Russian Roulette – Part 2: GOP Puts 5 Rounds In & Begins to Squeeze Trigger

Earlier this week, I posted an article, Russian Roulette – The Death Of The PA Republican Party By Its Own Hand which, beyond garnering a lot of supportive response, has resulted in a lot of current and former county and state Republican committee people reaching out to me with additional information regarding the outright assault on Republicans by our own Party here in Pennsylvania.

It was truly disheartening to hear how so many of our own people, over the past four or so years, have been treated by the Party, mainly at the local/county level. Quite honestly, I was completely floored by some of the malicious actions taken by county GOPs and my own naivete as to their occurrence. I am the first to admit that prior to my campaign for Commonwealth Court, I was unaware of “state committee” or the outright dysfunction of many county GOPs. While I always voted, the inner workings of the Party wasn’t in my sphere and that all changed quickly – and unfortunately, not for the better – once I announced my candidacy and even more so, when I decided to run as an unendorsed candidate. Little did I know that I was about to run head on into the “dirty politics” that everyone talks about, but that few talk about in relation to the actions being taken against them by their own Party and even fewer talk about in relation to judicial campaigns. But here I am, no longer naive to it, recognizing that death is on the doorstep of the Pennsylvania Republican Party and trying my hardest to get the Party to set the gun down, after it has loaded the revolver with 5 rounds and just spun the cylinder.

Since publishing my prior article, I’ve come to learn that this is not merely an issue in Chester, Cumberland, and Montgomery counties. I’ve now come to learn that similar actions (and some even more horrendous in nature) have been taken in Armstrong, Bucks, Northampton, Washington, Westmoreland and the list goes on…It is truly a systemic problem – a cancer – within our Party that will result in the end of the Party in Pennsylvania. But perhaps there is still time – still time to get the Party to remove its finger from the trigger and set down the revolver.

Today, a phenomenal letter was posted by the Pennsylvania Patriot Coalition, which is “comprised of over one hundred Patriot groups across the state.”

The letter eloquently and accurately reviews the history of the “direct primary system,” including that in addition to Crawford, PA being its birthplace, it was devised and implemented as a “result of numerous members of the [] Party feeling disenfranchised by the convention nomination/endorsement process” and the need, for the survival of the Party, to find a process by which everyone’s voice would be heard and given equal weight. And “[s]ince that time, we have understood that the robust discussion and debate that takes place during the primary process is absolutely necessary for party unity and success” because, “[o]nly when Party members know that they have had a chance to participate and speak freely can they ultimately unite around the eventual nominee.” But, “[u]nfortunately, in recent years, we have seen growing fissures in our Party, as member seem to have forgotten the underlying purpose of the direct primary system. We have seen elected Republican chairpersons and committeepersons at the state and county levels, who have pledged not to support our Party’s presidential and gubernatorial candidates in the General election, even though they we

re successful in the Primary. And what action was taken, even though such is directly

contrary to the Pa Republican State bylaws? Nothing. But when several committeepersons elect to support an unendorsed Republican candidate in the Primary, we now have those same chairpersons and committeepersons, who did not honor their pledge to support the Republican candidates in the General, seeking to remove these committeepersons from their duly elected positions, simply because they support a different Republican candidate.”

As the letter further details, numerous members and group are talking about boycotting the upcoming and future elections, if committee persons are removed for their support of unendorsed Republican candidates in the past Primary, with many of them echoing the mantra “if they don’t want us, then they don’t need us” in relation to future elections.

The letter closes imploring Chairman Tabas to take action – “bring our Party together” by sending a letter to “all state, county, and local Republican chairpersons and committeepersons informing them that no committeeperson shall be threatened, harassed, or removed for his/her support of a particular Republican candidate in a Primary, regardless of endorsed status as it is imperative that all of our members have their voice heard and be given an equal say.” And the last sentence says it all – “The future of our Party depends on us allowing our members an unfettered voice in the Primary and having a unified voice in the General.”

So, there is hope – hope that the Party will take its finger off the trigger and put down the revolver. But will it? That is something that only time will tell but it won’t happen unless Chairman Tabas takes action. He has the power and charisma to bring everyone to the table, end these witch hunts, and unify the Party. But will he? For the sake of our Party and the Republic, I hope he will and consistent with my prior letter to him, I beg him to take action, because if he doesn’t, the future is bleak, extremely bleak for conservative values in Pennsylvania and I doubt our Republic will survive.