Dirty Campaign Tricks-The Civil War Within The GOP Plays Out In Indiana’s 8th Congressional District

Dirty Campaign Tricks-The Civil War Within the GOP Plays Out in Indiana’s 8th Congressional District

By Richard Moss, MD
Candidate for Congress, Republican Party,
8TH Congressional District

JASPER, IN: The decision by Congressman Larry Bucshon to appear at my speech last week at the Vanderburgh County monthly Saturday morning breakfast, heckle me, accuse me of lying, and then accost me physically and verbally afterward reflects not just his own deficiencies and aggressive tendencies but that of the GOP Washington establishment. For years, the Republican National Committee and others such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have spent millions trashing conservative candidates they don’t approve of in primaries (ask Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Marlin Stutzman, and many others). It’s their stock in trade.

That Congressman Bucshon threatened to attack me over domestic abuse allegations, the same story published 2 years ago, 2 weeks before the primary in 2016, already responded to by my wife in two Evansville newspapers, is also standard operating procedure. This story was a misunderstanding from 25 years ago. I am still married to my wife and we have four wonderful and accomplished children. Yet, Congressman Bucshon threatened to raise it again. I suspect, but cannot prove, that he leaked it the first time to the Evansville Courier Press in 2016 – and throughout the 8th district because I encountered the smear far and wide, as far north as rural Vermillion and Parke Counties, and everywhere else. Was it more GOP Establishment dirty campaign tricks channeled through the Bucshon campaign?

But this is how the Washington GOP Establishment plays it with movement conservatives in primaries. The last thing they want is someone like me who will not play ball with them, and who actively seeks to break the power of Washington, that citadel of corruption, with its armies of lobbyists, consultants, crony capitalists, and special interests. The last thing they want is someone who wants to disperse power back to the states, local communities, and individuals as befits our constitutional and federal system and away from DC and the entrenched political class.

It is not Iran, ISIS, Russia, or China that threatens this country. It is Washington DC and its one party system of career politicians from both parties who go to Washington, cut deals, grow the size of government and bankrupt our children – thinking only of the next election and not the next generation.

I criticized Bucshon for moving his family to Washington and becoming a typical Beltway politician. It was an Evan Bayh move. Is he eying his next job as a lobbyist? Does he prefer Washington insiders and assorted fat cats to Hoosiers? He deserves to be challenged on it.
He has a liberal voting record, a rating of 52%, an F, according to Heritage Action, a conservative think tank. He is well below the House Republican average and the most liberal Republican in Indiana. Like so many Establishment Republicans, he campaigns one way and votes another. He is a reliable tool of Republican leadership. He will not advance conservative policies. His votes have funded sanctuary cities, amnesty, DACA, Obamacare, the EPA, Planned Parenthood, importing more Syrian Muslim “Refugees,” along with huge deficit spending, all the things he claims he’s against. He’s not a conservative, he’s a liberal, a status quo, Country Club Establishment Republican living in Washington DC.
There is a civil war within the Republican Party and it plays out here in Indiana’s 8th district. The Republican Party claims to be a conservative party, but it is not. It is a big government, big-spending, liberal, progressive party. Conservatives do not have a home in this party. Establishment Republicans scorn their conservative base, the grassroots activists that go out and win it historic election victories only to see its successes squandered as Republicans pursue a big government agenda, working hand in glove with Democrats.
We must reform the Republican Party and make it a true political vehicle for conservative policies and philosophy, an honest to God, hard hitting, passionate and principled conservative party that will make its case before the American people, prevail in the battle of ideas, win the debate, and advance a liberty, limited-government agenda – if we have any hope of restoring America to greatness.

The only time is now, during the primary. We must send a message back to Washington by draining the swamp right here in Indiana’s 8th congressional district, by retiring Congressman “Sell Out” Bucshon and his dirty campaign tricks and fake news.
I will continue to press the issues that are important to the people of Indiana’s 8th district. I also pledge that if elected, I will live, work, and raise my family in Indiana’s 8th Congressional district.

PS: I will be releasing a “Contract With Indiana’s 8th District” shortly. I would have asked Larry but he doesn’t live here anymore.

FOOTNOTE: THIS LETTER WAS POSTED THE CCO WITHOUT BIAS, OPINON OR EDITING.