GraniteGrok

Filed under "Rebuilding the Party"!

Well, E!! The True Conservative Story™ has the story of what the Tennessee Repubs are doing to a turncoat Repub.  For the first time in a very long time, the Republicans gained control of the House and were ready to take up the Leadership roles, starting with the Speakership. Then a Repub (and TURNCOAT Repub!), Kent Williams, who put himself above his fellow Republicans and the Republican ideals, sold out his integrity by conspiring with the Democrats to have himself installed as the Speaker. 

Now, lately, all I hear is Big Tent this and Big Tent that from other, much more moderate (realpolitik) Repubs that all that is important is that we get Republicans elected.

And I keep asking "and then what?  What does that buy you if they vote AGAINST the majority of the other Republicans (you know, like Spector, Collins, and Snowe)?  Huh?  I'm waiting for an answer....".  And I never get a decent answer.

Well, THESE GUYS DID IT - the decided to use my favorite political word - "ACCOUNTABLE"!  They nailed his "you know what" to the wall and then kicked him to the curb!  E!!-lizabeth reports:

Tennessee Republicans Kick RINO out of the Party

This story out of TN has cheered me up considerably.

Apparently Representative Kent Williams sold out conservative Tennessee voters and his own party when he  stole the House Speaker’s chair at the last minute - with the help of Democrats with whom he has been secretly conspiring.  And apparently the TN GOP decided not to take it lying down.  From a resolution of their Executive Committee:

Whereas the supporters, voters and donors of the Tennessee Republican Party have a right to expect that, having collectively campaigned for and won a majority in the state House for the first time since 1868, both houses of the legislature would be lead by loyal Republican leadership; and

Whereas the evidence shows that Representative Kent Williams had been planning his betrayal for eight weeks and conspiring with Democrats to crown him Speaker in exchange for betraying his fellow Republican caucus members; and

Whereas Representative Kent Williams rewarded his Democratic allies with committee chairmanships, putting at risk the Republican agenda the majority of Tennessee voters voted for; and

Whereas Kent Williams’ actions and words provide indefensible evidence to the 30 written challenges questioning the Bona Fide status as a Republican; and is entitled to its constitutional right of Freedom of Association; and

Whereas the Tennessee Republican Party seeks to disassociate with Representative Kent Williams;

BE IT RESOLVED:
1. That state Representative Kent Williams of Carter County, Tennessee, be forever barred from seeking elective office in Tennessee on a Republican ballot; and

2. That the Tennessee Republican Party immediately request all media outlets in Tennessee to cease referring to Representative Kent Williams as a Republican.

3. That Kent Williams receive no support, endorsements, or financial backing by those affiliates of the Tennessee Republican Party.

Can they DO that?

Yes.  As the resolution notes, the Republican Party enjoys the constitutionally protected right of Freedom of Association.

It all comes down one word - Accountability - are you, or are you not, going to uphold the precepts of the Party to which you name allegiance to?  Or use the label Republican to defeat those principles?

E!!lizabeth talks about this happening at the State level.  It happened here in NH Belknap County, where a RINO (with the votes to prove it) conspired with all of the Dems in the County Convention to take over the Chairmanship (here).  I've tried to bring up the topic as a discussion topic - and have been rebuffed by the County Chair.

It is "sweep it under the rug..." mode and hope it doesn't initiate a fight.  Well, IMHO, that IS a big problem within the Party - WHO are we, WHAT are we, and WHAT do we believe in?  We CANNOT believe in both ends of the political spectrum at the same time and still have a credible brand. 

Until we are willing to either clean house like the TN crew did, or the Dems are going to continue to clean our clocks at election time.