The Aftermath: Where does the RPV go from here?

With yesterday’s vote by the State Central Committee to get rid of Jeff Frederick as Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, we are now left with a temporary Chairman, Michael Thomas, and a sharp divide between the grassroots and the party leadership. Right now, this is not looking good for our party for the upcoming elections statewide, and there is no doubt that the Democrats will be taking advantage of this situation.

So now, the Republicans in Virginia are looking around at the aftermath of yesterday asking: where does the RPV go from here? Do some sit at home and punish our candidates because the vote did not go the way as some would have liked, or do we try to find some reason to unify and work hard for our candidates to ensure victory in November? I would hope that many pick the latter.

Look, I learned a valuable lesson from 2008, when I (like many) stood against John McCain’s selection by the Republican Party to be the Presidential nominee. I did not want to be active in this race. In fact, I threatened to sit home and not work on behalf of the ticket. However, it took a talk with a good friend, who I worked with in 2006 and 2007 on several successful (and some not so successful) campaigns, to realize that it was wrong not to help the party. Maybe, I was placing my own principles on the table for the sake of the party, or it could be something that Ronald Reagan once said, “I may not agree with someone 20% of the time, but if I do agree with someone 80% of the time, then they are not my enemy.” I did some grassroots work on behalf of McCain by phone banking, and even though, we were not victorious. The lesson I learned was that you need to view it in the Reagan perspective, but then advocate on behalf of principle.

I intend to work hard for all three of the candidates, even if the State Central vote did not go the way that many grassroots activists within the party wanted it to go yesterday. I would hope that many of those who were against the Frederick removal would work with the party leadership to develop with educating our candidates on how to stand on our core principles of limited government, lower taxes, and standing on behalf of life, liberty, and property. Together, we can do much if we work together, rather than sitting at home and pouting over past events. There is no doubt that many might disagree with my perspective and thoughts on this situation, and there might be some who agree with my thoughts. Right now, we are in a critical state as a party both on the state and national levels, and we all need to work on strengthening our core principles and embracing them to win races in the future.

**Cross Posted at Virginia News Platoon

Breaking News Regarding State GOP Chair

Last night, the 11th Congressional District committee met to discuss a resolution to call for Jeff Frederick’s resignation as Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. The resolution failed to pass. Developing…

Do you think RPV Chairman Jeff Frederick Should Step Aside?

There has been a considerable amount of buzz within the blogosphere and mainstream media about whether or not Jeff Frederick should step aside as Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. There has been some convincing arguments from both sides, but I feel that we cannot remain unified as a party or win races with such infighting. This is why I have decided to remain neutral in even reporting this material and have kept my opinions silent on this matter. The decision now lies in the hands of the State Central Committee, and they will ultimately vote on what will be in the best interest of the party.

I have decided to create a poll gauging whether or not Jeff Frederick should step aside as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia.

Check out the poll at Crystal Clear Conservative.

Personally, I supported Jeff Frederick at last year’s convention, because I felt that he would lead our party in the right direction. I am now left wondering how he will be able to lead our party after all of the accusations and be able to work with the State Central Committee to ensure victory in November for all of our statewide candidates and retain a strong majority in the House of Delegates. We need to be unified or we will continue to lose. While Jeff Frederick has defended his record and submitted his rebuttal to the accusations, I am uncertain if we can work together with this cloud of controversy.

Now, I am not calling for anyone to resign, rather it falls on the hands of the State Central Committee, who decide to ignore the grassroots and not allow for Frederick to redeem himself in the 2009 elections. While I am a grassroots activist, it will become difficult to lead effectively with everyone going against you. Sometimes, when there is dissension, it can bring out true leadership. This will be interesting to watch how this plays out, if Frederick remains as the RPV Chairman.

While we have lost some major races in 2008, most of this had to do with a bad candidate at the top of the ticket (John McCain) and just a referendum on the Republican party at the national level. While many would argue on the real reasons why Virgil Goode and Thelma Drake lost last November, I would say it was the general attitude that many Americans held about the Republicans in Congress. It is not necessarily Jeff Frederick’s fault.

Then, we move onto the recent special election races, where two Republican candidates won (John Cook in Fairfax’s Braddock District and Barry Knight in the 81st HOD race) and three Republican candidates lost (Joe Murray in the 47th House District, Pat Herrity, who ran for Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors seat, and John Coggeshall for the Norfolk’s Commonwealth Attorney). There were lots of reports that the RPV did not provide adequate assistance with these races, and the sole pressure was placed on the unit chairmen (many of them, with the exception of Alexandria signed this letter). I always thought these local races were supposed rely on the strong leadership of the unit chairmen.

We can not always call for someone to step aside when things go awry. This is when real teamwork becomes essential. Maybe, it is time for all Republicans to work together for the common revival of our core principles of being advocates for limited government, lower and fair taxation, and calling the Democrats on their flawed policies. Attacking each other from within accomplishes nothing, and this is a lesson I have learned from observation.

It’s time to unite for the good of the Republican party. The decision will made on April 4th on who will emerge victorious in this fight, and whatever the outcome, it is time to work together to ensure victory in November.