A candidate that won’t run without you clearing the field for them is a candidate that probably shouldn’t be running at all, since they’ll probably want you to do all of the work for them come November.

If they cannot do that within their own party–working the delegates to a convention or the PCs in a caucus or the voters in a primary–how do you expect them to do it with a much larger voter pool come November?

We’re a party that believes in the benefit of free markets and competition. That should also apply things like caucuses, conventions, and primaries.

Let a thousand flowers bloom. Let the strongest survive, because the competition will make them stronger. And they shouldn’t need crutches or training wheels or strong-arms to get across such a minor early finish line.

1. Yes.
2. Recruit – yes. Getting candidates elected AFTER the primaries are held. NOT BEFORE! Primaries (and caucuses) are for the rank-and-file Republicans (and Democrats for the other side of the room) to choose the candidate they feel has the best opportunity to win against the other parties in the general election.

I would argue that it has two primary purposes:
1. Raise money (in order to)
2. Recruit and get candidates elected

“I consider it RESPONSIBLE for the party organization to look for a candidate that they like and then promote that person.”

I disagree. Party organizations like the central committee should butt out. That’s out of the “smoky backroom” days.

When there is a threat of … ok let me rephrase … an air of a threat of reprisal over how a vote will go that’s not democracy – that’s something right out of Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe. Now some of this could be still feelings leftover from the ‘08 convention. From where I sit, there seems to be this feeling of distrust between township rank-and-file GOPers and the Downtown crowd.

From my point of view, there is nothing wrong with the ‘overly obnoxious salesman’ except for the fact that it doesn’t work. If that is as far as the “arm twisting” went, then there is a lot of overblown rants going on.

I consider it RESPONSIBLE for the party organization to look for a candidate that they like and then promote that person. They should use good tactics–which is sounds like they didn’t. They should choose the best candidate that they can. I didn’t think they did–though I could have lived with Vaughn.

Also, I consider it RESPONSIBLE for a Party Chairman to try as hard as he can to fill PC positions. And just like in business, when you choose someone to work for you, you like for them to think as much like you as possible.

I agree with Josh in his above post–it seemed to me like it was well-run. People generally had a good time. I didn’t see any angry people.

I can only relate what I saw. Yes, there was a lot of Marion Co Party support for Vaughn. A whole lot. The Ballard letter was a part of that support. I am sure that Tom John wanted his appointed PCs to support Vaughn–they may have even been appointed to do so. Personally, I do not hold it against a Party organization to support a candidate. This would all be moot if motivated party folk would run for PC positions, preventing the County Chair from having the slots to appoint.

But there is a huge difference between support and “rigging”. I saw no evidence of arm twisting. I heard no threats. I didn’t see anyone pulled into dark corners. If someone saw or heard something that indicated that these activities were going on, then I would be willing to listen. But I did not see or hear anything.

I think arguing that having three polling locations making it easier to hold PC’s accountable is somewhat laughable. With 45, 30, and 24 PCs voting on paper ballots in each of the 3 locations, how do you really know who voted for whom without individual PC’s fessing up to it? I suppose they could hold Ward chairmen “accountable”.

On an area of common ground, I agree that Schneider did not need to get “better known”. First, most folk knew him fairly well before this race. Second, Scott spent a lot of phone time talking with PCs. He contacted me 4 times in addition to talking with him briefly at an event. This seemed to be his MO with all the PCs–at least those that he thought were in play.

The whole event was fun. There did not seem to be any hurt feelings in the room. There was clearly disappointment, but no rancor.