#ncpol: A chat with Hasan
I had the chance, for the first time ever, to communicate directly with the chairman of the NCGOP. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how calm and cool he was — given all of the garbage being thrown his way right now. (Hasan Harnett did tell me that he had to be — on the advice of his personal legal counsel — limited in what he told me.)
As we suspected, the monkey business got started on day one with this chairman. “I’ve got all of the responsibility that comes with being party chairman, but none of the authority,” Harnett told me.
Harnett said his authority as chairman has been regularly undermined by the executive director and other party leaders who have made it clear to HQ staff that they really don’t have to listen to the chairman.
One good example Harnett cites is the party’s media operation. He said policy dictates that 
statements from him go out through the press secretary, who then coordinates with the media. Harnett said he submitted a number of releases for dissemination to the media that either (1) disappeared into the ether, or (2) appeared in the media attributed to executive director Dallas Woodhouse.
“I am expected to run this party, but I don’t even have access to the headquarters or its resources,” said Harnett. “I am the elected chairman. The people who make this party work elected me to lead the party.”
Harnett said he has been locked out of the party offices, web site, and email on numerous occasions during his nine-month tenure.
We reported in the last few days that Woodhouse, Joyce Cotten
and some other party leaders had gone to the legislative building seeking signatures from legislators to call a special meeting about ousting Harnett from the chairman’s seat.
“From what I am hearing, their efforts were not well-received,” said Harnett.”I don’t know how many signatures they got, if any, because I am being kept in the dark.”
We — and many of our readers — have wondered where elected Republicans are aligning in this dispute. Harnett would not comment when asked if Dan Forest or Pat McCrory or any of their team had contacted him. The chairman said he has been encouraged by a “tremendous response” from elected Republicans across the state.
“I am having good, positive discussions with a number of legislators,” Harnett said. He would not comment when asked to name the friendly legislators. 
Harnett said he was pleased with the response to an event he and senator Jerry Tillman coordinated this week with NASCAR legend Richard Petty in Randolph County. Despite next to no support from the state party apparatus, the event managed to draw nearly 100 attendees. Harnett said a party staff member tried to cancel the event five days before it was to happen. (He did add that person eventually showed up to help with the Petty event.)
“I am not sure on the final numbers from this fundraiser, because I am being kept in the dark,” said Harnett. “I do know that when I left, the take was looking very promising. I also know that, shortly after the event was first announced, the executive director received a very nice check from an outside donor.”
So, what is the outcome he is looking for? 
“I hope we can put all of this behind us and come together to beat the Democrats and elect a lot of Republicans,” said Harnett. “I am going to pray for the executive director and the other party leaders — despite the extreme, untrue allegations that have been made against me.”
Why has he stuck with this?
“It’s what leaders do,” said Harnett. “You don’t quit when things get tough. You rise to the occasion. Sure, it’s been a tough environment to endure, but it hasn’t lessened my commitment to this party or the people of North Carolina.”
My only problem with his response is that he blamed it on race, and I think most people would realize that this is not a racial issue. This is an establishment versus Grassroots issue, and to blame it on race is nearsighted to the greatest degree. If you can’t see where your true enemies are, who they are, and why they are responding as they do you will never rise to the peak.
How do you know it’s not about race? I don’t know what the party’s problem is, but I’m probably switching to unaffiliated. I can still vote Republican without supporting the corrupt establishment.
Possibly, it’s hard to defend as anything else, the tepid-to-non-existent support Bill Randall got from the Party when he ran for Congress, or how determined the Establishment was to deny Tim Johnson a second term as NCGOP Vice Chairman.
Harry,
When I read his comment about “not being white enough, I took it as sarcasm. I could be wrong, but Im not sure he meant it in the way that we see others playing the race card. Hasan being the grassroots guy, to me, it didn’t resonate with me that he was being serious. Again, I could be wrong.
I think you are mostly right but I believe in my gut the racial lines are blurry.IMHO mainly right about grass roots vs establishment. Sad that this has transpired. Hassan is a experienced capable man.
Term ‘central committee ‘ sounds like a term from Russian politics.
Get a life, “Lightweight Harry” — the man is an African-American and he’s being blatantly and viciously savaged by the Woodhouse/Cotton gang. I know Hasan personally and he’s one of the most enlightened and least racially-prejudiced individuals I’ve ever met in 71 years on this planet. Who the Hell are you to criticize him for playing whatever cards he holds when the chips are down? In fact, I’d bet my bottom dollar you’d do exactly the same if you were in his current situation.
Actually it is a race issue too. Remember Tim Johnson. SOS.
Actually it is a race issue too. Remember Tim Johnson. SOS.
It really isn’t even an issue of establishment versus grassroots but rather an issue of competency. Harnett is not competent to run the party, he has no experience being a county or a congressional district chair, he has been involved in fund raising for one congressional candidate and did not do a good job with that. Given experience he has the potential of being a rather good chairman.
Sunny, look at the actual FEC filings. Hasan’s fundraising numbers has been on par with past chairs over the last 10 years, especially when you subtract salaries from the fundraising numbers. Claude Pope raised about double what Hasan Harnett has raised, but then took half of that income in salary. Factor in that Harnett is not taking a salary and it it on par with the funds brought in by Pope. Linda Daves, as an example, only brought in about 2/3 of the funds that Hasan has raised.
The issue of fundraising here is a myth, perpetuated by a rogue and out of control Central Committee spending irresponsibly and refusing to be held accountable to OUR elected Chairman.
What filings are you looking at? Hasan has been a complete failure raising the money needed to run the State Party. You can not count the pass through money from the RNC to pay their employees, and the money they gave to pay the salaries of Woodhouse and Hodgman. If Hasan was doing such a great job at raising money, why did the RNC have to give the State Party money to pay their own staff? Under the prior Chairman, money was not needed from the RNC to pay State Party staff.
Please cite the provision of the Plan of Organization that makes it a duty of the state chairman to raise money for the party. Please, before you yammer on any more about Harnett’s fundraising. Give us the Article, section, and subsection.
From what I read, the ONLY party officer given the responsibility in the POO for raising money is the Finance Chairman. Oh, and the Assistant Finance Chairman.
But Dallas Woodhouse’s cheerleaders claimed he was such a great fundraiser. How did that turn out for us? He brought in a fundraising consultant, who does not seem to have done much of a job.
The Federal Election Commission, also known as the FEC, requires monthly and annual reports of a State Political Parties fundraising and expenses. This data is public access, and it is available online. You can find that data here:
http://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00038505/
What about Woodhouse’s ”experience”? Being fired from AFP? Being the front man for Karl Rove on ”Caroline Rising”? Rove’s bunch handled all the advertising for that operation, and was also the sole contributor. Woodhouse was only the front man, running around claiming he had lots of contributors when in fact, he only had a Rove organization. Woodhouse had no experience whatsoever in the GOP. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Why was he hired as ED? Factional politics only!
This bothered me at first also. I totally agree that this an establishment versus Grassroots issue and not really a racial issue, but then I stopped and tried looking at it from Hasan’s perspective.
Just look at how the NCGOP establishment treated Tim Johnson in the EXACT SAME WAY, and it becomes pretty easy to see how this legitimately looks like a racial thing from Hasan’s perspective.
After I stopped and looked at the situation from Hasan’s perspective, even though I still think it’s a establishment versus Grassroots issue rather than a purely racial issue, I can totally see how and why it looks like it does from his perspective, and therefore I am no longer bothered by his first reaction…especially now that in retrospect he has staked out his position closer to the heart of the matter.
Frankly I am shocked that there are still people in this state who still are stupid enough to give money to that totally inefficient organization.The day they forced the loud mouthed do nothing Woodhouse into position I knew it would be downhill all the way. The party is dead. Stop caring about it or supporting it. They have made their intentions very clear. Harnett would be better off leaving and suing their pants off.
The rationale to be a party member is that you can attend conventions and have a voice in party affairs. When the party hierarchy and the candidates disregard the platform, and deliberately sabotage the convention process to restrict debate and run out the clock – then THERE IS NO POINT being a Republican.
A- FREAKING – MEN!!
Well said!
You want stupid? Try some of our GOP legislators. Some of them are dumb as a brick when it comes to party politics and are easily led. We find it really easy to pull the wool over their eyes to go along with things that are really not in their best interests. Some of them are bright, but you would be amazed at how many are simply not.
Just wait until this thing plays out. Old Joyce thinks she is going to be the new chairman which is why she is working this so hard at it, but I am the one who really deserves the title.
When it comes to contact with the press, who is going to present the best image for the party?
1. It’s elected first black state chairman, who by his very presence shows the party’s diversity and drives a stake through the heart of Democrat myths about the GOP.
or
2. A hired gun Executive Director who has a history of doing TV interviews while drunk and of saying things to reporters in interviews that get his organization in legal trouble.
This one is a no brainer to anyone with any political savvy, but it looks like political savvy is a very rare commodity on the current Central Committee.
Exactly.
Amen!
Absolutely, GUW! Here we are looking for a bigger tent, while a bunch of weasels are stabbing the back of the very guy we’ve elected to do just that.
Unbelievable.
Maybe the Lynch Mob really does NOT want to grow the party. Are they actually Democrats intent on killing us from the inside?
Wow. What a sad situation. Chairman Hasan Harnett is a class act.
It’s all about picking the delegates who will choose the presidential nominee. This is a fight for the future of our country. Thank you Hasan for sticking it out. Thank you for fighting for the rest of us.
Thank you Nancy P. Cornelius! You are correct they want to take the power the Chairman has to set the Convention Agenda, set the price for the delegates and the power he has with the picking the National Delegates. By setting the fee at $90.00 they hope to keep delegates that do not agree or go along with what they say from coming to the convention. Ted Cruz people and Donald Trump are you paying attention? Do you know what we are saying? Now is the time to get involved with what is happening to Chairman Harnett!
This is all a scheme by the establishment to suppress the votes of the grassroots. They want control of the national delegates and the National Committee seats that are elected at this convention.
Actually it is a race issue too. Remember Tim Johnson. SOS.
Tim Johnson was another one who if he was who he said he was he would have been great. Unfortunately he was not who he said he was.
This sounds like you are making excuses in an attempt to justify appalling behavior. I knew Tim Johnson personally, and the people who were so desperate to smear his good name should be ashamed of themselves.
The gag rule that was passed at the Cherokee convention and the new platform (which scrubbed out all the “offending” planks that activists had fought for in prior years) were the final straws that had me asking “What am I really accomplishing by being here?”
I was shocked to see the remaining grassroots fight back and elect Hasan next year. I wondered if the party might be turning around… but it sounds like the OG will not change their ways, until they die off or are replaced.
For god’s sakes people. Next chairman election, get a slate together to challenge the CenComm!
Are we unite and kick them in the ass.
I believe that if the grassroots remove the cancer, Woodhouse, Cotton, Steward and a couple more that the rest of the Central Committee will fall back in line. Pass the resolutions at your District Conventions and carry them to the State Convention. It needs to be another year of change! We can not lose the 2016 elections. Purge the cancer from the party now!
Harnett’s other problem is that he listens solely to Daniel Rufty who is an evil person. If Harnett had taken the help and advice offered to him numerous times (Ie on how to run a meeting) instead of ignoring it things would be different. There were many out there willing to help him but he smiled, said thank you, and then did what Daniel wanted him to do. Hene here we are today.
An EVIL person? Hyperbole much? Just what evidence do you have for such a melodramatic claim?
DR stands in opposition to the harm the rest of the Central Committee is wreaking upon the NCGOP. Naturally, they are going to regard him as evil.
srsly.
Evil? What on earth are you talking about? A man who has fought for your freedoms in the US Military and has done more to make this a better party from the inside, a good father who is in a great marriage with beautiful children? Someone who has fought to expose and eliminate corruption?
That is evil? anyone who thinks that is evil, is well.. evil.. look in the mirror
It is going to get mighty interesting when the petition goes around at the state convention to remove much of the Central Committee for gross inefficiency!
Lets start signing that now why wait and while that is being passed around one to lower convention fees as well
I’ve said it before on here – I am a life-long Republican. Now I’m starting to ask myself …Why?
My chosen party is beginning to look more and more foolish. National politics are a farce. NC is right there with them.
This comment is directed to every single leader in the NC Republican establishment. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER.
Stop acting like 8th grade cheerleaders arguing over who is the most popular.
Knock off trying to outdo each other with your little bitchy letters.
One more time – All of you need to either work together – Or call a public meeting ASAP with no charge to attend and let us (aka grassroots / aka voters / aka adults) sort this out for you.
The communist committee is overplaying their hand to the detriment of the party. Hasan isn’t taking a salary and has raised nearly as much as Pope despite the sabotage from HQ. StandWithHasan.