!!A 'brush fire of liberty' in Peabody -Ron Paul endorses Leah Cole and she WINS!!

[sailingaway]

You who are old, and have fought the fight,

And have won or lost or left the fight,

Weigh us not down with fears of the world,

As we run!

— Cale Young Rice

I memorized this quote a long time ago, seems to me it was when I was young, about to become a taxpayer activist. Or maybe it was when I started to become cynical about politics, and reminding myself not to pass that on to younger activists. It came to mind on Friday evening.

I was at a “Special Election Countdown to Victory Reception” in Peabody for Leah Cole, a young woman who is running for state representative in Tuesday’s election, in the 12th Essex District recently represented by Joyce Spiliotis.

Citizens for Limited Taxation’s Proposition 21/2 PAC has endorsed Cole as the best choice for taxpayers, but I wouldn’t usually get personally involved in a legislative district other than my own. However, I don’t like the way she’s been dismissed as if she’s a freckle on the nose of the political complexion.

It’s been noted that there is much excitement about “a competitive race in Peabody Wards 1-4 and part of Ward 5” between a Democrat school committeewoman and a city councilor who is running as an independent but has pledged to caucus with the Democrats on Beacon Hill.

Just what we need, more Democrats on Beacon Hill. I thought Democrats were into “a balanced approach” and “fairness,” not to mention more women in elected office. The candidacy of one young woman is dismissed, as nearly as I can tell, only because she is young, and a Republican. This made me angry, so let me dismiss both those excuses for not supporting her.

Young. Yes, Leah Cole is 24 years old. Some of the people crowded into her reception Friday evening were younger than that. Many 20-somethings, like Salem’s Sean O’Brien, had become involved with the recent congressional campaign of Richard Tisei — who had just graduated from college when he won his first campaign for legislator, representing Wakefield.

I ran into old friends from that town whose young son, Evan Kenney, is running for School Committee in Wakefield this year. He’s been encouraged by Republican activist Brad Wyatt, who, inspired by Ron Paul, has been working on getting “Liberty Kids” to run for local office. He was at the Cole event all the way from Worcester, where he is encouraging another young woman to run for the seat precariously held by John Fresolo (D-Worcester, 49 years old), who is currently the object of an internal House ethics investigation.

One of the taxpayers’ best allies on Beacon Hill was Peter Forman (R-Plymouth), who also ran immediately after graduating from college and later became House minority leader. Back to our local area, remember Peter Torkildsen? He was 26 in 1984 when he ran for state representative in the 13th Essex District (parts of Danvers and Peabody), beat the powerful House Majority Leader Jack Murphy, later became our congressman.

Sen. Bruce Tarr was at the Cole event; he still doesn’t look much older than when he first ran, at 26.

So Leah Cole’s youth should not be a liability. We might not want all 160 House members to be young, but one or two ... well, let’s celebrate diversity! You may also be a Democrat who doesn’t want a Republican majority, but any politically aware observer should recognize that more balance in the Legislature would be a good thing for the commonwealth.

There is a new brand of Republican making its move across the nation, focused like Peabody’s young nurse on fiscal responsibility, creating jobs, bringing transparency, accountability and a fresh voice to the halls of state legislatures.

My partner, Chip Ford, was a New Hampshire driver for Ron Paul when Paul first ran for president as a Libertarian, and is still on his contact list. Last month, he received a letter from Congressman Paul that began: “Brush fires of liberty are springing up all across the country. And one of those brush fires is burning right now in Massachusetts ... you can be sure Leah will lead the fight to defeat the Boston establishment’s tax hikes, massive spending increases and assaults on liberty.” Dr. Paul endorsed her and urged his friends in Massachusetts to support her campaign.

This is probably where some of the “out-of-district money” that has helped fuel her campaign came from; I just gave her $50 myself, to help create a level playing field with the two better-known politicians in the Peabody wards.

This part of the state voted for Republicans Tisei and Charlie Baker, who enthusiastically introduced Leah at the function I attended; he also noted the value of encouraging young people to run and urged those in attendance to each get 10 people to the polls on April 2.

Many Republicans didn’t turn out for the special-election Republican primary between Cole and Greg Bunn, maybe because they had no preference between two good candidates. I hope they turn out in force on Tuesday — along with independents and Democrats who believe in a two-party system — to vote for Leah Cole, and prove that anyone who rudely dismissed her was wrong.

http://www.salemnews.com/opinion/x168871694/Anderson-A-brush-fire-of-liberty-in-Peabody

[Christian Liberty]

Why is Ron Paul weighing in on elections outside the United States?;)

Sorry, just had to bash the one state that might actually be worse than mine...

[sailingaway]

By all means lets insult all the people who could actually cast a vote for this candidate....

[Christian Liberty]

"You must spread some reputation around before giving it to sailingaway again."

True, true. My post was only a joke anyways. If you check my posting history, I pick on my own state at least five times more often than I pick on anywhere else. And making fun of a state should not be taken as making fun of everyone in that state, again, that means I make fun of myself all the time, which is probably true but whatever.

[lib3rtarian]

I love it how these young folks are entering politics and fighting for liberty. We should all thank Ron Paul for that.

[FSP-Rebel]

I love it how these young folks are entering politics and fighting for liberty. We should all thank Ron Paul for that.
Definitely, it's really great.

[Christian Liberty]

Definitely, it's really great.

Thirded...

[sailingaway]

bump for Massachusetts voters...

[sailingaway]

Tuesday vote!

[sailingaway]

Bump for tomorrow's election!!

[sailingaway]

bump for votes today in Massachusetts!

[Bastiat's The Law]

Has there been any polling?

[sailingaway]

I only saw the primary polling, but she won that, and the Dem got only about a third of the vote. If the GOP backs her, even 'sort of', I'd expect her to win, but then, more Dems might turn up in the general election, of course.

There might have been general election polling, but I didn't see it.

[Bastiat's The Law]

I hope our people come out today to support her. God knows we need some more high profile women in this movement.

[sailingaway]

I posted in the MA forum yesterday so people who subscribed to that during the campaign will get emails. I hope they come out, too.

[sailingaway]

bump for votes today!

[sailingaway]

I've seen tweets that there are a bunch of people holding signs for Leah Cole near the polling stations.... Go grass roots!!

[Adrock]

When do the results start coming in?

[sailingaway]

Evan Kenney ‏@EvanKenney now
OFFICIAL: #Peabody is going to have a new state rep, and her name is Leah Cole. @LeahColeMA just #ShockedTheWorld #Peabody #mapoli

[sailingaway]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BG4IrhzCIAAeUE_.jpg

[sailingaway]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BFsI42HCYAMnt2e.jpg

[lib3rtarian]

http://www.redmassgroup.com/diary/16715/and-then-there-were-30-leah-cole-wins


And Then There Were 30: Leah Cole Wins!!! (http://www.redmassgroup.com/diary/16715/and-then-there-were-30-leah-cole-wins) Paul R. Ferro (http://www.redmassgroup.com/user/Paul%20R.%20Ferro)Tue Apr 02, 2013 at 20:42:07 PM EDT
By a vote of 1,879 to 1,805 for the Democrat, and 1,459 for the Unenrolled, Leah Cole has been elected the new State Representative for the 12th Essex district. Developing...

[sailingaway]

wow, that was very close! But she did it!!!

[Adrock]

That is cool. Maybe Rand was right about liberty Republicans being able to better compete in the north east and on the west coast.

[Mr.NoSmile]

Well done, indeed But someone pointed out on her Facebook campaign page, the real work begins. Hopefully she manages not only to make a dent, but an impression among anyone still on the fence about her.

[sailingaway]

That is cool. Maybe Rand was right about liberty Republicans being able to better compete in the north east and on the west coast.

That's what I've been thinking for some time, it is certainly how it worked for Ron. Rand uses different rhetoric so his numbers may vary.

[Adrock]

That's what I've been thinking for some time, it is certainly how it worked for Ron. Rand uses different rhetoric so his numbers may vary.

The constitutional conservative Rand model plays well in red states. The more libertarian RP model could work a lot better in the blue ones.

[sailingaway]

Ron has called himself a Constitutional Conservative for decades, and has been a strict constructionist for 30 years. It isn't the Constitution part, it is the red meat/culture war stuff. Buzz words that rally the red base have the opposite effect on the blues. Staying away from that stuff is less polarizing, but then you can't use it for the advantage it gives you with some of the people.

[Adrock]

I didn't mean to say they shouldn't be constitutionalists. I am just saying that there are going to be different types of liberty candidates for different states. A big difference in the two to me is their approach to social and civil liberties issues. While they have the same beliefs, the way Ron presents an issue is a whole lot different than Rand.

[sailingaway]

I'm not certain they have precisely the same beliefs but I agree they present themselves differently, and that Rand goes more the southern conservative route.

[Bastiat's The Law]

Well done guys! We had a good day today.

[ClydeCoulter]

More good news :)

[ClydeCoulter]

Ron has called himself a Constitutional Conservative for decades, and has been a strict constructionist for 30 years. It isn't the Constitution part, it is the red meat/culture war stuff. Buzz words that rally the red base have the opposite effect on the blues. Staying away from that stuff is less polarizing, but then you can't use it for the advantage it gives you with some of the people.

Being caught between a rock and hard place :)

[lib3rtarian]

http://peabody.patch.com/articles/leah-cole-speech#video-13872078

[S.Shorland]

That man is posing for pictures with signs of all the candidates?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BG4IrhzCIAAeUE_.jpg

[torchbearer]

I love it how these young folks are entering politics and fighting for liberty. We should all thank Ron Paul for that. each cycle, we have been winning the minds of young people. if this trend continues- #libertyisrising

[lib3rtarian]

That man is posing for pictures with signs of all the candidates?

No. He is displaying signs for Cole. There is a person behind him who has signs for Dunne.

[georgiaboy]

great news! I had no idea how important all these small victories were when I really plugged into this movement 6 years ago. They really are huge. Impacts all across the party.

[mz10]

No. He is displaying signs for Cole. There is a person behind him who has signs for Dunne.

That man is Republican Senate candidate Dan Winslow.

This is a huge deal for the liberty movement in our state. We are now a legitimate statewide political force that can win elections.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BFsI42HCYAMnt2e.jpg

Oh hey, that's me on the right :)

[sailingaway]

congratulations to all of you!!

[muzzled dogg]

What I heard:

"She's Scott Brown and "Ron Paul" endorsed...and she announced running just 8 weeks ago...and (3) political orgs that I know of-worked on her campaign. Money "poured" into her campaign, according to several articles. It's just odd. She's a "no-one" and yet she worked to get Scott Brown elected and now she's suddenly a "hard-core" Ron Paul supporter. It's odd.
I'm just wondering what their objective is to having her in the state house. She's a tool-the question is-who's?
Her campaign manager worked for Scott Brown in DC. This smells very fishy.
well, I found the answer. She was a Romney supporter. I found pics of her tabling for him-prior to Tampa. Who claims she's a RP supporter?"

[sailingaway]

What I heard:

"She's Scott Brown and "Ron Paul" endorsed...and she announced running just 8 weeks ago...and (3) political orgs that I know of-worked on her campaign. Money "poured" into her campaign, according to several articles. It's just odd. She's a "no-one" and yet she worked to get Scott Brown elected and now she's suddenly a "hard-core" Ron Paul supporter. It's odd.
I'm just wondering what their objective is to having her in the state house. She's a tool-the question is-who's?
Her campaign manager worked for Scott Brown in DC. This smells very fishy.
well, I found the answer. She was a Romney supporter. I found pics of her tabling for him-prior to Tampa. Who claims she's a RP supporter?"

People who worked on her campaign. But since Rand endorsed Romney a lot did after that point. Also, in MA if you recall they were forced to sign that they would vote for Romney at convention or get bounced as delegates. They took a different tack. A bunch weren't keen with it, but that was the entirety of MA, they were getting inside. I wouldn't call tabling for Romney, after that, when she was going to run, the be deciding factor, and at this jr an office, the Scott Brown bit might be HIM trying to curry favor with OUR folks, but we can keep our eye on her. That is what the farm team is for anyhow, give someone a chance and see how they pan out. She did donate to Ron in the primary.

Ron also did endorse her, likely at supporter request.
--

edit, to play devil's advocate, she donated $250 which is just above the disclosure threshold. She COULD have been branding herself for us, but people who know her, and come here, like her.

How far before Tampa was she tabling for Romney?

[mz10]

What I heard:

"She's Scott Brown and "Ron Paul" endorsed...and she announced running just 8 weeks ago...and (3) political orgs that I know of-worked on her campaign. Money "poured" into her campaign, according to several articles. It's just odd. She's a "no-one" and yet she worked to get Scott Brown elected and now she's suddenly a "hard-core" Ron Paul supporter. It's odd.
I'm just wondering what their objective is to having her in the state house. She's a tool-the question is-who's?
Her campaign manager worked for Scott Brown in DC. This smells very fishy.
well, I found the answer. She was a Romney supporter. I found pics of her tabling for him-prior to Tampa. Who claims she's a RP supporter?"

With all due respect, this was the biggest load of bullshit I've read in a long time.

Let's dismantle this piece by piece:

1. Money poured into her campaign because Ron Paul's PAC was sending out fundraising mailers. Is that the new standard that we're holding candidates to, that they can't accept money? Well good luck winning elections.

2. Worked to get Scott Brown elected? As someone who made calls on the Mass Victory system numerous times, no matter which candidate you are calling for, there are Scott Brown questions included. Leah was not even remotely involved with Scott Brown's campaign.

3. She's a tool? Don't personally slander someone you've never met.

4. You're right, her campaign manager, Ryan Chamberland, is not a Ron Paul supporter. He is, however, unquestionably part of the anti-establishment wing of the Mass GOP. If we refuse to associate with anyone who disagrees with us on anything, we will forever remain a fringe movement.

5. Pics of her tabling for Romney? Show the pics. Leah was not in Tampa. Get a life and stop lying about people who are part of the liberty movement.

[sailingaway]

With all due respect, this was the biggest load of bullshit I've read in a long time.

Let's dismantle this piece by piece:

1. Money poured into her campaign because Ron Paul's PAC was sending out fundraising mailers. Is that the new standard that we're holding candidates to, that they can't accept money? Well good luck winning elections.

2. Worked to get Scott Brown elected? As someone who made calls on the Mass Victory system numerous times, no matter which candidate you are calling for, there are Scott Brown questions included. Leah was not even remotely involved with Scott Brown's campaign.

3. She's a tool? Don't personally slander someone you've never met.

4. You're right, her campaign manager, Ryan Chamberland, is not a Ron Paul supporter. He is, however, unquestionably part of the anti-establishment wing of the Mass GOP. If we refuse to associate with anyone who disagrees with us on anything, we will forever remain a fringe movement.

5. Pics of her tabling for Romney? Show the pics. Leah was not in Tampa. Get a life and stop lying about people who are part of the liberty movement.

Um........

Shemdogg is sort of the archetypical activist around here, as in, we only wish more had that level of involvement. He is wary, in this instance and may have some bad information, but NO ONE has worked harder for the liberty movement that I know of, with the exception of Ron who had decades head start.

[mz10]

Um........

Shemdogg is sort of the archetypical activist around here, as in, we only wish more had that level of involvement. He is wary, in this instance and may have some bad information, but NO ONE has worked harder for the liberty movement that I know of, with the exception of Ron who had decades head start.

Maybe so, I certainly didn't say he wasn't working hard, but to put out something like that without backing it up, without confirming any of the information, is not right at all. Ask questions, fine. Have a different opinion, fine. But to slander one of the few successful liberty candidates we've had, and spread false information, is completely unacceptable.

[wormyguy]

She and her family members donated $1153 to Ron last cycle, and not to any other Presidential candidates, so I'd say it's safe to say she's one of us.

[sailingaway]

Maybe so, I certainly didn't say he wasn't working hard, but to put out something like that without backing it up, without confirming any of the information, is not right at all. Ask questions, fine. Have a different opinion, fine. But to slander one of the few successful liberty candidates we've had, and spread false information, is completely unacceptable.

He was asking, and saying what he heard. We do that, then someone says 'no, I know her, she's the real thing' and everyone goes 'Whew!' No biggee.

[sailingaway]

She and her family members donated $1153 to Ron last cycle, and not to any other Presidential candidates, so I'd say it's safe to say she's one of us.


Excellent!

[matt0611]

I heard about this girl just yesterday, she's a Ron Paul supporter? Cool!

[Barrex]

I love some controversy from time to time. ;) It is good to stir and check your own from time to time....in a respectful manner.

[lib3rtarian]

I see nothing wrong in what shemdogg asked. It's natural to be skeptical, because it's not unusual for someone to exploit the RP base by claiming to be a supporter and then turning their back on us afterwards. And mz10 cleared it up. Problem solved. I thank you both.

[Bastiat's The Law]

She seems legit to me.

[sailingaway]

I see nothing wrong in what shemdogg asked. It's natural to be skeptical, because it's not unusual for someone to exploit the RP base by claiming to be a supporter and then turning their back on us afterwards. And mz10 cleared it up. Problem solved. I thank you both.

Yeah, mz10 was spending most of his free time door knocking for her so I think there were personal feelings in there. Both he and shemdogg put their actions where their words are.

Shemdogg used to live and be very active in Mass and just moved to NH over the end of the election cycle, as I recall, so he's interested but not necessarily up to speed in MA since he was busy working on campaigns in NH. You may know a lot of the same people.

[mz10]

Yeah, mz10 was spending most of his free time door knocking for her so I think there were personal feelings in there. Both he and shemdogg put their actions where their words are.

Shemdogg used to live and be very active in Mass and just moved to NH over the end of the election cycle, as I recall, so he's interested but not necessarily up to speed in MA since he was busy working on campaigns in NH. You may know a lot of the same people.

We probably do, we're actually Facebook friends. Although I will say there has been a lot of turnover between the Ron Paul 08 campaign and the Ron Paul 12 campaign, at least in Mass.

I have no hard feelings towards Shem, I just think he should have prefaced it by saying it was just hearsay and he didn't have any evidence. Questioning is fine, accusing is not.

[sailingaway]

the lead in to his entire post was "What I heard:"