The governing body of the Republican Party of Virginia is the State Central Committee (SCC). It has 80+ members elected to it via the biannual Congressional District Conventions, the Congressional District Committees, several auxiliary Republican organizations, and also several seats that the body elects to itself. The SCC is responsible for selecting the method of nomination for our statewide GOP candidates; be they governor, LG, AG, U.S. senator, and also for presidential nomination contests.
The method of nomination has become a litmus test issue in Virginia Republican politics. The big-government extremist wing of the party prefers primaries and the conservative/libertarian wing of the party prefers conventions. What matters is that this issue highlights the divide within the party here in Virginia.
In 2015, the SCC considered holding a convention as our method for our presidential contest and it seemed likely that it was going to happen. Pressure was brought to bear to keep it a primary and in this environment a “compromise” was proposed. (I should mention that I am skeptical of “compromises” in politics. Too often it is just another word for “capitulation” or “surrender”).
The compromise proposed that we have a primary in 2016 for the presidential contest, in exchange for having a convention in 2017 to select our state wide candidates. This nominally seems fair on the surface as both wings of the party get a turn with their preferred method of nomination in a two year period.
How this was viewed as a compromise I don’t know. The last several governor races were selected by convention and conventions are great for giving people reason to become more involved with the party processes. Not having a convention in 2017 should not have been on the table. But this “compromise” put it on the table and this “compromise” gave cover for some people to vote for primary when they should have stuck to their guns. The compromise was passed by a bare margin, but it did pass and everyone who wanted a primary in 2016 got a primary in 2016. That placed a huge onus on making sure the compromise was kept for 2017.
In a coalition everyone needs to get something, otherwise people do not have any reason to be part of the coalition. It is about not boring holes in your own boat by failing to be a good coalition partner. Keeping the compromise would have been good for the Republican coalition. It would have been a not-insignificant datapoint to show that the two wings of the party can work together. People like myself, who are highly critical of the big-government extremist wing of the Republican Party, would have had to have conceded that on this thing the establishment kept their word for once. That would have been nice. That would provide a framework to ease tensions within the party, by the establishment showing that they can act in good faith and keep a promise once in a while. That would have provided a not insignificant foundation for healing within the party.
This year we should have seen the SCC vote unanimously for convention, because, really, who wants to be on record taking a clear vote to add more fuel to the intra-party fire in such a blatant foot shooting manner?
Apparently a majority of the SCC did. On Saturday, August 27th the the SCC voted 41-40 vote for a primary in 2017.
This is bad.
There are people on both sides of the equation within the GOP who are making a not implausible case for operating in good faith to try to move towards party harmony and keep the Republican coalition together. This vote completely and utterly discredits those individuals. Why should anyone aligned with the conservative/libertarian wing of the party try to get along with the establishment wing of the party at all? The big-government extremist wing of the Republican Party just gave the conservative/libertarian wing of the party a huge axe to grind in great big neon letters. Every vote for primary on the SCC was a vote for disharmony within the party. This vote gives fresh reason for intra-party conflicts and so frames the intra-party conflicts for the next couple of years. This vote is reckless and tone deaf on the part of the Republican establishment. Intra-party conflicts brought Republicans to loosing every state-wide office in 2013 and they encourage the repeat of that with this vote.
My heart goes out to those people on both sides of the equation who put effort into the compromise. The rug has been swept out from under you and you will have a much harder time in the near future of being able to work towards party harmony. Though I may be skeptical of specific attempts on your part, I am amenable to your broader efforts. You guys didn’t deserve this.
There were forty-one people who were each the deciding vote on this matter. On the one hand they got their way. On the other hand their margin of victory was so slim. It is for that reason that conservatives and libertarians should take heart and view this as an opportunity. It would not take much to reverse the establishment majority on the SCC. Over the next couple of years conservatives and libertarians will need fresh reinforcements to put the peace breakers into a minority on the State Central Committee so that we can make the state party be the party it always should have been: one that keeps its promises.
John Brill is the former Chairman of Roanoke City Republican Committee and the former Chairman of the 21st State Senate District Republican Committee.
44 comments
[…] vote to break the Convention/Primary compromise did not have to happen the way it did. It was decided by one vote and Nancy Dye was one of those one […]
For God’s sake, remove the third t in committee — you win, I can’t stand it anymore!!!
I made a tiny breach of protocol and fixed it just for you (it irritated me too).
Thank you. TBE has the best essay titles, it actually hurts when one is misspelled.
It’s this simple: The word “compromise” means “to promise together”.
The events at the State Central Committee meeting show quite obviously that the group of people on one side of this argument kept their promise, while the other side is faithless and can’t be trusted to keep their word at all.
We have the roll in the article above, which broke their word?
The much ballyhooed “compromise” of last year’s SCC meeting was a FARCE! A lie, a SHAM from the get-go; and everybody knows it and acknowledges it. Except those who pretend otherwise for their own aims.
The SCC who met last YEAR had NO CLAIM on the SCC of this year!! So lose the deceptive talk about keeping your word.
It was immoral and improper for last year’s SCC to vote for the sham compromise. And it’s further unethical to strive to cling to, and worse shame those who DON’T adhere to the immoral, sham “compromise”.
Don’t forget the ‘support the nominee’ covenant.
Questions from an outsider:
Were the events at RNC good or bad for the grassroots, to include Tea Party? Were the events at SCC good or bad for grassroots, including Tea Party? Did the Trump campaign aid RNC in stopping the grassroots at RNC? At SCC? Has the GOP devolved or centralized control at RNC? SCC?
If I was running one of the nation’s two primary means of voter mobilization and control, and somebody did to me what the Tea Party did in the 7th, I’d use every opportunity to reassert control and punish them. Just saying.
Grassroots has become such a loaded term, I’ll set that aside for now.
With the decision, it changes the dynamic so that the candidates have a different constituency. With a convention, they have to suck up to the convention delegates, with a primary, they have to suck up to primary voters allowing them to focus on population centers and ignore the sparse little people in far away units.
The decision is bad for the party rank and file as it minimizes their influence.
Which makes it also bad for Tea Party RACO’s (Republican At Convention Only) because they cannot swarm and swamp our Mass Meetings and Faux Conventions.
It’s not a Trump or RNC thing, it’s a ‘powers that be’ thing against the rank and file activists.
The trend for all organizations, not just the parties but service groups, charities is to centralize control and power — it is the nature of aggregates and the founders warned against this.
The Tea Party needs to decide whether they’re going to be cults of personality and debating societies or whether they’re going to be politically effective and make a difference.
Either get in the GOP and make it your beyotch or keep pressing noses against the glass and shaking fists at the sky.
There is no reason to have a tea party if that philosophy actually took root in the GOP.
Get involved, get ugly, take your lumps and earn respect as a worthy adversary. Pick a side and don’t look back, but don’t quit and be a better Republican than those that just jammed you. Be a happy warrior.
Which means you support the nominees, even if they are tragically pathetic and actively try to lose — we KNOW they wouldn’t/won’t do the same, it’s part of what makes us better.
And if you’re not in the GOP, or have been exiled, stay involved, don’t go away, lead by example, be the better pachyderm.
Finally, look at the way you advocate — ‘reassert and punish’ — who wants to play with people like that?
Huh, I disagree w both substance and tone of most
of Mr. (Mrs?) Roc’s rants but this has to be one of the most well thought out and cogent pieces I’ve seen in my short time here.
Kudos……..(while acknowledging that it doesn’t really matter nor does anyone care what I think)
Both options sucked. The GOP decided that it would rather blow $4 million of taxpayer dollars rather than allow the process that enables Ken ‘camera ready’ Cuccinelli and Beau ‘lookitt me’ Correll to hijack another convention.”
The SCC reflects a systemic dysfunction of the GOP and by allowing this eternal struggle demonstrate that they have achieved maximum incompetence.
Think about it, $4 million of taxpayer dollars because you couldn’t figure out a better way? You should all resign.
This is a conservative vision so narrow in scope, so tangential to delivering policy solutions to the Virginia voter, so inwardly focused on party apparatus and mechanisms, so blinded by the process and not the achievement of end goals that it makes a hamster running endlessly in it’s revolving cage look like a major accomplishment. Yes, that is just what we REALLY need to do, direct the power of Virginia conservatism over the next two years, to secure a one or two headcount majority in the SCC rules body debating society so sometime in 2018, 2020 or 2022 or whenever we can have a state convention to elect something or other.
Here is a somewhat different take. How about we just reorganize the SCC out of existence along with all it’s endlessly secretive, squabbling party wing’s headcount of futility and place it’s functions directly in the party districts, shrink the size of the group, better yet use the existing executive committee reporting to the chairperson and start to direct the focus on getting something done other then continually debating a party nominating process mechanism year after year, election loss after election loss. Let’s start concentrating on the voter’s agenda INSTEAD of these party wing’s agendas.
To remain relevant at some point in time any political structure needs to deliver something to the voter and after close to nine years of complete futility the “do not use after this expiration date” notice has arrived. Virginia conservatives take the time to look around you and see what is transpiring in the political world today and then reflect on this nonsensical call to conservatives to continue to expend time, money and votes in these silly SCC pursuits. Build Virginia conservatism for the future not the endless failure to delivery on it’s past promises and commitments. We need to secure a path with a future and this isn’t it.
Who exactly put you in charge of WHO is CONSERVATIVE and WHO is NOT CONSERVATIVE among Virginia voters? That LIbertarian Wing to which you referred as PRO COVENTION is actually the HOMESCHOOL networks of Ken Cuccinelli and Michael Farris- a very narrow Pro LIfe- Pro Convention of States political ideology that is no longer electable in Virignia after the Bob McDonnell and Johnnie Williams Star Scientific Scandal. Did you forget Ken got caught with his hands in the Johnnie Willams Cookie Jar?
I BEG TO DIFFER. I am a conservative and FYI- many GOPes on SCC supported the convention over the 2017 primary as well. Do your homework. Whitbeck conveniently took a walk on the vote. NO SHOW.
I have supported conventions in the past but after 4 corrupt conventions in recent history run by the establishment GOP RPV leaders including the recent 5th District convention, enough is enough. The commentors on this blog have been less than the Christian Soldiers they claim to be in their comments against those SCC members who voted for the PRIMARY in 2017 instead of the “promise with a wink and a smile” CONVENTION.
The game changer was the selection of Tim Kaine as Hillary’s VEEP. In the unthinkable scenario that this TICKET wins in November and Virginia has a US Senate seat open in 2017, how exactly would you propose we nominate a Governor, Lt. Governor, an Attorney General and a US Senator all in a 3 day convention in the John Paul Jones coliseum in Charlottesville? Like that’s not voter disenfranchisement. The selection of the primary in 2017 saved us from the possibility of many POOR GOP Convention candidates ie: Losers who could never win against a Democrat in a general election.
Thank God for Ron Hedlund and common sense voting for a Primary over a convention. 41-40.
Not a fan of cowardly anonymous user names.
Me neither, it really is important that we focus upon who is saying stuff moreso than what they are saying.
Now a bold proud steed, suitable for a knight of light, purity, and wisdom is NOT cowardly!
Sorry if that hit a little too close to home…I meant no offense.
Nah, I have a thick ratty blotchy coat.
I admire those brave enough, armed enough, insulated enough, and able to defend against unknown and unseen adversaries.
In many countries, the words I write would be a death sentence as well as an indictment against friends and family.
You see what the left does with trolls, trackers, and using public entities.
Our Attorneys general want to punish us for hate speech and a differing opinion on global warming.
Just look at the marvelous profiles/dossiers we are self-compiling on Facebook and social media.
Look at the crap given Trump supporters, and it will only get worse.
I encourage everyone to maintain what little privacy we have left and don’t be so eager to paint that digital target on your back.
Besides, a good nym can be fun and educational.
You are so wrong. I am not part of any extremist groups but I am a conservative and I do support conventions. I also support people who keep their word. The establishment has torn our party asunder in Virginia. It’s on their head.
It’s not really fair for one state central to bind a subsequent one. You are right about keeping your word — which SCC people did not keep their word?
Ron Hedlund for one… he ran for state central promising to vote for conventions. If he had kept that promise, we would be having a convention in 2017.
Right, but I’m trying to find out who from the past convention flipped the vote.
I could get Ron’s vote as our conventions aren’t that fair and balanced, but $4 mil for a primary is too much — there should have been another way.
I don’t get Ron’s vote at all since he knew how conventions were run when he made that promise… other than him, Jack Wilson had pledged to vote for a convention as had Barbara Tabb. They both took the coward’s way out and chose proxies who voted for primaries.
See how SCC is not serving the needs of the party?
Yes… yes I do.
Here is the Libertarian Party and its candidate you are so fond of on the SCC Jeanine:
http://www.infowars.com/gary-johnson-is-a-complete-idiot/
Or you could thank Dick Black and Mick Staton for endorsing and supporting a for sure Primary vote from the 10th. Plenty enough blame to go around for all.
Voice of reason. I wholeheartedly agree.
Ron Hedlund saw what happened at a convention and, like the majority, chose the $4 million dollar lesser of two evils.
But that’s not good enough for our ruling council of GOP High Priests. I demand more. I don’t want them bickering and deciding by a handful of votes, I want them to fix the party and the broken policies. Make the conventions fair, get rid of the quota/token seats, restrict primaries to party activists, revamp gang meetings.
Clearly you can’t function with 80+ members, get rid of the ‘special snowflake’ seats. Get rid of Proxies, have the districts vote for a single prime and an alternate. (they can carpool) Have the District Chairs become a ‘Senate’
Rotate your meetings around the state, each CD should host them in rotation.
Ron did not vote for the lesser of two evils… in an open primary state, he voted to allow Democrats to choose Republican candidates. In doing so, he broke his word.
Which is worse, a Convention that is patently unfair, or jamming taxpayers $4 mil to do our party crap?
Both are equally unacceptable, I expect more from, and blame the SCC for this debacle.
Ron has to answer to his district, the entire SCC has to answer to us.
While I don’t have a honey badger in this fight, it is interesting to observe that Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential primary and that David Brat beat Eric Cantor in the 2014 7th District primary.
One wonders whether the old adage, ‘be careful what you wish for’, will apply in 2017.
The GOP has held conventions since 2009. How’s that working out for you Republican voters?
Barack Hussein Obama won Virginia not once but twice in 2008 and 2012.
The last time I checked Mark Warner and Tim Kaine were two of the most LIBERAL UNITED STATES SENATORS in Congress- from Virginia.
The incumbent Governor, Lt. Governor, and state Attorney General are all RAVING LUNATIC LIBERAL DEMOCRATS.
Yes… let’s allow Ken Cuccinelli’s radical Libertarian- Conservatives on the SCC to run the nominations process and vote for Conventions. That is working out so well for us.
We nominated George Allen for U.S. Senate in an open primary in 2012. Kaine smoked him.
Please don’t let annoyances like historical facts get in the way of teh feels.
Cute, he says ‘we’ like he’s a Republican.
Read all about our illustrious US Senator Tim Kaine and his own Contra Affair here:
http://stevepieczenik.com/tim-kaine-liarjesuitciaoperative-with-dark-past/
Allen smoked himself. He’s dumb as a bag of rocks and voters recognized the fact.
Well, uh, the eventual Republican presidential nominees in 2008 and 2012 both won the Virginia Republican presidential primaries during their respective nomination contests. Of course, they both went on to lose Virginia in the general election.
And, by the way, if you think that Warner and Kaine are “two of the most LIBERAL UNITED STATES SENATORS in Congress”, you might want to spend less energy typing in all caps and do some actual reading.
See my above post.
Put down your WEEKLY READER and read this:
http://stevepieczenik.com/tim-kaine-liarjesuitciaoperative-with-dark-past/
I love when Democrats come to this blog and chat with each other.
Well, it’s our own dang fault, we let them vote in our primaries and then they strut in thinking they own the place!
It wouldn’t be so bad if the conventions were actually representative conventions instead of state-wide mass meetings by drive-by Republicans.