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Gary Emineth is one of us

Submitted by Matt Dabrowski on Tue, 12/23/2008 - 19:37
in

(promoted by Soren. This is a valuable debate)

I want to give my support to my friend Gary Emineth, the North Dakota GOP chairman. 

Gary's a good man and a good conservative who's made real progress in modernizing the North Dakota GOP.

Ryan James pointed out that Gary got himself into The Hill with an unfortunate quote.

I believe that Gary was telling the literal truth -- that only the 168 RNC members are the ones who will elect the next chairman. That's why RNC members, who represent us as party members, need as many opportunities as possible to see the Chairman candidates.

 Emineth is on our side -- creating another opportunity for the party to see the Chairman candidates and make them answer the tough questions.

I think that's critical. Let us see the candidates, on the blogs and in person. Let us question them and determine who's the best choice to lead the party.

To my knowledge, Gary is neutral in the Chairman's race at this point. That's all the more reason why we should support his proposal -- there's no strings attached.

Gary's the right kind of chairman. Conservative, smart, collaborative, and quick to support the changes we need. I support him.

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Comments

Is this the guy who calls himself "Slim Shady"?

Submitted by Ironman on Tue, 12/23/2008 - 22:35.

IIRC, his national committeeman is some comedian named "Curley". Didn't know the Upper Midwest was so colorful 

Yes, you've said exactly the

Submitted by Matt Dabrowski on Wed, 12/24/2008 - 12:04.

Yes, you've said exactly the same words in response to other posts. 

This is pure cronyism, Matt...

Submitted by Darvin Dowdy on Wed, 12/24/2008 - 14:59.

...this is a great opportunity to magnify this particular incident and use it as a means to demonstrate what is grossly wrong w/the GOP and the Conservative Movement as a whole. Those w/a bloody pulpit are simply reluctant to go after their  "buddies" even when they are wrong.  And that is exactly what is needed.  The party hierarchy needs to be purged of this anti-Base element.  ASAP.  Of course its difficult.  Sports teams must deal with this on a regular basis.  Coaches and players, when they cease to perform or worse, perform in the negative -  they are fired.  

I'm sure Mr. Emineth wishes that his contemptuous attitude toward the Base had not surfaced, but it did.  Again, I commend him for his brutal honesty and I'll wager the other 167 have very much the same attitude but are too cowardly to express it.  There is a great gulf fixed between these 168 and the Base and they are not "one of us".   My plan is to email both my state senators and my congressman (all GOP) and link the Hill quote of Mr. Emineth and then pose the question to them, "is this also your attitude? That the Base should be blocked out of the discussion?"   I will  demand an explanation.  And I encourage all who agree w/me to contact their elected reps, if they're Republicans, and  require them to explain Mr. Emineth's statement.   Darvin Dowdy 

 

If this guy wants to impress me...

Submitted by Cahnman on Wed, 12/24/2008 - 18:03.

...he should win the senate seat.

The Easy Way

Submitted by Whitehorse on Wed, 12/24/2008 - 22:03.

When I first heard of the HIll article & the firestorm regarding Emineth's comment, the first thing in my mind was "misquotation." It's so easy to fly off the handle & want someone drawn & quartered before getting the full story.

David, I'm sure there are those who aren't fond of "interference" from the base - however this guy isn't one of them. Continuing to misrepresent what he said is not the way to go about it. Perhaps it's instructive for Republican leaders to look at this incident & understand the need to be in touch with the base, but we should not bash Emineth for it.

This "168" is a very select group...

Submitted by Darvin Dowdy on Thu, 12/25/2008 - 15:43.

...of which Mr. Emineth is a member.  I'd like to see some real action from him, other than just a denial,  that would send some sort of  reassuring signal  to the Base.  In the original post I made a comment to the effect of sending out an exhaustive survey (or series of surveys) to the Base.  Highly controlled and specifically targeted only at registered repub's, conservatives, etc.  With varied and pertinent questions covering all of the big issues. Have top analysts pour over the results.  Then and only then, consider choosing a new RNC Chair.  And don't tell me this would be impractical.  They have no problems sending out millions upon millions of mailers begging for cash.

Lets see Mr. Emineth propose something like that to this "Gang of 168".  I can tell you Whitehorse, they'll brush it aside, wait out the storm and continue, business as usual.  No Whitehorse, our opposition is in amongst us.  In the open they smile and shake our hands but when they go behind locked doors they turn on us.  We have an opportunity to confront and deal with them - now.  Or shall we continue to lose at the ballot box?  Let "us"  not be in denial, either,  about the unpleasant task before us.  Its not easy going up against people that we have worked with or befriended.  But sometimes it can be our duty to do so. 

Prove me wrong Mr. Emineth!  Lets see some real action.  This is an opportunity, not a problem.  Let's turn it into a positive.  Reach out, with both hands,  to the Base before choosing an RNC Chair.      Darvin Dowdy

I am not sure what you are referring too.

Submitted by davidfarrar on Thu, 12/25/2008 - 22:03.

On the whole, I support any action that would open the process up to party members. To be perfectly understood on this point, unless we find a way to motivate our own party members,  we are not going to motivate anybody else.  

The only question I had about his suggestion that we should all contact our local national committee man and woman, and our state chair's. This is really almost an impossibility to do. We can get our state chair info easy enough, but not our national committee man or woman. In fact, if you go to the GOP.org website, you will find very little info on the whole process itself, let a lone the names and email addresses of all the 168 voting members

But I also agree with Darvin, it seems strange the party has no trouble communicating with its base when they need money or votes, but when it comes time to perhaps listen to its members, they fall strangely silent.  And I find it equally disappointing that none of the RNC male nominees have taken this opportunity to show any leadership in this regard, unless you believe that silly crap coming out of the staff.

 

ex amino

davidfarrar

Ferrar...

Submitted by Darvin Dowdy on Fri, 12/26/2008 - 13:10.

...these folks definitely do not like to have the spotlight shining on them.  I have 2 GOP senators and a GOP congressman. I've emailed both about this. If you have any GOP rep's you might want to do the same. DD

Ralph Hallow in today's Washington Times

Submitted by Matt Dabrowski on Fri, 12/26/2008 - 15:46.

  Friday, December 26, 2008 GOP power struggle startsRalph Z. Hallow (Contact)

A power struggle that will determine the future leadership of the Republican Party has broken into the open as dissatisfied Republican leaders pushed for a meeting early next month that they hope will be the first step toward ending Washington-based control of the party.

In a move seen as a backlash against years of control of the Republican National Committee (RNC) by allies of President Bush and their District-based consulting firms, several senior members of the party's governing body are working to call an extra meeting to hear from all candidates for national chairman three weeks before the election for the post is scheduled.

The effort is seen by party insiders as an attempt to allow all six candidates for chairman to have an equal shot at the job, rather than giving an edge to the incumbent chairman, Robert M. "Mike" Duncan.

The special session would assemble all 168 members of the RNC on Jan. 6, the same day the Conservative Steering Committee, a self-designated "conservative" rump group of about 80 RNC members, has scheduled its own meeting with the six national-chairman candidates as well as a straw poll, ostensibly to measure which candidate has the most conservative support.

If only the rump group met Jan. 6, it would mean that most RNC members would not have the opportunity to question the six candidates together, in person, until three weeks later, just before the members vote on a new chairman.

Some conservative RNC members suspect that the Conservative Steering Committee is not particularly conservative and that allies of Mr. Duncan are using the steering panel meeting to advance his re-election bid.

"What I am after is a level playing field for all candidates and a chance for members to address their concerns," North Dakota Republican Party Chairman Gary Emineth told The Washington Times.

Mr. Emineth, abetted by RNC members Shawn Steel of California and Curly Haugland of North Dakota, began telephoning and e-mailing other RNC members Monday.

Mr. Emineth's goal is to solicit enough petitions from RNC members to require Mr. Duncan to call the special meeting of the full committee for the morning of Jan. 6, leaving the steering committee to hold its meeting in the afternoon.

Mr. Duncan, who is seeking a second term as national chairman, was chosen two years ago by Karl Rove, who was then White House chief political strategist.

Mr. Emineth said the aim is to have all six candidates for national chairman appear before all 168 voting members of the RNC to answer questions and thus give the members sufficient time to weigh the candidates' merits and prepare fresh questions when they reassemble for the Jan. 28-31 annual meeting and election in the District.

Two things triggered the idea for a special meeting. One was the formation of an ad hoc Conservative Steering Committee by three RNC members who said they wanted to ensure that a true philosophical conservative is elected national chairman. The other trigger was the steering committee's scheduling the Jan. 6 invitation-only meeting in the District. The six candidates for chairman are invited to address the steering committee meeting, at which a straw poll will be held to see who is the favored conservative candidate.

"The idea of the Conservative Steering Committee wanting to have a meeting well in advance to the election is a good idea - it is the exclusivity of it that is the problem," Mr. Emineth said. "What is the committee's definition of a conservative? Who is to make the judgment of who is invited? What are the hidden agendas?"

"The purpose of petition is to directly challenge the so-called 'straw vote' from the so-called Conservative Steering Committee," Mr. Steel wrote in an e-mail to other RNC members.

"This [steering] committee was formed as a Duncan enterprise," Mr. Steel wrote. "Its chairman is a RNC vendor. The committee has members who are not conservative. And many conservatives have not been invited. It's exclusive by design."

Mr. Steel said he is convinced that the steering committee was selected to ensure that Mr. Duncan will wind up with a majority in the straw poll, which will be dutifully reported in the media and thus help persuade other RNC members that they had better get on board the Duncan train before it's too late.

Mr. Emineth agreed, saying, "I know conservatives who haven't been invited. So there's some concern that this steering committee and straw poll are a put-up job."

Some RNC members suspect that "other agendas" may be at play in the formation of the steering committee. They note that Oregon RNC member Solomon Yue and Indiana RNC members James Bopp Jr., two of the lead steering-committee organizers, were supporters of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's 2008 Republican presidential nomination quest.

Mr. Yue declared his support of Mr. Duncan's re-election bid. Texas RNC member Bill Crocker and South Carolina RNC member Cindy Costa are the other two steering committee co-chairs.

The day before they are to appear at the Jan. 6 steering committee meeting, the six candidates also have agreed to a debate at the National Press Club, sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform, headed by Grover Norquist.

Traditionally, when a Republican doesn't occupy the Oval Office, RNC members chose a fellow member as chairman rather than rubber stamp the White House choice, who is often not a member.

Three of the six chairman candidates this time are RNC members: Mr. Duncan, Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis and South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson. The three nonmember candidates are former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell and former Tennessee Republican Chairman Chip Saltsman.

 

Ok Matt, I read the Ralph Hallow piece...

Submitted by Darvin Dowdy on Sat, 12/27/2008 - 00:30.

...and I'm willing to consider that possibly Gary Emineth's motivation was honorable.  Possibly out of a sense of frustration or cynicism.  Maybe even a bit of sarcasm, expressed?  And not directed against the Base.  And I certainly can't blame him.  If he is working to keep this Rove appointee Mike Duncan from rigging the whole process, well then I'll stand beside Gary.   God help us we definitely do not want any Rovian influences.  Its clear now that this Duncan freight train must be stopped.

Gary, through his comment,  has now involved the Base.  With all that has happened, this is the one positive that has surfaced.  He could have the 59 million strong Base on his team if he plays his cards right.  Gary has an opportunity to now be an advocate for the Base and to throw a wrench into the gears of the RNC machine.  Stop it dead in its tracks.   I urge him to find some way to involve the Base in this RNC Chair decision.    

I go a bit further on my little Townhall blog, if you have time:  ( LINK )  DD 

As I said...

Submitted by davidfarrar on Fri, 12/26/2008 - 23:31.

...the silence from Duncan, Anuzis, Dawson, Steele, Blackwell and Saltsman on the subject of party openness and a new beginning is deafening. Here again we see so-called, "leaders" sacrificing political morality for what they see as political expediency.

 Gentlemen, we have had enough of political expediency. We need leadership and openness. Allowing the party to make these decisions as it has always done sends an unmistakable message to the general membership that nothing has changed at the top.

Again, you may win your seat, but we are going to loose the next election if this party doesn't change.

 ex animo

 

davidfarrar