I am a member of my county's GOP Central Committee. That county is Brown County. Matt has had some harsh words for my county over our time here, and I have defended it to the best of my ability. What happened last night at the Executive Comm/Central Comm. meetings was ridiculous.
First, some background: At our last meeting, earlier this month, John Becker, our State Central Committeeperson, came to ask for endorsement as a county party as he was up for election in the May primary. John went through how much he had helped our county party, lobbying for us with the state party at key moments, and both our county chair Paul Hall and the man who ran against Becker last time, Bill Herdman, gave glowing reports about Mr. Becker. Mr. Becker runs a report on Ohio politics called the Becker Report that is available by free subscription over email.
Well, I took the iniative in suggesting that we endorse him, so he could have ammunition going into the Clermont County Central Committee Meeting later in the month, as Clermont's endorsement would be huge, as it is the biggest county he represents. So, I motioned that we should endorse Mr. Becker. It was seconded. However, someone suggested that the executive committee should make the call, and to wait until more members of it were present. So, it was tabled until the meeting last night.
From that meeting to last night's, Mr. Becker wrote a one page letter describing what he had done since getting elected. He presented factual information and was clear and concisse. Last night, he and his opponent, Jim Bushman, who happens to be the auditor of Clermont County's husband; each came to the exec/central comms meetings. Also, A female candidate who was the Clermont county Chair for Bush Cheney came as she was running against the female incumbent on the state committee. The incumbent was not at the meeting.
So, the executive committee took up the endorsement issue. The motion was made, after the candidates were escorted out, that we endorse John Becker. It was seconded. Even though I am not on the Executive committee, as a central committee person who has worked with John I spoke on his behalf. Well, some yayhoo who is neither on the central or executive committee decided tonight was the time to grind his ax. He griped about how the county party had made a mistake in endorsing one republican candidate over another, about how it had divided the party and on and on and on. What he failed to mention was that the endorsed candidate entered the race late, which is what really hurt his cause, not the endorsement of the party. However, this idiot, who thinks parties should not have leadership but be spineless, won the day. The motion to endorse was removed, and the executive committee decided to sit on its hands.
Here is the kicker: this moron's wife is A DEMOCRAT OFFICE SEEKER! Not only is he not on the central or executive committees, but his wife is for the enemy! And, they hosted a county dinner for none other than Mr. S.O.B. himself, Paul Hackett! And we let this doofus carry the day. I was incensed when I found out after both meetings.
Well, here is why Becker has this race against Mr. Linda Fraley (Jim Bushman)--he is not a Jean Schmidt crony. Rather than fall lockstep with the rest of the Batavia establishment in the Clermont party, John chose to be neutral until a candidate was decided. Jean didn't like that. To help us in not endorsing John or speaking our mind, Jeannie sent her twin sister Jennifer out to listen to everything that was said in both committee meetings. Bushman is a Jean Schmidt crony, as is the female who appeared last night, Ms. Barrett.
Another aggravating thing was the way we were talked to by the two challengers--like hayseeds. Of course, when one of your county officials blindingly backs them, it plays a role. Our county treasurer, who was "helped out by Ms. Barrett and Mr. Bushman's wife" early in her time as treasurer, just had to gush over them and how many decades she has known them. Great! Now, what can they do that Mr. Becker has not been able to do since he had the office? Not a darn thing. Just because Ms. Barrett tap danced at her granddaddy's elections and has been around the county would not make her do any better than John. Also, being the first husband of the Clermont County auditor--woodedoo! Our treasurer with her gushing, and the way we were talked to, makes me believe that if these folks win, this will be the last we see of them. John has been to almost every event we have done, almost every central committee meeting. If Mr. Fraley and TapDancing Barrett had been so concerned for us here in Brown County, why didn't they ever come to our functions? I have been to several Clermont functions, but where were they?
Now, Mrs. Barrett presented a lovely pie in the sky idea of having each county party create "information centers" about each election issue to help win the public over by providing information on every issue. Great! Who is going to staff it? What is fair game and what has to be non-partisan? Like many in the GOP, it is big on talk short on details.
I fully endorse John Becker for State Central Committeeperson and think that everyone in his district should as well. Having Mr. Linda Fraley in office would be a huge mistake. We need more outsiders, more people not beholden to the party apparatchiks than we have. John Becker is a good start.
John Becker represents the state senate district 14. Give him your vote and keep the insider apparatchiks out, especially those who will let their spouses do the decisionmaking.
Now, back to the idiocies of this meeting. In my opinion, the Executive Committee should be closed to the public in terms of them speaking out. I think the only ones who need to speak should be those who have a vote on the committee, and members of the Central committee as well. Anyone else, they can air their issues for the central committee, and they will bring it to the executive. We do not need suspicious eyes of Jean Schmidt's clone, or the rather uneducated and possibily sabatoging words of a spouse of a Democrat operative to play into what the highest levels of leadership recommend to the central committee at large. Therefore, I am going to propose, at the next meeting, that this be written into the by-laws, to prevent such theatrics from happening again.
