Has the momentum shifted for Jeff Frederick? I suspect that it has, but until April 4th there is no way of knowing. Meanwhile, what are the blogs saying?
Here The Mason Conservative flipped-flopped. Sometimes flip-flopping is appropriate.
The Contemporary Conservative wrote several posts opposing Frederick (here, here and here). Thinking that the author presumed too much to proclaim he offered a balanced view, I commented on the first post here. The second post offers the silly parody of a trial. The third is a simple tirade listing accusations.
Im Not Emeril posted his concerns here. He is not happy with the situation. Supposedly, the State Central Committee (SCC) has a smoking gun, but they have yet to share the information (here).
Spank That Donkey is furious with the situation. He takes our elected Republican officialdom to task (here). Other posts supporting Frederick include this one, that one, here, and there.
Bearing Drift provided speculation that McDonnell might be seeking a deal with Frederick here, provides the status of the latest back and forth (here) (Missed this Bearing Drift post so I added it when I found it.), and that silly parody of a trial here. I wonder if the folks who made the video realize how much the video actually parodies the SCC.
RightsideVA wonders here if Frederick is being railroaded.
Tertium Quids sees no alternative to Frederick here, reviews the silly trial parody video here, reviews Leslie Carbone’s post supporting Frederick here, and takes issue with the suggestion that the leadership knows best here.
Loudoun Insider at Too Conservative apparently has a personal dislike for Frederick. Here he vents his frustration. In this post he tell us that it is inappropriate for the RPV Chairman to post his picture on the RPV web site (I kid you not.). And here we see again that silly parody of a trial.
Riley at Virtual Virtucon wonders if Frederick’s opponents have the numbers (here). Here we again have that silly parody of a trial.
The Write Side of My Brain laments the stupidity of the whole mess here and then posts that silly parody of a trial here.
ShaunKenney.com uses the opportunity for a teaching moment on word choice (here). He takes issue with James Bowden’s (at Deo Vindice) use of the word lynching. Of course, since everyone else had already posted it, he too posted that silly parody of a trial (here).
Bowden also found the opportunity for teaching moments. Here he notes a highly inappropriate vote by Virginia’s Republican delegation to Congress. Here he describes the philosophical split between Republicans, and here and here he describes the political lynching of Jeff Frederick.
RPV Network has taken up Frederick’s cause and posted his response to the charges here. They have a post on petition supporting Frederick here.
A Few Samples of Democrat Wisdom
Blue Virginia continued to joyfully proclaim Republican divisions here and here. Here the Richmond Democrat offers the sage advice so typical of that blog.
Opinion
What should be apparent to our elected Republican leadership is that Conservatives are not happy with them. Their recommendation that Frederick should be dumped carries little weight. That simple fact should disturb us all. Where is the trust? Frederick has been charged with malfeasance, but many are skeptical of the charges. In fact, there is little discussion of the charges. Instead, we talk about the good of the party and about the political rivalry between the different factions.
How did we reach this state of affairs? In one respect I think ShaunKenney.com hits upon the problem with this post here. When he expresses his concerns over Bowden’s word choices, Kenney wants Bowden to make certain that he does not agitate his audience unreasonably or trivialize what it means to lynch someone. Is Bowden doing that? Is Bowden trivializing the word “lynch”? I am afraid not.
We suspect our leadership of trying to remove Frederick without cause. We think our leaders are more concerned about power than justice. With their “charges” against Frederick, we suspect our leaders of using words as weapons instead of as the means we use to communicate honest facts. It is understood that the SCC cannot remove the RPV Chairman just because they do not like him. He must be charged with “something,” but what if Frederick has not done anything wrong? Are the charges against Frederick are just words without substance — window dressing for a power grab. Then Frederick is being metaphorically lynched.
Look again at our leaders. Do they adhere to the Republican Creed. Are they willing to constrain themselves to those powers authorized by the Virginia and Federal Constitutions? Do they scrupulously set about strengthening their own powers or do they empower the People? When it is apparent that our leaders think it is all about them, why should we take them seriously when they ask us to remove Frederick for the good of the Republican Party?
To set things aright, members of Republican Party must take it upon themselves to control the direction of the Party. Hopefully, RPV Network is a sign of things to come.
CT: Thanks. I wish my teachable moment got more play. I think there is real there there.
Your last point about taking control of the Party is interesting. If Jeff loses on April 4th -forget it unless there is a dark horse candidate in May. Just forget it.
If you want our Republican legislators in the Congress and GA to actually follow the Constitution – then a lot of people will have to get a lot more involved – and spend a lot more time and money than they do now. A lot more.
James – Could not agree more. That is why I played up the RPV Network, and that is why I blog. And I aim my message at the people with the time and money to do what needs to be done, the Baby Boomers.
Somehow Boomers have never understood the difference between rights and privileges. Boomers act as if money grows on trees. Boomers lost sight of the importance of individual responsibility. Instead we got into the habit of seeing our right to do this, that, and everything else. And we made government responsible for giving us and everyone else this, that, and everything else. What we have done is created an impending disaster.
As Obama is about to prove only too well, a republic cannot long function if it is responsible for giving everyone this, that, and everything else. Such a republic goes broke and is soon replaced by tyranny.
Fortunately, it is not yet too late. We Boomers still have time to do what each generation of Americans before it has done, leave the world a better place than it found it.
Although Boomers never learned in school what civic responsibility means, there is time to learn. It begins by understanding two rules:
1. If you want something done right, do it yourself.
2. Don’t buy a pig in a poke.
We apply the first rule to anything that is important. For example, if you think it is important to educate your children properly, don’t give the job to politicians. Moreover, don’t take the job from your neighbors and give to politicians. Since parents care for their children more than anyone else, let them figure out how they want their children educated.
We apply the second rule to the services and products we buy. When we don’t have to do so, we don’t hand over our money for something sight unseen. That should include things like handing our money over to politicians for roads before they are even built. It is just as stupid as buying a pig in a poke. Hasn’t anyone ever heard of tolls?