It was the first meeting of 2010. If the attendance was any indication, the Prince William County Republican Committee is getting off to a great start.
This month the PWCGOP held its meeting at the west end of the county in Gainesville Middle School. There was standing room only, excellent attendance by both the rank and file and our elected Republican officials.
Committee Business
The committee focused its most intense interest on its own business. Why? This year’s elections provide a clue. We have a sea change in progress. The results of gubernatorial races Virginia and New Jersey and a senate race in Massachusetts show the People have become highly dissatisfied with their government. PWCGOP members hope to translate that into Republican victories. The question is how.
Thus, the meeting focused on obtaining the people and material resources needed to get the job done.
- Hiring an Executive Director. Most seemed to see the primary task of this person as fund-raising. However, others seemed to think that providing operational direction might be more important.
- Headquarters buildings. Because Prince William County is large and the population is split between the east and west ends, practical considerations indicate that two headquarters are needed.
Due to cost considerations, both ideas received resistance. No one could confidently explain how the PWCGOP would pay for these additional expenses. Furthermore, some pointed out that candidate campaigns paid the costs of the temporary headquarters used during the last election.
After the discussion, it became clear that both ideas still need to be fleshed out. PWCGOP members referred both matters to the executive committee.
Author’s note
What this discussion indicated to me is the extent to which our political leadership has defanged modern political parties. Essentially, our political parties have become the appendages of elected officials. Both money and law constrain political parties.
- There is no shortage of money in politics, but donors find it much more effective to influence the political process by giving their money directly to candidates.
- Through such shenanigans as primary elections, the rank and file membership lose their leverage. Primaries do not allow party members choose their own candidates.
Nonetheless, there are many nonprofit groups promoting political causes. In a county as large and rich as Prince William County, the PWCGOP should be able to rent a few buildings and hire full-time staff, particularly in the current political climate.
What do I think should be done? I think the PWCGOP needs to back up a bit. Before we define our tools, we need to define the task. The PWCGOP needs to clearly define what it exists to do. Then it needs to plan how it will execute that task.
What is the job of a political party? Is it not the job of a political party to fight for core values? Don’t Republicans seek to elect candidates that will fight for its members core values?
In practice, however, the PWCGOP too often serves as an appendage to the campaigns of relatively Conservative political candidates. That is one reason few people seek to take part in the PWCGOP (or its Democratic Party counterpart). It makes more sense to most people to work directly for their preferred candidates.
At some time in the past, the major political parties forgot to focus on principles and invested their hopes in men. They then gave up a portion the people’s right to freely assemble and petition the government, a first amendment right, to their leaders. Fortunately, because the People are so frustrated by our current political leadership (including Republicans), the People are looking for solutions. Hopefully, the People will see the need to stop our elected officials from using their powers to mangle political parties with unnecessary rules and red tape.
In the meantime, I believe the PWCGOP must borrow ideas from some of our state’s more successful political advocacy organizations. Consider The Family Foundation as an example. A well-defined set of core principles defines the The Family Foundation. The Family Foundation helps its members advocate these core principles to both the electorate and elected officials. Similarly, if the PWCGOP wants to be more than a mere appendage to “its” candidates campaigns, the PWCGOP executive committee must define the PWCGOP’s core principles and show its members how they can help to further those principles.
Candidate Speeches
The Republican Party will have a contested primary in the 11th Congressional District. Socialist Democrat Gerald E. Connolly currently occupies this seat. Connolly has become notorious for voting for a government takeover of our health care.
Two candidates for 11th Congressional District spoke to the PWCGOP, Pat Herrity and Keith Fimian. Both gave excellent presentations denouncing big taxing and spending. Herrity received a respectful hearing; however, when Fimian spoke, the members of the PWCGOP responded with much greater enthusiasm. Herrity gave a professional and polished presentation, describing his background and his accomplishments, but Fimian gave impression he spoke from the heart. Moreover, Fimian reminded the PWCGOP he began his campaign to bring government spending under control before the November 2009 Republican victories in Virginia and New Jersey. (Author’s note: Instead of trying to “lead” the parade by running out in front of it, Fimian asked us to follow his lead. Before cutting government down to size became popular, Fimian risked his reputation by staking out a well-defined position.)
Howe Lind, running to be the Chair of the 10th Congressional District Republican Committee, gave a respectable presentation. He did a good job of demonstrating his knowledge of what the position will entail.
General Assembly Initiatives
Delegate Bob Marshall began by describing the Tea Party in Richmond, VA on January 18th as the largest such event he had seen at the Capitol (See here for a description.). Marshall said the demonstrators had rallied for two bills.
House Bill 10 would protect a person’s right to decline to participate in a health-care plan, and House Bill 69 says firearms and ammunition made in Virginia and retained here are not subject to federal regulation under the authority of Congress to regulate interstate commerce. (from here)
Marshall came to the PWCGOP to advocate HB 10, the Health Care Freedom Act, and HB 11, Defending Doctors. Marshall has solid support from Republicans in the General Assembly for HB 10. He attributed much of that support to the large rally in Richmond. He clearly thought the event more significant than news media reports would indicate. Unfortunately, support from the Democrats for HB 10 is still tepid, one Democrat each in the House and Senate. Fortunately, his support in the Senate comes from Senator Colgan. Thus the battle is not without hope. In fact, we have this progress report.
In something of a surprise, the Senate’s commerce and labor committee voted 8 to 7 this afternoon to approve bills that would declare it illegal in Virginia to require a person to purchase health insurance. The bills will head to the floor of the Senate later this week, where they will likely test the resolve of the Democrats’ slim 22 to 18 vote majority in the chamber. (continue here)
Why is Marshall concerned that Congress might succeed in requiring us to purchase health insurance. If Congress can force us to buy health insurance, there will be no clear limit to what the government can force us to buy. If we lose control of our property, we will become serfs.
See Marshall’s website (here) for more details on HB 10, the Health Care Freedom Act.
Marshall provided a handout that included information HB 11, Defending Doctors. The bill would provide for peer review.
HB 11 provides that the denial by an Insurance Company for additional medical services requested by the treating physician must be affirmed by a medical peer of the treating physician.
