Friday, November 09, 2007

Fort Bend County Republican Party Loses Leadership; Neocons Positioning to Take Over

So the Republican Party leadership in Fort Bend County all resigned, huh? It happened while I was otherwise distracted else I would have been on this like white on rice.

It is delicious that this happens less than a year to the next general election. A presidential election year at that. Delicious. Delightful. You can read about it all in three articles on the still functioning (but for how long) Fort Bend Now online newspaper.

First came yesterday afternoon’s announcement that came from out of the blue from Gary Gillen who was addressing the ladies at the West Fort Bend Republican Women’s luncheon meeting in Katy. (have you ever wondered why they call it the West Fort Bend Republican Women’s Club? Are there any Republican women in East Fort Bend?). I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall at the Falcon Point Country Club.

In his announcement, County Republican Party Chairman Gary Gillen cited an untenable situation between party leadership and “a fringe group” whose members he did not identify by name, just that they were members of the party Executive Committee. Because of his inability to get anything done, Gillen said, he and the entire leadership, including the party secretary, treasurer and parliamentarian were resigning effective immediately.

I’ll bet the room went dead quiet. A quiet that was broken by the rattle of upper dental plates dropping out and falling to the table or the floor, walkers being tipped over, and the collective opening and closing of pill boxes containing glycerin pills.

Then came the story that the 20,000 16-page glossy newsletter that was sitting on Gary Gillen’s warehouse floor would not be mailed. “They will not be mailed under my watch,” said Gillen. Why this? It was Republicans, especially neocon Republicans, doing what they do best: screw over people they don’t like. Some candidates, especially those supported by the “fringe group” were given choice spots to put their ads. Gillen’s own column, a newsletter staple, I would think, was omitted.

Said Gillen: “What they didn’t count on is a county chairman who stood up and said ‘you will not do that.’”
And finally, the news comes out today that there is a little glitch in getting replacements for the party leadership. It seems that the Texas Election Code requires that the party secretary submit a request to the state party to find a replacement county chairman. Unfortunately, gosh darn it, the party secretary quit, too. So there’s no one to make the request.

One member of the radical fringe, Terese Raia, who finds herself on both the county and state Executive Committee, contacted State Chairwoman Tina Benkiser, and started the conversation about a rapid appointment procedure. Fringie Republicans like to do things quickly, you see, just like shoplifters, before someone is looking. And perhaps sensing another trap for her to fall in, just like the trap she fell into when there was such a clamor to replace Tom DeLay on the ballot – Tina put on the brakes.

Benkiser said that they couldn’t actually do anything until they had a written resignation from the party secretary.

Yeaaaaah, that’s the ticket.

And I’m absolutely certain that they will be able to track the secretary down so she can sign her letter of resignation so that the people who drove her out of office can get replacements who they like. Absolutely.

Well, it will eventually happen and a new party leadership, more in tune to the EC’s way of seeing and doing things will be appointed.

And that is where it truly gets delicious. I wonder if the fringies have been reading the papers, listening to what the people are saying? The radical fringe’s days of glory are over. People have turned away from the politics of hate and division. The politics of racism and oppression. Their day is done, they have lost the support of the people, yet very soon they are going to take over the county Republican Party.

One benefit is that they will be able to hold all future party meetings at a Subway sandwich shop.

Honestly, this is going to happen. Right after Rudy Giuliani gets the endorsement of Pat Robertson the local Republican Party leadership will take a sharp turn to the right. This could not be better timed.

Centrist Republicans: we Democrats have a really big tent. Yes we have Nancy Pelosi, but we also have Nick Lampson. Come on in, the water’s fine.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hal, isn't the word "radical" being misused here? I remember during Reagan they coined the term "radical conservative" because they didn't want to use the true term, "REACTIONARY." Webster's Dictionary defines a reactionary as, "one who seeks to check, undo, or reverse political progress."

Of course the other side of the coin is that a radical wants to move the clock violently forward to the future, while a reactionary wants to move the clock violently backward to the past. The trouble is that reactionaries have so idealized the past (slaves were happy, don't you know) that the actual past they seek is an Orwellian future--so they're really radicals after all. But radicals only seek PROGRESSIVE change, not regressive change.

Hal said...

I'm using the term radical synonymously with extreme. An extremist on either side of the political spectrum holds radical views. A radical view may be progrssive, but not necessarily. The term reactionary applies in this case, applies very well. I think Terese Raia would agree that she holds reactionary views.

Richard said...

It's good news to watch the wingnut Republicans drive out the relatively honest and moderate party members.