Many of our local GOP members, and many Republicans around the state, received an email recently from former NCGOP Chair, Frank Rouse, which has created a bit of confusion. The Buncombe County Republican Party welcomes and encourages honest dialog and debate, and in that spirit, we respond to items mentioned in Mr. Rouse’s email message.
Mr. Rouse first mentions an article from the Asheville Citizen-Times, which our Chairman, and candidate for NCGOP Vice Chairman, posted to his facebook page. First, we should point out that we take no issue with what any member of our party chooses to post on their personal facebook page or other website. We respect the free expression of all of our members, and that includes our Chairman.
The reason we bring it up at all is because Mr. Rouse’s email seemed to imply that Chairman Johnson had actually written the article, when in fact it was written by a Leroy Goldman and merely reposted on facebook. Chairman Johnson often posts, emails, or discusses articles of interest to Republicans, especially issues that are printed locally. Many of our members appreciate this effort.
The second item in Mr. Rouse’s email is a reference to a recent post on our website: BCGOP Executive Committee Endorsements for NCGOP Leadership. Some have suggested that (1) this indicates that Chairman Johnson endorses Chad Adams or that they are somehow campaigning as a team, or that (2) Chairman Johnson pushed our Executive Committee into endorsing himself and Chad Adams.
This is not the case. Dr. Johnson has not endorsed any candidate for NCGOP Chairman and did not vote for or advocate for any individual when we voted to endorse Chad Adams. Chairman Johnson also did not in any way push our Executive Committee into endorsing any candidates. The motion was brought forward by our 2nd Vice Chairman. Chairman Johnson did not participate in the vote and said very little even when asked if he wanted to make a statement. The overwhelming majority of our committee enthusiastically supports Chad Adams and Timothy Johnson and felt compelled to publicly express that support.
The last item is a mention by Mr. Rouse of the “Liberty Tree”, by which we assume he meant to say the “Liberty Club”. No specific comment was made other than a link to the Liberty Club’s ning site and what we take to be a negative remark: “You are on your own, on this one.”
The Liberty Club is a new club which was added during our 2009 Convention by a near-unanimous vote of our delegates. The club is made up of local Republicans who are dedicated to issues of liberty, which is a major component of our Republican Principles. We are proud to be a leader in North Carolina in terms of the number of active Republican Clubs which meet regularly to discuss and take action on items that interest them.
Looking at our photo above, taken at a recent Executive Committee meeting, you can see the diversity in our party, which reflects our stated Republican Principles with respect to race, creed, sex, age or disability. What is less apparent from our photo, but very obvious from our Club page and at our events, is the tremendous diversity of thought and backgrounds in our organization. We have one common thread that unites us all, and that is our support for the Republican Principles, which we read at the beginning of every meeting.
We are very proud of our local party: its leadership, clubs, members, and supporters. We are proud of what we have accomplished with respect to increasing our numbers, increasing club participation, increasing diversity, and leading the state in our effective use of technology. We welcome all those who support our principles to join us and talk with us honestly and openly. We may not always agree with one another, but we remain one party committed to our principles which we believe will guide our country, our state, and our local community toward a better future.
[Photo by Max Cooper. Click the photo for a larger view.]
