The Washington Post has an interview with RPV Chairman Jeff Frederick regarding a recent fundraising email he sent out (posted by Zak below). Apparently Jeff is now reconsidering his promise not to seek re-election to the House. Thus the reason he is still raising money. But even if he doesn’t run, he is going to give the money to his wife Amy to support her campaign.
As most of you know, I did not support Jeff for Chairman. But, after his victory, I resolved myself to support his efforts to build our Party. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t offer constructive criticism. But it’s in my best interest as a Republican for him to succeed.
Unfortunately this recent story confirms what I suspected all along. It really is all about Jeff and what he wants for himself. And that’s not how you build a party. Going back on this pledge, after admitting the downsides of serving as both a Delegate and Chairman, is embarrassing for our Party.
I have a theory as to why he might be backtracking. It’s only a theory, but here goes. As I posted earlier, I thought it was Jeff’s plan all along to serve as both Chairman and Executive Director. That way you get the power AND the money. My hunch is that his “people” are telling him the ED job “ain’t gonna happen”. So this is Plan B. You’ve got to make a living and it would be difficult at best to serve as Chairman and hold down a full time job. The total compensation package for a House member, including office allowance and health insurance--which is huge for a young family, is in the neighborhood of $45,000.
And the whole idea of maybe giving the money to his wife is even more ridiculous. The people and PACs writing the checks are supporting his re-election, not hers. Sure, he can give the money to any candidate he likes, but it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.
I’ve got some friendly, albeit unsolicited advice for Jeff. Pick one. If you want to be Chairman, great. Announce you’re not running for re-election and, if there is interest, have your wife begin her campaign. Then focus on the job of being Chairman. If you want to stay in the House, that’s fine too. You’ve got the best shot at holding the seat. But resign as Chairman. You cannot do both effectively. This is already fodder for the Dems, who no doubt look forward to running someone against you to keep you pinned down and ineffective as Chairman. I can almost hear Chairman Dickie laughing all the way from Vinton.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Your premise is ludicrous. Elected members have served as Party Chairman all across the United States and in many cases with great results.
Jeff Frederick is hugely popular with Party members all across Virginia; especially younger couples. He can handle Delegate and Chairman with half of his brain tied behind his back. He will lead our Party to unparalleled success, but it will take some time to repair the damage that has already been done.
No single person will achieve success if the rest of the Party just sits on its collective rear and just says, "Let Jeff do it."
With everyone pitching-in at the local level, we can re-build the GOP and make some very significant changes that will return our Party to being the Champion of the Constitution, for limited government and for more individual freedom.
Allison Coccia, will do a superb job as our new Executive Director, but she will need the support of a reinvigorated grass roots to achieve long term success in the Old Dominion. She has a good track record on previous assignments in Pennsylvania and New York, so with the help of local activists, we should see some great things from Allison and the new RPVA team.
Post a Comment