To Whom It May Concern:
As many of you may know, on June 21st I sent an email to my primary
opponent inviting him to engage in an ongoing online debate to allow the
voters in the 32nd District to make an informed choice on primary
election day this September 11th. As part of an ongoing pattern which
began before I even declared my candidacy in the Republican primary, he
completely ignored me. Nevertheless, he eventually engaged in a
discussion with the Kent County Young Republicans regarding a more
limited forum on a single evening in late August.
Then he backed out. The excuse he offered up is that my allegiance is
not to the Republican Party but to the Libertarian Party, as if
allegiance to a party trumps allegiance to the obligation to protect and
serve the 32nd Representative District and the people of Delaware, and
that therefore he would not debate me and give the voters an opportunity
I believe they deserve. Through various people who have been able to
corresponded with him, I have been told that he WOULD participate in a
debate if I were to resign my position as Vice Chair of the Libertarian
Party of Delaware.
In my heart I have always been a libertarian (that's a small "l"). I
believe that people have the right to be left alone when they're not
bothering anyone. Given the tendencies of government both nationally and
in the State of Delaware, such a belief makes me something of a
radical, I guess. Nevertheless, I've registered as a Democrat and a
Republican over the course of my life, usually when the party I
registered with was out of power, as part of a vain hope that my vote in
Delaware's closed primaries would somehow lead two parties whose
actions I cannot regularly agree with to see the light.
Then I went to a Libertarian Party state convention in 2010 and I was
shown a light. I was shown how easy it is to become active in local
politics. I was shown how easy it was to have an impact in a two-party
system that IS very much rigged to keep outsiders on the outside and
insiders nice and comfortable. The Libertarian Party has been my home
since then. They welcomed me into Delaware politics while the Democrats
ignored me and the Republicans threatened me with criminal charges.
This, however, is not 2010. In the last two years, a young software
engineer wandering into a small gathering of Delaware Libertarians
became an activist dedicated to a cause beyond a party and beyond a
single election, studied in Delaware politics and the issues that faced
the 146th and previous General Assemblies and the things I'd have done
differently if I'd have won two years ago. I believe that the government
at both the state and national level is broken, and it needs a new
perspective to fix it. It needs someone who will question the old way of
doing things and offer up solutions that involve REPEALING old laws
instead of CREATING new ones. It needs less interference in the economy
and in the educational choices of parents and students. It needs more
transparency and a more open process that does not trample on the real
lives of people with interests more important than the political
posturing our General Assembly works most of its leisurely schedule
performing. I believe that cause deserves a fair hearing in front of the
voters who will have the option of choosing it on September 11th
regardless of the faith placed in me by the Libertarian Party of
Delaware and the less friendly reception I have received from the
leaders of the DEGOP.
I therefore announce my immediate resignation as the Vice Chair of the
Libertarian Party of Delaware. I will no longer perform the official
duties of the office and encourage the Executive Committee to appoint a
suitable replacement at their convenience. The people of Delaware and of
the 32nd Representative District deserve a debate, and if resigning
some title will satisfy the ridiculous demands of a man who I cannot in
good conscience trust to defend the rights and liberties of my friends,
family, and self, a man who has ignored my efforts to secure that trust,
then I will do it. I already shelled out the same $834 filing fee he
did to appear on the September 11th primary ballot. What's in a title
like "Vice Chair" when unemployment in Kent County is up, the quality of
education is down, and trust in government is eroding?
I hope that my opponent will now grant the 32nd District, the people of
Delaware, and the members of the Delaware Republican Party the privilege
of actually seeing two of the candidates trying to represent them to
the Delaware General Assembly contrasted in an ongoing, open, public
debate, on the internet, open to all via Facebook and
www.parrottvmcvay.info. If he will not engage in such a forum, at the
very least the original event proposed by the Kent County Young
Republicans should receive the participation it is due. I look forward
to Mr. Parrot's response.
Will McVay.
Will, you never cease to amaze me. You are courage and conviction personified! If this doesn't bring Mr. Parrot to the debate forum, nothing else will...and it will demonstrate true character.
ReplyDeleteEllis told me he doesn't want to do an online debate because he is not interested in being on the computer constantly. He prefers an in-person debate with a Q&A from registered voters in the district.
ReplyDeleteIs that Brett? I'm more than happy to participate in such an event, but setting it up will involve a lot more logistics than the online debate. I expect the Kent County Young Republicans would still host such an event and we could discuss a mutually agreeable moderator.
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