Drain the Swamp in Shenandoah County

For any of us who have been involved in Republican politics at the local level, we who have been delegates to a convention or a nominating process are all required to sign a “loyalty oath” which says that the delegate agrees to only support Republican candidates during a certain time frame – usually two years.

Yet elitist big spending government RINO’s are trying to circumvent the convention rules to ensure that one of their big spending liberal friends can remain in office for another four years in Shenandoah County.  Here is what they are doing:

Former Shenandoah County GOP chairman Craig Orndorff has formed a Political Action Committee called “Responsible Leadership for Shenandoah County”.  This PAC was originally formed to add a 7th Supervisor to the current 6 member Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors.  When activists shot down this proposal, Mr. Orndorff slightly changed the mission of the PAC, and then continued to raise money.  However what the PAC is doing with the money is disingenuous.  The PAC is taking the money they raised to endorse a liberal incumbent named Dick Neese.  Neese is being challenged by a libertarian conservative named Karen Kwiatkowski, a former Air Force Lt. Colonel who has been tireless in taking on the big spending RINO’s who have destroyed the economy of Shenandoah County.  Kwiatkowski is the duly nominated Republican.  Neese was formally a Republican, but left the party once he saw that he would likely lose the nomination fight to Kwiatkowski.  

OOPS – did I forget to mention that Mr. Craig Orndorff took that same loyalty oath in April of 2016?  Also,  one of the Members of the RLSC PAC Board of Directors is Steve Shaffer, a former Republican candidate for the Board of Supervisors from Shenandoah County.  Mr. Shaffer took the same loyalty oath when he signed up to be a delegate at the 2016 County GOP Convention.  Mr. Shaffer is the 4th Magisterial District Chair of the County GOP and thus serves on the County GOP Executive Committee.  So a member of the GOP County Executive Committee is a de facto supporter of people running against duly nominated Republicans.  If that is not swamp like, I do not know what is.  

Among the contributors to this PAC are Dan Walsh, a lobbyist who had taken the loyalty oath but was banned from GOP Party politics for four years after having donated to a liberal incumbent over a Republican challenger (all while Mr. Walsh was a member of the GOP Committee).  Mr. Walsh donated $1,000 to RLSC.  Also donating to the RLSC PAC was Rick Koontz ($250.00).  Mr. Koontz is an independent on the Shenandoah School Board.  Yet both Koontz and Walsh took this same oath in 2016, yet are donating to an organization which is openly supporting a liberal independent over a duly nominated Republican.  

http://www.nvdaily.com/news/local-news/2017/07/board-candidates-report-campaign-activity/

It should be mentioned for the record that Mr. Neese is a 4 term incumbent who recently filed for bankruptcy.  So the RLSC PAC, which has as its new motto “Grassroots for seeking to restore responsible, pro-growth leadership to Shenandoah County” has endorsed a man who is fiscally irresponsible in his personal life, and has a history of raising taxes and being anti business.  So the only growth that Dick Neese wants is growth in the size and scope of government.  

Quite frankly, what the RLSC and the donors to the RLSC are doing does not meet the legal definition of money laundering – but what else can you call it.  Because what the big government Republican donors to the RLSC are doing is taking money and funneling it through a third party to spend against their pro growth anti tax and spend opponents.   Aka making dirty or impure money pure through funneling.   Now if someone wants to donate to RLSC, because they support what RLSC wants to do, that is perfectly fine.  I personally am against these fly by night PACs for reasons I’ve previously discussed here but to donate is a legal right protected by the 1st Amendment.    But for duly elected GOP delegates to a convention to violate the loyalty oath to funnel money to a liberal candidate for the Board of Supervisors here, because they do not want a Tea  Party Libertarian Conservative (who again was nominated by the Party), what does that say about our RINO friends?  

Some may say the term money laundering is too harsh.  But think on it.  If it’s not laundering money – what is the taking of funds, transferring them through a third party to wash so they can be donated to a candidate who you are not allowed to support?  Let me say for the record that what Mr. Walsh, Mr. Shaffer, Mr. Koontz, and Mr. Orndorff are doing is perfectly legal by Virginia laws governing campaign finance. But it is a naked attempt to violate the rules of the party plan which call for delegates to a convention to only support party endorsed candidates.  And on its face each should be banned from participating in party politics for the next four years.  Well Mr. Walsh has already been banned, but he needs to be joined by his three cronies.  

It is time to put an end to the big spending RINO’s and their corrupt ways.  This is a conversation which likely occurs in each locale in Virginia.  So for us to truly drain the swamp, we must do it not only at the federal level, but also at the state and local level as well.