With complete disregard for equality and free-market conservative principles, the Washington State central committee voted again to impose affirmative action on the State Executive Board.
After an amendment had been proposed to repeal the requirement of opposing sexes to be elected to the E-board, Kirby Wilber asked if there was anyone who wished to speak in opposition to the amendment. After a moment of silence and no one approaching the microphone, Republican National Committeeman Jeff Kent stood up and walked down off the platform and out to the microphone. Jeff’s message to the central committee, “let’s not try to do too much at once.” He seemed to be telling people not to rock the boat, and to fear change.
This particular issue aside, the sentiments of Mr. Kent’s appear to be at the root of the problem in the Republican party, go along to get along, don’t rock the boat, if it is sinking remain calm and pray for help instead of doing something about it. The Republican party does not seem to stand for anything. Certainly, there is a lot of rhetoric but not a lot of action.
At one point the Republican party had “abolishing of the Federal Department of Education” on its platform. Now the party leadership is made up of people like Bush and Newt Gingrich, one of whom doubled the size of the Department of Education and the other helped create it. Every battle lost is later embraced and protected as the status quo, though sometimes lip service is given to provide the illusion of some principles or values.
The only thing the leadership seems to care about is winning, if that means ignoring the platform, apparently that's okay. In fact, if you are a real conservative in Washington State, you generally can’t even get the support of the party. The political strategy is to go for the middle and move away from conservatives. We continue to find more and more liberal candidates blurring the line of Democrat and Republican, all the while preaching conservative talking points and claiming extreme differences. Most important to note, we are not winning, just shrinking, the strategy is failing.
But let’s get back to the issue of affirmative action in the Republican party. Indeed, Republicans fear what the public would say if they removed something that appeared to be a protection of women’s rights, in particular with the “war on women.” But another way to look at this might be, currently as written; the rules prevent hermaphrodites from being allowed to serve on the E-board at all. In fact, the Washington State law RCW 29A.80.030 discriminates against hermaphrodites regarding the chair and vice chair, although those laws are no longer constitutionally valid after we adopted the top two systems. We are now only constrained by our inability to formulate our message and instead allow the media and Democrats to say what we stand for.
While it is unlikely, for the sake of argument and “equality,” let’s look at a few scenarios.
1. In a county that has two hermaphrodite, two woman, and 100 men, regardless of skills, time and interest, the hermaphrodites cannot serve, and both women must serve in the positions of State committee women and either chair or vice-chair? And then the state committeewomen may end up having to be on the E-board regardless of her desire or ability to serve.
2. What are we suppose to do in a small county where there are only 10 or 15 PCO’s, and they are all of the same sex? How then do you have a State committee women and man? How do you have a chair and vice chair of opposite sexes?
While we are talking about institutionalized inequality and irrational rules meant to appear aesthetically pleasing to the overly emotional populist, let us ask why there is no rule to have one of the positions reserved for a minority.
One solution that would solve all of these problems, (except the State law, though it is likely unconstitutional after the adoption of the top two primary law which effectively made state parties private entities with no role in state elections) would be a change of the bylaws to prevent executive board members from serving in a dual capacity on the State Committee. Instead of affording the respected PCO’s that live in the district to be represented, the right to vote amongst themselves for two qualified representatives of interest. (none of our three members wanted to be on the E-board) The makeup of the central committee and the E-board are numerically molded off the US Senate and House. We don’t let our Senators vote in the House of Representatives, why would we allow our central committee to vote on the E-board?
The most obvious solution would be just to repeal the arcane language intended to be emotionally appealing to those who falsely seek equality. Instead just allow for the most qualified representatives of interest to see the positions within the Private Party.
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