GOP must focus on helping the state, nation

The New Hampshire Republican Party is suffering some growing pains right now, as conservatives are not only making their voices heard, but accomplishing measurable electoral success. Unfortunately, as is often the case when any organization goes through structural change, the state party is facing some difficult adjustments as new people come to the party with new ideas.The contributions of lifelong Republicans however, cannot be dismissed. In New Hampshire, the combined efforts of new liberty Republicans and long-time dedicated, principled GOP activists led to widespread Republican successes in 2010.Liberty, freedom, individual rights, unlimited opportunity: these are the founding principles of our great nation, and they are the building blocks of the Republican platform. A burning desire to return our nation to these principles lit the fire for a nationwide populist movement that inspired millions of Americans to reclaim their authority in our democratic process.Ultimately these values are neither Republican nor tea party alone: they are American principles, and the fight to preserve them for future generations is a noble and worthy one. Those who take on this battle under any banner should be natural allies in the fight. And they should focus their energies on their real opponents.In New Hampshire, Gov. John Lynch is the embodiment of anti-opportunity policy. Granite State families cannot afford another term of the failed leadership of John Lynch. His policies led us to one of the largest deficits in our state’s history, creating a debt that we are all now scrambling to pay off before we pass it on to our children.After four terms in office, John Lynch still has not presented a viable plan for education funding, New Hampshire ranks in the top five states for unfunded pension liability, and the governor spent much of the last legislative session signing the repeal of legislation he previously championed.We face similar, if not much greater, assaults on freedom and opportunity at the federal level as President Obama marches ever forward with his trillion-dollar deficits, 9.2 percent unemployment, youth unemployment at its highest levels since 1948, the first downgrade of American credit in the history of our nation and consumer confidence at its lowest level since Jimmy Carter.The Obama economy has destroyed 2.2 million jobs; home values are worth approximately one-third less than five years ago, and in 2.5 years he has increased our nation’s debt by $4 trillion. The unconstitutional Obamacare will add trillions of dollars in debt and make health care more expensive and less accessible.This is the battle we face.These are the challenges we must overcome. Here in the Granite State, in addition to choosing the next governor of our great state, we have the additional responsibility of seriously vetting the candidates and starting our nation on the path to choosing the next leader of the free world.As long as we are divided into an equation of “us vs. them” that doesn’t even include our real opponents, we lose; not “we Republicans,” but “we Americans.” Leadership requires not just courage and strength, but humility and understanding.Democrats have proven that they are incapable of providing the leadership our state and nation requires, so Republicans must. We must put principle above personality, and freedom above all else, for this is a fight for no less than that: the freedom, liberty and opportunity of all future generations.Jennifer Horn of Nashua, a former Republican nominee for Congress in New Hampshire’s 2nd District, is founder of We The People, A First In The Nation Freedom Forum.