How Desperate is George Allen?

In less than two years Virginia will have a competitive election for U.S. Senate. It appears George Allen is all in as he fights to reclaim his old seat.

Regardless of your opinion on state central's decision to nominate our 2012 U.S. Senate candidate through a primary, the timing of the vote seemed to be politically motivated. While people were originally being told state central would vote on that issue in March, suddenly days before the November meeting Mike Thomas, a close George Allen ally, moved the vote to that meeting. While Mike Thomas denied the timing of the vote was politically motivated, a long time Allen ally ramming through a vote that would help George Allen seems to be a very political move.

As if setting the method of nomination in his favor weren't enough, it now appears George Allen is trying to clear the field of primary opponents. Corey Stewart is planning to run for U.S. Senate. He recently made some critical comments about a George Allen candidacy. (One of few high ranking elected officials to do that.) Days after making those comments, the Washington Posts that Corey Stewart may face a primary challenge in 2011. A few more days pass and we learn that George Allen may be behind this primary challenge.

Appearances suggest George Allen is setting the method for the nomination contest, and clearing the field of opponents. This smacks of some one desperate for power. George Allen has a record and connections. He should be using them to build support, and lay out a bold message for why we should support him, not manipulating the system so that he is the only option we have.

Cuccinelli Supports Making Conventions Financially Viable

The State Central meeting at the Advance this weekend will be about one thing. Conventions. Cuccinelli is proposing party plan amendments to make conventions more financially viable. These have been debated and discussed by party activists since they were first unveiled in the summer. As a supporter of conventions, I support Cuccinelli's efforts. Bill Bolling and Bob Marshall along with others are opposing them.


The other issue is that it seems Mike Thomas and others have decided to force a vote for a primary at the meeting. Bob Marhsall who seems inexplicably on a warpath against conventions is also supporting the vote for a primary, even though that will insure that he loses if he runs for U.S. Senate. Apparently he has a proxy and will be voting for a primary at the meeting on Saturday.


I will post more about the primary vote later. For now, here is Ken Cuccinelli's statement on the party plan amendments he is proposing.

MEMO – PARTY PLAN AMENDMENTS TO BE VOTED ON AT 2010 RPV ADVANCE
From: KEN
CUCCINELLI
TO: MEMBERS OF RPV STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE

This memo is intended to share my perspective on the content and purpose of the two party plan amendments being proposed that will increase the financial viability of conventions as a method of nomination for statewide offices. These amendments to the party plan are being proposed in light of the 2009 convention, which left RPV with lingering financial obligations.

1. The first proposal being put forward is to allow the party to charge up to a $25,000 filing fee for candidates for all statewide offices.
2. The second is to allow the party the option of charging pre-file fees to delegates to attend conventions. The number being put forward is no more than $50 per delegate.

My reason for supporting these concepts may seem counter-intuitive. When you think of an entire nomination process - including the campaign itself, not merely the nomination election day - a very large convention filing fee, e.g., $25K for a candidate for statewide office will cost much more than a primary filing fee (approximately $4,000), but running a convention campaign can be done for a fraction of the cost of running a primary campaign.If you compare the cost of the 2009 Cuccinelli/Brownlee/Foster convention to the candidates – about $1 million total, to the cost of the 2005 McDonnell/Baril primary to the candidates – about $5 million total, it’s clear that even with significant filing fees, conventions provide the lowest cost access to a realistic, competitive nomination.

By increasing the likelihood that conventions will end up in the black financially, they will be even more viable as a nomination option. Following this page are some questions I’ve encountered about the need for these proposals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are these fees helpful?

In an ideal world, we would not have to charge fees at all in order to run for public office. Personally, I am in favor of keeping the bar to entry for candidates to enter nomination contests as low as possible. However, because the 2009 GOP Convention resulted in a financial loss for RPV, it would be helpful to make changes so that the State Central Committee can vote for conventions without serious concern that it will send the Party into the red.

Won’t these fees make it more expensive for longshot or low dollar candidates?

No, exactly the opposite. While these fees represent a significant increase from the 2008 and 2009 conventions, they are still significantly lower than the cost of running a statewide primary. For example, in 2005 McDonnell/Baril primary cost both candidates a combined total of around 5 million dollars, whereas in 2009, the convention contest for the same office cost less than 1 million dollars.Conventions are, by far, the cheapest method of nomination for statewide office. By far.If conventions are not more reliably financially viable – the alternative (primaries) will shut out many candidates who otherwise would have had a realistic shot in a convention.

Won’t delegate filing fees keep people from attending the convention?

While charging a fee for delegates to attend a convention is undesirable in some circumstances, it doesn’t mean it will substantially lower the turnout. For example, the 1978, 1993 and 1994 GOP conventions were the largest conventions in Virginia’s history, yet in all three the Party charged a pre-filing fee for delegates.

Will the Department of Justice approve these changes to the Party Plan?

Maybe. This is something that we will only know when an approved party plan amendment is submitted to the DoJ. Based on a case that arose in Virginia, the courts have said that delegate fees would have to be pre-cleared by the Justice Department under the Voting Rights Act. This is one of those that we just won’t know until we try.

Is there any alternative to charging delegate and candidate fees?

At the moment I believe these are the two simplest alternatives. Voluntary contributions to the party to help offset the cost of conventions are the other most obvious alternative; however, it may be dicey to rely upon that approach to generate the necessary revenue to pay for the event.It is important to remember
that these proposals are to allow RPV to charge the fees if you all feel they are necessary to pay for the conventions. If we come up with an alternate revenue source in the future – the fees may not end up being necessary, and thus don’t need to be charged. This is simply a vote to allow RPV SCC the discretion to charge the fees if they feel they are necessary.ant to remember that these proposals are to allow RPV to charge the fees if you all feel they are necessary to pay for the conventions. If we come up with an alternate revenue source in the future – the fees may not end up being necessary, and thus don’t need to be charged. This is simply a vote to allow RPV SCC the discretion to charge the fees if they feel they are necessary.

Convention Day One

Today was honestly fairly boring. the convention convened shortly after 2:00 and we heard from Bob Whitman, Bob Goodlatte, and the chairmen of the CRFV and YRFV. Lauren Giere (daughter of state central member from the 8th district Mike Giere) sang a beautiful rendition of the national anthem. The only votes that took place were on the rules and the temporary chair for the convention. There was no contest on either issue. The rules were approved unammended, and Kay Cole James was elected without opposition by voice vote as chairman of the convention.

I finished the day off by helping put Cuccinelli literature on all the chairs, and then went over to the Cuccinelli Hospitality Suite and had some delicious homemade Cuccinelli canolis.

I also had the opportunity to view the Executive Committee meeting, State Central roundtable, and rules committee meeting. It was nice to beable to watch the internal workings of our party. The Executive Committee was interesting because their was some confusion as to whether or not I could watch. Mike Thomas kindly let me in and I watched until they needed to go into executive session. I don't think they are used to other people watching them.

The other highlight is the fact that the RNC has already sent almost 30 staff to Virginia to help out with all the elections this November. These energetic young political veterans will be a huge asset to the effort this year and will also help run the 14 campaign offices that will be opening up across the commonwealth soon.

Hopefully tomorrow runs smoothly and there aren't any questions about credentials or voting. I plan on voting for Bolling, Cuccinelli, and Stanley. My confidence of them winning is in that order as well. If Bollign loses it will be one of the most unexpected upsets in political history. I am very confident Cuccinelli will win, though maybe Foster will sneak through. The chairmans race is a complete tossup as it is only three weeks old. Last year the chairman candidate with all the establishment endorsements lost overwhelmingly. While Bill Stanley does not have Frederick's name recognition, a lot of people are upset about what happened in April. Hopefully tomorrow delegates will realize they want a chairman who is elected by them and not selected by the executive committee, and vote accordingly.

Tomorrow should be an interesting and fun day, and after it is all over it is on to winning in November. The convention starts tomorrow at 10:00 am. Be sure to come early to the Leigh St. entrance to pick up your credentials.

How State Central Voted

In case you are interested, here is how the vote went down at the state central committee meeting on April 4th on the question of whether or not to remove Jeff Frederick as RPV chairman.

Note Mickey Mixson's proxy would have voted for Jeff Frederick but was disqualified.

Also this is just being provided for the sake of full and open disclosure, and transparency, etc... Please do not use this to blackmail anyone. While we may need to remove some people from positions of party leadership, we also need to keep foccused on winning in the general election this fall. If you do not plan on at least voting for our amazing ticket in the general election, I must question why you are getting involved in the party fights of a party you don't seem to actually support.

April 4, 2009
State Central Committee
One vacancy: 77 eligible to vote
75% Votes needed to Remove Chairman
Votes cast in Motion to Remove Jeff Frederick as Chairman

Officers – 11 Voting Members
NO Jeff Frederick, State Chairman
NO David Rensin, Finance Chairman
YES Mike Thomas, Vice- Chairman
YES Paulina Campbell, Secretary
* Morton Blackwell, National Committeeman .
YES Kathy Hayden Terry, National Committeewoman
YES Kevin Gentry, Eastern Vice-Chairman - Absent - Proxy carried by Anthony
Bedell
YES Juanita Balenger, Eastern Vice-Chairwoman
_---___ Vacant, Eastern Vice-Chairman
YES Trixie Averill, Eastern Vice-Chairwoman
YES Rick Neel,Treasurer

* Note: Morton Blackwell presided as Chairman and would only vote if his vote would
make a difference. One proxy was not allowed, ,and Blackwell’s vote would not have
made a difference.

General Assembly – 4 members
NO Hon. Morgan Griffith, Majority Leader, House of Delegates
YES Hon. John Cosgrove, Member of the House of Delegates
YES Hon. Frank Ruff, State Senator
YES Hon. Emmett Hanger, State Senator—Absent - Proxy carried by Sen. Stosch

1st Congressional District – 6 Members
NO Jim Bowden
YES Carol Dawson
YES Michael Lowe
YES John Van Hoy
YES Allen Webb
YES Tom Foley, Congressional District Chairman

2nd District – 4 Members
NO Gary Byler, Congressional District Chairman
NO Roger Miles
YES David O’Kelley
YES Chester “Chuck” Smith

3rd District – 4 Members
YES Bryan Meals
YES Cortland Putbrese
YES Chris Woodfin – Absent - Proxy carried by Aaron Gulbranson
YES Mike Wade, Congressional District Chairman

4th District – 5 Members
YES Bill Flanangan
YES Irene Hurst - Absent - Proxy carried by Wayne Ozmore
YES Linas Kogelis
YES Bob Wheeler
YES Jack Wilson, Congressional District Chairman

5th District – 5 Members
NO Renee Trent Maxey
NO Chris Shores
YES Rachel Schoenewald
YES Rayburn Gene Smith
YES Tucker Watkins, Congressional District Chairman


6th Congressional District – 6 Members
NO Jim Crosby
NO Mickey Mixon – Absent - Proxy carried by Andrew Jones was challenged and
not accepted
YES Lynn Mitchell
YES Matthew Braud
YES Wendell Walker
YES Fred Anderson, Congressional District Chairman

7th District – 6 Members
YES David Fuller
YES Brian Plum
YES Marie Quinn
YES Kristi Way - Absent – Proxy carried by Davis Rennolds
YES John D. Tucker – Absent – Proxy carried by Edward Eddens
YES Linwood Cobb, Congressional District Chairman

8th District – 4 Members
NO Vellie Dietrich-Hall
NO Mike Giere
NO Mark Kelly
YES Mike Ginsberg, Congressional District Chairman

9th District – 5 Members
YES John Kilgore
YES Jerry Lester
YES Dr. Judi Lynch
YES Jack Morgan
YES Michelle Jenkins, Congressional District Chairman

10th District – 5 Members
NO Elizabeth Kay Gunter
NO JoAnn Chase
NO Howie Lind
YES Mary Gail Swenson
YES Jim Rich, Congressional District Chairman


11th District – 4 Members
NO David Ray
NO Patsy Drain
NO Keith Damon
YES Becky Stoeckel, Congressional District Chairman

Virginia Federation of Republican Women – 3 Members
YES Brenda Campbell, President
YES Carol Ford, SCC Representative – Absent - Proxy carried by Faye
Williamson
YES Angie Hall, SCC Representative

Virginia Federation of Young Republicans – 3 Members
YES Lori Ann Miller, President
YES Neil Miller, Representative
YES Andrew Vehorn – Absent – Proxy carried by Sara Rose Cavalli

Federation of College Republicans – 3 Members
YES Kate Maxwell, President
YES Matthew Wolking – Absent – Proxy carried by Dale Dye
YES Ray Boyce

Was George Allen Involved in the Effort to Remove Jeff Frederick

Ever since the call for the April 4th State Central Meeting was leaked it was apparent that Bob McDonnell was behind it. However, now that Jeff has been removed some speculate George Allen may behind this, and may even be looking at becoming the next party chair. Spank That Donkey wrote two articles that sum up most of the speculation on this subject. One article deals specifically with George Allen, while the other discusses Mike Thomas's role in ending the effort for Jeff and Bob McDonnell to reach a resolution.

The RPV Stands up for the Free Market and Opposes HB1703

Here is the text of an e-mail sent out by the RPV this afternoon.  It articulates the RPV's opposition to HB 1703.

To Our Republican Members of the General Assembly,

As members of the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of
Virginia, we wish to remind you of the following core tenet of our
Party’s creed: We Believe: That the free enterprise system is the
most productive supplier of human needs and economic justice. We write
to remind you of this key element of our Republican Creed because we
understand that HB 1703 is moving on a fast track to a vote on
Tuesday, and as our duly elected Representatives we urge you to vote
NO. The passage of such legislation is completely antithetical to our
Party’s core free market principles. This not about smoking. This is
about unnecessary government intrusion into the private sector. This
unconscionable encroachment will cost those affected their ability to
operate a free enterprise and further alienate our Republican base.

Because the proponents of the smoking ban cite huge public support
for this type of legislation, we understand one’s inclination to
support it. But you will find the owners and patrons of smoking
establishments will disagree. This legislation will make it difficult,
if not impossible, for many small businesses to operate in Virginia.
As you must know, bar or restaurant owners will be forced to make
expensive renovations to meet the requirements of HB 1703 in order to
offer their patrons a choice. This is another unfunded mandate that
will cut into businesses’ profits. How will you explain the loss of
revenues from successful businesses that fail from their loss of
smoking patrons? Who will enforce this legislation? Where will the
money be found to add the needed bureaucracy? In a struggling economy,
to increase government enforcement and decrease revenue is completely
flawed logic, particularly in an election year.

Consumers already have the ability to decide if they wish to frequent
an establishment based upon whether that establishment does or does
not allow smoking. We urge you to allow the marketplace to influence
private sector activity instead of relying upon heavy-handed,
intrusive government regulation. As members of the General Assembly,
we believe you should be particularly concerned about passing this
bill in an election year. Supporting HB 1703 will discourage and
demoralize the Republican base and confuse those that view us as the
Party of free market principles. Our Gubernatorial nominee understands
our principles and position in regard to the smoking ban, and we
believe you should take heed of his position. Every member should
reconsider their support of this bill, and we are proud of all members
who have already voted no. To allow this legislation to pass will
compromise the integrity of members who have stayed true to Republican
principles and faithfully worked against this legislation.

As a Party we do not need to create a divide between members and the
Republican base by supporting legislation that is inconsistent with
our Party’s core principles. It is our greatest hope that this
legislation will be voted down as to avoid intra-party conflict. Our
goal is a Republican Party united on principles and vision, standing
ready to win in 2009.

Respectfully submitted,

Jeff Fredrick, RPV Chairman

Mike Thomas, 1st Vice- Chair

Kathy Hayden Terry, National Commiteewoman

Kevin Gentry, Eastern Vice Chairman

Juanita Balenger, Eastern Vice Chairwoman

Trixie Averill, Western Vice Chairwoman

Tom Foley, 1st District Chairman

Gary Byler, 2nd District Chairman

Mike Wade, 3rd District Chairman

Jack Wilson, 4th District Chairman

Tucker Watson, 5th District Chairman

Fred Anderson, 6th District Chairman

Lynwood Cobb, 7th District Chairman

Mike Ginsberg, 8th District Chairman

Michelle Jenkins, 9th District Chairman

Becky Steckel, 11th District Chairman