The Adult in the Room

I had to back away from the RPV for a little while to stop my head from spinning. And I come back to....a bunch of infighting?

I'm going to speak candidly and bluntly.

Does anyone here realize that these little squabbles are what kills political parties? That while we're fighting amongst ourselves, the Democrats have free run to advance their agenda, and people across the Commonwealth will view us as disorganized and inept?

And is that really what we want to be seen as when we're fielding what the pundits call "the strongest GOP candidate in years" for governor?

Regarding Jeff Frederick: if he has done something to suggest gross mismanagment or neglience, then he should be removed...by the same people who made him chairman in the first place. If there's evidence that he has done something that could seriously-legally or morally) harm the RPV, then whoever has it needs to bring their story forward, let it be investigated, and appropriate action be taken.

Short of that, if you don't like the job he's done to date, the solution's simple: don't make him chairman again. Any rational person knows that the tide that swept us into the minority couldn't have been well stopped by anyone, much less the party chairman. To lay that blame at his feet is laughable. If that were truly the case-if Jeff Frederick lost Virginia for the GOP-I'd move to have the entire leadership team vacated, all the way down to the local unit chairs that make up the State Central Committee.

Regarding the SCC: you all would do well to remember that just as easily as you think you can vote out a chairman who has the support of the grassroots, those same grassroots can vote you out of your positions of authority. They don't have to support your efforts and interests, but you damn sure have to support theirs. You do not serve to advance your own agendas, ideologies or ambitions; you serve to act in the best interests of the RPV. If you can't or won't do that, then you should be held to the same standard that you want to hold others to.

Finally, to the grassroots-the people doing the heavy lifting for the RPV that go unrecognized and unheard: continue to stand strong on what you believe. Accountability begins at home, and the leadership isn't the majority-you are. They work for you, not the other way around. Be prepared to act in the Party's best interest when they aren't, because the loudest voice belongs to the largest group regardless of where they sit in the chain of command.

If we're serious about taking back the Commonwealth, then we all need to collectively grow up, and leave the playground squabbling where it belongs...in the past. Or, we can continue the fighting and come to enjoy life as a perpetual minority. Those are the choices we face.

Majority rules, and I'm just one voice.