If you have ever wondered whether or not it is possible to split the baby, Chairman Bill Stanley and members of the 5th District GOP Committee have shown us how it is done. You remember the biblical story?
Two women both argue that the other has stolen their baby and they go to King Solomon for a resolution. King Solomon decides that the way he can determine the rightful mother is by suggesting that they split the baby and they each get half. The woman who readily agrees to such a compromise is obviously not the real mother and it allows King Solomon to see who is right and who is wrong.
The problem with the 5th District Committee solution is that THEY ACTUALLY WANT TO SPLIT THE BABY! This past Saturday the 5th Congressional ruled that the slating that occurred in Campbell County was illegal, but they refused to do anything about it!
How was the slating illegal? The appeal demonstrated that unit chair John Ferguson, temporary mass meeting chairman Neil Vener and their team knowingly and aggressively recruited Democrats to attend a Republican meeting to throw Republicans out of their own party! What’s more, it was proven that they had violated Robert’s Rules procedures as well.
How obvious was the illegal slating? Well, even TWO known Democrat fundraiser for former Democrat Congressman Tom Perriello were in attendance to throw Republicans out of their own party. Many others had voted in Democrat primaries or were recently campaigning publicly against Republican nominees. One ringleader had just run for supervisor with the Democrat endorsement, only to lose his seat to a Republican last year. Now the defeated Democrat endorsee is on the GOP committee and the Republican supervisor is slated off!
All this was in clear violation of the Republican Party Plan.
It is important to remember that Campbell County was very unique in their slating, because they slated off almost 100 Republicans from being members in their own local Campbell County GOP Committee, from attending the 5th District Convention, AND from attending the Statewide GOP Convention. It was a trifecta slate!
So, how do you split the baby? Well, the 5th District GOP Committee ruled that slating was improperly executed and was therefore illegal. Further, they found that the Campbell County Mass Meeting was stolen with Democrat involvement, but they refused to offer a remedy to any of these findings. This is a very dangerous precedent to set in our party.
I have checked with many individuals who are more well-versed with the Republican Party Plan and Robert Rules than I am, and they have all told me the same thing – when confronted by the results of an illegitimate election, it is entirely the prerogative of the 5th District GOP to order a result that would have happened had there been no cheating (i.e., mandating that all properly filed delegates be allowed to participate in the 5th District and statewide conventions). Further, they could rule the Campbell County Mass Meeting null and void and require that another Mass Meeting be held to determine the Campbell County GOP Chairman and its members. Some members on the 5th District Committee argued passionately for these remedies, but they were in the minority.
Instead the response from the 5th District GOP was in essence, ‘that is so wrong that the election was stolen from you and you were kicked out of your own Republican Party by Democrats. That is awful! We agree with you that it was illegal. We’ll politely recommend to the 5th District Credentialing Committee that your slated delegates get to attend the 5th District Convention, but we are not going to require it. Oh, and we are going to let the cheaters who stole your Campbell County Unit Committee keep it too. Have a nice day!”
This line of thinking that says that a higher body in the Republican Party with the authority to hear an appeal doesn’t have the authority to fix the problem is just ridiculous! Why have an appeals process for corrupted meetings if nothing can be done about it? There is absolutely no sense in that.
So where does that leave 5th District chairman candidate Mark Lloyd and the conservative Republicans? The 5th District Convention is this Saturday. (Remember, Mark Lloyd is running for the 5th District chairman and can’t even vote in his own election because he was slated.) Conservative Republicans will have to try and turn out all their delegates (whether they were slated or not) and HOPE and PRAY that the 5th Convention Credentialing Committee will be persuaded by the ruling of the 5th District Committee and seat all properly filed delegates – including those who were slated illegally!
I hope the delegates in attendance at the 5th District Convention will stand up and demand these illegal and strong-arm tactics by the Republican good ‘ole boys be stopped immediately and that ALL delegates be seated at the convention. I am sure the delegates will see the common sense that you can’t win elections and grow a conservative majority by kicking Republicans out of the party with the help of Democrats! But those same delegates should diligently listen to what is proposed as a solution this Saturday, because they might be surprised to discover that their elected representatives is on the wrong side of this issue…
One thing is for sure, splitting the baby is a nightmare. You don’t rule that illegal activity took place and then refuse to do anything about it. That is absurd!
In time, the Republican Party of Virginia State Central Committee will hear this case and rule. I’m hopeful they can be more definitive with their ruling AND remedy!
