Virginia Republicans Perform Two Political Abortions in Two Years
By James Atticus Bowden • Mar 31st, 2009 • Category: Feature, PoliticsVirginia’s Republicans performed two political abortions, on themselves, in two years. Even though Republicans are the pro-life political party, abortion is an apt description of the HB 3202 debacle and proposed lynching of Chairman Jeff Frederick. In both cases a few people made a willful decision that kills the party at the polls. They’re a bloody mess. They’re avoidable. They’re reprehensible. They are political abortions.
HB 3202 was supposed to be the Republicans answer to the transportation crisis in Virginia. In fact, it was the panicked response to the commonly held perception that, “something, anything, has to be done.” Unfortunately, the fear that motivated created folly. Doing something bad is worse than doing nothing.
Removing Jeff Frederick from the chairmanship of the Republican Party of Virginia is a cooked crisis. Supposedly Ed Gillespie can’t pull in the big money for Bob McDonnell’s run for governor unless Jeff Frederick is hanged on a sour apple tree. And the District Chairmen are really, really irritated at Jeff. As they have been since Jeff whipped their candidate last May.
HB 3202 was put together like a really bad buffet behind closed doors. It was a smorgasbord of rejected regional government, new, punitive taxes for Virginians and a plan that didn’t actually solve any transportation issues. Oh, it did have something okay about land use policy – buried among the rotted servings. The worst single piece of legislation since Massive Resistance was ruled unconstitutional by all seven Virginia Supreme Court Justices.
The cabal worked the list of accusations against Jeff. They shopped it around Virginia in secret meetings. They waited months to complain about things they could have fixed on the spot. They created a whirlwind of self-righteous outrage. They worked a political campaign to leak innuendo and calumny against Jeff day after day.
HB 3202 was rolled across the Commonwealth like a done deal; like it was powerful and good with a Wizard of Oz-like bluster. And of course, its substance was more man behind the curtain with smoke and mirrors than actually resolving transportation issues with good governance. Yet, HB 3202 just put real financial power in the hands of few folks who could reward the right people with billions in government contracts, the whole point of politics for too many elected Republicans.
The lynch mob marching against Jeff Frederick leaked their intimidating State Central Committee letter. They hit the blogs. Anonymous comments came with personal invective and bitter bile. The usual suspects of establishment Republicans – the state senators, remaining Republican Virginia congressmen, delegates, a handful of city and county chairmen called for ouster in successive waves of lost confidence – sung in an odd falsetto soprano. These, for the most part, were the same geniuses behind HB 3202. In the case of Congresspersons, they’re immediate authors of a clearly unconstitutional bill of attainder and ex post facto act of tax revenge targeting AIG bonus babies.
HB 3202 created unelected, unaccountable, un-separated powers regional governments. It created two standards for in and out of state citizen fines. It was unconstitutional from the start.
The accusations against Jeff Frederick were explained away in a simple documentation of facts. They were petty. Yet the intent is to hit him with new accusations at the meeting. This disregard for the rule of law – in the fair play with the letter and spirit of organizational process – fits HB 3202’s disregard for the Virginia and U.S. Constitution.
The cost of abortion is a dead baby. The cost of HB 3202 was a terrible bleeding of the base of Conservatives, Libertarians and Independents from supporting Republicans in Virginia.
The cost of removing Jeff may be Bob McDonnell losing his race for Governor. Any grassroots Conservatives – the folks who elected Jeff – walking away can be the margin of victory. Keeping Jeff means there’s time for reconciliation with the base.
The struggle isn’t about Jeff. It isn’t about ideology. It’s about the power of electing the chairman and leading the RPV from the bottom up vs. selecting a puppet chair and controlling the RPV as a campaign office for the biggest elected officials.
In both abortions there was no thought to what to do next. What is really needed for transportation? No clue. Who follows Jeff as Chairman? No idea.
Some key Virginia Republican leaders demonstrate, by two awful self-inflicted failures, their idea that holding power requires absolute control. In fact, greater power can be built when there is less control of issues, organizations, finances – but with much better leadership.
James Atticus Bowden is a military "futurist." A retired United States Army Infantry Officer, he is a 1972 graduate of the United States Military Academy. He earned graduate degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University. He is a 1 CD elected representative to the State Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is the author of the novel, “Rosetta 6.2”. Contact him through his website, American Civilization, and blog, Deo Vindice. (Deo Vindice -- God Will Vindicate)
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There are seven (not nine) Justices on the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Does Atticus mean that Massive Resistance was bad legislation, or the Va Supremes overturning of it?
s/Yrs for clarity in writing, if not in thinking.
I agree with you on HB 3202 but on Frederick you are off base. These are two totally different issues. The VAGOP has always shot itself in the foot. It is true that the district chairman never liked JF but how does one explain others who supported JF over Hager? Anthony Bedell was his transition director! Time for JF to go because he just cant get along with anyone. Even if he survives he will only be a figurehead RNC will work around him just like last year.
I agree with prior message on Frederick. You are missing the critical issue of leadership with Frederick. Frederick is symbolic of the troubles plaguing the Republican party. Think Jim Gilmore. He lacks the leadership qualities that inspire and attract across the party. He has attached himself to the ultra right wing of the party and the so called grass roots agenda they demand. Like Gilmore, fair or not, he is perceived as mean spirited, dull-witted, and somewhat stupid. He is not a constructive force, and lacks social skills. No value add. If he were your next door neighbor you would avoid having to do too much with him.
[...] just finish reading an interesting post by James Bowden (see here). Bowden explains why he believes the attempt to remove Jeff Frederick from the chairmanship of [...]
Fred Smithee: My piece says 7 justices.
Don Baker: Massive Resistance was the problem.
John Jackson and Nom de Plume: Jeff should be removed on the basis of the accusations or not. Otherwise the process in The Party Plan is just a fig leaf for firing, lynching, witch hunt – choose your metaphor.
Indeed! I agree with Citizen Tom. As for JAB’s metaphorical meanderings — I don’t consider this a lynching or witch hunt — it is a responsible step by members of the RPV to address questions that need to be addressed — and quickly. Those questions are not just about the accusations of unethical behavior — they include serious questions about leadership and abilities to lead.
nom deplume, you don’t de-elect a party chair in a witch hunt because you don’t like his “people skills.” Evidently he had enough likeability to get elected.