Posted on 04/14/2016 7:41:08 PM PDT by massmike
Gov. Charlie Baker won’t be attending the Republican National Convention in Ohio this July, breaking a string of Massachusetts governors with prominent speaking roles at the party’s convention.
Baker, who was elected to office and has governed as a moderate Republican, has taken issue with the party’s leading presidential candidates this election cycle. He has criticized Donald Trump’s “reprehensible” comments about Muslims and women and said Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz have not shown an ability to collaborate with others.
Other moderate Republicans, including New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, have also said they do not plan to attend.
The decision is a stark shift compared to prior Massachusetts governors, who often enjoyed major coverage in previous party conventions. Gov. Deval Patrick gave speeches at the Democratic National Convention in 2008 and 2012, Gov. Mitt Romney spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2004, and Gov. Paul Cellucci addressed Republicans in 2000.
In fact, the last governor who didn’t deliver a speech at a convention was Baker’s political role model, Bill Weld. In 1996, Gov. Weld decided to withdraw from a primetime speech at the Republican National Convention because party leaders did not allow him to deliver a planned pro-choice speech.
“I wanted to give a speech about a woman’s right to choose, and Big Tent, and the future of the party, and they didn’t want it,” Weld said in a 1996 story in The Boston Globe. “Didn’t fit in with the program.”
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Another GOPe/Progressive/RINO flushed out.
It sounds like it’s going to be lonely in the RINO room at the convention.
Baker is mereky upholding a long-standing Massachusetts tradition which requires all holders of public office to be ignorant, incompetent buttheads.
Yes. Let them and all other rinos go and stay gone.
Kelly Ayotte not going to the convention? That must mean that McCain and Goober won’t be going either, since she has attached herself to them like a remora.
Trump is obviously hugely popular in Arizona... but Trump dissed him memorably early in the race. Everybody hates Ted Cruz. Kasich has no chance.
The people want the wall, but his donors don't.
Now McCain's got a primary challenger, and a good one from what I hear, and a D general election opponent who is beating him up pretty good.
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
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