Voice For Liberty

Sedgwick County Republicans, Not All United

Bob Weeks

in

I received this from a Republican activist who isn’t pleased with the process that took place last Thursday, when the Sedgwick County Republican Party met to select new officers. As a committeeman, I was there and took part in the process. As a new committeeman, attending my first of these meetings, I mostly kept my mouth shut. The official party line is that it’s great that all candidates for party office were elected by acclamation. I would have preferred, however, to see some choice. Unity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Perhaps it is my naivete that makes me believe that in order to have a truly “successful” election that there must first be more than one candidate on the ballot. Throughout history, a country in which leaders are selected in back rooms and then presented to the voting public as a slate was ultimately ruled as a dictatorship. Cuba, Lybia, Argentina, Venezuela, and many communistic countries have “elections” at which, not unlike ours of Thursday, the singular choice for a position was made by an elite few and any further nominations or candidates were strongly discouraged. Fortunately in America we do not discourage at gunpoint as of yet. But any discouragement of candidates interested in seeking out an office is still a gross manipulation of a supposedly free and honest nation.

As a political party our charter should be to encourage new leaders. To help those who have never sought any office feel like they have support and assistance in taking that nerve wrecking step into public life. It is not for a few to horde as many offices as possible nor to pass around the positions amongst a few. Those few who have successfully held positions should be encouraged to reach for higher positions, or at the least, be the mentors to those with the desires but maybe not the developed skills. To guide and aid them into their new positions but not to do the job for them.

Hand picking leadership is as old as ancient civilizations but we must forever be mindful that whenever we forego our voting privileges to a slate we are giving up some of the liberties our own forefather’s fought and died for. Remember that their sacrifice was so that we may each have the opportunities to hold office and have a say in our government, no matter what our socio-economic origins are.

Comments

4 responses to “Sedgwick County Republicans, Not All United”

  1. Joe Williams

    The Republicans are split. But that’s because there is at least, three different factions in the State and Local Republican Party.

    I ran for office and was greatly discourage by the Republican Party to run, because I was running in the primary against another one. But I knew I was the better candidate and told the Republican Party they would lose that seat to a Democrat if I didn’t get elected.

    So, the Republican Party did what they can to defeat me (including Bob Knight who was running for Governor.)

    Well, the incumbent won, only to lose her seat in the next general election. Such as life.

    I really want to be very active politically, but I’m just not in tune with the Republicans anymore. That is why I’m switching back to the Libertarian Party again.

    The bad thing about the Libertarian Party is that they are very disorganizes, unprofessional (in campaign sense) and the same merry band of die hard Libertarians run in elections just to get ballot access percentages.

    Ballot access is great, that is why I always vote for the Libertarians. But if the LP wants to get really serious and to get Libertarians elected in office, they are going to have to change.

    I have some ideas and I’m very willing to implement them and to get the Libertarian Party into a viable Political Party in our elected process, but the Libertarians, here locally, is going to have to open their minds.

  2. Lynda Tyler

    Joe,
    Please, come visit the Wichita Pachyderm Club that meets every Friday at noon currently at the Whiskey Creek Steakhouse in old town. I think you will find the current club leadership more to your liking.

    Lynda

  3. Charles

    Bob, being new to the process is not a good reason to keep from asking questions or voicing your opinions about the local party election process. Joe, leaving the party is also not a good reason for not fighting for the principles which founded the Republican party. You, both, show the reasons why these so-called Republicans are able to run the show the way that they want. There is no party discipline or ideology. There are just some petty, gossipy, power-hungry individuals that given a little title makes them feel important. These opportunists exist only because many qualified people become frustrated and don’t express their opinions or walk away. Stay in there and fight Democrats have the same problems.

  4. Joe Williams

    I wish I could, but I’m still not convinced of the local Republican leadership.

    Yeah, there are some good Republicans out there. But so long as the local, State and National Republican Party keeps hammering on Moral Issues, they will continue to move more out-of-touch to common people.

    The Democrats (on a national level) will move to solidify their political dominance and power for a generation and beyond. The Republicans are setting themselves up to be thrown into the political wilderness again.

    Will the Republicans be willing to drop the Abortion Issue as their strongest plank of their platform? Will the Republicans drop the fight against pron shops? Will the Republicans drop the Evangelical agenda?

    Look, I understand that these sub-culture groups are very politically active and donate large sums of campaign cash, but Moral Issues have very little to do with good governance, in fact, is contradictory to the principles of individual liberties and freedom. Elected officials need only to focus on managing public affairs.

    Legislating on the basis of a philosophy that government provide the force authority over the general public on what is morally right and the rest is wrong is not the direction for which we need to base political policy in. It is not good governance. These are the governmental stance of dictatorships and theocracies, for which area always a publicly failed system.

    Many in the Republican Party are taking the wrong direction.

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