RepRichCebra's Blog

This Column appeared in today's Portland Press Herald

Republican Party Cross Road Blues

One of legendary Delta Blues singer Robert Johnson’s most famous songs was “Cross Road Blues.” The song tells the tale of a blues man going to a metaphorical crossroads to meet the devil to sell his soul in exchange for becoming a famous blues player. The Maine Republican Party is at a similar crossroads and must decide which direction it will take. In one direction, the road leads back, directly toward the recent past; the other road leads forward to the Party’s future.
The current race for the 1st Congressional District nomination provides a textbook illustration of this critical intersection. One candidate, Charlie Summers, in many ways represents the direction that the Maine Republican Party has been headed in for the past several decades – one requiring “deals with the devil” in order to gain a modicum of fame. Having run for this seat a couple of times already, Mr. Summers has the support of Party insiders normally reserved for an incumbent. The similarity to the “deal with the devil” is the willingness to compromise with Democrats in order to gain a seat at the table.
The other candidate for the Republican nomination is Dean Scontras. Scontras represents an entirely new direction for the Maine GOP, yet one with a strong connection to the founding values of Grand Ol’ Party. Exhibiting an unwillingness to compromise on matters of principle, Scontras has taken the district by storm, his campaign striking like lightening all across the southern half of Maine. He is proudly pro-life, tough on national security, and has been at the forefront of the free market throughout his career. He has unassailable conservative credentials.
Lacking the support of a long list of Republican insiders has not been an impediment to Scontras. His energetic message has been resonating with newcomers to the political arena, as well as with previously disaffected Republicans who have been disappointed with their Party’s recent tendency to take left turns when at the cross roads.
The Republican Party was founded to provide political backing to the moral arguments against slavery. On the issue of slavery, there was no room for compromise. Sadly, today’s Republican Party appears all to eager to compromise on the important issues of the day – our increasing tax burden, illegal immigration, the decline of family values – in an effort to appear more attractive to voters who do not share traditional Republican values.
The Party should not be seeking to moderate our positions to align with Democrats in an effort to win elections. With apologies to Harry Truman, when given a choice between a Democrat and a Democrat, the voter will choose the Democrat every time.
Nominating a political insider with a proven commitment to moderating on issues, saddled with the baggage of the failures of establishment politicians to solve our economic problems and endorsed by a long list of liberal Republican leaders, would be an exercise fitting Einstein’s definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results.
Mr. Summers has been a candidate for this office before. His prior effort resulted in victory in only eight of the 125 towns in the 1st District. Certainly, the environment for Republican candidates in 2008 will prove even more challenging than it was in 2004. The presumptive Democrat candidate will be very progressive, very liberal, and very well funded. We cannot expect to win this race driving last year’s model. We need to fight this fire with an equal and opposite conservative firebrand like Dean Scontras.
I encourage Republican voters to make the right choice at this cross roads; a bold, new choice, an uncompromising choice. Take the road that will lead to a future that the founders of the Republican Party would have taken, leading with uncompromising, conservative values.

The Honorable Richard M. Cebra State Representative District 101 (Casco, Naples and Poland)