Back in June, RPV chairman Jeff Frederick named wealthy businessman Walter Curt the party’s finance chair. You’ll remember Curt as the guy who bankrolled the campaign of far-far-right candidate Scott Sayre against incumbent far-right Republican Sen. Emmet Hanger. Curt’s way out there on the fringe of the party, which is just where I like my Virginia Republicans. Frederick picking an ally was seen as a bad sign by (and for) centrist Republicans.
Well, Curt resigned from the RPV today, saying that the party is “dysfunctional.” He says that they’re facing an “array of seemingly intractable problems,” and cannot succeed because of “problems of structure, power projection, consultant interference, interpersonal difficulties, years of internal malaise, Luddite attitudes, leadership, and unity of purpose.” Duh.
There are two possible outcomes here. The first is that this is seen as a wake-up call, and this leads to the ouster of Frederick. The second is that Curt is branded as a squishy “RINO” who has never really supported the RPV anyway. Given that RPV has always, always, always chosen the wrong path, I think we know how this story ends.
Or perhaps Curt found that he couldn’t pull the party as far to the right as he hoped, and he gave up trying. Who knows, maybe the center-right is reasserting its power in the RPV, and far-right ideologues are none too happy about it.
It could happen. That certainly would be a good sign for the RPV.
Hm. My natural assumption was more along the lines of, “Oh man I can’t raise the money they want but I can’t be put on the hook for it so let me leave in a huff!”
I am both terrified of and amazingly curious to see the innards of the state party right now.
Also note that he resigned while praising Frederick (other than suggesting that his leadership style could be more polished.) Clearly, and contrary to your “Duh,” he sees the “problems of structure, power projection, consultant interference, interpersonal difficulties, years of internal malaise, Luddite attitudes, leadership, and unity of purpose” as coming from outside the current leadership.
Highly entertaining.
Redshift is correct, Waldo, and to imply that Curt called for Frederick’s ouster (“this is seen as a wake-up call, and this leads to the ouster of Frederick”) is beneath you.
I neither stated nor implied that Curt called for Frederick’s ouster. I said that there are two proper responses to this, and that’s one of them. Those are my conclusions. I happen to give my readers a great deal of credit, and assume that they’ll read the stories to which I link. As, clearly, both of you have.