Conservatives Bond in Republican Assembly

Part of National Group; Alan Keyes to Speak at Convention

By Curt Lovelace
August 2001

The Massachusetts Republican Assembly refers to itself as “the Republican Wing of the Republican Party in Massachusetts.”

This relatively new group hopes to become the political gathering place for conservatives in their party. Darryl Hanlin, a Delegate to the recent MA-RA Convention in Woburn, told the Massachusetts News, “We all know Republicans who just feel disenfranchised. We’re trying to offer them a home.”

Still a small band of stalwarts, the MA-RA is made up of activists from all around the state. They currently have five active chapters. Their formal mission statement indicates that it is their goal and purpose to “promote the active participation of its members and the election of conservative Republican candidates.” They also plan to sponsor a number of public forums in order to “encourage the expression of conservative political views.”

Among the Delegates who spoke to the state convention in July was Robert Burns. Known to friends and foes alike as “Republican Bob,” Burns publishes the Republican Bob Newsletter (rpb@gis.net for free Email subscription). He told the convention that he considers himself a “Clinton Republican.” In his earlier years, he explained, he had been a “Reagan Democrat. But the party just left me. Then Clinton exposed the Democrat party for what it is - so I became a Republican.”

Social Conservatives Also

Just how conservative is the MA-RA? First, they consider themselves conservative not only in fiscal matters, but in the social arena, as well. Homosexuality in schools and abortion were topics of informal discussion at the convention. In fact, one of the platforms of the group, both in the state and on the national level, affirms, “That the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. That sacred right extends to all persons regardless of age or infirmity and also would not allow for euthanasia, assisted suicide, or public funding for any of these practices.”

Another tenet of the assembly is the belief that the “traditional family” is the cornerstone of our society. The group “will oppose any attempt to undermine or redefine the family unit.”

The assembly also believes in capitalism. In fact their statement of beliefs states plainly, “That free market capitalism is the only economic system that creates the opportunities and incentives that will allow maximum productivity and prosperity for its citizens. It is the necessary partner of political freedom.” This, along with their affinity to “states rights,” sets them apart from most political groups on the American and Massachusetts scene today.

MA-RA is connected to a national group called the National Federation of Republican Assemblies, which originated in California. MA-RA President John Goggin explained that there are 40 state Assemblies around the country. They will all come together at the National Convention, to be held in Dallas from August 23-26. Confirmed speakers include former presidential candidate Alan Keyes and 4th-term Republican Representative from Georgia, Bob Barr.

The major part of the National Convention is scheduled to be “The NFRA Bootcamp for Conservatives.” According to the NFRA literature, “The majority of the training sessions will be presented by the nationally acclaimed Leadership Institute, which was founded by Morton Blackwell. The multi-track program will contain 35 sessions, which will cover almost every aspect of political activity, such as campaigning, building coalitions, using media effectively, parliamentary law, using direct mail and raising necessary funds. This program is tailored to fit every political activist -from the novice to the experienced campaigner or officeholder.”

Massachusetts delegates to the National Convention will be Goggin, National Committeeman James Couture of Northbridge, National Committeewoman Catherine Goggin of Wilmington and MA-RA VP John MacMillan of Billerica.

The MA-RA publishes the Massachusetts Republican, a newsletter, and of course, has a website (http://www.ma-ra.org). Webmaster John MacMillan also runs websites for the NFRA and the Republican Party of Massachusetts.