BY KEITH ROLLMAN – Rules established by the Republican Party are meant to ensure a level playing field for all candidates in the party’s primary election.
The Republican Party is based, in part, on a long-held sense of fairness and trust in the democratic process. The Republican primary is a time to compare our candidates for higher office, debate the issues and make choices based on our own values and principles. At least, that is what is supposed to happen.
Rule 11 of the Republican Party was established to provide fairness for all qualified candidates and avoid insider political deals that circumvent and corrupt the primary election process.
Rule 11 of the Republican Party states, in part:
The Republican National Committee shall not, without the prior written and filed approval of all members of the Republican National Committee from the state involved, contribute money or in-kind aid to any candidate for any public or party office except the nominee of the Republican Party or a candidate who is unopposed in the Republican primary after the filing deadline for that office.
The problem is that Rule 11 contains a glaring loophole. It states that “with the approval of all members of the Republican National Committee from the state,” that these individuals can short circuit the process of fairly electing the party’s nominee, and simply anoint their choice. By allowing RNC and PAC money to pour into their chosen candidate’s campaign and starving off contributions to any opposing candidates they can unilaterally suppress any competition.
This is a rather underhanded and cowardly strategy considering the alternative is to openly and fairly discuss the issues concerning the voters and let them make an informed decision on whom they feel best represents them. It is, however, a convenient strategy for those who can’t stand real scrutiny of their ideas, principles and values.
In order to pull off this subversive power play, you must first remove any individuals within the state party leadership who might not go along. Once your ‘apparatchiks” are installed you have clear sailing to suppress any opposing candidates and change the rules without the formality of earning popular support.
Let’s all hope that Hawaii’s Republican Party never experiences such a moral calamity and grotesque forfeiture of its ideals.
Keith Rollman is Campaign Manager for John Carroll
The Republican Party hasn’t followed the rules in decades and it is clear that those who have hijacked the party nationally have intention of returning it. Not to mention that the true Republicans who allowed their party to be hijacked don’t have the stones to even try and take it back. While I always voted for the the candidate I thought would best represent me, it will be a long time coming before I will feel confident in voting for another Republican as long as the party continues to let obnly a few truly participate – and I know I am far from being the only one. Remeber, choosing the least of two evils is still choosing evil.
They can stack the deck, but they only get one vote each when it comes to the actual primary election. If enough people care about their own values they can and should take the party back by participating and voting. If you just let it happen and remain quiet you’re part of the problem.
The problem is that the GOP haven’t fielded a candidate that even remotely represents not only my values, but those of much of the country. Not saying the Dems are much better, but the GOP has failed miserably and the more they do to try and stuff Obama at every turn, the more foolish they look. The GOP are going to totally blow the 2012 elections, especially on the national level and it will be due to their own easily avoided, egocentric greed – not from the superiority of the Dem candidates.
Isn’t it better to support a candidate with whom you agree 80% of the time rather than to give up and enable the victory of one you agree with only 20%?
That’s exactly what I did in the last national election.
There was nothing I could support with the GOP ticket. The idea of Cotton and Peggy Hill running the country was too much to bear. The fact that the GOP would put McCain and Palin as their best effort to win the Presidency is the perfect example of where the GOP still is mentally on a national scale. Where are the true leaders and true statesmen/women within the party? Why does it seem to be that the GOP nominee all you have to do is tough it out for a few election cycles? Both parties need to offer fresh blood/ideas from actual thinkers and doers and dump the same old rehash we keep getting.
Just as long as it is NOT Linda Lingle…get some man in there who is not corruptible…
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