Congressional Candidate Dr. Richard Moss Thanks Wayne Parkes For Boosting His Campaign

The Moss For Congress Campaign would like to formally thank Vanderburgh County GOP Chair Wayne Parkes for his support of Dr. Moss’s campaign to represent Indiana’s 8th district in Congress for the Republican Party. Although Parkes endorsed Congressman Larry Bucshon, Dr. Moss’s opponent in the Congressional race, the Moss For Congress Campaign recognizes that this will most likely redound to Dr. Moss’s benefit. Whether this was Parkes’s ultimate intention is not known.

Earlier this week, in a break with protocol, Wayne Parkes, shocked his followers and hangers-on and the listening public by releasing his endorsement of a slate of candidates competing in Republican primaries.

Republican primary candidates chimed in as reported in the Evansville Courier Press.

Brenda Bergwitz, who’s running for the commissioner’s seat after winning a German Township Advisory Board position in 2014, wasn’t surprised to learn she won’t get a vote from the party head.  “I think it’s sad … and they wonder why regular, normal people don’t want to get involved — it’s because it’s already fixed from the get-go,” Bergwitz said.

Cheryl Musgrave, a local who’s held several elected and governmental positions over the last 20 years, who is running for Vanderburgh County Commissioner, and who has been a Republican since the 1980s, said she couldn’t remember a party chairman ever making endorsements for every race in a primary. “For him to, ultimately all by himself, make endorsements is an improper use of his role as party chairman,” Musgrave said. A party chairman endorsing candidates turns off voters, she said.” Voters are telling me that’s causing them to want to do the opposite of what he’s doing.” she said. There were others who shared similar sentiments.

Indeed, Parkes has done all of us not among his chosen a favor. He has probably also done some damage to his preferred circle of candidates. Hence my thanks and gratitude to the county chair for helping my campaign.

But this point should be elementary to someone as politically astute as Mr. Parkes. As Vanderburgh County GOP chair, he should understand that his job is to unify the party, not divide it. The primary is for Republican voters, whom we colloquially refer to as “we the people,” to decide who will be their standard bearer in the general election against the Democrats. It is typical not to take sides. One may have a preference but should keep that private while treating all Republican primary candidates equally. To take the unusual measure of listing one’s recommendations, sharing them publically with more than 1500 people on the party’s email list as well as in newspapers while urging GOP primary voters to use them as cheat-sheets at the polls is over-the-top, clumsy, and heavy-handed at best, and abusive and corrupt at worst.

Such a move undermines the primary process and seeks to influence the outcome, decidedly not the job of county chair. More than that, it is a slap in the face of the other Republican candidates, generally all good reliable members of the Republican Party, some of whom may wind up winning anyway despite Parkes’s misguided efforts, which will complicate efforts in the general election. It also insults the Republican base, the ones who knock on doors, plant yard signs, make phone calls, and vote. It shows contempt for them and the democratic process. It also conveys nervousness and doubt over the county chairs favored candidates. While we recognize that Wayne Parkes and his ilk are likely to support what we commonly refer to as “Establishment” candidates (particularly at the national or federal level), to do so openly during a primary is peculiar and suggests consternation that the preferred candidates, the establishment picks, may not be faring as well as he had hoped hence his decision to intervene in this unprecedented and graceless, amateurish manner.

It is also odd that he would endorse John Kasich for President, another “Establishment” favorite but someone who has no mathematical chance of winning the nomination. Why tell voters to throw away their vote to someone who cannot win? Kasich is truly reprehensible for staying in the race for his own selfish and egotistical reasons, when all the other former Presidential candidates with no chance of winning have already abandoned the contest. He is a self-obsessed saboteur, a shameless self-promoter, who seeks to disrupt the Republican Convention for personal reasons. His decision to continue his futile and insufferable campaign throws into question not just his judgment but the judgment of the county chair who would endorse him.

But there is yet a deeper issue on display in this unfortunate political exercise by the county chair. In his inept, bungling way, he displays an overwhelming obtuseness to what is going on around the country – which I should scarcely need to mention. As the county chair appears to have missed this, allow me to point out that the Republican base has had it with the Republican Party in Washington. They are disgusted with it. And the reason is that Republican leadership in Washington DC is out of touch. But it goes far deeper than that. They have betrayed the base, and then heaped scorn, slander, and contempt upon them – on the people who get them elected. An unpardonable sin. And the base is sick of it, as we have witnessed in this election season.

Yes, we the conservative base are disgusted with the gutless, stand for nothing Republican Party in Washington, with the impotent, pathetic Republican leadership and their water-carriers in Congress who cave on every issue. We can no longer tolerate big spending Republicans who come home during election time and campaign as conservatives and return to Washington and vote as liberals, who make promises they have no intention of keeping. We are tired of Republican leadership and their loyal foot soldiers in Congress like Larry Bucshon who do the bidding of their leaders who in turn do the bidding of Obama and the Democrats. And this is why the base has rejected the “Establishment.” This is why Jeb Bush, Chris Christy, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich are either out of the Presidential race or have no chance of winning, like the disgraceful Kasich, who stays in the race despite this, an annoying, malign figure. It is only the outsiders left, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, both outsiders, a sure sign of the contempt the base holds for the Republican ruling class. And apparently Mr. Parkes has missed all this. Apparently he failed to notice the grand, chaotic spectacle of Republican Party Politics across the land and in the media the last nine months, and what it portends for the Republican Party and the next election.

The people are angry as hell and hold the federal government, Washington, and the Republican Party, in particular the Congress, responsible. Yes, we are tired of the backroom deals, the political patronage, favoritism, and cronyism. We cannot abide an inept, unprincipled Republican Party in Washington that can’t surrender soon enough. We have had it with the career politicians that betray the base that wins them stunning, landslide election victories as we did in 2010 and 2014 – and get nothing for their trouble. When Parkes delivered his cheat sheet for the Republican rank and file he displayed all the arrogance of the Republican ruling class in Washington. Not recognizing the frustration of the base with its leadership, he also failed to realize his actions would backfire.

As I said, I want to thank Chairman Parkes for aiding the Moss For Congress campaign. We appreciate his support!

Another note. Has anyone seen Congressman Larry Bucshon? We have been looking for him, but can’t seem to find him. Is he in hiding? Part of the witness-protection program? We have publically challenged him to a debate, to defend his voting record, his love of spending and the Obama agenda, of more debt and more government, of amnesty, the EPA, sanctuary cities, and Planned Parenthood. We invited the Congressman to a debate on March 30. He failed to show. We challenged him again publically last week. He ignored it. The College Republicans at Vincennes University invited him to debate me under their auspices. He refused and the poor College Republican youngsters were given a stern rebuke for challenging the Congressman – at a time when we are trying to recruit youth to our mission and party. Not a good example. If anyone sees the Congressman, if anyone can find him or his many operatives out and about, please advise him that we are looking for him and recommend he stop dodging the voters, the issues, and his voting record. We would relish the opportunity to debate him on the issues and his voting record sometime before May 3.