One of the good things (although it is sometimes a bad thing) about living in New Hampshire is that you get to see all the Presidential candidates before anyone else does. The Democrats, even though we may grumble about him, are solidly united behind President Obama. Only a few national Democrats have dropped by, some of whom are not running for President at all, others of whom will not be running till 2016.
The Republicans need to nominate someone in 2012, and it is not too early to begin laying the groundwork. Mitt Romney went to the extreme of buying a house in New Hampshire. Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty and Gary Johnson have all dropped by. (We haven't seen Sarah Palin yet, even though the new Hampshire primary is conveniently timed for the midpoint of the Presidential election process.)
I am a state rep, and even though I am a Democrat, the Cheshire County Republicans sent me an interesting email. Rock Santorum is speaking at their Lincoln Day Dinner (which is for some reason being held two and half months after Lincoln's birthday.)
If you will recall, he was the antigay and antichoice fanatic who was one of the frontrunners for the GOP nomination in 2008, until he went and lost his Senate seat in 2006.
He is coming back in 2012. This seems like an inauspicious election cycle for him, especially in New Hampshire. We just passed gay marriage last year and we refused to repeal it this year. We also killed several anti-abortion bills. But he is coming back anyway and laying the groundwork for another Presidential run.
Here is the message from the Cheshire County Republicans:
<div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:
CCRC <span dir="ltr"><
cheshirerepublicans@gmail.com></span>
Date: Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 2:16 PM
Subject: CCRC Lincoln Day Dinner to feature SENATOR RICK SANTORUM
To:
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THIS EVENT WILL SELL OUT, SO PLEASE RESERVE EARLY!!!</div>
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Cheshire County Annual Lincoln Day Dinner</div>
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FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010</div>
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KEENE COUNTRY CLUB</div>
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6 P.M. COCKTAILS</div>
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7 P.M. DINNER</div>
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<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">featuring</div>
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SENATOR RICK SANTORUM</div>
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Keynote Speaker</div>
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$50 per person </div>
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Tables of 8-10 available</div>
<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">(We are once again asking for donations to help us offset the cost for High School & College Republicans)</div>
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SILENT AUCTION</div>
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RSVP 352-7553 (Juliana Bergeron's office)</div>
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Please make checks payable to CCRC and mail them to either of the following addresses:</div>
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CCRC, PO Box 1859 Keene, NH 03431</div>
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or</div>
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Juliana Bergeron, 191 Washington St., Keene, NH 03431</div>
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Please make payment in advance, though you can reserve your table prior to mailing the check! </div>
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Biographical information on Senator Santorum:
SANTORUM, Richard John (Rick), (1958 - )</div>
Senate Years of Service: 1995-2007
Party: Republican
SANTORUM, Richard John (Rick), a Representative and a Senator from Pennsylvania; born in Winchester, Frederick County, Va., May 10, 1958; B.A., Pennsylvania State University 1980; M.B.A., University of Pittsburgh 1981; J.D., Dickinson School of Law (Pa.) 1986; administrative assistant to Pennsylvania State Senator J. Doyle Corman 1981-1986; director, Pennsylvania State senate local government committee 1981-1984; director, Pennsylvania State Senate Transportation Committee 1984-1986; admitted to the bar in 1986 and commenced practice in Pittsburgh; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Second and One Hundred Third Congresses (January 3, 1991-January 3, 1995); was not a candidate for reelection to the House of Representatives in 1994, but was elected to the United States Senate in 1994; reelected in 2000, and served from January 3, 1995, to January 3, 2007; Republican Conference chairman (2001-2007); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 2006.
Bibliography
Santorum, Rick. Rick Santorum: A Senator Speaks Out on Life, Freedom, and Responsibility. Washington, DC: Monument Press, 2005; Santorum, Rick. It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good. Wilmington, Del.: ISI Books, 2005.
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