Unfortunately, this will be a skimpy report. During the meeting, I got beeped (paged). As the result, I spent most of the meeting assisting a coworker over the phone. In the modern era that is how we can tell the difference between what is optional and what is essential. When we are doing something essential, we can ignore the beep.
So what did I see of consequence? Well, I did hear what people from the various campaigns had to say.
- Representatives from Bob McDonnell‘s and Bill Bolling‘s campaigns asked people to start getting engaged. They pointed out that now is the time to identify those people willing to volunteer and actively support the Republican ticket. Because the Democrats are having primaries, they will be doing just that. So we must counter with a similar effort.
- Julie Lucas spoke up for Jackson Miller. Because Obama carried every precinct in his district, we should not expect Miller to have an easy reelection. She asked folks to give him every possible assistance.
- Since nobody else filed, Rich Anderson is the Republican nominee for the 51st District of the House of Delegates, and it looks like he will run a capable campaign. He congratulated the party’s elected officials for the spine they have shown of late. He cited the party’s refusal to acquiesce to pressure and spend a one-time infusion of Federal funds, $125 million, to extend unemployment insurance. Here the right-wing liberal explains the issues. Here Tertium Quids explains Anderson’s congratulations may have been premature, and the latest news (here) is not good.
- With the withdrawal of Amy Frederick as a candidate (see here), Rafael Lopez is now the sole Republican candidate for the 52nd District of the House of Delegates. He made the point that he is also the only candidate in the race with previous experience as an elected official. So he is the only candidate who has demonstrated that he knows how to get the job done.
- A representative from John Brownlee‘s campaign spoke up. He spoke about Brownlee’s efforts to give people an opportunity to meet him.
After having been out of the room for a while, I came back and David Ray (a member of the State Central Committee) was speaking. He was talking about the vote to remove Jeff Frederick as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. He never saw sufficient grounds to remove Frederick. He said some people claim to have information that would give anyone good reason to remove Frederick, but they never provided him this information. He also said that because people with close ties to McDonnell were involved in the effort to remove Frederick, he believed McDonnell was squarely behind Frederick’s removal.
Since the Prince William Republican Committee was quite supportive of Frederick (The 2009 Prince William County Convention passed a resolution supporting Frederick’s retention as the party’s chairman.), the committee’s membership naturally found Ray’s words disappointing. Nonetheless, the committee voiced support McDonnell anyway. One member spoke out and put it it this way.
A vote for the worst Republican is better than a vote the best Democrat.
Author’s note: I support that philosophy with some reservations. I will vote for all the Republicans on the ticket, but I am only going to actively campaign for Conservative Republicans. What is the point in giving time or money to a Republican Party candidate who will not stand up for the principles of the Republican Party?
