gieseke's ego to make him a part of the game.

Moving westward, it is my opinion that the dems are using Adolphus Busch's opposition to the Lakeside 370 project as a wedge with the afore mentioned voters. Make enough voters become apathetic, thinking all politicians are the same, take away their motivation to go to the polls.

Ditto in O'Fallon.

What does this have to do with Republican big tent politics? I believe that otherwise good meaning Republicans are also acting as unwitting pawns in this plan. By taking advantage of their "I'm a real Republican and you are not because you don't agree with me" tendency, the opposition positions themselves to take full advantage of the situation. The result is aiding and abetting our political enemies by violating Ronald Reagan's 11th commandment.

The outcome of the upcoming County Council race will be the second test of the foregoing assessment. The first was the County Council race in which the Republican candidate was harmed by the presence of another Republican running an independent campaign. In the next race, we have not one but two candidates who claim to be Republicans running as independents with support from the My Way or the Highway Republicans mentioned earlier. The likely result? Another dem win on the County Council. Not since the first County Council elections has there been more than 1 democrat Councilman. Activities such as those we see being conducted on other "Republican" blogs and at Board of Alderman meetings are only playing into the hands of our political enemies. To a lesser degree the State Senate race will also be an indicator as Republicans in Lincoln County appear to be prepared to help the dems do better than they should be expected to do otherwise.

We should be able to disagree, hold differing viewpoints, respecting those differences and still pull together for a resounding Republican victory that St. Charles is known for producing. We have done that in the past and seen great success. Unfortunately it appears that we are headed for learning the hard way, again.