In Which I Agree With Tom Davis...

While I tend not to agree with Tom Davis, he understands Virginia politics very well, and his analysis of last week's primary was spot on. When asked by Politico what the most important election result was, and what we can learn, Davis made the point that the establishment is in trouble and even pointed to Virginia as an example of this.

"It's a political revolt out there. Jane Harman's numbers were down. Gary Miller's under 50 percent. Even the establishment Republicans in Virginia who run, they had multiple candidates against them and they were well under 50."

In VA-2, VA-5, and VA-11 there were very clear establishment candidates in Scott Rigell, Robert Hurt, and Pat Herrity. Scott, had the full backing of Bob McDonnell and Bill Bolling, Robert Hurt had the support of most Republican officials because of his electability as opposed to his positions, and Herrity had the support of almost every party leader and elected official in the 11th district including Becky Stoeckel and Anthony Bedell. With all this support all three of these candidates failed to top 50% of the vote, and in probably the biggest surprise of the night, Herrity lost to Fimian by double digits. The only reason the establishment won in the 2nd and 5th is that the opposition was very disorganized and self centered and split the vote at least 5 ways in each race. When you combine these results with Howie Lind and Bill Stanley's victories in the 10th and 5th District Chair races, combined with victories in a number of unit chair races, this has to be a discouraging year for the establishment in VA. When the grassroots organizes and works together it can win any race. As a result we now have a much stronger party as we work together to win every congressional district in the state this fall.

Jeff Frederick Removed as Chairman

As most of y'all know by now, Jeff Frederick was removed yesterday as party chairman. We only lost by one vote. While we lost we were able to let people know who it was we supported. Over 75 activists showed up at the Marriott and peaceably demonstrated in support of Jeff Frederick. None showed up to urge for Jeff's removal. While we lost one battle we will keep pushing on to retake the party, and hopefully install a grassroots leader as chairman at the convention. Hopefully on May 30th a well known true conservative will become chairman and we can leave a united party.

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.

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.

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.

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'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.")

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".

Jeff Frederick, Bob McDonnell, and the Grassroots

In a podcast interview yesterday on Bearing Drift, Jim Hoeft asked Bob McDonnel what he thought about the effort by state central to remove Jeff Frederick as chairman. Before arguing for more effective leadership as we go forward in 2009, Bob McDonnell said, "I can say that I am aware of the grassroots initiated effort by the state central committee leaders to seek new leadership at RPV." (quote begins at 3:48 on the podcast)

This comment begs the question, does Bob McDonnell understand what the grassroots is? Traditionally the grassroots has been understood to be a,

"A grassroots movement (often referenced in the context of a political movement)
is one driven by the constituents of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it is natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures. Often, grassroots movements are at the local level, as many volunteers in the community give their time to support the local party, which can lead to helping the national party."

According to this definition, the attempt to remove Jeff Frederick from the chairmanship of the RPV has been anything but a grassroots movement. This has been an effort lead and orchestrated by the state central committee, and has only been revealed to the public by anonymous sources on blogs. Just like the state central meeting during the Republican Advance, this has been a highly secretive affair. There is little evidence that the overwhelming number of regular activists, the people that voted for Frederick at last year's state convention, want him removed. No petition with 2,000 Republican volunteers was ever filed. There was never a massive call for state central to do this by unit chairs around the state.

Last year Jeff Frederick won based on an overwhelming amount of support from party activists at the convention. The grassroots made their voice heard last year and said Virginia Republicans reject the chairman state central forced on us, and want a true fiscal and social conservative who wins elections. I hope state central considers the view of the grassroots when they make their decision in a month, or we will overturn them at the convention again, and if Bob McDonnell doesn't understand what the grassroots really is he may have a difficult time winning the governorship in November.

Online GOP Tech Summit Needs & Invites You!

Bill Smith, Editor, ARRA News Service: The RNC Transition Team established working groups in six specific issue areas to further refine the ideas put forth at the GOP Tech Summit and to push the conversation to the next level. Ultimately, there will be a Republican user-generated report produced that we'll present to Chairman Steele and his team for their review and implementation as they see fit.

::: We can't do it alone. We need your help. :::
Join the discussion, on how the party can best embrace (and keep motivated) the grassroots and keep the CONSERVATIVE VOICE strong, at the GOP Tech Summit website.

Over the next seven days -- if you have an idea -- please share it. If you have a comment on another idea put forth, dig in. Let us heed the challenge put forth by Chairman Steele and leave no stone unturned. We are listening. I hope you'll be a part of this Revolution.
::: If you join us in this effort; then invite me as a friend :::

Cuccinelli Outraises Brownlee

The filing reports for money raised by candidates for executive office between July 30th and December 31st were due last night.  During a fundraising period that included both the 2008 elections, and a recession, Ken Cuccinelli outraised John Brownlee.

During that period, Cuccinelli raised $225,244 and has $220,536.  In that same period, John Brownlee raised $111,714 and now has $116,589 cash on hand.  While $30,000 of Cuccinelli's total was a transfer from his state senate account, Cuccinelli still significantly outraised Brownlee. 

Not only did Cuccinelli out raise Brownlee, but in another demonstration of his strong grass roots support, he also outperformed in sheer number of donors.  Cuccinelli had a total of 939 donors while Brownlee had 277 donors.  Cuccinelli also outraised Brownlee 724 to 158 in donations under $100.  

These numbers are important for at least two reasons.  Cuccinelli's strong fundraising performance will be important for the general election since Steve Shannon is waiting on the Democratic ticket with a war chest that currently sits at $740,000.  The grassroots strength reflected in these numbers will help Ken overcome a financial deficit in the general election as it has in past elections.  These new fundraising numbers reflect just how strong the Cuccinelli campaign is.

Ken is 3-0 in demonstrations of the strengths of the Cuccinelli campaign.  He had the best showing in the petition drive in the beginning of December, won the Republican Advance strawpoll, and now had the best showing in this past financial period.  Now it is on to the delegate elections.    

Sources for this article include the Bearing Drift article, AP article, and VPAP reports for both Brownlee and Cuccinelli.