We have been abandoned. The Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania has abandoned it’s principles, and its people, forsaking them in favor of big money and business as usual. We are, for all intents and purposes, CWOPs – Conservatives Without a Party.
The replacement of Eileen Melvin, who’s tenure as Chair of the Republican State Committee simply funneled money to the likes of Jubelirer, Brightbill, Perzel, Sam Smith and other RINOs, and to candidates such as Steve Fisher, who scared the living Hell out of enough Republicans they crossed over and voted for Rendell, was long overdue. Melvin was a disaster. Under her leadership Pennsylvania was saddled with the old cronies in the General Assembly and allowed them to slide to the left far enough they became Republicans in Name Only.
But today, the party abandoned the people. They abandoned Reform. They shrugged off the message sent by voter revolts in last November’s election, and the Great Cleansing of last month’s Primary.
Today the party chose Rob Gleason as the new Chair. Oh, Gleason’s credentials are impeccable…if you like the elites to run things. Gleason is second generation in this situation. But more importantly, Gleason supported Bob Jubelirer with a $10,000 donation in the Primary election, and despite it, Jubelirer got tossed by his constituents – handily. Why? Because Harrisburg is so filled with graft and corruption that Jubelirer represented “business as usual.”
The people are tired of stealth legislation, unconstitutional legislation, and money grabs for those in power while the people continue to suffer under a growing tax burden. But primarily, the people were tired of the leadership’s aura of hubris, which they learned from such Democratic luminaries as Fast Eddie Rendell, King Vince Fumo, Prince William DeWeese, and Duke Mike Veon.
In short, the Republican voters do not like getting screwed by their own party and are in the process of doing something about it. Many of them, anyway.
Meanwhile, the Republican State Committee sails merrily along with an attitude last seen in the Royal Family of France in 1793. Swish – clunk. The French Royals, their Queen once uttered the dismissive words, “Let them eat cake!” referring to the Revolutionaries who were about to behead her, were totally ignorant of the will, wants and needs of the people. Their ignorance led to their downfall. So too will the hubris of the Republican State Committee lead to the downfall of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania.
Our fear is this: while the State Committee members mouthed platitudes about unifying the party, and healing wounds, they said not a word about reform. Maybe they think the reformers will just climb on board and ride their train to a new General Assembly that will be simply more of the same business as usual.
But the messages of last November and this past May say otherwise. There now exists in Pennsylvania, two Republican parties, the establishment one headed by Rob Gleason, and the CWOPs, led by a collection of activists.
For example, the CWOPs in Adams County handily defeated a long-time incumbent Representative by a wide margin in the May Primary, and in November those same CWOPs will defeat his Republican replacement because he is tied to the gambling industry. This scenario will be replayed all over the state, except in Philadelphia, where the dozen existing Republicans will still vote for Perzel.
We have a gubernatorial candidate who is in bed with the gambling industry and his name is not Ed Rendell. Lynn Swann took money from the Vegas crowd early on in his run for Governor. CWOPs do not like casinos in Pennsylvania. CWOPs will abandon the party that has abandoned them and support Reform minded, Independent Russ Diamond as their choice for Governor. Diamond is the one man running for that office not connected to the gambling crowd, and not connected to the big money that controls both the Republican and the Democratic Party.
You can understand how this will affect the Republican candidates across the state. There is a split in the Republican Party a mile wide. Either the State Committee acts to induce reform into their candidates, and does so immediately, or they will go down in November in a Wagnerian demise the likes of which have not been seen since Hitler’s bunker fell in May of 1945.
So, as a CWOP, I throw down this gauntlet, this challenge:
Where are the Reform Democrats? Won’t you join us in restoring sanity to our state Government? Certainly there are LWOPs out there. Certainly there are Democrats who have integrity and principle and would like to see government delivered back into the hands of the people again?
Let’s get together and back the reform ticket!
THE CENTRIST
“Kick the hubris out of Harrisburg!” -- THE CENTRIST
"It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs." -- Albert Einstein
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