I had a feeling yesterday’s post would stir something up. And boy was I right. STD and SWAC Girl both lashed out at me. Check it out: http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/ and http://www.spankthatdonkey.com/.
I knew the blogosphere was a rough and tumble place. The nastiest remarks ever made about me as an elected official were made in the blog world, by fellow Republicans in last year’s primary. And yet, I am still surprised that many of the comments and criticisms on this blog are directed at me personally and not at my ideas. Chris Green, I mean STD, is one of the worst offenders. He tends to focus more on who I am and less on what I say. At least I have the courage to post as myself and not some made up screen name. Then again, that personal touch has given many the opportunity to attack me.
So it seems SWAC and STD completely missed the point of my post. Some how they have determined that I was slamming party volunteers. Get real. Of course I wasn’t. It’s the grassroots party members who are suffering through this mess. I was slamming some in the Augusta County GOP leadership for their lack there of.
NEWS FLASH: Emmett Hanger won the Primary
NEWS FLASH: Emmett Hanger brought more people out and won the Chairmanship at the Mass Meeting
Oh, I know, those people aren’t “real” Republicans. Hogwash. In fact, they are the Republican majority—that’s why they won. But the vocal minority (STD, SWAC, etc) cannot accept defeat. They continue to feed the flames of discontent. Instead of accepting the outcome and committing themselves to healing the wounds within the party, they keep on picking at the scab.
Some have said Senator Hanger declared war on the grassroots. I don’t know if that’s true. After my primary loss last year, I personally decided to work with the party faithful, not against them.
What happened in Augusta is a black eye for us all. Hopefully RPV will intervene and oversee a new mass meeting. Maybe then the results can be accepted and this can be put behind us.
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7 comments:
Dear Former Senator Bell:
You might have noted that when I first commented on your blog I addressed you as Senator Bell.
I respect age and accomplishment, and interact accordingly. Having read your posts over and over again attacking Gov. Gilmore and Jim Crosby, it dawned on me that you need a little perspective yourself in regards to respecting others.
Maybe you do not appreciate my style of cutting to the chase, but I am not interested in boring, others or myself.
Now how about this for facts, You refer to Dr. Michael a long time hard working volunteer in the party as basically a power monger.
Yankee Phillip laid you out, and well he should on any notion that volunteers have a tenth of the power of elected officials. Even FORMER elected officials like you can pick up the phone and get extra special attention from govt. employees because of your FORMER status.
and now on to your big points. First of all you have a psued too, I believe it's Roanoke Red Zone? That is the lamest attack in the world, I notice you don't call out NLS or BVBL?
Secondly, the Professional, Elected officials who stepped in to cut off the volunteers trying to conduct a meeting were out to change the rules for a reason.
We use an electoral college type system in our bylaws so that the citizens of our County, and members of the GOP are fairly represented.
Emmett brought out 74 people in his district, which was more than three other disticts combined. But then again, who cares about why we have the rules, because when the people WHO ARE REALLY SEEKING TO GAIN AND HOLD POWER know how to manipulate that power for their own ends.
Hypocracy is becoming your original post, and continuation thereof. I urge you to carry on sir, because although you speak of the grassroots, like you are reaching out now, my suggestion is that you should have been listening to them all along.
Proof positive is your continued attacks on us, that's really reaching out, and don't think our cousins down south aren't thinking that you see them, just as you see us.
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it."
George Bernard Shaw
STD,
First of several responses. I feel better about responding to your comments due to it's very civil tone.
Who is Yankee Phillip?
I have never called to get special attention for myself. I have always gone out of my way not to use any position I have held to unfairly benefit me or my family.
My blog is Roanoke Red Zone but I never post as that but under my name because I an not afraid to stand by what I say.
It seems that the meeting was a mess. And yes maybe Dr. Michael did every thing possible to help steer it in a better direction. But--the only way to stop what happened is to turn out more people who care as you do. That did not seem to happen. For whatever reason Sen. Hanger got more voters to care.
I don't condone the approach Sen. Hanger has taken. I could have gone in the same direction. With a chairman vote of 46-43 in Roanoke County it would have been pretty easy to turn out a hundred or so voters to install a chairman. We can't move forward acting that way.
I really don't feel that I am attacking you personally by only commenting on the mass meeting and how it reflect on all Virginia Republicans. As far as Gov. Gilmore I don't feel he would be out best candidate. I know Jim Crosby all to well and have watched him over the years. It is not an attack to suggest he seeks the chairmanship of the 6th district for all the wrong reasons.
In your previous comment on my first post on the mass meeting you suggested that somehow I have compromised my principles. I don't take too kindly to that. I hope you will refrain from throwing such a loose personal charge in the future without offering specifics to back it up. It sounds like something Jim Crosby would do.
http://yankeephilip.blogspot.com/2008/04/rephonebooth-republicans.html
http://www.blognetnews.com/Virginia/influence-index.php
#8, doesn't mean much, but people are reading me.
Brandon Bell over at Roanoke RedZone writes....
So you ask, is this the way to build a party? Is this the way to heal old wounds? We all know the answer. But I’ve come to realize something. Michael and crowd don’t care. They never have. And they don’t really care about ideology. What they care about is power. And they will do anything, including the destruction of their own party, to get it and keep it. Sadly, the same power grab is happening in the Sixth District Committee, with Jim Crosby challenging current Chairman Fred Anderson for the top spot.
I think the gentleman has it backwards. Is it ideology that drives a Republican to raise taxes year after year? Is it ideology that drives a Republican to say that his voters wouldn't even notice a gas tax increase. Is it ideology that drives a Republican to side with the Democrats on spending bills? Is it ideology that has a Republican calling Democrats to vote for him?Is it ideology that causes the winner of the primary to snub his opponent?
Power? Who has the power, the unpaid volunteers, or the elected officials? Who has more power? The Republican who controls county budgets, or the volunteer who helps decide how the $1000 budget of the local party is spent? Who has the power to get their paid staff to attend mass meetings? The elected official or the volunteer?
Anyone who has been involved in politics for a while knows that these mass meetings are never perfect. They are run by volunteers. Not professionals. As a party leader, Kurt Michael (and others) knew that mistakes were being made. Instead of acting the statesmen and offering to help, they waited until they could take advantage of the parliamentary technicality and defy the will of the majority. Some leader, huh?
The people who took over the meeting were professionals, not volunteers. They should have known what was expected. They should have known that mistakes were being made.
People were pointing out these mistakes. Many in the crowd were pointing them out. The temporary chair took his ball and went home because the other guys were pointing out his mistakes. The people,the volunteers saw that the electeds were changing the rules, making mistakes, and making a power grab. The electeds said "We are changing the rules." The electeds were stacking the deck. They brought in 74 people in just one district. In the regular election, that district accounts for about 15% of the voting population. The night of the mass meeting, that district had over 30% of the mass meeting votes. 74 votes amount to over 50% of Dr.Roller's votes.
Jim Crosby is as good and decent of a man as they come. He will do well to advance true, conservative principles and tenets as the chairman of the 6th District if elected.
have u figured out who I am yet?
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