When will this long nightmare be over? The wingnut lemmings are going into spastic overdrive in their quest to protect their diminutive “leader” and taking potshots at Bob McDonnell and now Eric Cantor for their nerve to demand that this charlatan “conservative” resign as RPV Chairman. There’s just so much news out there I don’t have the time to summarize it all but here’s a few links of interest:
All five sitting republican US Congressmen have signed a letter telling Frederick it’s time to go. Stories at the WaPo and RTD. The full text is provided as the first comment. In both articles Frederick vows to “fight on”. See – he’s more like Napoleon than you thought!
Bearing Drift takes Frederick to task for lying about running RPV donations through his company and taking 7% for the privledge of doing so. I’ll back that up by sending you here to look at a cached RPV web page showing the RPV website as being “powered by” Frederick’s company Charged Contribution.
Bearing Drift also has a video up of Eric Cantor telling Frederick to move on for the good of the party. See the comments at BD for lots of Frederick lemmings gnashing their teeth (truly pitiful).
Finally, to see once respected Republicans go down with the ship and continue to back this complete buffoon, go look at Tertium Quids. I thought these were smart people?
Shaun Kenney has a number of good posts and links.
The Contemporary Conservative and my long-time brother in arms against Little Napoleon, ccMaximus, sounds off about Frederick locking out the RPV Executive Committee at RPV Headquarters (is that the one in Richmond, or the one in Dumfries?). Reminds me of Maximus’ hilarious “The Bunker” adaptation. How fitting!
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Mar 14th by Loudoun Insider
March 12,2009
The Honorable JeffFrederick
Chairman, Republican Party ofVirginia
115 E. Grace Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Dear Jeff:
For the good of the Republican Party of Virginia we write today asking that you step aside as chairman in light of the recent call from three-fourths of the State Central Committee seeking your resignation. Clearly it is the sentiment of the grassroots membership of the Party to move in another direction.
With November’s elections rapidly approaching, it is essential that our party be unified as we work to regain control of the governor’s mansion and retain control ofthe House of Delegates. No one will benefit from a protracted battle over the leadership of RPV. It is in that spirit that we ask you to step down.
Sincerely,
Frank Wolf
Robert Goodlatte
Eric Cantor
Randy Forbes
Robert Wittman
Critics are long on name calling. Short on facts. And, have not waited to hear one word from Jeff in his own defense. So much for fair play.
JAB, you have gone off the deep end on this issue. i really can’t understand you on this matter after being a big fan of yours for a long time. Same for Bob Marshall who seems to want to fall on his sword for this bumbling fool. he’s been exposed for what he is – a Charlatan Conservative with a huge egomanical streak. He is out for no one but himself. I’m fine with a “conservative” as Chairman, but he better walk the walk, and Frederick has not.
Frederick has brought all of this on himself. No real “conservative’ would behave like he has. He must go.
LI:
For the record, I did not create the Hitler/Frederick clip. I was told not to reveal the source or give any indication of who sent it to me. I have honored that knowing (along with the creator) knowing that it gave a false impression that I created it. I did not create it, but kept my mouth shut as was requested by the supplier. Word is that very soon, we can expect another video from the original Frederick clip creator. Just wwanted to air that. Best, MAXIMUS
I honestly didn’t know that, Maximus, but do thank you for putting it up. An updated version would be very appropriate. Keep up the good fight, my friend! The long nightmare is nearly over.
I agree with everything you said. Jeff Frederick a pimple on the backside of the Republican Party of Virginia and his continued presence will hurt our statewide ticket and our House of Delegates races. He and the others that support him are the reason our party was killed last fall and we now are approaching socialism with Obama and Kaine. Frederick needs to go!
You know, having expressed my view that whether Frederick goes or stays isn’t very interesting or important, as long as the controversy is raging, let me try to bring in the larger issues that it implicates.
Frederick is one of the last of the dinosaur race of ridiculously ideological pols who latched on like limpets to the Republican Party in Virginia. They are all embarrassments, and, even ones like Cuccinelli, who is a person of some degree of native intelligence, just totally sold their brains and souls to the easy gains of spouting slogans and ignoring the tough technical and managerial issues of how one provides capable governance in a complicated and demanding time. There has been a lot of attrition in their ranks electorally, but there are still a few around. The ones who have any awareness have sensed that they just can’t sustain this shallow approach any longer and are desperately trying to develop a new act. The statewide candidates are under tremendous time pressure to find new identities before November. Even Cuccinelli knows he will have to run in the center in November. Frederick, some of the other delegates, and some of the members of the RPV social club don’t understand how out of phase they are. McDonnell has smart people around him. They know that he can’t possibly win, almost independent of who runs on the D side, with the same kind of campaign in which he eeked out a win in 2005. Even Bolling, who is very much of the Frederick, FitzSimmonds, Black, Cuccinelli tradition knows the jig is up. These guys just can’t afford to have those old drapes hanging up in the RPV homestead and are doing whatever they can to get a complete makeover before they are in the heat of the general election. As they talk to pollsters and consultants, they realize that their survival depends on making people forget where they have stood in the past (not too hard, since voters have short memories) and they have to expunge all vestiges of the past. In a way Frederick is a victim here. Nothing about him that people are complaining about was unknowable or unknown when he was elected. This is what a majority of the decision making elements of RPV wanted at the time. I have no idea why. But they did. Where were McDonnell, Cantor et al last year when this happened? (I apologize in advance if they were actively trying to head this off, but I didn’t really get that impression).
I frankly think McDonnell can win regardless of Frederick (If the Dems run Deeds, it will be harder, but I think McDonnell has a shot if he is completely re-invented by his handlers). By bringing on Gillespie, a fairly sophisticated operative, McDonnell has essentially just wired around the wreck of RPV.
But this is really all about how we present ourselves in November. Conscientious and idealistic folks who care about the image of the Party, like LI, are keeping the heat on Jeff. Pols like McDonnell, whose campaigns know that Frederick is a horribly inconvenient reminder of the bankruptcy of past Virginia Republican positions, are keeping the heat on Jeff. Jeff, being essentially empty of anything but ambition and narcissism, is foolishly trying to hang on and treating this like a campaign. Bolling and Cuccinelli, who are cut from the same vacuous cloth as Jeff are trying to stay clear of the fuss for fear of getting hurt no matter which side they take. Old stalwarts like James Atticus Bowden, are pleading for some sort of regularity to the process (why JAB ever found Jeff worth supporting, I can’t figure out, but I think JAB’s procedural concerns are valid).
So this is all about how fast can we change out some ugly scenery before we are well into the general election season. A lot of different forces and motivations are involved, but none of it is particularly edifying. I continue to believe it won’t matter if the guy stays or goes in the near term because RPV is essentially irrelevant to any political issues that affect the welfare of the Commonwealth. It just generates its own internal, meaningless politics. Sort of like the “self-licking ice cream cone” that Marine DI’s use to describe the height of useless cleverness.
I’ve been saying all along–this is very, very dangerous ground. It HAS to be handled right. So far, it hasn’t been. Frederick is liable to come right back and win a floor fight unless this is done the right way. That is the worst case scenario. I don’t have any desire to keep Jeff Frederick–that’s not my motive. My motive is to end up with a strong, unified party.
How about this, we remove Jeff Frederick and replace him with a conservative like Chris Judd. Whould that be exceptable to you Loudon Insider?
Something tells me you will probably have a problem with that. If this is truly about Jeff’s handling of the money and management skills then surely you would not mind that solution.
NovaCon is onto something.
This was a cluster fox trot from word go. There are three players involved ALL three need their collective heads examined. Frederick and the RPV, The central committee and the McDonnell campaign.
The McDonnell campaign should run as far away as they can from this fiasco. Who was the genius that advised Bob McDonell to wade into the center of this mess ? Good work! embroiling your candidate in the middle of one big huge distraction, is simply stupid. Our candidate should be talking about where he stands and why he is better for Virginia than any of the Democrats. Instead he is refereeing a food fight amongst factions of his own party. Come on guys, get your heads in the game, the real game, the race of Gov of Virginia.
RPV wants Frederick out. Instead of looking at the big picture, WINNING the upcoming elections, they decide this would be a good time to engage in a huge distraction. Instead of concentrating on victory, lets let inter-party fighting completely sidetrack the entire party infrastructure. Good work.
They should have waited until after the election in November and then moved to have Frederick removed. You know what you have, you work around it, avoid controversy and remove the possibilities of wild cards of your own making prior to and during a convention and campaign.
Jeff Frederick- Policies aside. It apperas he is in over his head. Certainly he has lost confidence in enough of the party that he should step down. However, having said that the Central Committee should have taken his pulse on whether he was going to dig in and ride out any attempt to have him removed. Work through the election, deal with the facts on the ground and remove him per the rules with the election behind you.
This is what happens when you allow those who are too smart to fail push aside common sense. They usually run the bus into a ditch, lose the election, asign blame to everyone but themselves pointing fingers while handing the loosing campaign an invoice. Thanks !
Someone needs to yank a knot in more than one ass here.
Come on, get smart, focus, we have an election against people who want to tax the crap of us while finding more intrusive ways to run every aspect of our lives and we are pissing away time and resources having a Republican food fight. This is the height of stupidity.
g.stone,
Good points but the stakes are simply too high. Like it or not right now Frederick is the chief spokesman for the party. He keeps saying and doing stupid stuff ,cannot raise any money and keeps making untimely statements to the press and this kills any chance McDonnell has to win. Senate leadership, all 5 GOP Congressman, and McDonnell all understand the consequences of letting Frederick stay. Should Frederick stay any chance McDonnell has of winning could evaporate over night. Frederick is simply not capable of handling the job. When you have Sen. Obenshain, Cantor, and state Senator Norment all against wanting you to go, you are essentially useless to both factions of the party.
Better to battle this out in mid March than have Frederick really screw things up again in late summer when its too late. He has been a walking time bomb for all Republicans. Every stupid thing Frederick does (which seems to happen at least 1 a week lately) will be tied around McDonnell’s neck by the Dems.
My favorite quote that I believe applies to the GOP at the moment:
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” Author was Alvin Toffler.
The party is in serious trouble and cannot move forward until something gives.
Thanks NoVA Scout, you tell it so well. If only the RPV would listen to intelligence such as yours.
FLASH:
The PWC Republican Convention overwhelmingly voted to adopt a Pro-Frederick resolution, Frederick stayed until well after the convention ended, Going on to other parts of the state this afternoon and evening.
LI: Read what I write carefully, please. If anything, I am – boringly – consistent.
NoVa Scout: This old stalwart (emphasis on old?) supported Jeff for the same reason I supported Charlie Judd. I think the party is greater than the pols. Or should be. Call it fantasy or foolishness, it serves the Good People of Virginia better, or would, if it happened for enough time to gain institutional strength.
This fight is less ideology and more just power and money – which is the essence of politics anyway.
From Michael Giere
8th Congressional District
State Central Committee
The pattern is now clear.. After the second devastating Washington Post article in as many days, our Party is in deep trouble. It has nothing to do with Chairman Frederick and his leadership, but everything to do with a tiny number of executive committee members who have deliberately put the Party and Bob McDonnell on the public chopping block for their own interest. [Interesting, isn’t it, that the same people who led a campaign to “un-elect” an elected Party Chairman in the 1990’s are trying again. Do we see a trend here?]
Let’s review. On the very day of Chairman Frederick’s election this past May by over 60% of the delegates, a handful of elite Party “elders” met on the convention floor and made20a rather public decision; the election would not stand. Within weeks of the convention, they were already hard at work undermining the Chairman in public. On and on the drama has been manipulated through the last five months. Finally, they maneuver the McDonnell campaign into joining the battle. They then leak that juicy story to the press – effectively throwing Bob McDonnell under the bus! Then they double-down by leaking the vague “charges” against the Chairman to the press.
What this tiny group of folks has actually done, however, is so politically inept, that we should call them the “gang that can’t shoot straight.” They have effectively turned the political season into a story not about three Democrats beating the tar out of each other for gubernatorial nomination, but about our lone gubernatorial candidate and our Party involved in a political train wreck. Amazing. Now they want the SCC to put the stamp of approval on their political ineptness. The truth is that the “removal” resolution has the wrong name on it.
What a joke! Thanks to Frederick RPV is now the mockery and laughingstock of the entire country. The chair locks out his own executive committee members and cannot raise or handle money and what money that does come in goes who knows where?
JAB: we’re of the same vintage. I may even have a few years on you. “Old” in this sense implied something like “consistent” or “reliable.” Sorry if it came across otherwise.
Steve Osbourne – I’ve said several times I’d be fine with a conservative as RPV Chairman, I just want a real conservative, not a charlatan like Frederick.
NoVA Scout – well said as always.
G. Stone – I agree with mytwocents’ response.
Michael Geire – you just don’t get it. The “grassroots” who support Frederick should be called the grassnuts. I still can’t believe all the homeschooler religious nuts continue to back this guy who acts anything but morally and ethically.
What happened to knowing when to bow out and allow the curtain to close on your show?
This “guy” is unreal, he clearly needs to disappear, permanently, and get off the political radar immediately. Anyone who entertains the thought of this guy sticking around or coming back for a floor fight is just as disturbed and delusional as Jeffery Frederick himself.
We’re the 12th most populated state in the Union and we got stuck with this incompetent, inarticulate, FAR from media savvy moron as our party leader. Where’s the talent?
He’s digging in…and she is ready to run hard.
Message to Jeff……hand over the documentation that shows there was no financial impropriety (if you can) and walk away.
LI
I resent the “Homeschooler religious nuts” Remark, That is divisive and serves to galvanize Frederick’s support among this constituency.
I Homeschooled and am a devout Christian, But I recognize when Leadership change is needed.
If Jeff Frederick is forced to step aside then his replacement should be someone with the same political views that Frederick has. I cannot help but suspect that folks like NOVA Scout will call for someone like Tom Davis to be installed as chairman. This will only serve to demoralize the party and minimize our outreach among conservative leaning independents.
PWC, there is no question that alot of Frederick’s support is from that crowd. I don’t care if you resent it or not. It’s the simple truth. At least you seem to be capable of independent thought and realize that Frederick is unworthy.
SO, I agree there is no way Tom davis would be acceptable to a majority of likely convention goers. We need a conservative in the position, but a real one, not a wannabe poseur.
This has got to be the quote of the week from the VERY conservative Richmond Times Dispatch editorial….
“Jeff Frederick seems eminently qualified to serve as chairman of the Republican Club at Sean Hannity Middle School.”
After this there is really nothing more to say….game over.
Call me crazy, but shouldn’t the highest qualifications be an ability to lead, raise money and win? I’d love a strong conservative RPV Chairman/woman, but if they’re slightly centrist or even a Tom Davis Republican, that would be just fine with me as long as they prove to me they can raise money, lead competently and win, win, win!!
Loudon Insider,
If you really want Jeff Frederick out, then you need to stop referring to Christian conservatives as “wingnuts.” You will only defeat your purpose if you write junk like that, it is that kind of talk that has been sinking us for years now.
Over at RedState Erick Erickson makes a good point. If you really want to replace Jeff Frederick, then you are going to have to line up a conservative to take his place. Erickson suggested Shaun Kenney, he is a conservative with management skills. Now is the time to get this over with and focus on winning back the conservative-leaning independent vote. Many of those independents are people that some in our party would consider religious zealots.
mytwocents … thank you for the common sense you inject into the discussion.
What I’ve seen from home-schooled kids (which I endorse for their ability to educate wonderfully) is a decided lack of an interpersonal skill set . They simply do not know “How” to interact with their peers, and are extremely one way, having had it all delivered to their doorstep while they were in their homes, dealing only with only like-minded siblings, if anyone.
Bulletproof Monk,
Do you have any proof or statistics to back up your claim about homeschoolers? The only lack of interpersonal skill that I have been seeing here is from those who give profanity laden posts laced with insults such as “nut” and “crazies.” Meanwhile the homeschoolers have given clear and definite arguements, while giving very civil arguments.
Steven Osborne (#23): do we have any idea what political views Jeff Frederick has? I have no reason to believe he is a “conservative” in any rationally understood sense of that term. Was he selected for his “political views” or his leadership skills (I submit that he has neither, but that a deciding number of people at the convention were gullible enough or easily enough manipulated to think he had one or the other or both)? Tom Davis is a substantive person. Why would he even consider going near the funhouse that RPV has become? I’m sure that there are several tens of thousands of people better qualified in Virginia. BTW, I am not one of those calling for Frederick’s immediate ouster. It doesn’t matter whether he’s there or not because RPV doesn’t really matter any more and there are more important issues for Republicans in Virginia to spend their time and energy on. Eventually, I hope we reach sufficient political and intellectual maturity that Jeff Fredericks would not be possible, but I’m willing to wait for the system to wring those elements out over time.
Terrible imprecision there in the last comment. My certainty that there are several tens of thousands people better qualified to lead the RPV refers to Frederick, not Davis (T).
I hate it that my party is so fractious. Why must we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot with these divisions? Why must we call those who are more conservative, nuts? How is that helpful to growing our party and winning campaigns?
Why are home schoolers labeled as lacking in social skills when they spend plenty of time with other kids in sports, scouts, church, neighborhood, and, most importantly, one on one time with a parent who teaches them how to interact with others and how to behave in society? The majority of home schoolers are anything but lacking in social skills. If there is evidence to the contrary, I would love to see it. If not, let’s not continue to promote that silly myth.
If you want to see kids lacking in social skills, I suggest you visit TJHSST or MIT or any school of engineering. Or check out the thugs at any public school. They are clueless as to how to behave in the world. Home schoolers come in all different shapes and sizes, skills, and abilities. The only difference is that they are better educated than students who attend government schools, and they do better in college, both socially and academically.
BTW, my children went to government schools, including TJ. I have never home schooled anyone, but I know smart kids when I see them. I know well educated and socially adept children when I see them. I’ve seen such children among the home schooled and occasionally found such children in government schools. The most ignorant young people today are invariably products of public schools. They know NO history of our country, they are clueless as to how Capitalism works, they cannot write, do not know proper grammar or punctuation, and they can’t do the simplest math problem without a calculator. I cannot fault ANY parent for not wanting to send their children to government schools when the outcomes are so bleak.
So, can we quit bashing the choices of others in our party, and focus on winning in November?
How about a separate post on the merits/demerits of home schooling? I’m sure there are a lot of entries that could be put on both sides of the ledger. When I think of how much time my kids waste in the public schools, I’m sure, if I quit my other work, I could coach them through the 12 year curriculum in about five years. But that’s not this post or this thread.
My consistent references to wingnuts applies to those who fit that description – those who are far out of the mainstream but expect a broader political party to adhere to their beliefs or else. The kind of people who utter statements like “we may not win but we’ll be pure”. That defeats the whole purpose of politics! To get elected and effect positive change. You cannot do that if you are so marginalized that you’ll never ever win. It’s one thing for such people to have a seat at the table, it’s another altogether to have them running the show and manipulating the system to ensure that their brthren get nominated.
Frederick has been an awful Chairman of RPV. He needs to vacte the premises.
Yeap thats right, although I saw the ccmaximus video months ago, get rid of Jeff and the State GOP will be back on firm footing…..what a crock!!If you dive in an check out just how many posts since November have been about Jeff and “his” shortcomings at alot of blogs including this one you would thionk there was a vendetta a foot. The same people complaining to high heavens about Jeff in the blogosphere are the same ones upset the WH and James Carville have been targeting Rush for the last month and half. Its comical. We have real issues that need to get solved and instead of being about solutions that would promote the State GOP and elevate back to the Executive, we want to make everything about the Jeff Fredericks. As if concentrating on ousting or simply maligning him will win the State GOP a single vote in the Fall.
How about lets start begin talking about the issues; the macro and not the petty micro ones founded in egos and old rival wounds; the Hager/Frederick fiasco needs to be put to bed for good so the Party can move on.
I will commend Bob McDonnell for taking the high road in this and concentrating on forming a foundation for his run by not resorting to such divisive and potentially harmful to the GOP at large tactics. Bob obviously understands and gets what the whole Reagan thing about how we speak of our own. Some folks outta heed that advice; save you live in political exile for decades!!!
AoF, you’re out of your mind on this. Many many people have known for a long time what a weasel Jeff Frederick is. His miserable performance as RPV Chairman simply confirmed what most people knew about him – that he is a shallow narcissistic buffoon as well as a shameless self promoter out to use RPV to raise his own profile at the expense of everything and evryone else. he must go to restore faith and respect in RPV. Bob McDonnell and all five sitting Republican Congressmen realize this and have done the morally correct thing and called for his resignation. This step is absolutely neccessary to winning in November. This goofball is a walking time bomb.
I was checking out RPVnetwork.org and noticed that the pro-Frederick group is still up and claims over 100 members. I was looking for an anti-Frederick group to join, but apparently there wasn’t one. I was going to create one when I noticed a couple of forum threads that noted that there were a number of people who tried to start anti-Frederick groups on RPVNetwork and the groups were all deleted.
It’s a sad day when members of our party – a party that supports the Constitution and values the freedoms it protects, including the freedom to voice ones opinion and disagree with others – actively try to censor viewpoints and opinions they find objectionable. That’s not the Republican Party I belong to.
And if that’s the kind of message Jeff Frederick and his supporters want to send – “Everyone has a right to their opinion as long as it’s mine” – no wonder he and they are in so much trouble.
This nonsense has gone on long enough. With the letter in the Post from our Congressional delegation, Frederick must recognize that his position is untenable.
And you can’t even look at the pro-Frederick group unless you’re a member. Sneaky.
That was O.P. Ditch who censored the anti-Frederick group, the guy who started that network. Mike Wade really took him to task for it somewhere in the blogosphere, I think it was either Virginia Virtucon or Bearing Drift.
How in the world do seemingly sensible people get caught up in this Frederick Cult of Personality? I guess the Hitler analogy from the YouTube bit isn’t too far off the mark. This is like blind devotion to a complete narcissist.
RPV network is essentially the jf fan club. Remember, RPV officially links to the site from the state party web page. If you think for one minute jf would link to an anti-jf site you are kidding yourselves.
I certainly do NOT have a problem with Ditch starting his own site and network and supporting Frederick, I have a huge problem with RPV sanctioning the site and linking to it and NOT allowing open and honest discourse.
RPV should never be in the position of endorsing personal websites or blogs. The jf fan club was just asking for trouble.
“Everyone has a right to their opinion as long as it’s mine” sums up exactly what I refer to the Home-schooled approach to matters in the “real world” which differ significantly from the home they were taught in.
Noone attacked their knowledge , their education methods, or the results. Anyone who saw that has already failed a reading comprehension test.
They come out ahead of publicly schooled children academically, but fail in the interpersonal department, because they , generally speaking (from all the one’s I’ve met) see only their agenda, only their goals, and operate by and large on the mantra “my way or the highway”
Are there exceptions to that rule? You bet there are. There are exceptions to every rule.
Every single home-schooled child (and adult) that I’ve ever encountered has been outgoing, friendly, content in their own skin and totally normal. They don’t force their views on anyone, talk on a wide range of subjects, as far as I can tell, aren’t bullied or participate in bullying and are able to converse with adults intelligently and readily. It was a few years ago that I believed (ignorantly it seems) in the same viewpoint as the Monk. I have learned over the years how totally wrong I was. Just saying…
Listen, Frederick would love nothing more than to steer the conversation away from the core issues of his idiocy, incompentence and corruption.
The charges against him have zero to do with homeschooling, conservatives versus moderates, or any of the other tangents getting discussed occasionally.
The question every member of the party should be asking is why so many respected people, including Congressmen, would lie or go along with some sort of weird internal party power play. Do you really think a good man like Frank Wolf is part of something unethical or underhanded? Do you really think the Minority Whip of the U.S. House is focused on overturning the “will of the grassroots” in Virginia?
Wake up. The State Central Committee has clear evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the current Chairman. Frederick has lied, moved funds illegally, and now attempted to smear every single office-holder acting to remove him– as is their duty.
It’s apparently the chairman’s standard m.o., but it won’t save him from the April 4 meeting. And this time he won’t be able to lock the doors.
Admit it. This attack on Frederick is nothing more than an attempt to distract people’s attention from the candidacy of Patrick Muldoon.
“The State Central Committee has clear evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the current Chairman.”………….If this is true, then why hasn’t this “evidence” been shown to all the members of the SCC. I know for a fact that it has not been.
Okay.
Just keep repeating that to yourself.
See you in April.
LI your kidding right….there is no eveidence that more than 5% of the voting class in Virginia have ever even heard of Jeff Frederick. This uproar and outrage is comical from an electorate sense and it is merely the insiders and the establishment who seek to protect and insulate themselves from criticism of the failures of the State GOP. Say you get your wish and Jeff resigns and then in November the Dems win the race for Gov., what then? Will you simply resign yourselves to blaming Jeff or his replacement? I have said it plenty of times, I am no fan or apologist of Jeff but ousting him or our continued waste of energy on the endeavor simply plays right into the opposition hands and keeps us from reaching voters in the upcoming election.
Should this continue through Spring, though I would support Bob in the Fall, I think the ranks of the Virginia independents will swell even further as moderates and fiscal conservatives leave the State GOP for greener and less divisive pastures. I for one have been been heavily involved locally in canvassing and the like and for the first time feel compelled to consider other options like supporting independent candidates or “new” Republicans who do not have the baggage of the central powers or owe insiders anything. Sure they will need money; and thats where people like me and knocking on doors comes in.
CCMaximus has been quite aggressive in his attacks, but yet as usual as very little solutions to offer, especially since in our own backyard we have seen the GOP take a beating in Chesterfield on the Board where the GOP once held all five seats and no holds a paltry two. I guess Jeff is to balme for that fact as well right Max?
Arthur- Very good, you have me laughing so hard I am crying.
I just wish we could make this whole mess go away. The Chairmans job is to get Republicans elected. He shouldn’t care about much more than that. I have a feeling that if Jeff had done so he wouldn’t be heading out the door. GOODBYE JEFF
Grassroots – all of the charges have been made public at this point. They were in the AP and in the Washington Post. They’re all over the web. The rest of the SCC must be waiting for an engraved invitation, because unless they’ve been out of the country for the last two weeks, they have to know what’s going on.
Regardless, the fact that some SCC members – all Frederick supporters – didn’t see the letter at the same time changes nothing. It just sounds like the kind of defense made by someone who knows he’s guilty but needs more time to come up with a credible story.
Here’s the real question – other than denouncing the comments in general as meritless, Frederick has not made any kind of specific defense to any of the charges. Why? What’s he waiting for?
This case isn’t being tried in a court of law – it’s being tried in the court of public opinion. Frederick isn’t getting any points for staying quiet. Frankly, it makes him look more guilty and even more incompetent.
Alter, if Frederick is gone and we still lose in November, I can rest happy knowing that we fought a good fight and we didn’t lose the race because Frederick couldn’t keep his mouth shut or wasn’t competent to do his job. I certainly won’t blame him for the loss.
There’s no evidence that anyone outside of the core of each party is paying attention to this issue at all. If it becomes clear that this issue is diverting attention away from the fall races, I’ll change my tune. But there’s no evidence of that yet. And I can’t imagine that turning Frederick out is going to make an ounce of difference to most independents or moderates like me. In fact, if anything, it will give the party more credibility. Frederick, in my mind, represents the discredited brand of platitude based conservatism that NoVA Scout was talking about in his post earlier. I’d rather have a true conservative like Bob Marshall running the party than Frederick. At least I know who truly believes in what he’s saying, even if I disagree with a lot of it.
We lose races because of candidates not b/c of Chairs. AGain, no one knows who the hell Jeff is outside of the politicos. Could Jeff, Bliley, Davis, hager or any other GOP Chairman help Gilmore defeat Warner? Answer that question and you have the reality of how stupid people are behaving about this matter. And they wonder why Jeff’s ego is so big? Could it be b/c these people are the ones inflating it?
Alter, I guarantee you a lot more than 5% of the voting population know who Frederick is now after all his nationally recognized blunders. Getting rid of him is a neccessity at this point. Good riddance.
Bearing Drift just released a letter from Speaker Howell, co-signed by Kirk Cox and Sam Nixon.
You know, that notoriously squishy, anti-family, pro-choice, Sam Nixon. And Kirk Cox–when has he ever been conservative?! (Sarcasm alert: just anticipating what some of the pro-Fred crowd is gonna say).
All three call for Jeff’s removal.
I guess these leaders are part of the elite too, huh?
Just saw that myself, Lee. here’s the link (they have a copy of the letter up as well):
http://bearingdrift.com/2009/03/15/speaker-howell-calls-for-fredericks-ouster/
Brian, I am pleased to know that these are the total of the charges that DHM is referirng to. Those that drafted the list that included such gems as “Not calling on Jim Rich every time he raised his hand” realize that this list is not enough and must infer that there is more but “they can’t talk about it”. This is how they have gotten many to sign on . This is of course a distraction and will damage the Party further and will hurt Bob McDonald’s chances this fall. These folks miscalculated when they thought they could accomplish a quick “Kill”. Whether they take Jeff down or not, they have done the damage because they truely believe that they are “The Party”. They believe that they have the right to manipulate the party plan to control things as they desire. One example is the 2009 Convention Call that was creatively devised to prevent anyone from easily run against the anointed ones. Great way to build a party. The general electorate is tired of being “managed” by the party bosses who know best, only to see our party being flushed down the drain and the conservative ideals we hold dear being flushed with it. Jeff will speak out soon enough and it will become obvious that none of the charges will be enough to force him out if he is give a fair “trial”. In any case, Bob McDonald will end up being the one who pays the greatest price for the miscalculation as more and more voters tire of the games.
Here goes the wingnut attacks on Bob “McDonald” again! I guess Jeff “Fredrick” (as spelled by the weasel himself on RPV fundraising letters!) has been giving his followers spelling lessons!!!
I mentioned the excellent fight taken to OP Ditch by Mike Wade earlier over censorship at RPV Network (sanctioned (and apparently controlled) by RPV Chairman it says!) – it’s in this comment thread at Virginia Virtucon:
http://virginiavirtucon.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/we-support-chairman-jeff-frederick-group-forms/#comments
Hey Jeff,
Great posting as “The Grassroots Owns the Party”! Really, nice job.
Again, since you’re too stupid to be able to understand this, THE SCC IS FOLLOWING THE PARTY PLAN.
THERE WILL BE NO TRIAL.
Unless Rick Neel decides to have J-Fred prosecuted for embezzlement as an after-action of the April removal of the chair.
Grassroots own the party,
Its about treating people with respect. Make no mistake about it, SSC is controlled by the conservative wing of the party. Yes there are a few moderates as well but well over 75% are what most would call the far right wing and I don’t say that in a negative way. Most of those 10 charges are VERY serious and would get most people fired in a real company. Mishandling money is a serious offense. Frederick could not just continue to ignore those he disagrees with.
Frederick and his supporters are starting to run out of so called liberal elite compromising Repubicans to call out like Del Cox, Del Nixon, every GOP state senator except Cuccinelli who has also failed to endorse Frederick, Cantor, Goodlatte, Forbes, Wittman, Wolf, Bob McDonnell, and many others. All these must be far leftist Republicans according to Frederick and his supporters. Right?
No wonder Frederick has been forced to lock down RPV from his own executive committee.
After long silence, it is with heavy heart I write.
Sam Nixon, great defender of the unborn and friend of the Christian conservative family cannot lie. Even when it comes to another staunch man of God: Chairman Frederick.
Jeff, to every thing there is a season.
t ssssssssssssspppppppppppppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkksssssssssssssssssssssssss
Grassroots – the State Central Committee are elected. They are elected by conventions of the each county party committee. I was a delegate at the FCRC county convention and I voted for my SCC candidates. They ARE the party – they represent me. You’re acting like Frederick is the only elected person here – he’s not. Every SCC member is elected, and if their constituents have a problem with how they are behaving or handling themselves, they’ll pay for it at the ballot box.
The charges listed are enough for me – lying to the Executive Committee, using his own company to process contributions, etc. All of these represent serious lapses in judgment, in my mind. Given the focus on corruption and how the national Republican brand has been tarnished by scandals, I would hope that Frederick would have recognized that, at best, something like that represented the appearance of impropriety and not engaged in it.
I can forgive ignoring parliamentary procedure. But some of those other charges are significant, and coupled with Frederick’s bad judgment and very public gaffes, he’s lost any credibility he had. Were I in his place, I would recognize that I can’t do my job if I don’t have the support of the senior elected officials in the party. This letter from Speaker Howell – which isn’t unexpected given the immature ranting against him from Frederick’s wife during the campaign – is just one more example of the lack of confidence Frederick inspires.
This has nothing to do with Frederick’s politics. It has to do with Frederick himself. This isn’t a moderate vs. conservative issue. This is a competence vs. incompetence issue.
Good Lord–you read this thread, and you start to get a good idea why this whole thing is such a cluster **ck. The same people masterminding the anti-Frederick campaign–which at this point is looking like an entirely worthy cause to me–are on here blasting away at those evil homeschoolers and the “wingnuts” who–oh by the way–are the ones that actually do the work that gets Republicans elected in this state.
Brilliant! Its like they thought this through–how can we take out Frederick AND piss off as many people as possible in the process! And oh yeah, lets get our nominee for Governor, who will be almost entirely reliant on those same “wingnuts” to weigh in and alienate himself from them even further!
The whole thing is absurd. I’m pretty well convinced Frederick needs to go, but I’m absolutely appalled at the campaign to make it happen. And the irony here is that these people want him gone because of ineffectiveness. If this is what we are in for in the post-Frederick era, maybe the devil we know isn’t so bad.
NC, don’t let the comments of a few people discredit those of us who happen to be on the same side of this specific issue. While I may be a moderate, I don’t buy in for a minute any of the homeschooler nonsense. And I certainly don’t think moderates and conservatives should be attacking each other. Regardless of our policy disagreements on certain issues, on the core issues that make us all Republican we agree. And that’s where we should start to build consensus.
There are two ways to build a unified party – you can tolerate differences, focus on similarities, and work together to move the whole party forward. Or, you can throw out anyone who disagrees with you. Either way, the party is unified. But the former leaves you with a large, active membership. The latter leaves you with a small room full of sycophants.
We need some real unity here, based on our common values. And that will happen when we get the right kind of person in the Chairman’s job, regardless of where that person lands on the ideological spectrum.
Well said Brian!
Regardless of how you felt about John Hager’s politics, he was a kind and courteous gentleman. Which you also clearly are.
Letting a jackal like Jeff Frederick worm his way in to “leadership” only ensured he would cause maximum damage when surgically extracted.
Brian,
While most are trying to make this more than a competence vs. incompetence issue, I would like to point out that many of Jeff’s actions fall right in line with the Chair of the National Party. When judged against the new standard set by Michael Steele, Jeff doesn’t look so bad.
Unfortunately, for some, I don’t believe “incompetance” by itself is enough to get Jeff unless it can be translated into specific “charges” that can be made to stick.
Thanks for the compliment, Ben. I appreciate it.
Grassroots, Steele is starting out weak, yes. He’s made some mistakes and no one can deny that. But Steele hasn’t had an election cycle behind him. He’s barely been on the job a month. Frederick has been on the job for over nine months. He had an ambitious agenda for his first hundred days. And Steele didn’t run scorched earth campaign to win his job either.
Regardless, “he did it too!” never worked for me when I got busted doing something my brother did, so I don’t see how that’s going to work for Frederick here. Like I said before, this is about Frederick himself – what he’s done and what he’s said. No one else.
I love it.
When one so-called defense doesn’t work for J-Fred folks, go to another one.
It’s elite vs. grassroots.
Then it’s moderates vs. conservatives.
Then it’s McDonnell vs. RPV.
Then Bolling vs. Muldoon.
(By the way, who the hell is Muldoon?)
Then it’s throw up as much scattershot as you can and hope to God something hits: Tom Davis; homeschoolers; Prince William County loves Jeff…so does Loudoun…er, wait…
Now it’s Jeff is doing things like Michael Steele! See! RPV is like RNC!
(But I thought Frederick worked the RNC chairman’s election for Katon Dawson?)
Give me a break.
It’s about lies. Corruption. The cancer has to go.
Brian,
Of course this is about Jeff. But the real underlying point here is that the RPV voted overwhlemingly for him less than a year ago and just because the “Terrific Ten” district chairs don’t like him and did not want to work with him from the beginning and just because he has said some things which have been spun by the press to look bad, (ok so the Obama comparison was over the top) making up a list of “crimes” to take him down will not bring the party together. Trying to take him out now is stupid. The “Terrific Ten” over played their hand and when Jeff calls their bluff they are going to look very foolish. If you would like to see a stronger individual in the position of Chair, it begins with better candidates. Maybe you would consider running for the job!
Oh laugh on you neo-con mercantilist lap dogs. Patrick Muldoon will succeed in defeating Bill Bolling and Jeff Frederick will continue to be party chairman. Then we can do the real work of weeding out all of your RINO non-believers.
When we have “our party” we will get rid of all of you RINOs who would dare to unseat a pro-life chairman. Do you hate babies that much? I challenge each of you to look in your hearts, admit you are wrong, support Patrick Muldoon and stop needlessly attacking Jeff Frederick.
Loudoun Watcher …in all fairness, it is a generic statement…. The ones I’ve met and know are VERY intelligent and well-spoken. It was “the work and play well with others” I’ve raised an eyebrow over…and in only the ones I’ve met and known to be home-schooled.
Enough about that….
The charges against Frederick were revealed in a letter dated on the 12th. RPVnet is useless at this point. It’s not a networking site anymore…it’s a pro-Frederick site. You can just as well ignore them, because the site’s original intent is now in plain view.
Arthur, I challenge you to look into your brain, acknowledge that there are 15 or 20 other issues that effect us at a state level, get off singing the one tune crap, and learn to fry NUMEROUS fish at the same time. The 2nd Amendment, free markets, and a whole host of other issues that demand attention, and your riding that old and busted pony to the race.
Brian, your post number 61 is spot on. You expressed my feelings very well.
I’ve been involved in republican politics for 15+ years and worked on a republican campaign every year. I have been very active in a Republican woman’s club and I do my time at the polls every year and walking the neighborhoods. We fund raise for candidates, contribute time and money to candidates, and to the party.
Having said all of that, I never heard of Jeff Frederick before I came to this blog. The only RPV President I could name was John Hager, only because I met him in 2007 at a fundraiser my friend held in her home and he was gracious enough to come and speak. That’s how unimportant this position is to me and the work I do for the party. It bothers me that so many good people are wasting so much time on this foolishness, time that could be spent helping to promote republican candidates. But we all must choose our own battles. If this is the die-on-your-sword issue, then it is. I respect that, but it still saddens me.
I still don’t know what crimes/misconduct have been committed by Jeff Frederick. At this point, I don’t care. I just want it to end.
I must add that I am very disappointed to have moved to Loudoun county and find such a divide in our party between moderates and conservatives. I saw much less of that in Fairfax, perhaps because there were more moderates. I don’t know, but I never heard anyone identify themselves as a moderate or a conservative. We were/are just republicans. Our club has some very conservative republicans, and some who are quite moderate but it is just not discussed because it doesn’t matter. It’s not an issue. I am so surprised that it is such a big issue among republicans in Loudoun. Since it is not an issue for me or my friends, I apologize for not recognizeing its importance to those here.
These kinds of divisions are what keep us from electing our candidates. The more we encourage republicans to self identify as moderates or conservatives, and bicker among ourselves, the more people we drive away from the polls and away from our party.
Yes, Monk, there are many more important issues than Jeff Frederick. The dwindling economy comes immediately to mind. That issue is a winner for us.
Lovettsville Lady,
If you follow this blog for a while you will begin to understand why there is a division between moderates and conservatives in this county. It is in fact promoted by the moderators of this blog who of course wish to promote their own positons are willing to bash anyone who even leans right as a “wingnut”.
I am utterly fascinated with the pro-Frederick posters on this and other blogs saying that removing Jeff as Chair as State Central would somehow flout the will of the “grassroots.” And everyone seems to think they know what the “grassroots” thinks.
First of all, to the extent that the “grassroots” cares about this issue, we are talking about the small (relative to the Commonwealth’s total population) subset that attends state conventions or is active at the unit committee level or is a regular volunteer for GOP candidates and causes. Most regular GOP Primary voters have no idea that this is going on, what it means, who is involved or what is in contention.
Second, the will of the “grassroots” at the convention do not necessarily reflect the will of the “grassroots” today. Public opinion can and does shift, especially after observing someone in action. Were that not the case, Republicans would have no hope of Obama’s numbers dropping as voters see how bad many of his ideas are upon implementation. In other words, just because the “grassroots” backed Frederick at the last convention does not mean that events cannot transpire to change their views.
I doubt the “grassroots” wants a Chairman who, by most accounts, has watched fundraising wither on his watch. At a time when the Party needs to be able to aggressively raise money to backstop its candidates this fall, fundraising appears to be headed in the wrong direction. Is that what the “grassroots” wants?
I doubt the “grassroots” wants a Chairman who is adept at self-mutilation in the media. When the Party needs an articulate spokesman to take on the Democrats and promote our principles in a way that draws new supporters to our ranks (rather than preaching to the converted), Frederick has, instead, looked like a boob in the media. Is that what the “grassroots” wants?
I doubt the “grassroots” wants a Chairman who cannot work cooperatively with the Party’s chosen candidates to bring home some wins. Forget the current rift with McDonnell, etc. Last year the McCain campaign would have almost nothing to do with Frederick and the RPV at a time when the state was a top tier target. Why? Because he could not handle a situation where he was not calling all the shots forcing the McCain campaign to work around him rather than with him. Is that what the “grassroots” wants?
Then there are the current charges out there, I have no idea what is real or not with them. But I doubt the “grassroots” want a Chairman who is unwanted by:
–Almost all of the members of the State Central Committee
–The Party’s nominee for Governor
–Every GOP member of Congress from the Commonwealth
–Every GOP member of the State Senate Leadership (and supposedly by the entire caucus except Cuccinelli)
–Three out of the four GOP leaders in the House of Delegates—Jeff’s colleagues for many years.
Whether Frederick is right or wrong, how is he going to be able to work with all of these groups in campaigns this fall? Do the “grassroots” want to preserve a party chairman who has strained relationships with key campaigns and elected officials that the Party is supposed to be coordinating with and supporting? How are we supposed to enact a conservative vision of government if the candidates who need the support of RPV have no confidence that they can depend on the Chairman?
If you cannot raise money, are a ticking time bomb when dealing with the media, and cannot earn the support of most of the Party’s other leadership, is that really the will of the “grassroots?” I doubt that the “grassroots” wants the SCC simply sit back and let the Party fail knowing that doing so comes at the risk of undermining our statewide and House of Delegates candidates?
And this does not even begin to contemplate whether or not the charges being leveled against Frederick by SCC are true.
Frederick may have been elected at a convention, but that does not make him a good or effective chairman. And I really doubt that the “grassroots” would look at his record thus far and ask for more.
Personally, whether or not the charges against Frederick are true, I am glad that the SCC is going to look at removing him. It does not help the conservative cause to allow the friction between the Party and the candidates to continue. Doing so only reduces the chance for GOP candidates to win in the fall. We are not making it easy to enact conservative principles if campaigns are hamstrung by a poorly-managed party apparatus. Irrespective of whether you think McDonnell (or Bolling or any of the Party’s nominees) is a true conservative or not, there is no question that our chances of having a more conservative Virginia are better with McDonnell running a successful campaign on all burners than it is handing the keys to the mansion to McAuliffe, Moran or Deeds because our Party operations were in a continued state of disarray. Ergo, allowing the party to continue under failed leadership in the name of the “grassroots” says conservative principles are not of the paramount importance than some claim they are.
Well said, LSH.
So now Frederick’s idiotic statements (many captured on YouTube) are now spun by the evil media just to make poor Jeffy look bad??? I’ve never seen so much whining in my life!
It looks like even t has seen the light. How long will it take the rest of you lemmings to figure this out?
Bulletproof Monk, your true colors are exposed for all to see. You obviously have an issue with the pro-life movement and the true warriors of unborn like Jeff Frederick and Patrick Muldoon. When the honorable Patrick Muldoon is takes the party’s nomination in Richmond I hope he focuses on purging the party of those who are non-believers in the conservative cause.
Grassroots, please read LSH’s post #72. That’s exactly the issue at this point. And I hate to compare Frederick (or any Republican, for that matter) to a Democrat, but it’s important to keep in mind that Rod Blagojevich was elected with an overwhelming majority, too.
But when he made mistakes that made it impossible for him to do his job, he was removed. Frederick is in the exact same position. If he truly cares about the party, and this isn’t simply his attempt at self-aggrandizement, he’d step down. That’s the honorable thing to do when you’ve lost the confidence of so many of your colleagues and supporters. Do that, rehabilitate yourself and run again in the future when you’re ready for the job. I could respect that. Even the most ardent Frederick basher could support that.
And as for running for the job – I know full well that I’m not ready for it – yet. I recognize my limitations, and when I’m ready, I won’t hesitate to serve. But I’m not about to put myself above the interests of my party. There’s too much at stake for that.
The next few months and years represent a great opportunity for the Republican Party, both in Virginia and nationally. But before we can take advantage of those opportunities, we have got to get our own house in order. I agree with Lovettsville Lady that we need to get back to basics – the basics that make us all Republican, regardless of personal ideology. That’s when we are at our best, and that’s when we win elections.
[...] by CSJudd on Mar.16, 2009, under Random this is from tooconservative.com [...]
If anybody still can’t figure out what happened to the Republican Party, just read Arthur’s tirade (#67)…that should enlighten you.
More than 5%….really. From where? How often to see Jeff Frederick mentioned on the local news throughout the State? Jeff is more popular these days on conservative blogs than anywhere else. Sure there is the occaisional reference piece in the RTD or maybe Wapo but please. I took a poll at work in Chesterfield County- a strong Republican County that has not voted Democrat since before Reagan and 4 (including me) out of 63 new who Jeff Frederick was. 4 people folks.
“Yes, Monk, there are many more important issues than Jeff Frederick. The dwindling economy comes immediately to mind. That issue is a winner for us.”
Oh, but were that the truth. I am solid in belief of allowing the free market to eliminate the weak, and allow the strong to prosper…and that properly allowing that will lift us from a recession.
If GM has to go into Chapter 11 or 13, let them do it, and dump the union that is like a “concrete lifejacket” (Saw that on another blog, and like it) around their necks. When and if they emerge on the other side, it’ll be because they were smart enough to restructure their organization and responsibilities.
Unlike the last recession I witnessed, people this time around seem to want to retain their “perks” and are unrealistic in any approach that requires them to let anything go.
AWC: I think Arthur is a spoof. He’s trying to out-t t.
No NoVA, don’t believe that he is…I’ve heard that sort of thing (and often seen it on the blogs…you remember the Loudoun County RINO hunters?) far too often in the past decade. We have our full share of it here, in Prince William County.
And, by the way, I happen to like t…he never takes himself too seriously, but still manages to get his strong opinions across with a smile. He’s NOTHING like this character Arthur…but I think of a few who are like him.
I believe it would be appropriate for Too Conservative to release and post the recent Jeff Frederick response in its entirety to charges email that was emailed on Tuesday, March 17th to all on the GOP list.
I am not one of those who supported Jeff; some 60% did at the Convention, but his response finally nails down those who at that convention that opposed him then are still very much at work today. I know this to be true. Many have attacked me for not going after Jeff on my blog or participating in the coordinated action.
Connect the dots folks. Work your way through the smoke and mirrors and the egos on both sides. Ask yourself, who as the most to gain from all of this b/c it sure is hell is not the State GOP.
Yeah AoF, the big conspiracy made Frederick a laughingstock all over national TV, made him go crazy on Twitter, etc. etc. He must go.
I really, really, really “Heart” Not Larry Sabato’s Hairpiece.