"The Oregon grassroots vote was, and is, as powerful as ever, but my Republican Ruling Class primary opponent's election victory was secured through vote-splitting manipulation, personal attacks on me, and big dollars to fuel it all."
Sam Carpenter, candidate for GOP State Chair
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| Sam Carpenter |
Division on the right.
He says the GOP can be the majority party in Oregon if they embrace Trump. Embrace their own platform. And nominate real conservatives.
Sam Carpenter, a Bend area businessman, lost the Republican primary election for Governor. He is a man with a mission. He is running for state party chair, an office currently held by Bill Currier. Carpenter refers to the current party leadership as the "Ruling Class." He doesn't mean it as a compliment.
Sam Carpenter spoke with me for 45 minutes and two big messages emerged.
One is explaining his loss of the GOP primary election. He says GOP leaders stood by while the conservative vote split in two, denying Carpenter the nomination, and arranging that Knute Buehler would emerge with a plurality of votes.
The second theme is that the Never-Trump Buehler wing of the GOP is out of touch with GOP voters and that there is a solid pathway to victory for the GOP if they embrace true conservative values and policy. That means open, full throated support for Trump.
The second theme is that the Never-Trump Buehler wing of the GOP is out of touch with GOP voters and that there is a solid pathway to victory for the GOP if they embrace true conservative values and policy. That means open, full throated support for Trump.
Carpenter says he is meeting opposition from the establishment "Ruling Class.' They informed him that they inserted rules requiring him to submit a slate of candidates for new officers by January 2. The GOP convention is February 15-16. Carpenter told me they want the slate early so they can prepare to smear and discredit his slate.
He said he understood that this might sound oddly conspiratorial, but said it was in fact their practice. He cited his own experience, being accused of having unpaid debts and mis-stating his military service--"stolen valor." The charge was utterly unfounded, he said, but the accusation was a drag on his campaign for the May primary. Click for more: Accusations/Response He said he was concerned similar things would happen to his slate.
He said he understood that this might sound oddly conspiratorial, but said it was in fact their practice. He cited his own experience, being accused of having unpaid debts and mis-stating his military service--"stolen valor." The charge was utterly unfounded, he said, but the accusation was a drag on his campaign for the May primary. Click for more: Accusations/Response He said he was concerned similar things would happen to his slate.
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| Ballotpedia |
He said good, professional polling showed he was winning as of April, 2018, notwithstanding being outspent some 10 to 1 by Buehler. "He spent 2 1/2 million. I spent $250,000." Then the establishment GOP encouraged a third candidate, Greg Wooldridge, to enter the race, for the actual, but unacknowledged, purpose of dividing the conservative vote. Wooldrich's focus was on attacking me personally, Carpenter said.
The party strategy worked.
Carpenter lost, Buehler won. And then Buehler lost the general election.
Buehler was essentially a Democrat, Carpenter said. He had Democratic policies and projected a Democratic style. Shortly before the election Knute Buehler attended a Gay Pride parade in Portland. "Why was Knute Buehler in a gay parade in Portland? It's insane to move to the left. They are never going to vote for you. It infuriated the base."
Carpenter said Buehler did the same thing on abortion: "Why did he have to slap the base on abortion. He tried to ingratiate himself to the left."
Republican voters want to vote for a real Republican, Carpenter said, one who supports the Party Platform, including the planks on abortion. Abortion: "The party believes that every person has a fundamental right to life, beginning at conception. The party also opposes taxpayer funding for abortion."
That is where the people are, Carpenter says.
Trump versus Never Trump. Carpenter said the establishment party is uncomfortable with Trump so they qualify and hedge and nominate people a Republican in Name Only. "It turns off the 89% of Republicans who support Trump," Carpenter says.
Carpenter takes his stand. He is pro-Trump, proud, and unwavering.
I mentioned the Access Hollywood recording. Surely you can't fully endorse Trump, I said.
He said that when you have a leader, you back him. "I will not qualify my support for the president. I'm not qualifying the guy. I am not apologizing for him." He added, "What he is doing on the Wall has pumped up the base. Oh, my."
On Facebook, Carpenter writes in full praise of Trump.
"Overseas, strength has replaced appeasement. Nationally a surging economy has replaced economic malaise, and the rule of law is paramount. Obama's 'fundamental American transformation' of reduced freedom, anti-constitution rulings, and apology is flat-out over. Sanity has returned, and people all over the country have noticed."
Republicans are working out what kind of Republicans make sense in Oregon. Sam Carpenter says that Oregon is actually a red state, if the GOP actually listens to their own voters. In that case a Republican would not lose 6 to 1 in Portland--as did Buehler--a margin that destroys a Republican's chance to win.
Carpenter says he is speaking up for Republicans and quiet Trump-supporters in other parties, who would turn out for a real conservative.
He is writing a book to make that case, and says it will be available in the second week of January, 2019.
The party strategy worked.
Carpenter lost, Buehler won. And then Buehler lost the general election.
Buehler was essentially a Democrat, Carpenter said. He had Democratic policies and projected a Democratic style. Shortly before the election Knute Buehler attended a Gay Pride parade in Portland. "Why was Knute Buehler in a gay parade in Portland? It's insane to move to the left. They are never going to vote for you. It infuriated the base."
Carpenter said Buehler did the same thing on abortion: "Why did he have to slap the base on abortion. He tried to ingratiate himself to the left."
Republican voters want to vote for a real Republican, Carpenter said, one who supports the Party Platform, including the planks on abortion. Abortion: "The party believes that every person has a fundamental right to life, beginning at conception. The party also opposes taxpayer funding for abortion."
That is where the people are, Carpenter says.
Trump versus Never Trump. Carpenter said the establishment party is uncomfortable with Trump so they qualify and hedge and nominate people a Republican in Name Only. "It turns off the 89% of Republicans who support Trump," Carpenter says.
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| Carpenter photo on Facebook |
I mentioned the Access Hollywood recording. Surely you can't fully endorse Trump, I said.
He said that when you have a leader, you back him. "I will not qualify my support for the president. I'm not qualifying the guy. I am not apologizing for him." He added, "What he is doing on the Wall has pumped up the base. Oh, my."
On Facebook, Carpenter writes in full praise of Trump.
"Overseas, strength has replaced appeasement. Nationally a surging economy has replaced economic malaise, and the rule of law is paramount. Obama's 'fundamental American transformation' of reduced freedom, anti-constitution rulings, and apology is flat-out over. Sanity has returned, and people all over the country have noticed."
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| In final edit |
Carpenter says he is speaking up for Republicans and quiet Trump-supporters in other parties, who would turn out for a real conservative.
He is writing a book to make that case, and says it will be available in the second week of January, 2019.
4 comments:
"Oregon is actually a red state..."
The "red state/blue state" dichotomy is a media invention that provides a convenient label and is of more use to Regressives than anyone else. Progressives should shy away from such a divisive term because it is pejorative and inaccurate. If one delves into the politics of particular states it quickly becomes clear that it's much more complicated with things like economic history, population diversity, and other factors, for instance, education levels, that determine how people vote.
Part of Trump's appeal is that he conflates cultural issues with real economic problems, successfully, but incorrectly, blaming one for the other. "Moral decay (Immigrants/LGBTQ/Hollywood) is bringing America down". Given his own moral shortcomings it's a head shaker.
No Republicans "make sense in Oregon." I'd like to know what a "real conservative" is and propose that what Trump has done for the republican party will ensure democratic control for the future.
Sam continues to run on a platform of lies and misrepresentations. As a two-time sore loser, he said after the 2018 primary "Did you people really think this is over? There is a price to be paid." Carpenter is interested in vengeance not party unity. He left Oregon after the primary and came out swinging at all party officers immediately after the Nov 6 election. In his mind if a person holds a party seat but will not bow to him, that person is a "swamp rat." In the primary, he asked all other gubernatorial candidates to bow out so he could take his rightful place as nominee, - that was Linn or Lane Co candidates' debate. Willamette Week reported that he said that same about Buehler, even though Buehler had been chosen by the voters. Now he has told Currier to resign, as well. His Wooldridge story is false, too. Wooldridge was recruited before Carpenter filed, but he'll tell you whatever he needs to in order to gloss over his responsibility in his own losses. He sneaks around his secret facebook groups and the ones he's been able to hijack saying that Currier has no wins, but that is just another lie. Currier and his slate came on board in the wake of the shipwreck left by past Chairs Suzanne Gallagher, who resigned after allegations of party finance mismanagement, and Art Robinson, who mistakenly thought unilateral decision making was acceptable, and thus far, with the current exec team, has brought the party into the black and restored relationship with the House and Senate Caucuses where none had existed before. I guarantee that Carpenter will destroy those gains in short order.
With bitter revenge his clear motivator, Carpenter's platform message is ALWAYS "Get out of my way or I will ruin you." I could write a book about it.
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