Here is an update on the reaction to New Hampshire Representative Cynthia Chase’s comments about restricting freedoms to drive Free Staters out of New Hampshire, highlighted by Grover Cleveland below.
New Hampshire blogger Steve MacDonald:
Can you imagine any person in elected office saying something like this and not being run out of office by their own party leadership? The person speaking is talking about using the legislature’s police powers to intentionally drive people away from New Hampshire or out of New Hampshire. They are literally suggesting we use the legislature to restrict peoples freedom, on purpose.
Would it matter more or less if the speaker was talking about restricting the freedom of homosexuals? How about blacks or other minorities? What if they wanted to run off immigrants? How about scaring off the mentally ill or handicapped, or senior citizens? Honestly, does it matter?
Rush Limbaugh on his national program:
There’s a movement that has been orchestrated throughout the country to convince conservatives to move to New Hampshire and to make inroads politically and to try to wrest control of the state, in a democratic fashion. That’s why this state legislator, Cynthia Chase, is all upset. I’ve told you in the past that liberals consider us the biggest threat that they face — a bigger threat than Al-Qaeda, a bigger threat than any terrorist group, a bigger threat than any other nation. We conservatives are the biggest threat they face, and Ms. Chase here is making this abundantly clear.
Well, Limbaugh is taking some liberties with the truth there. The FSP is of course more of a libertarian movement than a conservative one, although I’m sure there are some Free Staters who would happily adopt a “conservative” label, just as there are some who think of themselves as being more left-libertarian.
And now it turns out Representative Chase moved to New Hampshire from Rhode Island in 2006.
