An Open Letter To The PA Republican Party Establishment

Mr. Asher:

I wanted to send you an email because I'd like to express my sincere discontent with the actions of the PAGOP in the Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Republican Primary. I know that the party has decided to endorse Attorney General Corbett. I don't believe the party should get involved officially with primaries, but being that many of you in the PAGOP are more focused on winning elections and saying we elected a Republican than supporting a conservative and electing somebody who is not only a Republican, but a CONSERVATIVE, I do not find this surprising. Remember, you in the PAGOP decided to fight for Specter over Toomey in 2004. I think anybody who has given any attention to Mr. Specter's actions clearly understands that the PAGOP made the wrong decision in that race.

Secondly, I found it interesting that Chairman Gleason went after Representative Rohrer when he made people aware of Mr. Corbett's position on the Constitution. In an election, a candidate's positions are fair game, and most people would interpret that what Mr .Corbett said was in fact the same argument made by those on the left. Somehow, the belief that our Constitution is moldable to what judges think is an absurdity, and it is a position myself and many other conservatives stand firmly against. Our Constitution should be interpreted based upon what was meant 235 years ago when it was written.

However, that is besides the point, the fact is that Chairman Gleason claimed Mr. Rohrer was in violation of President Reagan's "11th Commandment" by "attacking" Mr. Corbett, yet just the other day I received a nasty mailer, I'll call it trash because that's exactly what it was, sent out by the PAGOP. This ad attacked Mr. Rohrer for supporting the pay raise, yet neglected to point out Mr. Corbett gladly accepted the raise he received from that same bill. The mailer also fails to point out that Mr. Rohrer voted for that bill as a means to bring his property tax relief bill to the floor. Although that didn't happen, Mr. Rohrer stuck to his WORD and voted for the pay raise. I think it is quite obvious the PAGOP misled voters on this subject, and that is why I have also contacted Chairman Gleason's office as to inquire as to why it is A) Ok for the PAGOP to endorse candidates in primaries B) Not okay for those who oppose the party elite in Harrisburg to challenge endorsed candidates on the issues that matter and C) Why it is okay for Chairman Gleason and the rest of the PAGOP to knowingly mistate the facts at hand as well as mislead the primary voters.

I think it is also very important to note that should Mr. Rohrer win in tomorrow's primary, the Democrats will have great fuel in attacking Mr. Rohrer. It will be very easy for the Democratic nominee to pick up a copy of this flyer and point out that this is what the PAGOP has said about Mr. Rohrer.

As usual, you in the party hierarchy have defied to give grassroots primary voters a say in who the candidate will be. You have also increased the tension between conservative grassroots Republicans and the Corbett campaign. I will be supporting Mr. Corbett should he win the GOP primary, as I believe he is more conservative than the entire Democratic pack, but I am still deeply troubled, as a former donor of the PAGOP and a 20 year old conservative Republican, that my state's Republican Party has chosen to put winnability before values.

I look forward to a response from you as well as a justification for the actions taken by you and the rest of the committee. As a Pennsylvania Republican, you are supposed to represent and answer to my concerns, and I therefore hope you will respond to this inquiry. Thank you for reading this, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Jonathan T. Tallman

From PennPatriot: Thank you Jonathan for allowing me to post this letter! Many everyday republicans across this great Commonwealth have the same feelings towards the republican party leadership in this state. It is time that PA republicans demand party leaders that promote our core values instead of the current establishment cronies who focus more on political quid pro quos and protecting the elite.