Last Week in Republican Boston....

If a tree falls in a forest with no one to hear it, then does it make a sound?
Ancient Zen Koan

Cellucci, Whitman, Swift, Healey

What have we here? A United States Ambassador, Two Cabinet Secretaries, Three Governors, Three Lieutenant Governors, Two State Senators, and Two Congressional candidates (Porcupine will allot extra points to anyone able to sort the positions with the persons!). Also in the audience at this reception were Senators Brian Lees and Michael Knapik, Mass. Turnpike Chairman Matt Amorello, Log Cabin Republican National Chair Patrick Guerrirero, Cape Cod's Gloria Larson, several State Committee members, and oddly enough, former Rep. John Stefanini who quit his seat to be Chief of Staff for Mr. Speaker, whose law firm was hosting the event (Porcupine asked John if he were indeed coming over to the Dark Side now that his mentor, Mr. Finneran, is stashed in Eastham, but he said not just yet).

There was rejoicing about the victory Gov. Romney had about the revamping of Melanie's Bill and some words of support for former Gov. Swift for her portrait dedication, but the primary purpose of the event was to launch a new PAC called It's My Party, Too!' named after Sec. Christine Todd Whitman's new book (link HERE). Christine Whitman is always an excellent speaker, and her words to the group were compelling:

"I'm the daughter of the former Chair of the New Jersey Republican State Committee and a National State Committee Woman, I served in two different Republican Administrations, and I was elected Governor of New Jersey as a Republican, and I'm tired of being told I'm not 'Republican' enough. That's why I wrote this book. When I was coming up in the Party, I was always told that the GOP was an umbrella, with a strong core - a stick - of vaues, with spokes going in every direction at the top, which was what covered us all. That is what we need to get back to in order to win elections."

Immediately, a voice (Chairman Amorello, actually) challenged her, "What ARE those core values?"

Without hesitation, she answered, "Fiscal Responsibility. Small Government. Less Intrusive Government. National Defense. A strong belief in the Rule of Law."

If that platform appeals to you, visit the PAC's web site, It's My Party, Too and get more information.

Later in the week, Congressman Roy Blunt, Jr. was at the Parker House for a reception with Gov. Romney and other party leaders. Rep. Blunt (R-MO) is the elected Majority Whip of the House, and Acting Majority Leader. He gave a brief speech about current affairs in the House, and the most intereting fact to catch Porcupine's ear was when he was speaking about the successful vote to ratify the Iraqui Constitution (see Porcupine's take on that matter HERE). Rep. Blunt told us that of the 125,000 troops guarding the polling places across Iraq, over 100,000 of them were Iraqi troopw we had trained. "They're eager to take on the job of security, and will make Iraq a safer country when they do". He said that the GDP improvement and the stock market's strong positive reaction to President Bush's nomination of Ben Bernanke as Federal Reserve Chairman was a positive sign for the domestic economy. Social Security reform was not a dead issue, that the new Medicare benefits are working out well for millions of seniors across he country, and that more localized homeland security training was a top priority (the last was in response to a question by Val D'Ambrosio, Nantucket Town Committee Chair, about the Steamship Authority and its security).

Somehow, none of this was reported by any Boston papers, so Porcupine will do is best to fill you in on doings in the Alternative Universe.