Louisa County Chairman and former Fairfax County Chairman Pat Mullins certainly has enough credentials, both organizational and conservative, to take over to help elect Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, and our AG nominee this fall. I’m hearing that no faction of the party has any real opposition to him and he’s quickly gaining support as a concensus pick for Chairman.
UPDATE: Washington Post reports that Mullins and Alexandra Liddy Bourne are the top two candidates.
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Apr 05th by VA Blogger
He would seem like a good choice… I am curious as to thoughts.
The only thought I heard was negative. I don’t know him at all.
I have to wonder how many republicans know any of these guys and how many care who gets the job. I know that I don’t, but I may be the only one. Perhaps I just haven’t seen all the great things that the President of RPV does.
i love how all we can produce is re-treads from the past, pretty hilarious actually…depressingly hilarious
I’ve never heard of the guy. On the right-left scale, where does he stand?
Jim Rich will not let this happen. No way.
On the right-left scale, my recollection of Mullins from my Fairfax YR days, is that he would be very much at home having Easter brunch with Morton Blackwell. Hope that helps Loudoun Moderate. As to his admin/press skills, he ranks right up there with Paul Protec.
I don’t believe Pat Mullins is the right person for the job. We need to look to the future and not to the past. His time has come and gone. I was on the Fairfax County Committee when he chaired it.
Why not an articulate conservative woman like Sandy Liddy Bourne. It is time to move on. I would also support Anthony Bedell, but Fairfax needs him.
Pat is a good guy and would be a good state chair. He is a conservative that beat a moderate to become FCRC chairman in 1990. He understands how to work with everyone. He was FCRC chair when Tom Davis ran for and won chairman of the board. As chairman, he actively took on the Democrats – especially in press stories. He understood the most important thing a chairman does is help nominees get elected and he built a organization to help do this.
But Pat was also very active in nomination battles. He actively took sides in many races. He won some and lost some. Some of the folks he opposed include Stu Mendelsohn, John Frey, Mike Frey, and Dave Albo. He also tried and failed to get Ernie Berger nominated for the special election to replace TMD. Elaine McConnell ended up as the nominee. (Personally, I see nothing wrong with the chairman taking sides in these battles. It is part of the game. Frankly, a lot of the chairman that claim not to take sides just do so behind the scenes. Pat has the guts and integrity to do it openly.)
Pat served three terms as FCRC chairman and the first two were really good. The third was less so but that’s just the way things are. He had a large motivated group that joined the committee and worked with Mike Thompson (for a while his first vice chair and then his vice chair for outreach) to take the ethnic outreach operation to the next level. Kevin Gentry, Pat’s son Steve and a lot of others were all very active when Pat was chairman. AFP president Tim Phillips started working in VA politics with Pat’s help. I think Pat hired him and Tim may have even lived at the Mullins’ house for a while.
if this guy is comfortable eating Easter lunch with Morton Blackwell, i wonder about him. its good to get along, but is he a “morton blackwell” type?
and hey, i like dave albo. we were in law school together.
There’s no pick that everybody is going to be happy about, but as I wrote, Mullins as the consevative credentials so Frederick supporters see this wasn’t a moderate vs conservative battle, and he has the organizational credentials to quickly rebuild the RPV to help Bob McDonnell.
I understand the desire for a young guy or an up-and-comer, but whoever that person ends up being wouldn’t have nearly the broad support that an established pro like Mullins would have. There’s simply too much uncertainty.
I think Pat would be a good choice, in the absence of the despicable removal of Frederick.
I have to wonder whether he would accept the post in light of these actions.
Definitely would support Pat Mullins. To be frank, we tried the young and charismatic thing with Jeff and look what we could a babbling idiot. What we need is wisdom and leadership and we need somebody who knows how to bring people together and what to do to rebuild a tattered RPV.
Pat is close with the business community, something we need in a Chairman so we can get cash in the bank.
I think Sandy Bourne is a good choice but she is too young right now. It would be wise to bring her on as Finance Chair and work closely with Pat so that in 2012 she can assume that post.
Pat is not in this forever, he just wants to fix the problem and move on. That is exactly what we need right now.
I agree with Anna Lee, Sandy Bourne and Anthony Bedell would be great choices.
I’ve been touting Bedell for a while now, but he isn’t interested from what I hear. He would probably be more ready after this next Chairman.
Bedell is needed in Fairfax.
We need Bedell in Fairfax. From what I’ve heard of Pat Mullin he seems like a good candidate. I’m surprised that more people weren’t prepared to run in the event that Frederick was removed.
The comments are all useful. However, I am a little disturbed by the comment that Sandy is too young. It’s thougts like this that explains why America voted for the young upstart, Obama, and not the other guy. There is a running joke regarding Republicans – “When they need a candidate, they simply recruit the oldest guy in the room.”
We will never attract the youth vote, if we automatically look to the oldest guy (usually White) in the room. Sandy deserves serious consideration.
I only ask that the new Chairman doesn’t undermine the progress that RPV has made technologically, RPV website, RPV network etc.
I’ve heard good things about Sandy, but she isn’t “100% pro-life” so the abortion fanatics will never get behind her. We need someone who fits all the “conservative” buttons but is a competent pragmatist.
The dreaded Frederick Foto is indeed gone! The RPV website looks as it should – with McDonnell and Bolling at the top of the page:
http://www.rpv.org/
What is Randy Minchew doing these days? Not that I’m suggesting he be considered for the chairman’s slot–if he would even want the job–but I would like to see many more of his type in VA GOP leadership.
I think Minchew would be great, but the “conservatives” don’t like him and think he’s a RINO. Of course he’s a pragmatic conservative, but I don’t think he could bring the fanatic faction into the fold.
“I understand the desire for a young guy or an up-and-comer”
Look people…that’s why we’re in the mess we’re in right now. You may think that your on top of things, but only age and wisdom can dictate proper direction. We need someone who is tried and true in fund-raising, gentlemanly conduct and does not exhibit any tendencies that act as “negative lightning rods”
“For a while now” #15 and “on the right-left scale” #5 speaks volumes. I thought that the Chair should not be an ideological position so it should not matter where Pat comes down right? LI, you succeeded in your plan of ousting Frederick which of course has virtually been a year long effort so now that thats string is pulled lets see if there are anymore strings at that circus called the SCC that you can pull to seat Pat. IMHO, Bliley is the only real choice because he can remain above the current crisis within the Party ranks. If you do not think that the house is divided right now (at the worst possible time I might add) you may want to get out more often and speak with Republicans. After last night and church today (sorry some of us do mix church and politics at Sunday brunch) I am not less confident today than say a month ago at the future success of the Party even here in red country. People are tired of reading in the RTD how broken the Party leadership is. No one likes to take a continual beating.Maybe this change will end it, but regardless Bob McDonnell needs to put this in his rear view mirror and put the hammer down or I would not be surprised if some in the ranks stay home in the Fall. If the Frederick/Hager affair says anything; its that wounds in the GOP take a long time to heal and fact is some never do. BTW, I hear the Robertson folks are truly peeved over in Chesepeake- never a good sign going into a Statewide election. There is work and healing that needs to be done and fast.
James Young (No. 12): do you think Mullins would be a good choice in the presence of the removal of Frederick? What you think of him in the absence of such an event isn’t very relevant today.
TBM:
Not all young guys are lightning rods for controversy, or are incapable of taking over at RPV. However, someone young might lead to uncertainty, and I’d rather avoid that for now.
look, my opinion might have some of you hollering at me, but if single-issue voter heads the RPV, we are lost. there is more to conservatism & state government than anti-abortion ideology.
and i don’t like going to meetings where i am the only non-rabid anti-abortion person there. if the convention looks that way, i’ll just leave.
why not look for someone who doesn’t hold elected office, who has excellent administrative and managerial skills, who is familiar with the issues and can be an effective spokesman for the Republican Party in Virginia on a wide range of topics, and who is not beholden to any particular branch of the party, but accepted by all as honest and industrious.
Naw. Silly idea. I’m not sure what got hold of me.
NoVA scout: whom do you recommend?
and NotLarrySabato is joking about Geo. Allen being Chair of RPV. Oh my goodness: he’d be excellent.
On the issue of age, it’s not age itself that is the problem. It’s experience. We need someone who has been in the trenches – who knows where we have been. As the saying goes, those who don’t learn history are doomed to repeat it.
We need someone with statewide experience, communications experience, and someone who has worked with enough candidates and elected officials to have a good network throughout the state. It doesn’t matter if he’s 30, 40 or 50, as long as he’s got the experience, knowledge and the self-discipline to know how to do the job and to know how to ask for help when he needs it.
If we can find someone like that, things will work out regardless of his or her age.
Pat Mullins is a great choice for Chairman. We need somewone who can unite all GOP factions
and not be holed out in a ‘bunker mentality’ this year. Pat understands grassroots politics.
There’s a lot of misinformation on the abortion issue. Sandy Bourne is indeed pro-life.
Mullins sounds like an excellent choice. But lets not fool ourselves, this election will not be decided by RPV but by the McDonnell Campaign soley.
The scapegoat is gone.
Nova Scout- in a name; TOM BLILEY!!!
Randy Minchew a RINO? In whose twisted universe? Seriously, Minchew would be a wonderful choice and I’d get behind that 100%. I’m just as sure he wouldn’t want it, but I’d like to hear him confirm that. Anyone know what he’s up to these days?
What about Susan Allen? She is incredible, and certainly has been through some tough campaigns.
Chris, surely there are candidates who both the McDonnell campaign and the bulk of the party can agree upon.
Tom Bliley??? Are you kidding me? He’s almost 80 years old. He’s not going to work the state and the donors they way RPV needs to get on track.
As for Liddy Bourne, I’m not necessarily opposed. I just don’t know what she’s done for the party since losing a race for Delegate in 1995. Can someone fill me in?
Mullins would be OK although he is not especially easy to get along with. Minchew would be fantastic.
Really? Ever heard of establishing a network of people—its called an organizational structure which is what the State GOP lacks. Its got so many heads its ridiculous. Bliley is the one guy who knows the system, knows how it works and more importantly knows where the fundraising money is friend. he has the name brand recognition as well with donors to the State GOP and needs ZERO on the job training. If you want someone who cares more for Party and its legacy than I suggest you go with a man of that generation who understands the real meaning of it all and not these willy nilly Frederick types who are solely into it for ones own ambition. I think I would take Bliley BECAUSE he is 80. That generation gets it and apparently the ones pulling the strings in the State GOP these days are clueless.
I would really, really, like to see Randy Minchew politically active again. He’s the kind of “class act” Republican who would kick a$$ and beat the Dems. He’s a guy who can win elections. He’s a guy who understands the meaning of the GOP Big Tent.
Would he want to get involved in the current GOP mire? Only he can answer that question.
Where are you, Mr. Minchew??
Can Mullins have the proverbial “fire in the belly” and the ability to unite the Party in VA?
Rabbits out of a hat. Better make sure they are clean rabbits. Anyone connected with McD is sure fire DOA, confirming the suspicions out in the hinterlands. Double sure if they have even a slightest scent of Abramoff on them.
Darrell—
What?
Let me add my voice to the chorus singing the praises of Mr. Minchew. I think he’d be fantastic as RPV chair- he’s a level-headed, practical guy with astute political sensibilitites. But do you think there’s any chance he would even consider it?
Look, here’s the deal. You guys are playing podunk politics while a new Army of the Potomac is amassing for a siege of Richmond in November. Gee, if we can get the right person in as RPV chair, everything will be just peachy. BS.
It’s not about the damn chair, or having a Gov with an R. It’s about total domination of politics by the Dems, from DC to state houses across the nation, down to the local city government. It’s what they need to fulfill their agenda, they’ll be using our money to do it, and they are going to bring national level people in here to make sure Virginia re-joins the Democratic Union.
If you have a McD crony as chairman, what’s left of your grassroots is going to bolt. They already are pissed about what they see as insider power politics, but that isn’t the half of it.
The bunker buster is going to be all those election eve ads connecting anyone and everyone to Abramoff. Doesn’t have to be totally true, just enough to get your neglected minions to connect the dots to yesterday’s vote.
Think I’m crazy? Others are already pondering the possibilities.
http://richmonddemocrat.blogspot.com/2009/01/can-bob-mcdonnell-escape-ghosts-of-2005.html
The State Party should be begging Pat Mullins to be state chair. He is the best, bar none.
Darrell,
Tell your traitor friend to switch parties or better yet to stop the witchhunt. A blog started a day after Frederick was dumped. Right. And perhaps started by a conservative with a split personality. Fellows, what we really need to dig is who this person is and then expel them from the Republican party for life!
Darrell, the Abramoff arguments don’t have the same power they had in 2005. There are more than enough Democratic scandals, particularly with the Obama Adminstration’s picks for cabinet slots, to make any kind of attacks like that on Bob McDonnell very dangerous – especially if McAullife is the nominee.
We have to choose a new Chairman, but you’re right at least about the fact that holding back the wave of Democratic control is the fight we need to be fighting. And that’s going to require everyone putting aside whatever petty differences we have and working together for the good of the party and the Commonwealth. Even the most loyal Frederick supporter has got to recognize that McDonnell has got to win in November and we have got to hold the state house.
Staying home is as bad as voting Democrat. We have got to move beyond this fight.
Well said Brian.
Winning in November needs to be the focus. All this other stuff is just a distraction. Let’s try to keep the main thing the main thing.
There must be several thousand people who would be a marked improvement over what just got changed out. So as not to miss a chance to say kind things about good people – Randy Minchew is a great guy, and has the kind of bio that I wish we could find more of in Republican circles. (It shouldn’t be as hard as we make it). He fulfilled his military obligations, he has been hugely successful in non-political fields of endeavor, and he has been unselfish about giving time to the Party. I don’t know whether it’s even conceivable that we could go from someone so unqualified to someone so qualified in one fell swoop, but it’s worth having aspirations.
Ric, I’ve said many times that of course Randy Minchew isn’t a RINO, but that’s exactly what the Black Brigaders call him. They savaged him when he ran against Mick Staton for the State Senate nomination. And those types are well connected with the Frederick Faction. They’ll never support Minchew. Again, I think he would be great, but I don’t know if he would fly. He’s also very busy with his law practice, Boy Scouts, and other great causes – I don’t know if he would have the time to do it.
LI: I remember the Minchew vs. Staton primary very well. I was so pi$$ed off that day. And Randy Minchew showed so much class. For me that was confirmation that the right wingnuts had taken over the Party in VA. And once again, the wingnut candidate LOST THE WAR. The wingnuts continue to win the battles and lose the wars. Minchew-like candidates can lead us to victory in wars.
Believe it or not, there are moderate Dems. out there who would be glad to vote for a moderate Republican over a far-left nutcase. I know many in my own circle who were pro-McCain until Palin took second chair, so to speak.
So (and I know I’m going to get trounced for this), it’s time to leave guns and abortion off the agenda for now and focus on Virginia’s main issues: the economy, job growth, transportation, health care, education, etc. There are people living in tents in wooded areas right here in Eastern Loudoun–near shopping centers and fast food restaurants. I see this hardship and it makes me sick.
Is it too much to ask for a unified middle-ground GOP to work for the people rather than their own self-interests. We have to start in VA by selecting a chairman who can unify the Party and represent us all.
L.Mod: i almost agree with you about leaving guns & abortion out of the debate. I live in southside virginia: we use all our guns to hunt, or in the case of my pistol, to kill the varmints that we trap.
and we will all need guns in the future. bambi is going to so polarize this country that riots will start. you will need to protect yourself.
but otherwise, i agree with you.
The May 2 vote Pat Mullins wins at SCC. The convention is likely a win also. Pat endorsed Ollie North in 94 and Mike Farris in 93, tough to get to his right.
Also a BIG Tom Davis supporter back in the day.
Not a movement conservative. Clearly the insider’s choice.
He should win at SCC, but the convention will be a different matter (unless it’s JF as his only opponent, of course, in which case, yeah, he’ll win in a walk).
Liddy-Bourne is a non-starter.
We’ll see, LOTS of talk right now.
Ciao
The radio station, WMAL, is saying that the party’s first choice is George Allen.
Has anyone mentioned Chris Saxman as a possible Chair? I’ve met him and found him to be fairly impressive.
LL, I just heard that about George Allen, I’m sure there are strong opinions on this.
I am enjoying Mark Steyn so much today, he is the funniest man on our side.
I agree on Mark Steyn! He’s wonderful. He’s so smart and so witty!
We should have him speak at the Convention. I’d much rather hear him than Sean Hannity. Sean seems to say the same things, over and over and over.
re Steyn as compared to Hannity – Steyn is actually intelligent and there’s more than show-biz schtick to him.
“They already are pissed about what they see as insider power politics”
Yeah, because people like you floated that bullspit as fact for the past three months.
Monk- very true, all you have to do is attedn a GOP convention and you will see the insidership circus at work….funny thing is if Frederick pulls anything you can bet he will be demonized by the very folks who have demonized the entire Party in the eyes of the general electorate. Before folks jump off the deep end, lets face it the general electorate is not following this matter in the blogosphere and are taking a steady dose of RTD or Wapo as sources for just how screwed up the State GOP is right now. I believed the insiders and beltway boys calls those folks the “un-informed voter class”.
Does anybody know if FEC charges are going to be pressed? This could have a considerable impact upon everything.
AWC, I was kind of hoping that we would’nt have to see the dirty laundry aired…but it may actually be required at this point. We should clean our own house first…just so we can be trusted to clean the country up.
AOF…I’ve told you and a good number of others. There is no grassroots majority that got screwed…unless you count the last convention that was worked from the inside by Libertarian Party members who attended “our” convention and pulled it down their sorry road.
AoF–
What also doesn’t help when voters read accounts in the newspapers are when the Sour Grapes Coalition (like Jo Ann Chase) complain loudly about splitting the party in half and calling it a lynch mob.
Frederickistas who predict a prolonged, ugly battle are nothing more than a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I’m a great fan of Chris Saxman. He’s supported good Republicans in the past. But no elected official should hold that post. That is a prescription for discord.
George Allen
Look, I think Pat Mullins is a great guy, and I would like to see him in some role at RPV, perhaps as Finance Director or a Senior Advisor but there is only one clear choice for Chairman: Anthony Bedell.
I mean look at what he has done at FCRC? He has been Chairman for like 4 month’s and he has already turned that place around. They have had two Specials in Fairfax and one was a squeaker and the other was a win!
Plus he has all of the experience as a campaigner for Bush in 2000 and 2004 and his work on Allen’s races. I heard him speak at a recent meeting and he was very impressive. He is young and conservative, two musts as we try to rebrand ourselves. I like Pat Mullins but his biggest drawback is he is old-school. Plus, he doesn’t change the image that we have as a party of old white men! We need some youth and energy and Anthony provides that without the drawback of being naive. He know’s what he is doing, and would really make RPV the powerhouse it used to be.
He seems to be the perfect fit for the job. Has anyone approached him about the thought of doing it? I know it would be a loss to FCRC but if we had a strong State Party, FCRC would only benefit!
Someone needs to talk to him about doing it because he would be great!
From all I’ve been reading about Pat Mullins, the ONE drawback I could see is that, as Fairfax Chairman, he tended to interpose himself in Republican nominations battles. That would be no way to create Party unity, which should be a critical item on the job description for any new RPV Chairman. The last thing we need is creating MORE divisiveness.
I am supporting Anthony for Chairman as well. He would be a great choice for RPV for all of the reasons stated above. There is a draft Bedell site in the works so I hear…you can e-mail it at draftbedell@gmail.com
Is Bedell announcing/given indication of interest.
I don’t think he has yet, but I would climb aboard that train in a second. He’s young, conservative, and competent. I’m afraid Mullins is too old to placate the younger crowd (who we desparately need to win over).
Monk- there is no element of grassroots even in existance at the convention for the State GOP. Its the same faces and has been the same faces. “Grassroots” is a buzzword and nothing more in terms of the GOP. Calling all those highly motivated social conservatives that dominate every convention and deliver up folks like Gilmore and Frederick and the like “grassroots” is a wee bit disingenius IMHO.
I seriously doubt that younger voters care about who is the chair of RPV.
We need whoever is the most effective at educating the public on what we stand for, and getting the vote out. If that’s an old white guy, so be it. We don’t need a candidate who can be elected ”most photogenic”, since he won’t be on the evening news, but we do need one who is the most effective.
BearingDrift is reporting a similar rumor that Anthony is considering a run…what a huge thing this would be for the Republican Party! We need Bedell!
I like Bedell, but I have heard him specifically say that he wasn’t interested. If he were, I’d back him in a minute.
Well, I think a Draft movement could convince him otherwise…
Its great that everyone is throwing out these names…but really, this is a management job. This job has everything to do with logistics and fundraising, and in my view, not that much to do with image and media. Those are really secondary concerns–not at the RNC, but at RPV.
So I would want to see the qualifications of all these potential candidates through that prism.
I keep hearing George Allen.
We don’t need a celebrity chairman. We need a workhorse.
If Anna Lee opposes Pat, he must be a good guy.
LI, why would we want “abortion fanatics” to get behind our nominee for RPV Chair? We don;t need people like Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Sen. Wipple to support the RPV Chair.
You mean the way they supported Jeff Frederick, figuratively speaking (you know, the gift that keeps on giving), Rtwing Extrmst?
Pat Mullins! You must be joking? Very abrasive insider who gets what he wants. If he doesn’t, step aside, because he will crush any newcomer that attempts to bring fresh new blood into the party.
He’s the main reason I no longer affiliate myself with the local republican party in Fairfax.
Why not bring a fresh new face that will reinvigorate the party for the future?
Former FCC Member – you should check out the party now. Under Anthony Bedell’s leadership, things have turned around. I can actually attend meetings now and not have them turn into hour-long debates over Robert’s Rules of Order.
As for fresh new faces, I think we’ve seen what can happen when we go for a fresh new face who isn’t ready for the job. I’ll be honest – someone my age (I’m two years younger than Frederick) just doesn’t have the experience needed to run a statewide party apparatus. You need someone who has experience and who has been around the block a few times.
I am 100% behind efforts to build a solid back bench of younger leaders, but this isn’t the right job for that – at least, not right now. We’ve got too much at stake in November.
NovaConservative- glad to see someone out there gets it!! The rest and fluff of all the rest of this is symantics.
RTWNG EXTRMST…are you trying to imply that you are a “good guy” just because Anna Lee does not support you? It will take more than Anna’s opposition to make you a “good guy”.
There is opne thing I agree with Jeff Frederick on and thats where in his response message to activists he stated his disappointed that the State GOP will be return to be run by those that have been responsible for the Party’s very decline in the last decade here in Virginia; the insidership that opposes any change to the status quo apparatus of the Party. Frederick on this point touches the very basis and rationale as to why it is people are hesitant to get engaged with the GOP; they just do NOT trust them!! That does not mean they do not support the principles and values of the platform, but its the people running the show they have reservations about. Gee, it would get worse if they only knew the folks behind the scenes pulling the strings that you never ever hear about. Don’t agree much with JFred on balance but he sure got this right IMHO.
To a certain extent, I understand the fear of the old boys network.
But the whole “these guys have lost us election after election” doesn’t wash with me, any more than when Frederick blamed Hager for losses in 2007.
There was little, if anything, the RPV could have done to stop the bleeding. Republicans lost seats nationwide. With the war and President Bush being so unpopular, it made sense that we’d lose. And given Virginia’s apparent dislike of having a governor of the same political party as the President, the Warner/Kaine years fit that pattern.
I’m not saying these guys have done everything perfectly, but the fingerpointing doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Even if we had the best state party apparatus in the country, I don’t know if we could have done much better than we did.
I absolutely disagree and this complete lack of associated accountability on the part of those involved in these campaigns over the course of numerous cycles allows them to simply retred a tired strategy. Brian with all do respect its the same faces running these things across the State and even with the influx of political capital from the McCain/Palin national campaigns it all still works through the same folks at the State level. I do not think casting blame is appropriate but responsibility should owned up to by these folks. If you look at the way the voting came down for example you had many Republicans lose like Virgil Goode in close elections where the the head of the ticket in Obama heavily influenced down ballot voting and yet these races were STILL close. There was no real effective individual ground games working as an integral part of strategy outside that of the McCain/Palin paradigm. I think the numerous visits and rallies that brought the masses in support also may have impacted the campaigning of individual races as well. I can’t tell youhow many calls and emails I got about how we needed to make sure that Virginia did not go Blue as opposed to my inclination to make sure our district stayed Red…I had always thought that the races for Congressional seats would be more meaningful in the end and it looks as if the way this Congress is acting today it sure had some salt. People like Nye and Periello will back Pelosi lock step which IMHO will not benefit Virginia in the long run. Look at the position on the stimulus money for 125 million for unemployment benefits that if Virginia takes form the Feds will require the State to fund at these levels these benefits indefinitely as a matter of law not just when the funds run out. That could be devasting to Virginia business as the State will need to come up with the revevues to continue paying for the program well after the 125 million is gone. Another aspect we ignore too often is what percentage we are getting from the new voters as well here in Virginia–one thing the old order missed and continues to downplay to hide their negligent strategy is the fact that they are content not with attracting new voters to the GOP but are only interested in consolidating existing Republican groups with the whole. A major mistep that must be corrected regardless of who becomes the new Chair.
Jeesh, Alter, do you think anyone’s going to read through that whole post?
“Calling all those highly motivated social conservatives that dominate every convention and deliver up folks like Gilmore and Frederick and the like “grassroots” is a wee bit disingenius IMHO.”
Alter, ol’ buddy….we’re saying the same thing.
To call those legions of disaffected and pissed off Ron Paul followers(that’s the light description) who mobbed the 10th District Convention up here and gave us three SCC members in Frederick’s image, to the State Convention, where even more of them mobbed that event (and gave us …well — Jeff–) grassroots is , quite frankly, a bastardization of the word.
But other SCC members WERE elected in previous years by the real “grassroots” activists in their districts, and have served admirably over the years. They’re not guilty of destroying the Party… They’ve MAINTAINED it’s integrity.
I have known Pat Mullins for 9 years and I believe the fine people of Virginia would benefit from his knowledge, skill and integrity — qualities desperately needed on the political scene today. I have seen Pat at work on a number of civic groups. He motivates people and gets things done.
– Jerry Circelli
[...] Liddy Bourne, who also was rumored to be running, is not going to run for the position of RPV Chair; but, in a twist, is running as sort of a ticket [...]