Rowan GOP clamping down on internal effort to censure Richard Hudson?
Judging from an account shared on social media by some of our sources in the Eighth congressional district, there are some Republicans who are not happy campers when it comes to their congressman Richard Hudson:
[…] A great injustice was done tonight at your local Republican Party Executive Committee meeting. Part of the party’s responsibility is to hold our elected official’s accountable for their actions. At January’s meeting Wes Rhinier introduced a Resolution to Censure Rep. Richard Hudson. A motion was made to carry it forward to the February meeting to have it on the agenda for discussion and vote. The motion was seconded and it overwhelmingly passed in a vote.[…]
Okay. Now, how did the local party establishment in Rowan County react?:
[…] Chairman John Leatherman for reasons unknown decided to stop it from being on February’s agenda. Despite protest to have the Censure discussion and vote added to the agenda Chairman John Leatherman basically said I don’t care that it was voted on and passed to be discussed and voted on it isn’t happening. Despite further protest he moved on and quickly ended the meeting.[…]
Censure supporters are encouraging grassroots activists across the county to contact the local party chairman, Leatherman, to encourage him to bring the matter up for discussion and a vote. Here is the text of the censure resolution:
Resolution to Censure Congressman Richard Hudson
As leaders in the Republican Party, we are obligated to fully support our Party, platform, and its candidates. Only in times of great crisis or betrayal is it necessary to publicly censure our leaders. Today we are faced with both. For too long we have waited, hoping Congressman Hudson would return to our Party’s values on his own. That has not happened. So with sadness and humility we rise and declare:
Whereas Congressman Hudson has amassed a long and terrible record of drafting, co-sponsoring and voting for legislation best associated with liberal Democrats, such as Amnesty, funding for ObamaCare both included in the Cromnibus, and assaults on the Constitution like the NDAA. Also casting his vote for John Boehner for Speaker ignoring his constituents wishes for him to vote for anyone else.
Whereas this record has been disastrous and harmful to Rowan County, North Carolina, and the United States; and
Whereas Congressman Hudson has campaigned as a conservative and made promises during his re-election campaigns, such as stopping Amnesty, and repealing ObamaCare only to quickly flip-flop on those promises; therefore
BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that the Rowan County NC Republican leadership censures Congressman Hudson for his continued disservice to our County, State and Nation, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that until he consistently champions our Party’s Platform, we, the Republican leadership in Rowan County NC will no longer support, campaign for or endorse Richard Hudson as our U.S. House Representative.
Wow, this GOP group has the Party of NO thing down pat.
Someone down there needs to learn parliamentary procedure. The chairman does NOT have authority to veto decisions of the county executive committee, and he was behaving with the arrogance of Obama when he unilaterally refused to go forward with an action duly adopted by the county executive committee. Under the GOP plan of organization, the real power lies in the county executive committee, not the chairman. They need to exercise it. If his term was not over in a month anyway, an arrogant power mad chairman like this should be removed from office. Hopefully he is not running for reelection or will be replaced at the March county convention. The Republican Party does not need arrogant dictators like this one.
Censuring elected officials who get out of line by not supporting party principles is fairly common. It has happened a lot to Senator John McCain and Senator Lindsay Grahamnesty. It has happened at least three times from GOP Congressional district organizations to Senator Richard Burr here in NC.
We need a “Three strikes, and you’re out” rule.
Censuring doesn’t faze them.
The only thing that will get their attention is primary opposition.
I have been absolutely appalled by the brazen arrogance of so many of our elected officials who thumb their nose at constituents who are melting the phone lines to get some action. CRomnibus and the election of Boehner are recent examples. So many have become creatures of the beltway who listen to the special interests and power brokers in DC instead of the constituents back home. Those out of control elected officials need to be brought home in the primaries.
Elected pols don’t account to their political parties as they once did. In the age of the PAC and SuperPAC, political parties are a lot less relevant than they once were.
Here’s a good example that I recently heard about….six weeks ago, a number of County Party leaders in the 13th Congressional district met with George Holding to express their displeasure at his vote for the CROmnibus and to inform him that voting for John Boehner for Speaker wouldn’t go over well with the folks back home. Sure enough, he went back to DC and voted for Boehner anyway.
That DOESN’T mean that the Party can’t re-assert it’s will to a greater extent than it does now, however. First of all, the State leadership are owned by the Elected officials and they work to negate the power of County Parties and their ability to hold state-wide and federal officeholders accountable. One way to change that is to strike down the provision in the NCGOP Program of Organization that inhibits County Party leaders from involving themselves in Republican Primaries. If County leaders were permitted to endorse primary challengers, that would help level the playing field against these incumbents who no longer really represent the folks who elected them.
Speaking of changing the NCGOP POO, guess what changes the Establishment actually want changed THIS YEAR?
The RNC has moved up the 2016 Convention to help tilt the field even more in favor of a moderate Establishment choice for the nomination. This necessitates that the schedule of Precinct, County, DIstrict, and YES, the NCGOP State Convention must be moved forward on the calendar to accommodate the earlier National convention. Problem is, our convention dates are hard-baked into the NCGOP POO and those may only be changed by majority approval of a convention of delegates. If this isn’t done, the NCGOP convention will be held at the same time as the National Convention and the NCGOP delegation to Cleveland will be greatly reduced. That’s one way to send a message to the RNC as to what the grassroots thinks of them and their rotten schemes.
There will rarely be a better opportunity for the conservative grassroots to stick it to the RNC RINOs than by showing up in numbers at the 2015 State Convention this summer and voting NO on this scheme.
Two comments. 1
1 – I don’t think there was a quorem present at the original meeting to forward the censure resolution to the next meeting.
2 – I seriously doubt the censure rsolution would have passed at the Feb meetingbased on what I know regarding those present at the Feb meeting.
For that county chairman to abuse power to squelch that resolution like he did, he must have counted heads and thought it would pass. Otherwise, he would have let it come up and be defeated. Do you think you can count heads better than that chairman?
Who does Leatherman think he is? Maybe John Bohener? Ignoring the will of the party should not be rewarded. I am not a citizen of Rowan county, but you guys should really consider bouncing this guy. I did my best to bounce Boner, I guess giving no donations to the party will just have to do.
He is actually behaving more like Obama and his executive orders. Trampling the Plan of Organization and parliamentary procedure is an intra-party equivalent of trampling the Constitution.
This is yet another reason why I stopped having dealings with the Rowan GOP, along with the state and local ones. The current chairman was hand picked by the former chair. There are back room deals done all the time. This so-called chairman needs to step down or be removed. He has done nothing to strengthen the local GOP and has done everything to divide it’s base!
“The GOP is about keeping a political party strong to move an agenda. Conservatives are about ideas, freedom and liberty.” – Erick Erickson, Red State
That Richard Hudson is out of control is not surprising. His seat was purchased for him in the primary by Eric Cantor’s PAC. Cantor spent more in Hudson’s race than he did in all other races around the country COMBINED that year. Richard Hudson is a creature of Eric Cantor and he deserves the same fate as Eric Cantor. We do NOT need DC power brokers deciding who our NC representatives will be.
I’m glad to see that grassroots efforts to hold leaders accountable is not dead. We’ve seen plenty of similar behavior in our part of NC. Respected leaders bending over for either Central Commtt Members, the Chairman of the Party, or elected Officials themselves. Burying the truth and any hopes that this upheaval within the GOP will go away anytime soon.
I remember being told to catch them violating the law then we’ll do something. In spite of overwhelming evidence and an Admission by Dr. Ada Fisher to voter fraud in Tampa by NCGOP leaders and evidence of Dr. Fisher working against the directly expressed wishes of the State Executive Committee our leaders from District to State demonstrated their priorities. Shut up and get in line. That is their idea of Party Unity.
Well, I’m not interested in putting myself through it again, but I do encourage all concerned go to your County Conventions and let your voices be heard. If leadership continues to not respond satisfactorily, when the feces hits the fan, it’ll all be on THEM.
Todd Bennett
Farmville, NC
Let’s not forget, there is an alternative to corrupt Richard Hudson in 2016:
https://www.facebook.com/WesRhinier4USCongress
Wes Whiner isn’t qualified for dog catcher, much less Congress. Get real!
It is the Boehner brownnosers who are not fit for office. Congresscritters should represent their constituents and the principles of their party, NOT the DC beltway insiders and special interests.
Go ahead and censure him. But in 2016 they will be telling you that you MUST vote for him because he’s at least better than the Democrat. Sound familiar?
John Tyler, as PRESIDENT, was kicked out of his own party for having vetoed their pet project (reinstatement of the federal bank). In that instance of course John Tyler was the constitutional conservative and the whigs were the typical establishment cronies (we know what happened to them), however history shows us that when the party held their official accountable to what they wanted, the official was not reelected and eventually their desired project was brought to fruition under a different administration. Those who say, “it’s not our job to hold their feet to the fire” really mean, “furthering my professional goals and relationships is more important to me than principles and country, and should be for you, as well.” As though WE are the ones who need to get “with it” on the purpose of the party vehicle.
“Those who say, “it’s not our job to hold their feet to the fire” really mean, “furthering my professional goals and relationships is more important to me than principles and country, and should be for you, as well.”
Holy cow, truer words were never spoken. This cuts to the heart of every intra-party political battle I’ve ever been involved with. The struggle truly is between those who think the party should be a vehicle for ideas, and those who think the party should be a vehicle for their careers.
Sure… censure him, then he’ll be Rowan’s keynote speaker at the next Reagan Day Dinner… Craven has already set precedent for that with Tollus.
Kinda reminds me of ‘The Empire Strikes Back.” Now the establishment expects conservatives to just give up. Count me out of that.