Red County Caucus

To the editor:
    In 2008 only one county in the 66 New England counties voted Republican. That county was Piscataquis. The residents of this county are very proud of that fact. While the rest of New England was caught up in “Obamamania,” Piscataquis voted consistent to its conservative leanings.
    A committee was formed to develop the Red County Caucus. This committee compiled a questionnaire with questions on various issues including tax reduction, regulatory compliance costs, natural resources, environmental laws, and social laws. The questionnaire was presented to the Gubernatorial candidates at the Piscataquis County Caucus on Feb. 14. The candidates have been asked to return the questionnaire by the April 1 in the addressed envelope that was provided.
    The Central Maine Republican Women will sponsor a debate Saturday, May 1st at 6:30 p.m. in conjunction with the Piscataquis County Republican Party. All Republican Gubernatorial candidates have been asked to attend. The members of “The Red County Caucus” will take this opportunity to get a better understanding of the stance of each candidate on the pertinent issues. The ”Caucus” committee will then compile this with the questionnaires and other research information to reach a collective recommendation. The Red County Caucus committee will then present this recommendation to the members of the Red County Caucus. At the Republican State Convention, the delegates of The Red County Caucus will vote on a candidate. After the delegates have reached a decision, a representative of The Red County Caucus will announce, in front of the State Convention, which Gubernatorial candidate the Caucus will endorse.
    The Red County Caucus wishes to provide a rallying point to which Republican Conservatives throughout the state can unify. It also wants to remind fellow Republicans that in a “Democrat year” Conservatism still won Piscataquis County. It has been stated, derisively, that perhaps the remote region and supposed “uneducated” populace were the reasons for the conservative vote. The Red County Caucus prefers to believe that common sense guided their vote and that, with a ballooning national debt and inflation looming on the horizon, perhaps their “uneducated, remote” common sense may prove to be wisdom. Some would say that The Red County Caucus is just pure symbolism. The Red County’s answer is to remind fellow Mainers that, in an era of corruption and tainted symbols, a pure symbol is sorely needed.
Andy Torbett
Atkinson