McDonnell Rally

So first of all, congratulations to Bob McDonnell for a very successful kick off tour on Saturday. Bringing 700 people together in Annandale to listen to a Republican is pretty impressive, and hopefully that bodes well for Bob's chances in NOVA in November.

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, the Washington Post ran a very good article on the event. The subtitle on the article was "Leadership Turmoil in GOP Threatens to Steal Spotlight." In light of this article I think those supporting Jeff Frederick were definitely successful in Annandale, and while they may not have gotten media attention, there were definitely Frederick supporters at the other events. Also I don't think Bob has seen the end of Frederick supporters at his kickoff events.

As one of Jeff's most vitriolic opponents, Loudoun Insider decried the efforts of Jeff's supporters as unsuccessful. I would have to wonder what more you could hope for than to totally color an article in the Washington Post with the event.

In other news, Mason Conservative once aagain had an amazing post in which he responded to Loudoun Insider and further explained why he supports Jeff. Another very good article is Michael Giere's letter supporting Jeff.

Campaigning for Jim Tedisco

This week I am campaigning in New York 20 in the special election for Jim Tedisco. I am here with a team of over 40 Generation Joshua students, working on grassroots GOTV work helping win the election for the GOP. The race is very close, and it is all about turnout, however today we knocked on more doors than the campaign thought it would be possible for us to hit, and they are expanding their GOTV work. Between GenJ, Huck PAC, other people from around the state, and the hard work of local New Yorkers, I think we stand a very good chance of winning this race. If we can win we will show the country that the bailout, and President Obama are not universal favorites, and add one more seat to the House Republican Caucus. If for some reason we do lose, it will be because of the highly negative adds produced and aired by the NRCC.

Another Committee Votes in Support of Jeff Frederick

On March 26th the Greene Co. Republican Committee voted in support of Jeff Frederick as RPV Chairman. The full text of the resolution is posted below.
__________________________________

Resolution in Support of RPV Chairman Jefff Frederick

March 26, 2009

Whereas, the Greene County Republican Committee believes that the
strength of the Republican Party comes from the grassroots up, not the top down.

Whereas, the Plan of Organization of the Republican Party of Virginia
essentially dissolves the party organization every two or four years and
reconstitutes all of its committees by the vote of each jurisdiction's mass
meeting or convention.

Whereas, in May 2008, the Greene County
Republicans selected Jeff Frederick as their party chairman with 100 percent of
the Greene delegation's vote.

Now, therefore, be resolved, that the Mass
Meeting of the Greene County Republican Party:

1. Fully endorses and
supports the Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Jeff Frederick.

2. We
call on Republicans across the Commonwealth to focus on the election at hand. We
believe Chairman Frederick is doing the job he was elected to do, namely to make
the state party the servant of the local unit and not its master.

3.
Unless it is proven that he committed a criminal act, we call on the State
Central Committee Committee and senatorial caucus to also fully endorse Chairman
Jeff Frederick and assist him unconditionally to retake the Commonwealth of
Virginia for the Republican Party.

Five Questions Concerning Chairman Jeff Frederick

Five good questions posted by Spank that Donkey on who it is that is trying to remove Jeff.
______________________________________________

There are several questions that we as Conservative Republicans must ask ourselves:

1. Why do we want members of our Congressional Delegation who vote to levy a 90% income tax on American citizens, because of Congressional mistakes, to decide who our Party Chairman should be?

2. Why do we want members of the State Senate who have voted to raise our taxes, spend our tax dollars recklessly and offer illegal aliens in- state college tuition benefits to decide who our Party Chairman should be?

3. Why do we want members of the House of Delegates who submit and have passed unconstitutional legislation to decide who our Party Chairman should be?

4. Why do we want members of our state legislature who refused to take a principled stand over funding for Planned Parenthood to decide who our Party Chairman should be?

5. Why do we want the same members of our Party’s State Central and Executive Committees who have brought us down in defeat numerous times since 2001 to decide who our Party Chairman should be?

And finally…

Why will our presumed nominee for Governor not stand side by side with the “Grassroots” of our Party and say “Jeff Frederick was overwhelmingly elected Chairman of our Party and his election should stand: we should only be focusing on winning in November?”

The answer to the first five questions is simple---they should not!

The answer to the last question…. You will need to send an email to Robert@bobmcdonnell.com and ask.

We have to continue to fight hard to protect our rights as the Grassroots of our Party. We sent a clear message to the party leadership last year that we were tired of failed leadership, running away from our Conservative Principles and of losing elections. That is why we gave Jeff Frederick a stunning victory with over 62% of the vote. We cannot go backwards. We need to move forward and stop the attacks against our rights as American citizens, the precious right that the majority rules, not an elite minority. If you agree with the these questions and answers please forward this email to your fellow grassroots and ask them to make the telphone calls and send the emails to our Unit & District Chairs, State Central Comittee members, our State Wide candidates (robert@bobmcdonnell.com) and their offices, our Elected Officials and to our Local Candidates. We must keep the pressure on. The work that you have been doing is having an impact on those who want to remove Jeff. Keep it going! Thank each of you for the hard work you have been doing to protect the integrity of the political process.

Historical Context for the RPV Chairman Race

Virginia's GOP Chairman Under Fire and Fighting Back

by John Gizzi (more by this author)
Posted 03/26/2009 ET

Frederick Under Fire It frequently seems to happen to chairmen of state Republican parties, particularly when they are conservative: Charges are flung that the chairman is abrasive and doesn’t get along with key leaders in the party. Weak fund-raising results and defeats at the polls are inevitably blamed on the man or woman at the party helm. Soon some well-known party figures (who are inevitably well-heeled or are elected officials) begin calling for the head of the GOP chairman.

This is what happened to former California State Republican Chairmen John McGraw and Shawn Steel a few years ago and, more recently, to Arizona GOP Chairman Randy Pullen, who narrowly survived an attempt to purge him at the state party convention in January. And now it is happening to Jeff Frederick, a 33-year-old state legislator who is Republican state chairman of Virginia.

In recent weeks, 58 of the 77 members of the GOP state committee have either signed a petition or written letters calling for the head of Frederick, who ousted then-State Chairman and former Virginia Lt.Gov. John Hager by a wide margin at the state party convention last summer. Two weeks ago, six state senators and five Old Dominion Republican U.S. House members weighed in against Frederick. Last week, certain 2009 Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell called for the embattled state chairman to step down.

Frederick Fights Back

In filing a statement of intent to remove Frederick as chairman, his enemies list ten charges against him. Three of the charges concern Frederick’s management of Republican Party finances. The other seven deal with alleged infractions of party rules.

In the category of financial mismanagement, for example, one charge against Frederick is his “failure to transmit, in a timely manner, online contributions made to the Republican Party of Virginia and processed by his own company.” The fighting Frederick pointed out as part of a detailed response to every charge that while waiting for a vendor to complete work on the party’s new website that included a mechanism for on-line donations, he had established a “place holding” website through his own firm GSX Strategies, Inc. and also used the firm’s on-line donation company and subsidiary, ChargedContributions.com. This was, Frederick explained, for a period of 91 days.

In a letter to supporters dealing with this and all the other charges, Frederick explained that “it was my hope I could respond to the charges without distributing them to a large audience.” But, he noted, his hopes of dealing with the charges exclusively within the 77-member State Central Committee were dashed “when my critics turned them over to the Associated Press.”

The embattled chairman also noted that, even though Barack Obama became the first Democrat to carry Virginia since 1964 and that the state has two Democratic senators for the first time in 37 years, the state GOP raised more than $1 million during his first seven months as chairman.

In the coming weeks, there will undoubtedly be a confrontation between Frederick and his enemies before the State Central Committee. The chairman has made it clear he will not resign and, privately, organizers of the “Dump Frederick” effort concede they do not have the two-thirds committee vote necessary to oust him.

If he is forced out or resigns, several names have been mentioned as potential replacements for Frederick, among them former Loudon County Party Chairman Randy Minchew, former state party official Shaun Kenney, and Northern Virginia businessman Earle Williams, who lost a bid for the Republican nomination for governor in 1993. Not one, however, has made any concrete moves toward waging an actual race for chairman.

When I pressed one of the Frederick’s foes about who he and his allies had in mind as a potential chairman if the incumbent goes, he said: “No one yet. We haven’t thought it through that far. Right now, getting Frederick out is the main idea.”

John Gizzi is Political Editor of HUMAN EVENTS.

If you would like to get involved in the We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick movement, please join us on facebook, or the RPVNetwork, sign the petition, and contact your state central members and the McDonnell campaign.

Bob McDonnell Kickoff Tour

As many of you know by now, Bob McDonnell will be kicking off his campaign with a tour of the state this weekend. If you can make any of these events, please do, and I hope you will join me in working to elect a true social conservative the next governor of Virginia in November.

Also if you are supporting Jeff Frederick as RPV chairman, you should definitely be there as well.  Here are a couple articles from Spank that Donkey, and Bearing Drift about what Frederick supporters will be trying to do at these events.


Bob Kicks-off in Virginia Beach with Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling
Date/Time
Saturday, March 28 at 5:30 P.M
Location
Princess Anne High School4400 Virginia Beach BlvdVirginia Beach, VA 23462(757) 618-9339
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Richmond with Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling
Date/Time
Saturday, March 28 at 3:00 P.M.
Location
John Randolph Tucker High School2910 N Parham RdRichmond, VA 23294(804) 527-4600
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in NOVA with Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling
Date/Time
Saturday, March 28 at 10:00 A.M
Location
Annandale Firehouse7128 Columbia PikeAnnandale, VA 22003
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Bristol
Date/Time
Monday, March 30 2009 at 5:00 PM
Location
101 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.Bristol, VA
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Cedar Bluff
Date/Time
March 30 2009 at 3:45 PM
Location
Tazewell County Airport 100 Airport Rd Cedar Bluff, VA 24609
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Charlottesville
Date/Time
Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 1:00 PM
Location
400 Emmet St SCharlottesville, VA 22903
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Lynchburg
Date/Time
Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 7:00 PM
Location
The Swann Group724 Commerce St.Lynchburg, VA 24503
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Harrisonburg
Date/Time
Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 4:15 PM
Location
James Madison UniversityTaylor Hall, Room TBD800 South Main StreetHarrisonburg, VA 22807
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Blacksburg
Date/Time
Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 10:00 PM
Location
Montgomery County GOP HQ215 Draper RdBlacksburg, VA 24060
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Petersburg
Date/Time
Tuesday, March 31 2009 at 10:45 AM
Location
Java Mio Coffeehouse322 N Sycamore StreetPetersburg, VA 23803Website: http://www.javamiocoffeehouse.com
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Fredericksburg/Mary Washington
Date/Time
Wednesday, April 1, 7:30 PM
Location
Location TBD
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Winchester
Date/Time
Wednesday, April 1 2009 at 8:00 AM
Location
Jimmy’s Restaurant (at the Quality Inn)1019 Millwood PikeWinchester, VA 22602
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Culpeper
Date/Time
Wednesday, April 1 2009 at 12:30 PM
Location
Raven’s Nest Coffee House254 E Davis StCulpeper, VA 22701
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Onley (Eastern Shore)
Date/Time
Wednesday, April 1, 5:00 PM
Location
Sunrise Restaurant Bar & Grill25345 Lankford HwyOnley, VA 23418
Form
RSVP Here!

Bob Kicks-off in Emporia
Date/Time
Thursday, April 2, 1:00 PM
Location
Location TBD
Form
RSVP Here!

If you would like to get involved in the We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick movement, please join us on facebook, or the RPVNetwork, sign the petition, and contact your state central members and theMcDonnell campaign.

Is the Executive Committee Pushing this, and not State Central?

During the beginning of this week, two of Jeff's most vitriolic detractors on the blogosphere, The Contemporary Conservative, and Loudoun Insider, referred to an article they believed was the best case for why Jeff Frederick should resign as RPV Chairman. As someone who reads most of what is being said about the issue online, I read the article. Even without comparing the piece to the vitriolic things that have been written by those leading the effort to remove Jeff, this was a very well written article.

The article is written by Col. William Flanagan, a party activist and RPV state central member from the 4th district. In it he responds to some of the reasons people have used when e-mailing him in support of Jeff Frederick. In the second paragraph he details how he came to sign the letter. He states that he didn't vote for Jeff at the convention, but tried to work with him afterwards. Here is the money quote describing the pressure used to get him to sign the letter.

In late November, just before the Republican Advance, I was asked to support his removal. I declined and advised against it. Since that time, more things have been brought to my attention. Only after separate meetings at the end of February, with three members of the Executive Committee and detailed questions and answers, did I sign on to ask the Chairman to step down or to be removed.

As a member of state central this party activist didn't see anything to justify removing Jeff by the Republican Advance in December. This was months after the website and budget issues had occurred, and a month after the general election. As a member of state central who wasn't predisposed to Jeff Frederick who couldn't find anythign worth removing him as chairman. It took three meetings with executive committee members, and the disclosure of things presumably not included on the letter to convince a former Hager supporter to sign the letter to remove Jeff.

State Central members have responded indignantly to the accusation that the effort to remove Jeff isn't a grassroots effort by saying that state central members are elected as well. However this story begs the question, are they acting independently, and how many of them originally wanted Jeff to resign? Is this really an effort by state central or a move by the executive committee? If these people were agressively talking and persuading people to help them remove Jeff, did it take a couple meetings with our elected officials to bring them on board?

Those trying to remove Chairman Frederick are insistent that this is a grassroots effort. If they believe this, I dare them to prove it. How many people did y'all have to persuade with unreleased information in private meetings to gather the support? How many people joined the effort of their own free will? Since Bob McDonnell was the first elected official to call for Jeff to resign, was he involved in any of the persuading?

These are all questions that need to come out as the RPV decides whether or not the man who was overwhelmingly elected by the grassroots will remain the party chairman. If this information is released soon, it will be found out eventually and released, and I can only pray it doesn't further destroy the party the McDonnell/Bolling ticket was supposed to unite.

If you would like to get involved in the We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick movement, please join us on facebook, or the RPVNetwork, sign the petition, and contact your state central members and the McDonnell campaign.

11th District Congressional Committee on Jeff Frederick

Yesterday the 11th District Congressional Committee tried to pass a resolution to support Jeff Frederick from office, but failed to pass it.  

Crystal Clear Conservative broke the story, and Mason Conservative has some excellent points about it.  If a resolution like this can't pass in NOVA, how can the executive committee claim to have overwhelming grassroots support for removing Jeff Frederick as RPV chairman?

If you would like to get involved in the We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick movement, please join us on facebook, or the RPVNetwork, sign the petition, and contact your state central members and theMcDonnell campaign.

Party Activsts Declaring this a Race for the Future of our Party

I am excited to announce that Mason Conservative is now on board. At the beginning of the month he posted to regretfully ask for Jeff to step down. At the time it was one of the most pro-Jeff pieces I had seen on the internet. Now we are excited to have him as a partner in the "We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick" movement.

That's what has finally changed my mind, because a stand has to be taken. If its not Frederick, it will be the next outsider/grassroots conservative that makes a run for the top that will be torn apart... If I roll over on Jeff Frederick, then there will be more of these purges from these establishment puritans who don't want activists, independent thinkers, people who care more about what the activists say and less about what the leadership, the lobbyists, and the consultants say... This move by the state central committee is a slap in the face to people like me who work hard at the grassroots level, who went to that convention and voted for Jeff Frederick.

Without referencing Jeff Frederick, James Atticus Bowden described the grassroots vs. establishment fight that is occurring in VA, and argued for a rise of Constitutional Republicans.

If you would like to get involved in the We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick movement, please join us on facebook, or the RPVNetwork, sign the petition, and contact your state central members and the McDonnell campaign.

The Devalued Prime Minister of a Devalued Government

An English member of the EU Parliament speaking bluntly about the bailout, and economic policy.

Removing Frederick is More Important Than a McDonnell - Bolling Win?

An excellent article by Spank that Donkey on the insanity that is the attempt to oust Jeff Frederick.

_____________________________________________________

If we all just kick back for a minute, and try and understand the current political situation of the VA GOP...

Yes, it's Ugly... Lost both US Senators, elected a Democrat President for the first time in over four decades, and lost the VA General Assembly Senate...

The only glimmer of hope is that LG Bill Bolling decided to work with AG Bob McDonnell instead of against him... to unify Republicans.... yet who is Chairman of the Party is reason for a group of folks to send the party back into nuclear meltdown?

Chairman? Oh, I forgot, Chairman are supposed be lapdogs... Sitting around waiting on their masters to hand feed them an agenda, and words to repeat...

Maybe it's even a little more.... maybe there are some tax increases, or other party planks that need bending in our future? Maybe having a strong chairman to protest against them would be embarrassing, or just flatout inconvenient?

If you would like to get involved in the We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick movement, please join us on facebook, or the RPVNetwork, sign the petition, and contact your state central members and theMcDonnell campaign.

There IS a Country Song for Everything.

My friends and I joke that there is a country song for everything. As evidence of this fact, and to illustrate how insane it is to remove Jeff Frederick, here is a fun song illustrating what is going on in state central.

I'll Think of a Reason Later ~Lee Ann Womack

Just like in this song state central decided they didn't like Jeff Frederick, and then came up with reasons to justify that decision.

If you would like to get involved in the We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick movement, please join us on facebook, or the RPVNetwork, sign the petition, and contact your state central members and theMcDonnell campaign.

(Note this post should not be taken in anyway to be an endorsement of Hannah Montana. It was simply the only video of the song I could find on youtube.)

Jeff Frederick's Innocent, but Hang him Anyway

Here is yet another excellent article by James Bowden a state central member from the 1st cd.

__________________________________________

Two of my Republican Conservative buddies contacted me about my latest letter on L’affaire Frederick.   Real, trusted Conservative friends and allies.

One said that Jeff should take the fall for losing Virginia in the national election.

One said, essentially, that too many Republican party and public officials were against Jeff - now.  The bad feelings  just couldn’t be undone.

Okay.  If we, the State Central Committee, aren’t going to throw Jeff out for the charges placed against him, then let those with other grievances follow The Party Plan and charge him with their gripes.

Either Jeff Frederick is guilty of the charges cooked against him - and they are sufficient and necessary for removal, or not.

Using the convenience of the SCC cabal’s opportunistic attack as the opportunity to attack and remove the Chairman for other reasons is simply unbelievable to me.  I understand the legal defense used in Southern states - “He needed killin” (dunno how to say that in Latin) - but that is in self-defense for a person accused of justifiable homicide.  It doesn’t fit here.

I’m incapable of penetrating a mind that is made up.  But, perhaps, you - dear reader - can reach members of SCC and convince them in lovingkindness of their error.

President Bill Clinton deserved impeachment for many reasons.  But, deserving it and being legally impeached are two different things.  If I recall correctly there were several counts of conspiracy.  But, the single count of the President of the United States of America lying to a grand jury was the necessary, sufficient and completely compelling reason to impeach him in the House and try him in the Senate.  But, Senators, like Virginia Republican John Warner, were unwilling to do their duty under the Constitution.  There was no trial.  What a shameful disgrace - the Senators more than the President.

When the Chief Executive can commit perjury and laugh - game it politically - because the Legislature doesn’t do its duty under the supreme law of the land, the 1787 Constitution, then the Rule of Law is a lie.  The legal system from the top down is just power politics - and a lie.

When the State Central Committee, RPV, can convict for causes or strong feelings other than the charges actually made against the Chairman, then The Party Plan, for an organization adhering the Virginia Republican Creed and based on Fair Play as well as the Rule of Law is a lie.  The party organization from the top down is just power politics.

Who are we, SCC, that we would remove a Chairman for other than the reasons he faced as accusations?

What are we, SCC, if we don’t confront him with the actual charges in our hearts instead of the petty, personal accusations he successfully answered?  And offer those new, real accusations (we don’t like you, Politicians don’t like you, you made mistakes, we lost elections, etc. ) by the letter and spirit of The Party Plan?

Why should any Virginian ever believe what any elected Republican Party of Virginia official or any elected Republican public official says - if we don’t say what we mean and mean what we say when we dismiss our own Chairman?  When a committee of few score throws out the Chairman elected by thousands, shouldn’t we, at least, do so with the real charges, the right charges, the truthful charges?

Where do we stand on any issue of merit - when our integrity is challenged as to the truthfulness of our statements on any future position - taxes, spending, entitlements, oversight, managment, etc. - if we don’t act in this moment with complete and utter truth?

It’s one thing to hang a fellow because he killed someone.  It’s quite another accuse him of making a stern face at someone and then hang him because you don’t like him, or a lot of elected politicians don’t like him.   Should you do something you want to do just because you can - you have the power and opportunity to do it?

If you would like to get involved in the We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick movement, please join us on facebook, or the RPVNetwork, sign the petition, and contact your state central members and theMcDonnell campaign.

Jeff Frederick Update: Growing Grassroots Support, and Please sign the Petition

Over the past week the grassroots movement in support of our party chair has continued to grow. Last Monday a rather mean spirited facebook group popped up calling for Jeff Frederick to resign. The following day I began a facebook group supporting Jeff Frederick. Within four hours the group supporting Jeff Frederick grew to have a membership 70% the size of the opposition, by midnight the group supporting Jeff had about sixty more people than the other group, and right now Chairman Frederick's facebook supporters outnumber his detractors 215-133.

On Wednesday the Augusta Co. Republican Committee became the second committee to pass a resolution supporting Jeff Frederick. Two of the three counties to pass resolutions along these lines have passed them in favor of Jeff Frederick. After results like these, I am working very hard to keep myself from making sarcastic remarks at Bob McDonnell, Eric Cantor, and others who claim they represent the grassroots on this issue.

Right now we are working on gathering petition signatures from Republican activists across the state. If you haven't signed the petition, please do it asap and encourage your friends to sign it, as we send a strong message to state central that the grassroots supports Jeff Frederick.

The following is a very good article by a state central member from the 1st congressional district.

If you would like to get involved in the We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick movement, please join us on facebook, or the RPVNetwork, sign the petition, and contact your state central members and the McDonnell campaign.

Only Nine Unit Chairmen Sign Letter Calling for Jeff Fredericks Removal

So today the big development in the fight to oust Jeff Frederick from the party chairmanship was that nine unit chairs signed a letter calling for Jeff Fredericks resignation. Some people are trying to spin this into a show of grassroots support for removing Jeff Frederick. This letter, however, was originally supposed to be signed by an overwhelming number of the unit chairmen to show that unit chairs across the state wanted Jeff removed. Instead only nine of one hundred thirty chairmen signed the letter. How can this be spun into a success? I think it shows one thing clearly, the people closest to the grassroots realize that removing Jeff isn't a good idea for this party.

It also shows that the We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick movement is effective. A week or two ago I bet a number of unit chairmen could have been pressured into signing the letter. Now that the grassroots is actively involved, people are being more careful. Let's keep up the good work and contact Bob McDonnell and encourage him to stop trying to remove Jeff. We need to unify the party heading into the state convention as we work to an executive sweep in November.

The fact that Mike Thomas and Bob McDonnell could only get nine chairmen to sign the letter shows the grassroots strength of Jeff's support. Thank you for helping us show our grassroots strength, and we will keep fighting till April 4th, and the state convention if necessary.

Jeff Frederick Responds to and Refutes the Charges

The following is Jeff Frederick's now public response to the charges brought against him by state central.

Dear Republican Friend,

Less than one year ago, thousands of our party’s activists and volunteers attended the 2008 State Republican Convention in Richmond. It was at this gathering that I was overwhelmingly elected chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV).

At that Convention, my message of a Republican Party that would be driven by the beliefs and convictions of the grassroots carried me to a clear and convincing victory. I won nearly 60% of the vote, carrying 8 of Virginia’s 11 Congressional districts. As my four immediate predecessors had each been initially elected by the members of the RPV State Central Committee, I became the first Chairman in 12 years to initially win election at a convention, and the first in 16 years to win a contested
convention.

Regardless of whether you voted for me or even attended the 2008 Convention, I want you to know that I’m proud that I have honored the commitment to refocus our party’s priorities on the grassroots, as opposed to the top-down approach we had taken for so many years to disappointing – and sometimes disastrous – results at the ballot box.

I’m further proud of the achievements we’ve made at the RPV in less than 10 months. We have aggressively communicated a consistent conservative message in the mold of Ronald Reagan; surpassed the Democrats in the use of technology; and established field-representatives in every area of the state to serve our local Party units.

Despite an extremely challenging national environment for Republicans, RPV raised over $1 million during my first seven months as Chairman to support our candidates and grassroots efforts. And, those monies were in addition to resources provided by the Republican National Committee (RNC), where combined, led to RPV spending an unprecedented $5 million on behalf of our candidates last year.

More recently, we have actively assisted the resurgence of our party in special elections, where our candidates have made great strides in districts Barack Obama won by large margins.

All of this was accomplished in less than a year, in large part because we changed the
way RPV did business and listened to the voice of the grassroots.

Unfortunately, many of the same Party insiders who overwhelmingly opposed me last year have decided to wage a campaign to overturn the results of last year’s State Convention and remove me as State Party Chairman. Because they never supported me, my removal has been a consistent focus of theirs almost from the moment I took office.

Because I would not step aside, this group served me with a list of “charges” as a pretext to vote me out at a Party meeting to be held April 4. Disappointingly, several of these individuals have already declared their intentions to remove me at that meeting regardless of my response to these charges. In effect, they have decided to prejudge what is supposed to be a fair and deliberative process.

As I have stated from the beginning, I will not abandon the chairmanship and break my pledge to the rank-and-file Republicans who elected me less than a year ago. The votes and decisions of the thousands of the Party faithful who attend our conventions, where we select our party’s nominees and elect our Party’s leaders, must be respected. Overturning them because the results do not fully comply with the choices of long-time Party insiders would be a violation of the trust the
Republican Party must hold with its own conservative base. Elections should mean
something, after all.

Below you will find a summary of my response to the “charges” against me. A comprehensive response containing much greater detail accompanied by supporting documentation is being sent to every member of the State Central Committee (SCC). These are the seventy-seven individuals who will vote on my Chairmanship on April 4.

As you know, one of the media’s favorite story lines in Virginia this decade has been Republicans fighting Republicans. Whether it was a battle between Republicans over car tax relief in 2001; over a massive tax increase in 2004; or, more recently, over transportation funding, many of our state’s editorial pages are delighted when we’re battling one another.

I regret having to write you on this matter. Even though those working to remove me as Chairman have fought this battle largely in the media, engineering almost a news release per day, it was my hope I could respond to the charges without
distributing them to a large audience. My hopes for discretion in this matter
and my plan to restrict my responses to these charges only to the seventy-seven
members of the SCC were dashed last week when my critics turned them over to the Associated Press.

From the moment I read the “charges,” I have maintained they are false and without merit, and that one day soon I would respond to them thoroughly and convincingly. That day is today.

With these charges swirling in the media, I believe it is very important you be kept
fully informed as to what is going on in your Republican Party. I make no apologies for standing against these efforts to remove me or the changes I’ve made within our party to give greater authority and input to the grassroots. Those seeking my removal are asking me to abandon the promises that earned me the chairmanship so that they can take us back to the way things used to be. In my opinion, that would be a disaster.

I do not take it personally that some want me to step down so we can return to the old way of doing things. After all, very few of them ever supported me, and many of the elected officials in Virginia endorsed my opponent’s campaign. But, I do take offense when a small minority seeks to nullify the voices of so many, once again turning our party into a rubber stamp for its long-time insiders.

For years, the Virginia Republican Party had been run from the “top down”, with consultants and lobbyists providing far more input into the direction of our party than the grassroots. The result? Republicans supporting tax increases in 2004; 11 seats lost just this decade in the House of Delegates; and control of the Virginia
Senate now in the hands of Democrats.

This is the same mentality that cost us United States House and Senate, where Republicans strayed from their core beliefs and ignored the grassroots, “spending” their way to minority status in a body that is now a rubber stamp for Barack Obama. Our nation and our commonwealth are just too important to go back to the old way of doing business.

I’m disappointed some in our party want to fight old intra-party squabbles. But, they will not distract me from our efforts to build our grassroots, oppose the egregious liberal agenda of Barack Obama and the congressional Democrats, and do everything I can to ensure we prevail in the 2009 elections to make Bob McDonnell our next governor.

To the hundreds of you who have written, called or emailed your support on behalf of our quest to change the Republican Party of Virginia, I want to thank you for your strong encouragement and words of support these last several days. Rest assured, we're fighting for the future of our Republican Party and our commonwealth, and we
will not back down.

Sincerely,

Jeff Frederick

Notice of Intent to Remove Jeff Frederick

as State Chairman of the Republican Party of
Virginia

Initial Response to Charges - Summary

The Call to remove
Chairman Frederick consists of ten charges. Charges 1, 2, and 3 concern the Chairman’s management of RPV finances. Of those three charges, Charge 1 is the
most specific, while Charges 2 and 3 are widely ambiguous, lacking specific references detailing the allegations. The remaining seven charges in the Call concern alleged infractions of the Party Plan or specific interpretations of the Party Plan.

Charge 1:

Failure to transmit, in a timely manner, online contributions made to the Republican Party of Virginia and processed by his own company. Withholding 7% of online contributions made to the RPV for a period of weeks during the summer of 2008 after repeatedly assuring
the Executive Committee that he was not using his company as a vendor for RPV.

Response to Charge 1:
While waiting for a newly contracted vendor to complete work on a new RPV website and for a new online donation vendor to complete its setup requirements, the Chairman established a “place holding” website through his own firm, GXS Strategies, Inc., also using its online donation company and subsidiary, ChargedContributions.com, for a period of 91 days. In return for a 7% discount fee, it was expected that ChargedContributions.com would cover all incidental expenses related to any transactions, including payments to merchant banks and credit cards.

Key facts:

• This “place holder” approach was immediately successful. Under the previous
  chairman, the Party raised only $2,000 online for the first five months of 2008
  combined. After the Chairman and RPV staff set up an efficient, yet temporary
  system, the Party raised over $21,000 online in just three months at no cost to the Party. The funds collected by the RPV website were deposited into a non-interest bearing escrow account for distribution to the Party. Distributions were made on 8 July and 1 October.
• The “place holder” page automatically reported contributions to the RPV employees’ responsible for fundraising supervision, and, providing redundant transparency, the entire account was accessible to RPV employees.
• Of the $21,135.00 in contributions collected for RPV by
  ChargedContributions.com, the company retained 7% of the total, or $1,479.45, to cover incidental expenses and required remittances to merchant banks, credit card companies, and an online processing service. After fulfilling obligations to merchant banks and credit card companies, ChargedContributions.com retained a maximum total of $581.62 to cover other incidental expenses associated with the credit card collection process.
• In order to fully comply with Virginia campaign finance disclosure law
  regarding the work it did on behalf of RPV in constructing the “place holder”
  website and donation page, GXS Strategies, Inc., of which
  ChargedContributions.com is a subsidiary, reported an in-kind contribution to
  RPV in the amount of $17,717.61 on 8 September.
• Far from withholding money from RPV to benefit himself, Chairman Frederick’s company provided free services to the Party in an amount that was 30 times greater than the total of the alleged monetary compensation received by his company.
• All records, documentation, and filings verifying this information and
  detailing these transactions can be accessed via the Virginia Public Access
  Project, The State Board of Elections, the Federal Elections Committee, and
  internal RPV documents.

To summarize Charge 1, the Chairman’s company donated $17,717.61
in-kind to the RPV. During the period this company was used, RPV netted $19,655.58 from its online donations. The Chairman’s company provided interim services for 91 days, and the Executive Committee and RPV staff had a full accounting of the fundraising.

Charge 2:

Repeated failure to fully comply with a July 22, 2008 directive unanimously adopted by the RPV Executive Committee to disclose existing and pending contracts with vendors.

Response to Charge 2:

A search of existing contracts reveals that the Executive Director of the RPV provided every known contract to members of the Executive Committee, and that a
good-faith effort was made to inform members of future contracts. The Executive
Committee itself acknowledged in September 2008 that they were in possession of
those records, and no member has indicated to RPV, in writing or otherwise, of
the existence of any contract or agreement by which we have not fully complied
with this directive, let alone repeatedly so.

Charge 3:

Unauthorized expenditures of RPV funds for unbudgeted activities without
either State Central Committee or Executive Committee consent.

Response to Charge 3:

While there is no specific allegation in this charge, it has been suggested by more than one Executive Committee member that the Chairman’s procurement of office space in Northern Virginia was a breach of his authority. The Chairman rented space at a rate of $600 per month for an office in Prince William County to serve as a Northern Virginia satellite office for RPV and for his legislative constituent service office. It was his intention to use the office space for himself for donor meetings and for other business to be conducted by RPV’s Northern Virginia Field Director and its Finance Director. For the period beginning 15 October 2008 and ending 15 June 2009, Friends of Jeff Frederick paid $2,400 for its portion of the office and RPV paid $2,400.00 for its portion. All payments were made directly to the landlord. The Party Plan grants the Chairman authority to operate the State Headquarters within the approved budgets for personnel, but makes no other restrictions on the Chairman’s ability to authorize expenditures.

Charge 4:

Failure to provide members of the State Central Committee with a reasonable
time to review and consider the proposed 2009 budget prior to proposed adoption
by the State Central Committee. Failure to provide one or more members of the
State Central Committee with any opportunity to see the proposed budget prior to
the meeting.

Charge 5:

Disregard for the minimal rights of members of the State Central Committee to
participate in discussion and debate at the December 2008 meeting by refusing to
recognize numerous members attempting to speak and failing to ascertain the
required 2/3 vote necessary to end debate. Lack of transparency in the budget
process by giving members less than 36 hours to consider the budget rather than
the usual three weeks.

Charge 6:

Corruption of process by failing to conduct a proper vote on 2009 budget by
(1) beginning, but not completing, either a hand count or roll call vote, both
properly called for; and (2) unilaterally declaring the vote result without even
a partial count of those in favor and no count whatsoever of those opposed.

Response to Charges 4, 5, and 6:

These charges all refer to the approval of the 2009 RPV Budget at the 5
December meeting of the State Central Committee. They state that Chairman
Frederick demonstrated a less than firm grasp on the proceedings at various SCC
meetings by failing to provide adequate time for budget review, or by failing to
recognize various members during debate. More accurately, though, they reflect
the disappointment of some State Central members in the outcome of this meeting.

The Executive Committee recommended against approval of the budget by the
State Central Committee. But after a prolonged and contentious debate, the State
Central Committee voted to approve the budget, which is now in force.

Robert’s Rules of Order and the Party Plan provide every member the opportunity to object and to challenge the Chair on rulings and by raising points of order. Further, Robert’s is clear that it is the responsibility of each member to guard the process by interaction and objection. In this case, no objections were made to the rulings, votes, and procedures described in these charges at the time of the meeting.

Charge 7:

Failure to “promptly convene” the Appeals Committee upon timely receipt of an
appeal of a ruling by the General Counsel.

Response to Charge 7:

The “Appeals Committee” is not recognized by the Party Plan, so it not subject to any specific timeline. Moreover, decisions of the Appeals Committee must be affirmed by State Central if they overturn the ruling of RPV General Counsel. The appeal in question was filed specifically to the Appeals Committee the day before the December 2008 meeting of the State Central Committee. Because of an amendment made to the RPV Budget at the December 2008 State Central Committee meeting, the Party’s then-General Counsel stepped down. A meeting of the Appeals Committee could not be scheduled until after a new General Counsel accepted the post.

After a new General Counsel accepted the post, several attempts were made to
schedule this meeting to comply with the availability of all participants. Despite these difficulties, the Appeals Committee is scheduled to meet on 20 March 2008, two weeks prior to the first State Central Committee meeting since December.

Charge 8:

Circumventing the State Central Committee by appointing committee and otherwise assuming Duties clearly prescribed in Article III, Section D, as duties of the State Central Committee without consultation or authorization.

Response to Charge 8:

There is ample and long-standing precedent for the Chairman to establish ad hoc committees without SCC approval. In fact, members of the Executive Committee
and the SCC both offered positive feedback on the establishment of these committees, and further, no member lodged any objections. Further one of the
established committees was specifically requested by a District Chairman on the
Executive Committee.

Charge 9:

Damage to the reputation and effectiveness of the Republican Party of Virginia through refusal to coordinate activities, including campaign messages, with Republican nominees for public office.

Response to Charge 9:

Evidence to the contrary on this charge is extensive and heavily documented. In fact, the Chairman and RPV staff undertook several sensitive assignments from
both federal and state elected officials and nominees.

Since Chairman Frederick assumed his current position, RPV staff works
cooperatively, frequently, and regularly with Republican nominees, candidates,
and elected officials. There are numerous examples to support this fact.

[NOTE: Since much of the evidence contradicting this charge contains sensitive internal campaign documents, supporting documentation is being offered exclusively to members of the State Central Committee.]

Charge 10:

Failure to notify the Executive Committee of a possible breach of security and/or compromise of security of data residing on servers and failure to act promptly to investigate potential breach when requested to do so.

Response to Charge 10:

In November 2008, some members of the Executive Committee alleged that there
had been a breach of RPV’s e-mail lists. Less than 24 hours after the breach was alleged, Chairman Frederick utilized experts in his firm to investigate the possibility of any breach. After an extensive system analysis, which included an examination of log files, no evidence of a breach was found and the Executive Committee was so informed.

(If you would like to help support Jeff Frederick, please join the We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick movement on the RPVNetwork, and or Facebook.)

Jeff Frederick's Speech to the PWCRC

Here is the speech Jeff Frederick gave at the Prince William County Republican Committee meeting on Saturday where the committee unanimously passed a resolution supporting Chairman Jeff Frederick.  It is the first speech by the chairman since the effort to remove him became public, and he does a very good job laying out in the speech the things that he has done and is doing as party chair.

(If you would like to support chairman Jeff Frederick please join "We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick.")

Bob McDonnell on Carch Check and the Economy

Good Afternoon ,

Early in this race we have witnessed the emergence of a defining issue. That issue is which candidate will stand up for Virginia’s pro-business environment, and stand up to big national unions attempting to take away the basic right of workers to cast secret ballots in workplace elections? After this week it is clear I am the only candidate running for Governor who will do this.

On Tuesday the so-called “Employee Free Choice Act” was introduced in the United States Congress. This legislation, far more aptly titled “Card Check”, would eliminate a worker’s most basic right: The right to cast a secret ballot in elections to determine if a union will be organized at their place of employment. Further, under this legislation, in newly organized workplaces, if the employer and the union do not agree to a contract in the first 130 days of negotiations, an arbitration panel from the federal government can be brought in and its decision would be binding on the employer.

This legislation threatens to significantly weaken our economy at a time when we can least afford it. For that reason this bill is adamantly opposed by workers, small business owners, and local Chambers of Commerce nationwide. Warren Buffett, the legendary investor who actually supported Barack Obama for President, came forward this week to make his opposition to the legislation clear.

Warren Buffet said this: “I think the secret ballot's pretty important in the country. I'm against card check to make a perfectly flat statement."

I am too.

This week I asked my three possible Democratic opponents to join with me in standing with the workers and business owners of Virginia in opposing this legislation. Would they choose Virginia’s best interests over their national special interests?

They chose their special interests. They chose the side of the big national unions.

All three refused to say a bad word about “Card Check.” Given recent reporting in The Washington Post that union donations to Virginia Democrats are reaching record levels, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by the Democratic candidates positions.

It is clear. “Card Check” is a defining issue in this race. I am the only candidate running for Governor opposed to this job-killing legislation. And I know this means I have a bulls-eye on my back for big unions nationwide.

I don’t think we should turn Virginia into Southern Michigan. I believe we must oppose federal policies that would weaken and undermine our pro-business environment here in the Commonwealth. Too many jobs are on the line.

If you agree, I hope you will consider joining our campaign.

Please visit www.BobMcDonnell.com to get involved in our effort to stop “Card Check” and bring new jobs and greater prosperity to every region of Virginia.

Bob

PS: Below are some news clips about “Card Check” and this campaign. I hope you’ll take a minute to check them out.

Circus Act (RTD Editorial)

McDonnell Decries Federal Labor Proposal (Roanoke Times)

McDonnell Rails Against “Card-Check” Legislation (Virginian-Pilot)

Gubernatorial Candidates in Virginia React to Employee Free Choice Act Bill (RTD)

Gubernatorial Candidates Spar on Union Practices (WHSV)

McDonnell Opposes Card Check Legislation (Washington Post Blog)

AUTHORIZED BY BOB MCDONNELL.  PAID FOR BY MCDONNELL FOR GOVERNOR. Unsubscribe
McDonnell For Governor | 2819 North Parham Road, Suite 210 | Richmond | VA | 23294

Text of the PWCRC Resolution in Support of Jeff Frederick

The following is a copy of the resolution that was passed unanimously at the Prince William County Republican Convention on 14 March 2009.

Resolution (3) March 14, 2009
Resolution in support of RPV Chairman Jeff Frederick

Whereas, the Prince William County Republican Convention believes that the strength of the Republican Party comes from the grassroots up, not the top down.

Whereas, the Plan of Organization of the Republican Party of Virginia essentially dissolves the party organization every two or four years and reconstitutes all of its committees by the vote of each jurisdiction’s mass meeting or convention.

Whereas, in May 2008, the Prince William County Republicans selected Jeff Frederick as their party chairman with 84 percent of the Prince William delegation’s vote.

Now, Therefore, be resolved, that the Prince William County Republican Convention:

1. Fully endorses and supports the Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Jeff Frederick.

2. We call on Republicans across the Commonwealth to focus on the elections at hand. Chairman Frederick is doing the job he was elected to do,
namely to make the state party the servant of the local unit and not its master.

3. We call on the State Central Committee and senatorial caucus to also fully endorse Chairman Jeff Frederick and assist him unconditionally to retake the Commonwealth of Virginia for the Republican Party.

(If you want to help join the effort to keep Jeff Frederick as chairman, please visit "We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick".)

Jeff Frederick Receives a Warm Welcome at the NOVA AG Debate

On Tuesday March 10th, the Loudon County Republicans showed their support for Chairman Frederick at the NOVA Attorney General Debate.  This was a couple days after the effort to unseat Jeff Frederick became public, and the same day the GOP State Senate leadership issued a letter calling for Chairman Frederick to resign.  When LCRC Chairman Glen Caroline introduced Chairman Frederick there was instantaneous spontaneous applause for the chairman, and interestingly noone booed.  If you don't believe that a gathering of roughly 200 Loudon Co. Republicans supports Chairman Frederick, check the video out yourself. 

This is yet another instance of the grassroots support Jeff Frederick enjoys as RPV chairman.

(While the audio quality isn't the best, the introduction takes place rougly at minute 1:06.  If you would like to help keep Jeff Frederick in office, please join the "We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick" group on RPV Network.)

Prince William County Republicans Support Jeff Frederick

The following article is written by someone who attended the PWRC meeting where the committee unanimously voted to support Jeff Frederick.  This is one of the biggest counties and a key to winning NOVA.  If Bob McDonnell is successful in upsetting these Republicans, and other likeminded Republicans around the state, well... I hope he doesn't.

Some Real Grassroots Support for Jeff Frederick

Ladies and Gentlemen of the State Central Committee,

Just three hours ago, I was in the Prince William County Republican Committee Convention.  At that time there was a resolution put to the floor in support of our (yours and my) Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia.  That resolution fully and unambigulously endorses Chairman Frederick; it calls on all of you to focus on winning the next elections; and to unconditionally assist Chairman Frederick in the performance of his duties.  

The measure was read in its entirety and discussion was requested-there was none.  A vote was taken.  Those in favor were asked to raise their hands and a forest of arms appeared.  Those against were asked to vote and I saw no hands.  Even accounting for a home town crowd, I say so much for the fantasy that there is a "grassroots" effort to unseat Chairman Frederick.  This would be a really good time to get down to the business at hand and forget the coup.

Best Regards,

Bill Card

Dumfries, VA

If you would like to join the effort to keep Jeff Frederick as Chairman, please join "We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick".

Warehouse Republicans

One of the greatest problems with conferences is that people will go to them, and then do nothing as a result of the amazing speakers they hear afterwards. I am amazed at the number of people who claim to be conservatives who care about their country who you can't get to just call their congressman, or even campaign for one night for a cause or issue they profess to love. If people don't get out and help get involved supporting conservative issues and candidates, what is the point of going to conferences like CPAC?

At CPAC this year, Mike Huckabee, the social conservative darling in the 2008 primaries, challenged the listeners to not just sit and listen to the speakers, but to act and do things as a result. He is famous for his use of the term "vertical politics." At CPAC he introduced conservatives to the idea of "Warehouse Republicans."

He wrapped up the speech by challenging the audience with these words:

But there is no other reason to get involved if we are going to be warehouse conservatives. Today I leave you with this challenge, let's get out of the warehouse, let's get in the water, let's stir things up, let's make some waves, let's change this country, because if we don't there might not be another generation left to get the job done.

This part of his CPAC speech begins at 8:41 on Part 3 of the speech and carries through to the stirring words at the end.

If you want to get involved in this years elections. Please get involved helping winning back seats for conservative congressional republicans, winning the statewide races in Virginia, helping Ken Cuccinelli win the Attorney General nomination at the RPV state convention, and help in the effort to keep Jeff Frederick on as RPV chairman.

Jim Hoeft of Bearing Drift Weighs in on the Frederick Controversy

While Jim Hoeft did not give his support for Jeff Frederick during this controversy, he asks a very important question in his first VPOD, is there something more endemically wrong with RPV than the party chairman, and makes a call for the party to return to core conservative principles.  Maybe the chairmanship alone was not responsible for the Republican electoral losses in Virginia last year, and maybe this position alone will not sink or insure our chances to elect Bob McDonnell in November.