GOP cat fight

Below is the moaning and groaning of Lynn Mitchell (swacgirl) and Anne T. Augusta/Staunon rightwingers and activists in the local GOP about what will happen when Hanger wins their primary. Sorry for putting all this GOPBS on a good Democratic blog, but it is best that we understand the warped minds who oppose us and the American Dream.

The first post is Lynn.

Hanger wants to purge local GOP if elected
The 24th District race has become contentious, led by comments coming from our sitting state senator who is in the race of his life. In an interview with the News Leader editorial board, he says if he wins he will "help the traditional base of the area's GOP regain control of local party leadership positions."

"Traditional base"? Who, Sen. Hanger, might that be? Those of us in leadership (and thanks, by the way, for the wonderful support by publicly airing your thoughts about us, especially after Kurt Michael has publicly said to the News Leader and others that no matter who wins this Primary we will all swing behind that candidate and unite) have worked hard the past eight years to build this party when there was barely anything in place. Where has your "traditional base" been during that time? And why are you threatening to remove us from our positions? Because we're not originally from this area?

Locally we have won for our candidates ... George Allen, Jerry Kilgore ... but they lost at the state level particularly Northern Virginia.

In Staunton, after Chairman Anne Taetzsch took over the Staunton GOP (before her watch they had lost the previous two elections to dems - Kilgore and city council), she worked hard with her volunteers and won Staunton for George Allen in 2006.

Truncated...... here was a laundry list of all they do...... check it out at
http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2007/06/hanger-unappreciative-of-his-grassroots.html

Anne Taetzsch said...
Thank you so much for this post. We work very hard for our party. I am shocked by Hanger's attitude. Thank you for alerting me to this, I had no idea that he was preparing to oust me because I didn't support him. Your post was great because you point out all that we do.

I've been hearing labels such as "extremists" and "far right wing".
Why is this? Is it because I am pro-life? Is it because I am pro-family? Is it because I would like to see less government involvement; ie go back to the principle of government for the people and by the people.

It seems as though our politicians get caught up in the world of being a politician and they forget the little people back home. Hanger has had 12 years to represent us and in that time instituted the largest tax increase in VA history. Maybe the Senator is flush with money, but I certainly am not!

It appears to me as though Senator Hanger is trying to divide the party. All of the chairs had pledged to support him if he wins, but I see that promise is not reciprocated. This is quite along the lines of a Huey Long approach to government. I thought those days were long gone.

I guess the biggest problem is that we are not part of the "system". B/c I'm 3rd generation American, not 6th generation Augusta County, my voice is diluted and somehow I am not to be given the respect due to others (at least according to Emmett's logic via his comments to the editorial board).

Lynn, we the grassroots, do this for one reason, because we love our party. This is the most thankless job I've ever encountered. We work a second full time job to get these guys elected, they go to Richmond or Washington, and every once in awhile we may get a cursory invitation to attend a $50 a plate fund raiser.

Yet we still do it anyway. Why? Because our government is the most important aspect of our lives and we MUST work to keep the process pure. God forbid a Hugo Chavez gets in charge and the electorate just sits back and apathetically watches until one day they realize--oh-oh--we've lost our freedoms.

Keep working hard my Den Mother and I will continue to work by your side. We have a fantastic team in Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County. I am proud to be a part of it!

9:46 AM
SWAC Girl said...
Anne, very well said. Emmett Hanger seems to be dividing us into "from-heres" and "come-heres."

Has he forgotten George Allen is from California and Bob Goodlatte is from Massachusetts?

I'm 6th generation Virginian but, according to the senator, it's the wrong part of Virginia (Chesterfield).

Can he represent all the people with that attitude? This area is growing with new folks moving in daily. Are we to not be involved in politics or run for public office because we're not from here?

Here is my response that swacgirl will probably never allow on her blog

Get a grip ladies. You are trying to purge Senator Hanger and he shouldn't want to purge you? Give me a break. Get a grip on reality. You should want to resign when he wins tomorrow.

You claim to be "grassroots." Well, most of Hanger's supporters can make the same exact claim. They are the traditonal base, the so-called mountain-valley Republicans that held your party together thru the lean years (Civil War to 1969) and finally elected Holton (Gov. Kaine's father in law), Dalton, and other moderate (more so than the S. Dems in those days) Reps to office and finally captured the General Assembly too. Your rightwing, holier than thou brand of Republicanism came along later and hijacked the party.

Anne, you say you do this thankless job "for your party." Ugh. We Democrats do our hard work (all the things swac listed) for our COUNTRY.

I do agree on one thing..... where you were born and how many generations your family has been here shouldn't mean squat. I'm a multi-generational Virginian but have only lived in the Valley since the 1960s.... hence not good enough.
Well, all this typing for nothing because swacgirl will never let it in. Maybe I'll cross-post on another blog.

See ya at the crying game tomorrow night.....