Calling shenanigans

While no one will dispute the legitimacy of Charlie Smith's election as CRNC top dog this morning, several state chairmen, especially including Washington's Dan Brutoca, Iowa's Ben Johnson, and Arkansas' Bryant Davis, will have some serious explaining to do when they return to their federations, not to mention their predecessors. As a false wave of unity swept the convention floor following yesterday's passage of reform-minded amendments, one by one the states still considering abstinence from the election were cherry-picked by current CRNC Executive Board members and members of the NewCRNC (same as the old CRNC) team. Some state chairmen rolled over to have their bellies scratched with Credentials Committee slots, others leapt at the carrot of possibly holding regional training in their states, and still others were tempted by Charlie's good natured words with them. Simply amazing to the keen observer though is the fact that these individuals gave up months of fighting on principle only to abandon it for greener pastures. The rewards do not make any of them CR-rich either, as the Credentials slots are simply a one-year term (the next full-ticket election will be in July 2009) and regional training cannot possibly bring any greater benefit to the host state than dinner with Charlie Smith. Maybe NewCRNC should have just passed out candy to attendees instead, then these kids would have gotten some tangible nourishment from the swindle.

Iowa and Arkansas are especially befuddling cases simply due to the fact that each federation's immediate past Chairman was a candidate for their Regional Vice Chairman slot, running in both cases against NewCRNC foes. In Washington, Brutoca will surely have to answer to both Brent Ludeman, a two-term leader as well as leading national reformer, and Neil Uhrig, who was one of the first to speak out against outgoing Chairman Paul Gourley. Word out of the state is that Washington chapter chairmen were not even in favor of attending the convention, but that Brutoca was allowed to head the delegation to D.C. under the requirement that they abstain. If Taylor Burks can be impeached for merely firing an appointed officer, then such treachery can surely be so punished.

Returning Chairmen such as Wisconsin's Mary Ellen Burke and West Virginia's Brian Dayton deserve to be honored for sticking to their guns and not wavering under pressure to support a candidate of whom they do not approve. It seems that the mantle of the reform movement will pass from Ludeman and Brian Siler to such chairs as these, especially given the hands-off, live and let be approach that new leadership in Ohio is expected to take with regard to the CRNC.

In the final analysis, Siler and Ludeman attending the festivities may very well have produced a more organized opposition to Smith's victory, but their absence has hopefully allowed a new cadre of individuals to take the reigns and run with reform. After all, they are both on their way out, so we must have new leadership. In the end, the two Real Reform principals got both the amendments and the language that they desired, which always seemed to be their ultimate focus anyhow. Both are reportedly planning to move on from the CR arena and on to working in the larger grassroots political apparatus, whether it be on the local or national (think Presidential) scale. Their contributions to our organization should be remembered positively by all, and we wish the best of luck to them both as they get on with their careers.

One important note to make about the addition of electoral votes to Missouri, Alabama, and Colorado is that the case the three states made for extra votes was rooted in Facebook group memberships. Newly elected Midwest Vice Chairman Justin Smith argued that Missouran enrollment in CR Facebook groups was much greater than the number of verified members during the credentialing process. While this argument was successful, a proxy form submitted by the Ohio College Republican Federation for the Natl. Board Meeting yesterday was turned down by Chairman Gourley because there was no "Witness" signature. The kicker for my fellow Buckeyes is that no proxy procedure was outlined to the Board, so Gourley's decision was merely on a whim and without any basis or precedent. Granted, allegedly embezzling a few thousand dollars would also have been on a whim and without precedent, so this decision was merely business as usual.

Other absurdities in this election include CRNC Executive Director Ethan Eilon doing double duty as NewCRNC Campaign Manager and running a campaign based around reforming the very organization he was helping to run at the time. His successor as Manager was Blake Harris, who as a Credential Committee member ruled on the appeals for extra votes by his home state, Alabama, as well as Missouri and Colorado. All three states were supporters of his candidate, and he was Alabama's past chairman. Former Clinton Assistant Attorney General and 9/11 Commissioner Jamie Gorelick thinks that these were conflicts of interest.