God bless him, if it were any other time I would be leading the charge but there are higher considerations at work right now . . . this is the critical year for the Republican Party of Virginia as we wage an all out assault on the Democratic ascendence of the 2000s for the first time, and with good candidates on out statewide ticket. I support Jeff Frederick, but when the gubernatorial candidate, the speaker of the House, the entire congressional delegation, and a majority of the state senate caucus - perhaps its time to fight another day.
Dear Republican Friend,
Less than one year ago, thousands of our party's activists and volunteers attended the 2008 State Republican Convention in Richmond. It was at this gathering that I was overwhelmingly elected chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV).
At that Convention, my message of a Republican Party that would be driven by the beliefs and convictions of the grassroots carried me to a clear and convincing victory. I won nearly 60% of the vote, carrying 8 of Virginia's 11 Congressional districts. As my four immediate predecessors had each been initially elected by the members of the RPV State Central Committee, I became the first Chairman in 12 years to initially win election at a convention, and the first in 16 years to win a contested convention.
Regardless of whether you voted for me or even attended the 2008 Convention, I want you to know that I'm proud that I have honored the commitment to refocus our party's priorities on the grassroots, as opposed to the top-down approach we had taken for so many years to disappointing - and sometimes disastrous - results at the ballot box.
I'm further proud of the achievements we've made at the RPV in less than 10 months. We have aggressively communicated a consistent conservative message in the mold of Ronald Reagan; surpassed the Democrats in the use of technology; and established field-representatives in every area of the state to serve our local Party units.
Despite an extremely challenging national environment for Republicans, RPV raised over $1 million during my first seven months as Chairman to support our candidates and grassroots efforts. And, those monies were in addition to resources provided by the Republican National Committee (RNC), where combined, led to RPV spending an unprecedented $5 million on behalf of our candidates last year.
More recently, we have actively assisted the resurgence of our party in special elections, where our candidates have made great strides in districts Barack Obama won by large margins.
All of this was accomplished in less than a year, in large part because we changed the way RPV did business and listened to the voice of the grassroots.
Unfortunately, many of the same Party insiders who overwhelmingly opposed me last year have decided to wage a campaign to overturn the results of last year's State Convention and remove me as State Party Chairman. Because they never supported me, my removal has been a consistent focus of theirs almost from the moment I took office.
Because I would not step aside, this group served me with a list of "charges" as a pretext to vote me out at a Party meeting to be held April 4. Disappointingly, several of these individuals have already declared their intentions to remove me at that meeting regardless of my response to these charges. In effect, they have decided to prejudge what is supposed to be a fair and deliberative process.
As I have stated from the beginning, I will not abandon the chairmanship and break my pledge to the rank-and-file Republicans who elected me less than a year ago. The votes and decisions of the thousands of the Party faithful who attend our conventions, where we select our party's nominees and elect our Party's leaders, must be respected. Overturning them because the results do not fully comply with the choices of long-time Party insiders would be a violation of the trust the Republican Party must hold with its own conservative base. Elections should mean something, after all.
Below you will find a summary of my response to the "charges" against me. A comprehensive response containing much greater detail accompanied by supporting documentation is being sent to every member of the State Central Committee (SCC). These are the seventy-seven individuals who will vote on my Chairmanship on April 4.
As you know, one of the media's favorite story lines in Virginia this decade has been Republicans fighting Republicans. Whether it was a battle between Republicans over car tax relief in 2001; over a massive tax increase in 2004; or, more recently, over transportation funding, many of our state's editorial pages are delighted when we're battling one another.
I regret having to write you on this matter. Even though those working to remove me as Chairman have fought this battle largely in the media, engineering almost a news release per day, it was my hope I could respond to the charges without distributing them to a large audience. My hopes for discretion in this matter and my plan to restrict my responses to these charges only to the seventy-seven members of the SCC were dashed last week when my critics turned them over to the Associated Press.
From the moment I read the "charges," I have maintained they are false and without merit, and that one day soon I would respond to them thoroughly and convincingly. That day is today.
With these charges swirling in the media, I believe it is very important you be kept fully informed as to what is going on in your Republican Party. I make no apologies for standing against these efforts to remove me or the changes I've made within our party to give greater authority and input to the grassroots. Those seeking my removal are asking me to abandon the promises that earned me the chairmanship so that they can take us back to the way things used to be. In my opinion, that would be a disaster.
I do not take it personally that some want me to step down so we can return to the old way of doing things. After all, very few of them ever supported me, and many of the elected officials in Virginia endorsed my opponent's campaign. But, I do take offense when a small minority seeks to nullify the voices of so many, once again turning our party into a rubber stamp for its long-time insiders.
For years, the Virginia Republican Party had been run from the "top down", with consultants and lobbyists providing far more input into the direction of our party than the grassroots. The result? Republicans supporting tax increases in 2004; 11 seats lost just this decade in the House of Delegates; and control of the Virginia Senate now in the hands of Democrats.
This is the same mentality that cost us United States House and Senate, where Republicans strayed from their core beliefs and ignored the grassroots, "spending" their way to minority status in a body that is now a rubber stamp for Barack Obama. Our nation and our commonwealth are just too important to go back to the old way of doing business.
I'm disappointed some in our party want to fight old intra-party squabbles. But, they will not distract me from our efforts to build our grassroots, oppose the egregious liberal agenda of Barack Obama and the congressional Democrats, and do everything I can to ensure we prevail in the 2009 elections to make Bob McDonnell our next governor.
To the hundreds of you who have written, called or emailed your support on behalf of our quest to change the Republican Party of Virginia, I want to thank you for your strong encouragement and words of support these last several days. Rest assured, we're fighting for the future of our Republican Party and our commonwealth, and we will not back down.
Sincerely,
Jeff Frederick
If facts are facts,...then where is your discussion of the facts, i.e., the charges, the response and supporting evidence?
The die is cast,...regardless of the outcome of whether or not there is an ouster. If McDonnell wins, that takes some of the tension away but there is still the question of who runs the Republican Party of Virginia.
Don't forget it.
Posted by: 200 Grande | March 17, 2009 at 09:27 PM
the "facts" i'm talking about aren't the ones that are being levied against Jeff. The facts I'm looking at is the fact that every major political leader in this party (save a few) want a change. We just cannot move forward with the situation the way it is.
But I will say this, if Frederick survives then its vital that each of those who went against Jeff to shut up and work together. The street runs both ways.
Posted by: Chris | March 17, 2009 at 11:30 PM
Read my latest post. The pols are voting to return the RPV to be an extension of the campaign of the biggest GOP dogs in VA - as it was since Pat McSweeney was chairman.
Your unanswered question - on who after Jeff - and who selected him/her, should lead you to be back where you belong in this fight.
Posted by: James Atticus Bowden | March 18, 2009 at 12:04 AM
In the Republican Party of Virginia, they came first to dictate whom the State party Chairman would be,
And I didn’t speak up because I wanted to win;
And then they came to dictate whom the Congressional District Committee Chairmen would be,
And I didn’t speak up because I wanted a unified Party;
And then they dictated whom the unit committee chairmen would be,
And I didn’t speak up because, no matter what, I was still looking to win and I still wanted to believe that we have a unified Party;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.
Posted by: 200 Grande | March 18, 2009 at 12:42 AM
Yeah I know, but I can't get around the fact that the RPV chairman has no confidence from nearly everyone that he needs to work with for our state party machinery to work. It must be an extension of our candidates and right now its not.
Posted by: Chris | March 18, 2009 at 05:55 AM
I could not care less whether the party leaders like Jeff Frederick. Frederick is taking flack because he has served us instead of those party leaders. Before being their servant, Frederick has been the people's servant. If we cannot be relied upon to stand by our friends and people willing to serve us, we do not deserve such service.
What is important is whether Frederick has the support of the party membership. If it is true that we need to clean house for the good of the party, then for the good of the party we should be asking some elected Republicans to resign. Too many of the Republicans we have elected don't bother to read and support the American and Virginia constitutions.
Whatever you want to say about Frederick, he is not a tax and spender -- unlike too many of the "Republicans" who want to see him go. Frederick is serious about the Republican Creed. Unlike too many Virginia Republicans, for example, Frederick did not support that infernal tax bill that Bob Marshall had to take to court so it could be declared what it so obviously was, unconstitutional.
Posted by: Old Fashion Liberal | March 18, 2009 at 08:59 AM
Do we answer to our elected officials or do they answer to us? Insisting that "[our state party machinery] must be an extension of our candidates" suggests the former.
Posted by: 200 Grande | March 18, 2009 at 10:32 AM
Anybody who thinks Frederick is serving anyone but himself is beyond reaching.
Posted by: Was Jeff lying then or is he lying now? | March 18, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Frederick is no more self-serving than the rest of our elected officials, including the members of the RPV State Central Committee.
Posted by: 200 Grande | March 18, 2009 at 12:38 PM
Frederick is worse. Much worse.
Posted by: Loudoun Insider | March 18, 2009 at 06:24 PM
Before the State Central Committee fires the chairman, who was elected by a state-wide convention, they need to show cause. Saying somebody is "much worse" is not a reason. The mere assertion of incompetence does not cut it as a justifiable cause.
If Frederick is removed for the good of the party, when party members voted for him to serve, then we have a question that begs for answer. Just exactly who is determining what is "for the good of the party"?
Posted by: Old Fashion Liberal | March 19, 2009 at 01:09 PM
That would be the similarly elected at conventions State Central Committee members. They are following the party plan and have presented their charges, which Frederick has not adequately answered. He is gone if 75% of SCC want him gone.
FCRC Anthony Bedell came out today with several other unit chairs, many of them very conservative, telling Frederick it is time to go. I hear the fat lady clearing her throat.
Posted by: Loudoun Insider | March 19, 2009 at 08:08 PM