A race up in New Hampshire will show whether the Stupid Party, as the Republican establishment is so deservedly called, is going to get smart now. On Saturday, the New Hampshire Republican state committee will either re-elect Steven Stepanek as chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, or elect Keith Hanson. It’s a contest over whether the Republican Party in New Hampshire will remain the party of Mitch McConnell, i.e., cowardice and me-tooism, or whether it will genuinely offer a choice to voters and a home for people who are genuinely alarmed at the Leftist establishment’s contempt for civil liberties.
“There is a concerted effort, Keith Hanson told me, “to silence conservatives on the state level, and I stand in direct challenge to the initiatives to push the party to the left in an effort to be liked by progressive Democrats,” of whom, Hanson added, the present New Hampshire Republican leaders are “terrified.”
I have direct experience of this, and a keen interest in this race, because back in October 2019, when he was the chairman of the Sullivan County Republican Party in New Hampshire, Hanson invited me to come to the state and speak to his group, and all hell broke loose. What happened as a result of his invitation showed in microcosm how the far Left has gained control of the political process in America, while Republican leaders are generally spineless accommodationists who fold at the least sign of disapproval from Democrats.
My appearance led to what has now become the usual firestorm that ensues whenever someone who challenges the prevailing Leftist narrative speaks anywhere. I was defamed in the local media by Raymond Buckley, chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, as a “white supremacist”; Buckley had apparently confused me with Richard Spencer, and refused to retract when repeatedly asked to do so. Democrat State Senator Martha Hennessey, imitating the Nazi Brownshirts in the early 1930s, jumped on and led a smear campaign on Twitter to get me canceled. Two venues caved in to this and canceled the event, which ultimately took place at a third. Here is the video. You can see for yourself if it’s full of “hate.”
Buckley is a liar and Hennessey is a fascist, so neither should be in positions of public service, but they’re typical in the Democrat Party these days. What was far worse was the cowardly response on the Republican side. Instead of investigating the false charges being made about me, discovering I wasn’t really any of the things that were being said, and standing up for the freedom of speech, the New Hampshire Republicans were ready to kowtow and do everything the Democrats wanted.
Hanson stood firm, and ultimately lost his chairmanship as a result. His predecessor as Sullivan County Republican Committee Chairman, James “Jim” Beard, emailed Hanson the night before the event: “Time to accept failure….Keith, it is time to send a email blast to everyone who responded, everyone who bought tickets with 100% refunds and accept your mis-management for bringing this event to Sullivan County….Let us return to good ole’ [sic] fashioned hot dog roasts on the Newport Common where people came together from all works of life in the community, socialize and build common understanding. That is how we Republicans solicit votes….You can write your own resignation.” Hanson didn’t, but was soon forced out.
Beard’s “hot dog roasts” epitomize the futility of today’s Republican Party. Stand on principle? Not good ol’ James “Jim” Beard. The Democrats are at open war against the freedom of speech. They’re stigmatizing and silencing all opposition to jihad mass murder and Sharia oppression of women and others. They are forcing a radical socialist agenda on the country. And this clown thinks he is going to beat them with hot dog roasts. Or rather, he is happy to lose, as long as he gets his with mustard.
Then there was Representative Steven Smith, senior Republican advisor in the NH House and chairman of the Sullivan County delegation, Sullivan County District 11. After succeeding Hanson as chairman of the Sullivan County Republican Party, Smith actually apologized for my having spoken there, despite the fact that he did not attend the event and admitted that he had not watched the video, and so had no idea what I had said. What he did know was that the Democrats and media were telling him to jump, and so he said, “How high?”
Jellyfish on the order of Beard and Smith rule the Republican Party not just in New Hampshire, but all over the country. The Democrats are fighting a war, and the Republicans are playing jacks. Where are the men with spines? Where are people standing up to this totalitarian agenda of the left? Now that Biden is in the White House and the freedom of speech is under concerted Leftist assault, this is needed more than ever. But instead, Republicans keep roasting their hot dogs, and hoping that their Leftist masters won’t demand too very much of them.
What happens Saturday in New Hampshire will be telling. The Republican Party has a choice now. It can move toward forming a genuine opposition to the Left and blocking its efforts to cement its hegemony. Or it can sit back complacently as the First and Second Amendments are rapidly being eroded, and at least enjoy a few weenie roasts before it is shut down completely. Republicans all over the country will before too long be facing the same choice.
Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. He is author of 21 books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. His latest book is Rating America’s Presidents: An America-First Look at Who Is Best, Who Is Overrated, and Who Was An Absolute Disaster. Follow him on Twitter here. Like him on Facebook here.