HRC Celebrates Lincoln Day

Former New Hampshire Attorney General and Republican Senate hopeful Kelly A. Ayotte encouraged Republicans to return to the core values of fiscal responsibility, limited government, and national safety at the Harvard Republican Club’s eighth annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday.

Gathering in Eliot dining hall, over 120 attendees—including Harvard undergrads, graduate students, Republicans from schools including Tufts and Wellesley, and Institute of Politics Director Bill Purcell—partook in the HRC’s version of this national tradition.

In her speech, Ayotte explained her plan to fix the “intellectually dishonest” culture in Washington, which she said was exemplified by the recent passage of the health care bill. The problems with the bill, according to Ayotte, include the intrusion of the federal government into state and individual interests and the “climate of uncertainty” it has created for businesses.

“I come from a state where the motto is ‘Live Free or Die,’ so you can imagine how people feel about the government telling them what to do, regardless of how you feel about health care,” Ayotte said.

To remedy Washington’s culture, Ayotte recommended that Republicans maintain good ideals, stay accountable once elected, and lead with humility.

Club member Christopher L. Oppermann ’13 said that while he thought that Ayotte’s platform was “not particularly unique,” he liked her emphasis on politicians being honest.

In an interview before the event, the HRC’s Vice President of Speakers Luis A. Martinez ’12 said that the HRC leaders chose Ayotte for the event partially because they want to form a long-term relationship with her campaign going into the summer and fall.

HRC President Mark A. Isaacson ’11, who is also a Crimson columnist, referred to Ayotte multiple times as “the next Senator from New Hampshire.”

“It would be nice if we could turn on CNN or CSPAN and hear a Senator talking like that to us today,” Isaacson said.

Past speakers at the HRC’s Lincoln Day Dinner include Vice Chairman of the Republican National Committee’s Platform Committee J. Kenneth Blackwell and Michael S. Steele, who has since become chairman of the RNC.

­—Staff writer Stephanie B. Garlock can be reached at sgarlock@college.harvard.edu.