Colorado's Charlie Smith has had the floor for the better part of a month now, and while he has not used the open microphone very extensively, he is still the lone candidate in the race. For better or worse, whether you agree with his silence since announcing his candidacy or not, no one is exactly forcing him to explain himself.
No platform? No problem, because there is no one there to call him out about running for an office for which he has no plans for. No website? No problem, because no one else can say they have a better one. No announcement of a national chapter and state tour? No problem, because there is no need to get out on the stump for votes when there is no opposing candidate.
This past week, feathers were ruffled when Smith turned down the invitation to appear on a panel at CPAC, a panel which also featured Leadership Institute mogul Morton Blackwell. A group of state chairmen sent him an email expressing their displeasure for this move, but it was largely misconstrued as anger that Smith was appearing to slight the Leadership Institute. The real reason for the email? Well, it is right there in the email, for all to see: how can Charlie Smith claim to not be the CRNC's favored son when they chose him to appear on the panel? In 2005, when it came time for CPAC, Chairman candidate Paul Gourley was tapped to appear on the CRNC's behalf. The CRNC generally gets "their guy" to do this, and while Smith chose not to accept, the very fact that he was asked sends bad signs.
Next weekend is the planned summit of the key players in this election in California, at a pseudo-conference with Michael Davidson that looks to be a much more contentious version of Yalta, where the Churchill and FDR figures will not let the Stalin figure out of line an inch. This is not the first such meeting of the minds, but it is the broadest such gathering of this election season to date. Along with state chairmen and key figures like Davidson will be several key advisors to the former "Opposition" movement, which now finds itself seemingly splintered into a thousand little fragments, a mere shell of its former self.
Charlie Smith has had the ear of Davidson before, but came away without winning the key endorsement. Davidson signing on with Smith would be the death knell sounding upon any hopeful candidate looking get in the race, as California would likely be off the table and in Smith's column. All signs from former Real Reform principals Brian Siler and Brent Ludeman, both of whom will attend next weekend's gathering, point to New Jersey's Frank Luna as the current flagbearer. Luna, however, has been reluctant to commit to a run, taking more of a wait and see approach.
Time, especially in this campaign, is of the essence, simply due to the difficulty of getting College Republicans gathered together in large groups to address. Next month’s edition of CPAC is really the only chance for candidates to have the ears of a multitude of CRs from around the country until July’s CRNC Convention. The March 1 kickoff for CPAC is looming right around the corner, and it leaves only a week and a half after this weekend’s California summit to make preparations for a campaign kickoff. That is roughly ten days to book a location for the announcement reception/campaign kickoff event, get campaign collateral designed and printed, develop a platform for the campaign, organize a street team of supporters to get the word out and promote your candidacy, and get a fully-functioning website up and running. Ten days surely creates something of a time squeeze to say the least.
The next twenty five days will be among the most exciting of the spring for anyone following this CRNC campaign, and especially for those actually involved in it. Imagine this schedule for a random state chairman traveling this weekend to California:
Friday afternoon, February 16: Board plane for cross-country flight, plus connections and layovers en route
Friday evening: Dinner with the other attendees
Saturday, February 17: Meetings and discussions all day
Saturday night or Sunday: Board plane for return trip home
Monday through Friday (2/19-2/23): Classes, midterms, and state federation business
Saturday, February 24 and Sunday, February 25: In the case of Ohio’s Brian Siler, a Leadership Institute YLS and Ohio Board Meeting
Monday through Wednesday (2/26-2/28): Classes, midterms, preparing to travel to DC.
Wednesday afternoon through Thursday early morning: depart for CPAC, hotel check-in, CPAC registration
Thursday through Saturday (March 1-3): CPAC itself, all state federation gatherings, CRNC events, and any other meetings scheduled
Sunday morning, March 4: depart DC for home
In any case, this race will take shape over the next twenty-five odd days, and we will work here to keep you updated on every twist, every turn, every little bit of information that you need to know.
Showing posts with label Charlie Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charlie Smith. Show all posts
Monday, February 12, 2007
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Editorial: The Many Faces of Charlie Smith
Just who is Charlie Smith? Why is he running to be the next Chairman of the CRNC? What exactly does Charlie Smith stand for? For the casual follower of College Republican politics, those who simply read the headlines and look no further into them, these are questions that cannot be answered. To the average onlooker, they may even think there are three separate Charlie Smiths in our organization: the Charlie Smith who voted for Paul Gourley and was vying to be the heir to his throne, the Charlie Smith who was vowing to Unite the CRNC just weeks ago, and the Charlie Smith that now wants to bring you, Joe CR, a New CRNC by embracing reform and an agenda he once opposed. That average CR would be right, too, in thinking that three separate versions of Charlie Smith exist, because within the past six months each face of Smith has been worn publicly.
There really is no true way to tell where Charlie Smith does, in fact stand, and this is not a good place for a politician of any level to be. Fresh in American minds is the image of a flip-flopping John Kerry, a man who measured the changing winds of opinion before making his choice. In the 2005 CRNC election, Charlie Smith publicly endorsed the current Chairman of the CRNC, H. Paul Gourley, and Colorado cast its electoral votes in favor of Chairman Gourley. This past summer, and into the early fall, Smith was maneuvering to succeed the wounded Chairman in 2007 and be anointed heir to the relative dynasty that is the Establishment within the CRNC. He held at least two separate conference calls discussing the possibility of him running in place of Gourley, in order that the Opposition may not become victorious in the next go round. There was no doubt, until very recently, whose side Charlie Smith stood on.
Then came a couple of amendments, one proposed in 2005 and pulled from the floor and the other a new idea. Both involved making the elections process more accountable, and both were seen by some as a vengeful act by holdovers from the 2005 campaign. Charlie Smith signed on as a sponsor, and Charlie the Uniter was born. In the run-up to the 2006 CRNC Winter Board Meeting, held just last month in Denver, both sides bickered back and forth regarding the merits and intent of the amendments, but by December when state chairmen gathered to vote in the Rockies, both would pass with ease. Some still in the CRNC office were not happy with them, nor with Charlie for playing a role in their passage. Smith's former patrons were none too pleased with their protege, and this is why Charlie Smith did not announce his candidacy at the Board Meeting.
Now playing cowboy, and rounding up all of his straying cattle, he was on the defensive. No solid platform had been proposed, and so Ohio's Brian Siler and Brent Ludeman of Washington, two other rumored candidates, put forth an all-encompassing slate of ideas for reform, under the label of Real Reform. Nearly every supporter of Real Reform initially, and to this day, has been an unquestioned supporter of reforming the CRNC, so it was somewhat surprising to see Charlie's response to the move. Charlie Smith was so brash to welcome proponents of Real Reform to the debate, a debate that Charlie himself was more than fashionably late to. He released his own list of supporters, and it was noticeably heavy on Gourley supporters, especially for a group posing as one of reformers. What he could not admit, however, was that his letter brought no substance to the debate, but merely rhetoric.
Still portending to wish a coming together, a unification of the CRNC, Charlie Smith purchased a domain to back up his Unite the CRNC platform, which never went live (and no platform ever emerged). Shortly after this was discovered, just in the past few days, Smith shifted his focus yet again. After receiving a mere 22% of the vote in a Truth Caucus poll, he wrapped himself in a new banner: a New CRNC. Another domain was bought, and College Republicans were left wondering what this Smith guy stood for.
As a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, I am all for conversions in faith and beliefs. One of the biggest goals of College Republican organizations across the nation should be winning hearts and minds with our proven message. True conversion is something that must manifest itself in concrete actions and not mere words. So when I see politicians converting from pro-life to pro-choice, and back again, simply for the purpose of winning votes and support, it disgusts me. I have seen this same convenient conversion, still a false change, in the evolving stances of Charlie Smith.
This pandering nature is something I have noticed for some time, and have remained quiet. Everyone should be given a chance to show themselves true, and so I have allowed this chance multiple times in Charlie Smith's case. Time and time again, we have seen him change his foundations to what is currently popular, seemingly for his own benefit. Though I have not met him, Michael Davidson appears to me to be a great diviner of character. You will recall that Davidson recently met for dinner with Charlie Smith, purportedly to discuss Smith's intentions of running nationally. You will also recall that Smith was sent away for want of solid evidence of his reformer stance. If Michael Davidson did not see him as a true reformer, I remain hesitant to as well. This upcoming CRNC election is far too important to choose a new Chairman based solely upon what a man may say. No, we must follow those who have backed up their words with actions, like at least three other possible candidates have. We cannot, and must not pick a man who does not even know where he himself stands. Charlie Smith, a man of many faces, is most definitely not the man for the job.
From here on out, Red State Rampage will pull no punches, because Charlie's third change was the charm. We need leadership with clear direction, not someone who is heading down three separate paths. We need a man who will stand up and fight for his beliefs, not a man wishing to be everything to everyone. The answer to the question, then, is that no one really can know who Charlie Smith is. One thing is certain though: until he makes up his mind, we should not be trusting him to lead us.
There really is no true way to tell where Charlie Smith does, in fact stand, and this is not a good place for a politician of any level to be. Fresh in American minds is the image of a flip-flopping John Kerry, a man who measured the changing winds of opinion before making his choice. In the 2005 CRNC election, Charlie Smith publicly endorsed the current Chairman of the CRNC, H. Paul Gourley, and Colorado cast its electoral votes in favor of Chairman Gourley. This past summer, and into the early fall, Smith was maneuvering to succeed the wounded Chairman in 2007 and be anointed heir to the relative dynasty that is the Establishment within the CRNC. He held at least two separate conference calls discussing the possibility of him running in place of Gourley, in order that the Opposition may not become victorious in the next go round. There was no doubt, until very recently, whose side Charlie Smith stood on.
Then came a couple of amendments, one proposed in 2005 and pulled from the floor and the other a new idea. Both involved making the elections process more accountable, and both were seen by some as a vengeful act by holdovers from the 2005 campaign. Charlie Smith signed on as a sponsor, and Charlie the Uniter was born. In the run-up to the 2006 CRNC Winter Board Meeting, held just last month in Denver, both sides bickered back and forth regarding the merits and intent of the amendments, but by December when state chairmen gathered to vote in the Rockies, both would pass with ease. Some still in the CRNC office were not happy with them, nor with Charlie for playing a role in their passage. Smith's former patrons were none too pleased with their protege, and this is why Charlie Smith did not announce his candidacy at the Board Meeting.
Now playing cowboy, and rounding up all of his straying cattle, he was on the defensive. No solid platform had been proposed, and so Ohio's Brian Siler and Brent Ludeman of Washington, two other rumored candidates, put forth an all-encompassing slate of ideas for reform, under the label of Real Reform. Nearly every supporter of Real Reform initially, and to this day, has been an unquestioned supporter of reforming the CRNC, so it was somewhat surprising to see Charlie's response to the move. Charlie Smith was so brash to welcome proponents of Real Reform to the debate, a debate that Charlie himself was more than fashionably late to. He released his own list of supporters, and it was noticeably heavy on Gourley supporters, especially for a group posing as one of reformers. What he could not admit, however, was that his letter brought no substance to the debate, but merely rhetoric.
Still portending to wish a coming together, a unification of the CRNC, Charlie Smith purchased a domain to back up his Unite the CRNC platform, which never went live (and no platform ever emerged). Shortly after this was discovered, just in the past few days, Smith shifted his focus yet again. After receiving a mere 22% of the vote in a Truth Caucus poll, he wrapped himself in a new banner: a New CRNC. Another domain was bought, and College Republicans were left wondering what this Smith guy stood for.
As a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, I am all for conversions in faith and beliefs. One of the biggest goals of College Republican organizations across the nation should be winning hearts and minds with our proven message. True conversion is something that must manifest itself in concrete actions and not mere words. So when I see politicians converting from pro-life to pro-choice, and back again, simply for the purpose of winning votes and support, it disgusts me. I have seen this same convenient conversion, still a false change, in the evolving stances of Charlie Smith.
This pandering nature is something I have noticed for some time, and have remained quiet. Everyone should be given a chance to show themselves true, and so I have allowed this chance multiple times in Charlie Smith's case. Time and time again, we have seen him change his foundations to what is currently popular, seemingly for his own benefit. Though I have not met him, Michael Davidson appears to me to be a great diviner of character. You will recall that Davidson recently met for dinner with Charlie Smith, purportedly to discuss Smith's intentions of running nationally. You will also recall that Smith was sent away for want of solid evidence of his reformer stance. If Michael Davidson did not see him as a true reformer, I remain hesitant to as well. This upcoming CRNC election is far too important to choose a new Chairman based solely upon what a man may say. No, we must follow those who have backed up their words with actions, like at least three other possible candidates have. We cannot, and must not pick a man who does not even know where he himself stands. Charlie Smith, a man of many faces, is most definitely not the man for the job.
From here on out, Red State Rampage will pull no punches, because Charlie's third change was the charm. We need leadership with clear direction, not someone who is heading down three separate paths. We need a man who will stand up and fight for his beliefs, not a man wishing to be everything to everyone. The answer to the question, then, is that no one really can know who Charlie Smith is. One thing is certain though: until he makes up his mind, we should not be trusting him to lead us.
Decision from Derek Hall Tomorrow?
Sources say that a decision on whether to run for CRNC Chairman in 2007 may come from Kentucky's Derek Hall as early as tomorrow. Hall's name has been on the tip of many a College Republican's tongue in the past week as many wondered about the strength of the Draft Derek Hall movement. In the recent Truth Caucus poll asking which potential candidate one would support, Derek Hall came away with 42% of the vote, to the combined support of Real Reform principals Brian Siler and Brent Ludeman's 36% and Charlie Smith's 22%. Hall has always been seen as a reluctant candidate, but it appears that there is at least a decent-sized segment of grassroots College Republicans that would support his candidacy.
-In other CRNC elections news, Colorado's Charlie Smith has released a letter detailing a few of his proposals for reform within the CRNC. Smith states that his New Year's resolution for the CRNC is to bring reform to it, and several of the points he proposes mirror the platform outlined by Real Reform principals Brian Siler and Brent Ludeman, simply with slightly differed wording. If you would like to see the entire letter, please head over to Truth Caucus, where the letter is linked in its entirety.
-Finally, it appears that another Internet domain name has been purchased by the Smith Camp, and this time the website is NewCRNC, seen at www.newcnrc.org. The placeholder page that is currently posted is that of the Unite the CRNC logo from the previously purchased domains www.unitethecrnc.com and www.unitethecrnc.org. It was thought that the Unite the CRNC slogan was abandoned, but it has apparently found employ once again as a page marker. We will continue to follow the development of all domains purchased by the Smith Camp.
-In other CRNC elections news, Colorado's Charlie Smith has released a letter detailing a few of his proposals for reform within the CRNC. Smith states that his New Year's resolution for the CRNC is to bring reform to it, and several of the points he proposes mirror the platform outlined by Real Reform principals Brian Siler and Brent Ludeman, simply with slightly differed wording. If you would like to see the entire letter, please head over to Truth Caucus, where the letter is linked in its entirety.
-Finally, it appears that another Internet domain name has been purchased by the Smith Camp, and this time the website is NewCRNC, seen at www.newcnrc.org. The placeholder page that is currently posted is that of the Unite the CRNC logo from the previously purchased domains www.unitethecrnc.com and www.unitethecrnc.org. It was thought that the Unite the CRNC slogan was abandoned, but it has apparently found employ once again as a page marker. We will continue to follow the development of all domains purchased by the Smith Camp.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
New Mexico's Marshall signs on to Real Reform
New Mexico's Dusty Marshall can be added to the growing list of people endorsing Real Reform, as he is now listed on the website as a supporter of Real Reform. It appears that Blake Harris of Alabama and Charlie Smith of Colorado have now joined the Support Real Reform Facebook group, as well, but there is no word on whether the two will be making any move further than this purely ceremonial gesture. Also, in a related development, it appears that the idea of a Unity platform is dead in the water, so you can scratch the two websites I told you about yesterday. It appears that this race will now be one run on records, since everyone is supporting reform like it is going out of style. Just my opinion, but it is tough to see Brian Siler losing a race purely on record (although a pure race is impossible to imagine).
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
BREAKING: Charlie Smith buys Unite The CRNC Domain
UPDATED 12.19.06 @ 11:30 PM)
(Note: I keep hearing that this was up on Truth Caucus a month ago, and it was not. No one has talked about him buying a domain for his campaign website, or linked to it. Yes, the worst kept secret was that Smith is running on a Unite the CRNC platform, but no one has said a thing about the website yet until today. Read the linked Truth Caucus post all you want; the fact is that this has not been covered. Get over it!)
Colorado's Charlie Smith has purchased two domains for his campaign, now in disarray following the recent endorsement of Real Reform by Michael Davidson. Both are displaying page holders for Unite the CRNC, and the domains are www.unitethecrnc.com and www.unitethecrnc.com, both of which direct to Unite the CRNC. We will continue to follow this developing story, as well as the apparent endorsement of Real Reform by Michael Davidson. Details will be posted as they become available.
UPDATED (12.19.06 @ 4:30 PM)
A few observations about Charlie Smith, that I have posted before or alluded to, but not all in one place. This is not a hit job, but simply a few observations I have made over the course of the past few months.
-The letter that Charlie released with 20 supporters signed on stated that he, "thanked Brian and Brent for joining the conversation." No one really talked about this wording, and while smart on his end, it is entirely false. Brent and Brian have been involved in the Reform movement for much longer than Charlie has been. Just the facts.
-A few weeks removed from the CRNC Board Meeting, a few things are more clear. Charlie Smith was clearly gearing up to make his campaign announcement, and then he stopped short of making it formal. What happened in Denver? Well, if you connect a few dots, like CRNC officials being none too pleased with Mr. Smith, Dan Schuberth not seeking re-election as Vice-Chairman of the Maine GOP, and only four reform states joining his Unity platform, one thing is clear. His support has been in a great deal of flux, and his establishment backing is not as solid as it was just one month ago.
(Note: I keep hearing that this was up on Truth Caucus a month ago, and it was not. No one has talked about him buying a domain for his campaign website, or linked to it. Yes, the worst kept secret was that Smith is running on a Unite the CRNC platform, but no one has said a thing about the website yet until today. Read the linked Truth Caucus post all you want; the fact is that this has not been covered. Get over it!)
Colorado's Charlie Smith has purchased two domains for his campaign, now in disarray following the recent endorsement of Real Reform by Michael Davidson. Both are displaying page holders for Unite the CRNC, and the domains are www.unitethecrnc.com and www.unitethecrnc.com, both of which direct to Unite the CRNC. We will continue to follow this developing story, as well as the apparent endorsement of Real Reform by Michael Davidson. Details will be posted as they become available.
UPDATED (12.19.06 @ 4:30 PM)
A few observations about Charlie Smith, that I have posted before or alluded to, but not all in one place. This is not a hit job, but simply a few observations I have made over the course of the past few months.
-The letter that Charlie released with 20 supporters signed on stated that he, "thanked Brian and Brent for joining the conversation." No one really talked about this wording, and while smart on his end, it is entirely false. Brent and Brian have been involved in the Reform movement for much longer than Charlie has been. Just the facts.
-A few weeks removed from the CRNC Board Meeting, a few things are more clear. Charlie Smith was clearly gearing up to make his campaign announcement, and then he stopped short of making it formal. What happened in Denver? Well, if you connect a few dots, like CRNC officials being none too pleased with Mr. Smith, Dan Schuberth not seeking re-election as Vice-Chairman of the Maine GOP, and only four reform states joining his Unity platform, one thing is clear. His support has been in a great deal of flux, and his establishment backing is not as solid as it was just one month ago.
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