#ncgop: Circling the wagons around Lewis?
We wrote earlier about petitions being circulated to demand a vote on removing state Rep. David Lewis (R-Harnett) as one of North Carolina’s two representatives to the Republican National Committee. The plan — being orchestrated by a leading party official — was to get the matter on the agenda for a November 14th state level party meeting.
Well, we’re getting some reports from inside the state House Caucus meeting yesterday indicating trouble for that effort. Sources in the room tell us state Rep. Sarah Stevens asked NCGOP executive director Dallas Woodhouse if the issue of removing Lewis from the RNC would be on the November 14th meeting agenda. My sources told me that Woodhouse replied that the matter would not be on the agenda because there is not sufficient support for it. 
This may be but a temporary reprieve for Lewis. We understand things are about to get politically bumpy in other areas for the Rules Chairman.
I don’t know the process but I thought the Chairman was in charge of the agenda, NOT the ED?
From what I hear, this ED seems to think he IS the chairman, too. He needs to be chopped down quite a few notches. He needs to learn that he is only an employee, not an elected officer. We do not need his arrogance from the hired help.
Chairman, what chairman? I have been lead to understand that Chairman Harnett as been excommunicated by the Central Committee and Mr. Woodhouse with a in house coup d’état. The rats are now running the ship as usual.
From what I heard that means the same thing
Last I heard, over 25 Executive Committee members wanted this issue pursued and signed off on the petition. Technically, the ED may be correct, fifty signatures supposedly are required.
small number if you think about it. Harnett has joined the downtown boys… decided there was “too much anger” out there…movement needed seasoning.. not word he used..
well it is really bad leadership to mail out notifications to the meeting and not to include a purposed agenda for this meeting. my guess is this meeting will run out of time because everyone will want to leave so that can get ready for the hall of fame dinner. these actions is the leaderships way like always trying to blindside the committee no matter who ends up being in charge at the time. The only way to confront this is this committee has to take control of itself and force the leadership to act ethical on on fronts.
this should be the budget approval meeting and to do this correct the members of this committee should have a gotten a copy of the purpose budget in this notification letter so each member could be educated about the numbers and changes before walking in the room.
the people on this committee need to make sure their eyes and ears are open because it seems the main goal of this meeting could be to get blindfolded and earplugs installed and hypnotized to say YAY and not ask questions
The budget process will tell us how much the grassroots revolution has accomplished. During the reign of the elite backroom crowd, all the salaries were lumped into one line item, virtually a slush fund, with no breakdown. Often, members have asked for more detailed information and been refused. Will they give the detailed info to start with this time? Will they give it when asked? Or will the same non-transparent arrogance prevail?
There are many offended parties that want to vote for removal of Lewis in a secret ballot vote. The issue is a serious fear factor of signing the complaint for all to see. Nonetheless, the count is VERY close to 50 signatures needed and we shall see this coming Saturday if Lewis will have to answer for his lies to be Central Committee and others.
As for Woodhouse and his comments, I was not privy of his efforts to gather signatures.
Todd Bennett
Farmville, NC
The Woodhouse/Lewis duo will finish destroying the Republican Party with more corporate welfare and Cronyism for their pals. Anyone with any intelligence can see this. As I stated 2 weeks after his election what in the world is Hassan doing about anything? Meek and timid has no place in the Republican Party. When republicans tell you “it’s too early” or “give him some time” as many did, the party will lose and lose bad.
On another note, anyone received their new health insurance premiums for 2016? My premium went up another 25% and is the equivalent to a hefty mortgage. Where is Tillis/Burr/ Holding when you really need them?
For Thommy, on the whereabouts of Burr and Thillis – they’re in the lap of D.C.luxury, cleaning up with their nice senatorial salaries and drinking from the GOPe cup of capital cronyism. Complete detached from our reality of stagnant wages, increasing healthcare and other domestic costs. Forsaking every promise made while campaigning, like neutered eunuchs in the presidents personal harem. And all the while taking it from their new lover Obama, leaving the folks back in the North State screwed to the wall!
It is not just Affi-David Lewis that is a problem on the National Committee.
Three or four congressional district organizations passed resolutions unanimously demanding that National Committeewoman Ada Fisher be investigated over refusing to follow specific instructions from the state Executive Committee on an important RNC vote, voting opposite of those instructions, and then lying about it when she returned to North Carolina. The Central Committee appointed a committee to investigate, but under Claude Pope, the matter was swept under the rug and the committee has never reported. Can we expect that report to finally be on the November agenda?
Whatever happens with that investigation, and with the impeachment of Lewis, the bottom line is that we need new representatives on the RNC. That comes up again at the presidential year convention, or if Lewis is removed may come up earlier.
How about let’s chunk this hall of fame dinner and have a real executive committee meeting that only ends when we have concluded our business. As for the EC and party legal counselor, they should be there to answer questions. Otherwise, they should sit in the corner and shut the hell up.
Fine idea. I’ll be there and am willing to oppose any motion to adjourn if nothing of conservative substance is achieved. Hall of Fame dinner is a bunch of unnecessary fluff and just that fact that Richard Burr will be there is enough motivation for me to skip it.
Lol, that’s funny, I doubt they’ll be a quorum after 3pm with folks getting ready for the dinner
True, that’s the time honored method for shutting down an ExComm meeting.
Hasan Harnett & Michelle Nix were elected by the people to represent them and to stop the Cartel. Their silence is deafening.
TO be perfectly honest, neither of those two presented themselves as “reform” candidates in so many words. I think a lot of us just knew who we COULDN’T vote for and hoped Harnett and Nix would be what we wanted them to be. However, as VC, Nix can only do so much, particularly when she’s facing an uncooperative CentCom. Pretty much the same for HH.
It looks like Lewis’ shannigans just keep coming. Now he is being tied to railroading an appointment for a vacant NC House seat in Pitt County:
http://www.beaufortobserver.net/Blog-3931.112112-10106.112112-Gregory-Murphy-NC-House-why-was-flawed-nomination-process-allowed.html
A couple of years ago, Tillis railroaded an appointment of someone he wanted to a vacant NC House seat in Davidson County, with the active assistance of state GOP. Now, it looks like the same thing has happened in Pitt County, also with a flawed process with Tim Moore putting in who he wanted, with the active assistance of the state GOP. With the Davidson County fiasco, it was the NCGOP Politcal Director who hands were openly in the cookie jar, but this time it is ED Dallas Woodhouse. Collusion of the NCGOP General Counsel would also have been necessary in both cases.
Lewis’ role seems to have been as the go between who communicated Moore’s wishes to the NCGOP. Chairman Harnett seems to have been left out of the loop. I had been inclined to blame this travesty on the arrogance and incompetence of Woodhouse, but it looks like there is a lot more to it.
For more details on what was wrong with both the process and the political views of the guy appointed, they are covered in this article and the comments to it:
http://www.beaufortobserver.net/Articles-NEWS-and-COMMENTARY-c-2015-10-15-280092.112112-Filling-of-House-9-vacancy-challenged.html
Maybe I should stop reading these comments. They’re the only way that the real people can have a voice. The way to get rid of bad Republicans is by primary. If that doesn’t work, we need to get rid of them at the general. I’ve voted in every general election for which I was eligible. Never have I voted for a Democrat to punish a Republican. That very well may change in 2016. If we keep rewarding bad Republicans with our (party) votes, there is no incentive for any Republicans to keep their campaign promises. They’re making a mockery out of the political system. Conservatives have nowhere to go.