I have attempted to stay roughly neutral in this dog and pony show that has become the RPV. I have had no vested interest in Mr. Frederick’s candidacy and Chairmanship, nor in the State Central Committee’s efforts to remove Jeff from office. My concerns are not over personalities but over process. I wish to bring several points which seem to me to undermine the credibility of the upcoming Convention should things be allowed to play out.
1.) My understanding is that these alleged misdeeds occurred almost a year ago. Why wasn’t this brought up and dealt with before this important Convention.
2.) This effort to remove a legitimately elected party official (who was elected according to state law AND party rules) appears to have originated with the State Central Committee under the guise of a “grassroots” effort. Letters, petitions and resolutions from local committees are not, I repeat, NOT the appropriate venue for internal party business of this kind. These allegations, if found to have validity, warrant an emergency session of the Executive Committee and each of the Congressional District chairs. This year we have an important nominating convention. Business of this stature should have been brought before the RPV as it will stand convened in May.
All of the allegations against Chairman Frederick should be aired in public. Now. The matter is in the press; any further attempt to maintain secrecy in this matter “for the good of the Party” is pointless. Further, the refusal of those seeking Frederick’s removal to allow the rank and file to judge the allegations for themselves raises very serious questions about the validity of the allegations.
I agree, especially with the emphasized section (my emphasis.) This would have been better handled by the RPV convened for its internal business , i.e. nominating candidates, electing committee members, etc. Such a gathering would be the RPV Convention in May.
3.) The fact that Bob McDonnell has chosen to interject himself is a matter of some concern to me. We are less than 3 months away from the convention. Mr. McDonnell had the opportunity to bring the party together after a fairly contentious campaign for the AG nomination. In my humble opinion, Mr. McDonnell has wasted his moral high ground by allowing a very public and very manufactured crisis to taint what should have been a golden moment for the RPV.
4.) I have not personally seen a signed statement by an individual member of the SCC stating their personal objections to Mr. Frederick and the approval of what is essentially a coup d'état. The rank and file should have been allowed to examine the allegations and allowed to act in their best judgment.
The Republican Party of Virginia has handled this episode in an amateurish manner that more closely resembles a Student Government election than a professional political party. Bring the matter to the convention, let the rank and file examine the allegations and facts, and call for an up or down vote.
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