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NORTH SHORE GOP OFFICE OPENS
The Beverly GOP City Committee has opened a North Shore GOP Victory Office at 194 Cabot Street in downtown Beverly across
from City Hall. We encourage Essex County Republicans to go in and volunteer to help elect the McCain/Palin ticket, Jeff
Beatty for U.S. Senate, Rich Baker for Congress and local GOP candidates.
The office will be open Monday through Thursday from 9am to 3pm; Monday through Wednesday evenings from 6:30pm to 9pm;
and Saturdays 9am to Noon.
On McCain Super Saturday's - September 20th and October 18th, we will hit the phones from 9am to 6pm. In the final 72
hours prior to the election, our efforts will go from 9am to 9pm.
Much of the focus will be on making phone calls to perspective voters to aid Get Out the Vote efforts for the McCain campaign.
There will also be opportunities to stuff envelopes, make posters, hand out yard signs and bumper stickers, go door-to-door
in the community and help other state and local candidates on the North Shore.
For Information, contact:
Email: BeverlyMassGOP@gmail.com
Phone: 508-932-2933
To sign up for times to volunteer, visit:
www.mysignup.com/gopvictory
and click on 'Fill This Seat' in the appropriate day and time slot to register - there are a total of 1026 slots over
two months, so feel free to choose more than one.
If you cannot volunteer, please consider making a contribution to the Beverly Republican Town Committee. $25 will feed
a lot of hungry volunteers or $50 would pay the cost of a phone line for an entire month. Contributions can be sent to the
Beverly Republican City Committee, PO Box 5233, Beverly, MA 01915.
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| We heart our hockey mom! |
PITBULL SARAH PALIN UNLEASHES ON BARACK OBAMA
Boston Herald, by Hillary Chabot, 8/4/08
ST. PAUL, Minn. - A feisty Sarah Palin charged straight at Barack Obama last night as the virtually unknown governor of
Alaska transformed herself into John McCain's snarling campaign pit bull before cheering delegates and the eyes of the nation
at the Republican convention.
In a high-stakes speech projected to be viewed by millions, the 44-year-old vice presidential pick turned the tables on
those who have mocked her inexperience and family troubles - ripping the Washington insiders and media elite.
"Here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good
opinion," she said. "I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country."
Dressed in a conservative gray suit, the self-described hockey mom and PTA member who brought reform to her own state
government quickly moved on to hammer away at Obama for everything from his flashy image to his policies on two critical issues:
energy and Iraq.
"This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word victory except
when he's talking about his own campaign," the combative Palin said.
"But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed, when the roar of the crowd fades away, when the stadium lights go out
and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot - what exactly is our opponent's plan? What does he actually
seek to accomplish, after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger,
take more of your money, give you more orders from Washington and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world.
America needs more energy, our opponent is against producing it. Victory in Iraq is finally in sight, he wants to forfeit."
Palin looked on at a sea of whooping delegates and, taking note of "Hockey Moms 4 Palin" signs, joked that "the
only difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is lipstick."
She heaped praise on McCain's character and POW heroism, saying, "There is only one man in this election who has
ever really fought for you, in places where winning means survival and defeat means death, and that man is John McCain."
"It's a long way from the fear and pain and squalor of a 6-by-4cell in Hanoi to the Oval Office. But if Senator McCain
is elected president, that is the journey he will have made."
Palin took the stage after days of attacks by media commentators and liberal bloggers who have targeted the unwed pregnancy
of her teenage daughter and two-decades-old DUI arrest of her husband, Todd.
As her beaming family, including daughter Bristol and her fiance Levi Johnston, who held hands and smiled, looked on,
she devoted little time to the sniping, seeking to put it to rest quickly and simply.
"Our family has the same ups and downs as any other, the same challenges and the same joys," Palin said, adding
that she met her husband in high school, "and two decades and five children later he's still my guy."
Hawaiian Gov. Linda Lingle said Palin's family "faces the same challenges that moms and dads do, every single day
in our country. Difficult things happen to families, and just like yours, families pull together and get through it. She will
not be trying to reinvent herself during this campaign. She is who she is."
# # #
LOCAL GOP DELEGATES READY FOR TIME TO SHINE
Salem News, Matthew Roy, 10/01/08
The Democratic National Convention culminated in a historic spectacle.
Sen. Barack Obama became the first black candidate to accept a major party's presidential nomination and addressed a crowd
of 80,000 on the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.
Even Republican nominee Sen. John McCain paused to acknowledge the moment's significance in a television advertisement.
But local Republican delegates aren't worried that the same electricity won't ripple through their convention, which begins
today in Minnesota.
"It's going to be historic for the party," said Jacqueline Ross, a delegate from Ipswich.
History will be made when Republicans nominate Sarah Palin for vice president. The governor of Alaska and self-described
"hockey mom" will become the first Republican woman to assume that role.
McCain's choice of Palin, a relative unknown even among party activists, means that the convention will serve to introduce
her to Republicans as well as the country as a whole.
"I don't know so much about her," said Donald Stacey, a delegate from Beverly. "I look forward to learning
more."
"This is something different, something new," Tanya DeGenova, an alternate delegate from Marblehead, said about
Palin's presence on the ticket.
"We need to diversify our party. We need more women involved," she said. "I was hoping to see a woman's
name on the ticket."
Ross, 23, graduated from Northeastern University last spring and is attending her first convention.
"I'm very excited to be going," she said during an interview on Friday.
Ross sees the gathering as a valuable chance for party activists from across the country to meet and swap ideas and strategies.
She hopes to learn something she can use to get Republicans here excited about the election this fall.
Ross is also looking forward to hearing from a lineup of speakers that includes former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Some who had been scheduled to speak, including President Bush, will not be at the convention for opening day. McCain
has canceled all but the essential opening-day activities as Hurricane Gustav approaches New Orleans.
Ross is among more than 80 delegates and alternate delegates from Massachusetts. Not all the action they will witness
and participate in will be inside the convention hall.
Stacey, a first-time delegate pledged to Romney, will attend a rally for former presidential candidate Ron Paul.
"He makes a great deal of sense," Stacey said. He praised Paul for his "ardent" defense of the Constitution
and comprehensive grasp of the economy and the forces that drive it.
DeGenova, a regional director for Jeff Beatty's senatorial campaign, plans to meet with state party leadership.
It's her first convention as well.
"It's going to be a wonderful time and it's going to energize the party," she said.
# # #
TOO MUCH SPENDING, TOO LITTLE BELT TIGHTENING
Salem News, 7/21/08
Letter to Editor from State Representative Brad Hill
To the Editor:
Today, I write out of concern for the state of the Massachusetts economy.
Within the past couple of weeks, the Legislature passed into law the Fiscal Year 2009 Appropriation Act that, in my view,
is unsustainable and unaffordable. The Legislature increased the budget by an exorbitant 5.3 percent over last year, which
in real numbers is an increase of close to $1.5 billion. Incredibly, the final budget recommendation had more funding in it
than what was proposed by the governor, House and Senate. This should be of grave concern to every citizen of the commonwealth.
With gas prices increasing daily, an uncertain economy and the prospect of our tax revenues hitting a wall, I cannot justify
increasing our budget this drastically. The House and Senate added hundreds of millions of dollars of earmarks to the original
proposed budget, which required withdrawing $310 million from the state reserves, while at the same time substantially increasing
taxes.
The way the 5.3 percent increase is reached in part comes from new corporate taxes that were only approved two days before
they were to go into effect. House Republicans worked to prevent the passing of these increased taxes on our businesses, convinced
that the current state of the economy, combined with newer, higher taxes, is a sure recipe for disaster.
But corporate taxes are just the start of the problem. The commonwealth is essentially spending money it does not have,
by counting on tax revenue, as well as the rainy-day fund, to make up the difference. An appropriation of $310 million from
the state's rainy-day fund was used to balance this budget, putting our stabilization fund below the $2 billion figure that
Treasurer Tim Cahill told the Legislature would be needed to help ensure our strong bond rating.
Additionally, the Legislature is counting on a waiver from the federal government that totals $600 million. The waiver
period has expired, and we have been told by the federal government that this waiver may not be renewed. In essence, this
budget is counting on $600 million that we do not have. Failure to receive these funds could cause a financial crisis.
I know there are some out there who believe that this is just a partisan issue. In my opinion, it is not. Right after
the passage of this budget, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF), a nonpartisan, well-respected think tank, called
for "substantial spending cuts now to avoid deeper cuts later." According to the MTF analysis, the budget is at
least $1 billion out of balance.
Again, there are the ongoing negotiations with the federal government over the state's Medicaid waiver with hundreds of
millions of dollars at stake and potentially a sharp drop in capital gains tax collection that accounted for almost $2 billion
in revenues in FY '08. As an example, if we were to have a $1 billion shortfall in 2009, we would have to deplete almost half
of the state's stabilization reserves.
As the MTF has said, "The problem facing the state is clear, the current level of spending is unsustainable, and
there is no plan to deal with the economic and fiscal challenges ahead."
My priorities have always been to provide funding for education and local aid to our communities to help fund our police,
fire, libraries and senior centers. This budget provides little or no increase to these fundamental expenditures, yet dramatically
increases dozens of other programs while adding thousands of new employees to our state payroll. Although many of the programs
that saw increases in this budget are worthy, I certainly would rather have seen our limited resources go toward helping our
local aid and education.
What is interesting to me is that Gov. Deval Patrick showed in his recent vetoes that the budget needed to be cut. Unfortunately,
the cuts that he has proposed might not be enough to prevent retroactive cuts I fear will be required later in the year.
He apparently shares the same mind-set as me, because he has requested, through a supplemental budget proposal, that his
9C powers be expanded. That tells me that the administration is concerned with cuts that will have to be made later this year,
and that could include local aid.
When revenues fell in 2003, I witnessed the need for retroactive budget cuts that were very difficult and painful for
the targeted programs and the citizens who benefited from them. I fear that we will relive 2003, and it will be worse in 2009.
In closing, we have sent a negative message to our business community, while at the same time putting the state finances
in peril with this budget. The leaders of the House and Senate have not worked within their means. We all want to provide
the needed services, but presenting new and costly programs during tough economic times is not the message we want to send
to the people of Massachusetts. The message we need to send is that the Legislature needs to tighten its belt just like the
citizens of this commonwealth have had to do during the past few months.
Rep. Brad Hill
Ipswich
(Editor's note: Republican Brad Hill is in his fourth term as representative of the 4th Essex District, which includes
Ipswich, Hamilton, Wenham, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Precinct 2 in Middleton, and Precincts 1 and 3 in Boxford.)
# # #
ONLY 6 CANDIDATES, BUT VOTERS ON ALERT
Boston Globe,
by John Laidler, 7/13/08
Candidates are beginning the push for votes as the 2008 legislative election season kicks into
gear in the region.
Contests are featured in only six districts this year. But the races, all involving challenges
to sitting state representatives, promise to be spirited.
A common task for all those running may be finding a way to get noticed by voters amid the ongoing
drama of the race for the White House.
"In some ways it's harder because all the focus seems to be on the presidential candidates," said
Republican State Committee member John N. Racho of Ipswich. But he said a silver lining for
local candidates is the overall heightened interest in politics this year.
"If a candidate runs a good campaign. . . their message will be listened to because a lot of people
are seeking information about public policy."
Racho said a presidential year also promises to bring a large voter turnout, a dynamic he believes
will help his party because "a lot more people other than the Democratic base" will be casting ballots.
Democratic State Committee member Kathleen Pasquina of West Newbury,
an early supporter of Barack Obama who is helping coordinate her Senate district for him, agreed local candidates could get
overlooked this year. But she said she hopes that does not happen.
"I think it's really important to have the competition," said Pasquina, noting that as a party
leader, she puts considerable effort into seeking Democrats to oppose incumbent Republicans. "I know these people are working
hard and they deserve attention," she said of the legislative contenders.
One race in the spotlight is a three-way Democratic primary contest in the Fourth Essex House district,
which includes Essex, Gloucester, and Rockport.
Seven-term incumbent Anthony J. Verga is trying to fend off challenges from fellow Gloucester residents Astrid af Klinteberg and Ann-Margaret Ferrante. With no other candidates,
the primary winner will have a clear path to victory in November.
Verga has faced only two electoral challenges since winning his seat, prevailing easily both times,
including in 2006 against a write-in primary foe. That record, his longtime incumbency, and the stature he enjoys on Beacon Hill as House chairman of the Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs would appear to give
him an edge.
But his two primary foes, both lawyers, have name recognition from their past work in the community.
Af klinteberg is a former two-term Ward 4 Gloucester city councilor. Ferrante is a former executive director of the Massachusetts
Fisheries Recovery Commission and a former aide to state Senator Bruce E. Tarr, a Gloucester Republican.
In another primary fight, first-term state Representative Stephen "Stat" Smith is trying to turn
back a challenge from fellow Everett Democrat and Alderman at Large Wayne A. Matewsky in the
28th Middlesex District, which includes Everett and part of Malden.
The contest promises to be competitive, featuring two seasoned and popular political figures in
the city.
A former alderman and common councilor, Smith prevailed in hard-fought primary and final election
fights in 2006 to win the seat of the late Edward G. Connolly, who died that May. Two years before, he had narrowly lost a
primary challenge to Connolly.
Matewsky is a 27-year veteran of the City Council. A Ward 1 Common Councilor beginning in 1981,
he was elected to the Board of Aldermen in 2007, tallying more votes than any other city-wide candidate that year.
Meanwhile, state Representative Lori A. Ehrlich, a Marblehead Democrat, and Marblehead Republican
John Blaisdell are competing for the second time this year in the Eighth Essex District, which includes Marblehead,
Swampscott, and two Lynn precincts.
Last March, Ehrlich, co-founder of two area environmental organizations, defeated Blaisdell and
Independent Mark Barry of Marblehead in a special election
to fill the seat that became vacant when Douglas W. Petersen resigned last November to become the state's agricultural resources
commissioner.
Her strong margin of victory in March - she collected 3,545 votes to 2,133 for the second-place
finisher, Blaisdell, a retired Marblehead police officer -
would seem to establish Ehrlich as the favorite. But Blaisdell is known in the district from his years as a police officer,
and like Ehrlich, he brings a ready organization and enhanced name recognition from the special election race.
State Representative Bradford Hill, an Ipswich Republican, is also facing a challenge this year.
Boxford Democrat Donald Bumiller is campaigning to unseat Hill in the district that includes Hamilton,
Wenham, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and parts of Boxford and Middleton.
Bumiller, a first-time candidate, is a lawyer and the president of the Essex County Bar Association.
He appears to face a steep task in unseating Hill, a former Ipswich selectman who has handily
defeated three challengers since first winning his seat in 1998.
In other races, three-term state Representative Barbara L'Italien, an Andover Democrat, faces Georgetown
Republican and former selectman Lawrence Brennan in a rematch of their 2006 race. The district includes parts of Andover, Boxford, Georgetown, Haverhill,
Methuen, and North Andover.
Based on the 2006 race, L'Italien starts out the favorite against Brennan, who did not seek reelection
as a selectman this spring. In the 2006 contest, L'Italien prevailed by 8,765 votes to 6,039. But Brennan could be helped
by the districtwide exposure he gained from that run.
In a contest among three Medford Democrats, state Representative Paul J. Donato is vying with labor organizer
Patrick William McCabe and first-time candidate A. James Caralis, founder of OpenMass.org, a nonpartisan website that tracks the state
Legislature. That primary fight is in the 35th Middlesex District, which includes parts of Medford
and Malden.
GOP: ATTORNEY GENERAL SHOULD INVESTIGATE HOUSE
SPEAKER DIMASI
Boston Globe, by Matt Viser, 5/1/08
The Massachusetts Republican Party today called for Attorney General Martha Coakley to launch
an investigation into House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi and his relationship with an unregistered lobbyist.
A Globe story Sunday reported that a group of ticket brokers hired DiMasi’s friend, Richard Vitale, last year to
work on their behalf, but that Vitale never registered as a lobbyist. The story said that, beyond their friendship, Vitale
also gave DiMasi a $250,000 loan secured by a third mortgage on his North End condo in 2006. It is a violation of the state's
conflict-of-interest law for a public official to accept anything from a lobbyist.
"For the people of Massachusetts to have any confidence in their government, they
have to believe that their elected leaders are, and will be, held accountable for their actions," Peter Torkildsen, chairman
of the state Republican Party, said in a press conference outside the State House. "If members of the House will not hold
themselves accountable, we will ask appropriate law enforcement officials to do so."
Coakley's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Vitale told the Globe through a spokesman that he was a strategist, not a lobbyist,
for the ticket brokers. Secretary of State William Galvin warned Vitale Monday to register as a lobbyist or face possible
penalties.
The Republicans today also asked Coakley to investigate allegations that House members are
asking colleagues to vote for them when they are not present. The Boston Herald reported last month that Representative Charles Murphy, a Burlington Democrat, was in the Virgin Islands two weeks ago when
he was recorded taking seven roll call votes in the House chamber.
In the last two months, the Republican Party has filed three state Ethics Commission complaints against DiMasi. A spokesman for DiMasi said, "The speaker's actions in these matters were
completely appropriate."
In addition to the complaint about the speaker’s relationship with Vitale, Republicans
asked the commission to investigate whether DiMasi might have violated the state conflict-of-interest law by attempting to steer a controversial, multimillion dollar contract to
Cognos, a Canadian software company with its US
headquarters in Burlington.
They also asked the commission to determine if DiMasi accepted a free golf game from Joseph O'Donnell, one of the owners of Suffolk Downs, who was looking to operate a resort casino on the grounds
of the East Boston racetrack.
DiMasi has denied acting on behalf of Cognos. With regards to playing golf with O'Donnell,
DiMasi has said that he and O'Donnell were longtime friends, and that DiMasi offered to pay O'Donnell for the golf at the
time of the outing, and he has since reimbursed him for it. In an interview with the Globe last week, DiMasi said he had no
idea Vitale was working on ticket broker legislation pending in the House.
The Globe published a story today about DiMasi’s relationship with Jay Cashman and a bill that was killed that would have blocked a controversial liquefied natural project
in Fall River. Cashman sold the terminal developers 73 acres
and made a $14.2 million profit, according to a Globe review of real estate and legislative records.
MISSOURI'S FORMER SENATOR JIM TALENT IN ESSEX COUNTY
Special thanks to the Manchester GOP's Jerry and Polly Townsend for hosting a special reception with Senator Talent on
March 26th. Senator Talent, author of the Welfare Reform Act, was speaking on behalf of the Heritage Foundation, a leading
conservative think tank. Senator Talent was in Massachusetts as part of their effort to reach out to the grassroots to increase
awareness of their policy work as well as increase membership. To read some of the foundation's conservative and free market
initiatives, and to join the Heritage Foundation, please go to www.Heritage.org.
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REP. BRAD HILL: GOP PLAN TO GIVE MUNICIPALITIES MONEY
THAT IS RIGHTFULLY THEIRS
Eagle Tribune, January 14, 2008, -Rep. Brad Hill
After meeting with local officials throughout Massachusetts and citizens whose property taxes continue
to grow, House Republicans understand cities and towns have pressing needs that are not being fulfilled due to budget shortfalls.
Our
caucus recently filed legislation directing the state to return $450 million in unrestricted local aid to the 351 communities
in Massachusetts immediately. Our plan would provide a needed
boost and would give municipalities the flexibility to decide how best to allocate these one-time funds.
As a former
Ipswich selectman, I have faith that local officials and citizens would make the best decisions
about where to spend this money.
Our proposal keeps the promise made in 1971, when the state Lottery was created with
the idea that 100 percent of the revenues, after prizes and expenses, would go directly to local aid for cities and towns.
However,
in fiscal years 2004 through 2006, the Legislature capped how much money would be distributed to keep some revenues to balance
the state's own budget. During this time, the state took an estimated $450 million from Lottery revenues, which would otherwise
have gone to cities and towns, and grew its own "Rainy Day" Stabilization Fund. Meanwhile, many communities were forced to
cut programs and workers, and residents were asked to raise their own taxes by passing Proposition 21/2 overrides.
By
uncapping the Lottery aid distribution two years ago, the state took a major first step in re-fulfilling its obligation to
communities. Now that the state has accumulated over $2.3 billion in its Rainy Day Fund, the Republican Caucus believes we
should take the next step and return the $450 million to local communities, which are still recovering from the effects of
our "borrowing."
Why? To cite just one instance, many cities and towns throughout the commonwealth have already exhausted
their snow and ice budgets this year. Historically, communities could draw from their stabilization funds to cover unexpected
costs. But those funds were depleted while the state was growing its own stabilization account.
The Republican plan
to infuse $450 million in unrestricted dollars would go a long way toward helping those communities get through the winter.
I am sure there are many other needs that could be addressed with these one-time funds, and I trust the prudent judgment of
local officials to make the right decisions on how to spend them.
The Democratic House leadership will tell you that we cannot afford to return the money. They will
remind you that during the recession, it was the $1.7 billion in the Rainy Day Fund that stabilized the state budget.
But
remember: If our proposal is adopted, we would still have between $1.8 billion and $1.9 billion in the Rainy Day Fund. If
what the majority party is saying is true, that the Lottery is not performing as well as expected, then that would make it
even more urgent that the state return the $450 million.
The Republican Caucus has made local aid a top priority. It
was our party that offered amendments that resulted in the uncapping of Lottery funds so that the promise of 1971 would be
kept. It is our caucus that offered amendments to redistribute Chapter 70 funds in an equitable manner as well as change the
way special education funds would be distributed to school districts.
Republicans have worked closely with our local
leaders to ensure ample funding for all 351 municipalities. Now is the time to partner with our local communities. The only
gamesmanship is the House leadership's effort to keep in their coffers what should be rightfully returned to each and every
community.
AT ISSUE: RAINY DAY FUND AND LOCAL AIID
Eagle Tribune: January 14, 2008
Legislators on Beacon Hill are debating a bill filed by the Republican
Caucus called the "Massachusetts Municipal Finance Relief Act of 2007."
It would order the state to take $450 million
from the Commonwealth Stabilization Fund (also known as the Rainy Day Fund) and distribute it to the commonwealth's cities
and towns within 30 days as "a one-time, nonrecurring supplemental local aid payment.:
Below is how much each North
of Boston city and town would receive should the bill become law:
Amesbury - $1,165,267
Andover - $1,070,289
Beverly
- $2,317,608
Boxford - $273,653
Danvers - $1,167,454
Essex - $130,371
Georgetown - $403,580
Gloucester - $1,466,740
Groveland
- $381,399
Hamilton - $364,502
Haverhill - $4,682,278
Ipswich - $588,302
Lawrence - $11,668,975
Manchester
- $133,205
Marblehead - $663,120
Merrimac - $436,138
Methuen - $3,178,290
Middleton - $266,820
Newbury - $272,103
Newburyport
- $863,476
North Andover - $1,169,517
Peabody - $2,812,460
Rockport - $262,098
Rowley - $268,494
Salem - $2,544,390
Salisbury
- 378,466
Swampscott - $605,763
Topsfield - $245,500
Wenham - $189,295
West Newbury - $168,511
# # #
STATE GOP NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Boston Globe, September 13, 2007
The state Republican party has named a new executive director, turning to 29-year-old Robert Willington of Reading, who became political director of the party in January 2006.
"Rob has proven himself as a capable and innovative leader ... He is a person I can count on in our efforts to grow
the grassroots, and return two-party competition to Massachusetts,"
Peter Torkildsen, the party chairman, said in a statement issued by the party.
Willington graduated from Salem State College where he studied political science. His political experience includes
working for various politicians' campaigns and managing the VoteOnMarriage.org campaign to gather 170,000 signatures for a
ballot question that would have banned gay marriage.
"I’m looking to help build a dedicated network of knowledgeable
activists that can effectively carry the GOP banner throughout the Commonwealth. The change starts today," Willington said
in the statement. In the past few weeks, Willington has been serving as interim executive director.
Brian Dodge, the previous executive director, left the job in mid-August. He said he was taking a new job out of state.
The party suffered its first gubernatorial loss in 16 years last year and Republicans are vastly outnumbered by Democrats
in the Legislature. Torkildsen, a former congressman and state representative, took the job of chairman in January, saying
he hoped to revitalize the party.
# # #
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