While the government and their friends in the mainstream media would like to silence the blogosphere that’s sweeping the nation with a different perspective on the news; While the movement is afoot through a variety of laws to restrict free speech on the internet; the King County Republican Party feels just as threatened by pesky truth-tellers closer to home.
To our knowledge, thus far, this news has not yet been reported elsewhere.
On Saturday, Dec. 2. The King County Republican PCOs after sheepishly re-electing its liberal leaders who led us to defeat in November, went on to pass bylaws that would subvert the will of Republican voters by giving top-down power to the executive board to place sanctions on and prevent their ELECTED PCOs to do the business they are elected to do, including preventing participation in caucuses and conventions, if the executive board deems them guilty of “Egregious, flagrant and continued violations of the Fundamental Principles of Republican Conduct that risk doing damage to the Republican Party.” No objective criteria required.
Here are the particular articles that gives them this absolute power:
19.1 Principles for Imposing Sanctions. Egregious, flagrant and continued violations of the Fundamental Principles of Republican Conduct that risk doing damage to the Republican Party may be appropriate cases for imposition of formal sanctions under this Article.
19.2 Resolution of Formal Repudiation. A Resolution of Formal Repudiation may be proposed and adopted in accord with the following procedures. (a) The Elected Officers of the Central Committee, acting as a committee, shall develop and propose the Resolution, which shall specify the activities being repudiated in sufficient detail to allow a response; (b) the proposed resolution shall be provided to the individual or organization that is the subject of the resolution, together with notice of the meeting at which the resolution shall be considered, which shall be not less than ten days from the date notice was provided, (c) the individual, or representative of organization, shall be entitled to be present at the meeting of the Executive Committee considering the resolution and shall have a full and reasonable opportunity to present his reasons in opposition to the resolution, (d) the Executive Committee shall vote on the resolution by recorded vote, and (e) passage shall require an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present and voting.
19.2.1 Any adopted Resolution of Formal Repudiation shall be communicated as the Chairman or Executive Committee shall determine.
19.3 Denial of Good Standing Status. Precinct Committee Officers and other Republican party activists may be denied the status of “good standing” by the action of the Elected Officers of the Central Committee acting as a committee pursuant to the following procedures; (a) a written complaint signed by a Precinct Committee Officer shall be presented to the Elected Officers who shall consider whether the complaint justifies further investigation, which decision shall be communicated to the complainant, (b) if so, the Elected Officers shall appoint a fact-finding committee, consisting of not less than three individuals who shall investigate the charges and make findings of fact germane to the charges, (c) the fact-finding committee shall provide the individual who is the subject of their investigation with a copy of the complaint and shall provide the individual with an opportunity to meet with them and provide evidence, (d) the factfinding committee shall engage in reasonable efforts to receive evidence from other individuals who may have relevant knowledge, (e) the fact-finding committee shall provide a written report of its conclusions to the Elected Officers, (f) a copy of the report shall be shall be provided to the individual who is the subject of the complaint, together with notice of the meeting at which the report shall be received and considered, which shall be not less than ten days from the date notice was provided, (g) the individual shall be entitled to be present when the Elected Officers meet to receive and consider the resolution and shall have a full and reasonable opportunity to present his reasons in opposition to the resolution, (h), The Elected Officers shall consider the report and by motion vote by recorded vote to determine whether the individual shall be determined to be not in good standing, (i) passage shall require an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the total number of Elected Officers.
19.3.1 Any individual found not to be in good standing with the King County Republican Central Committee shall have no further voting rights in any meeting of the Central Committee, or any of its constituent parts such as Legislative Districts and committees, shall be ineligible to hold a precinct caucus or to serve as an automatic or elected delegate to the King County Republican Convention, or any District Conventions, shall be ineligible to be elected to represent King County Republicans at any convention called by the Republican State Committee of Washington, and shall be ineligible to serve on any other committee established by or under the authority of the Central Committee.
These disabilities shall survive a subsequent election or reelection of the individual as a Precinct Committee Officer and shall last for a period of not less than two years, nor longer than six years, as determined by the resolution of the Elected Officers, and whichmay be reduced by subsequent action of a majority of the Elected Officers.
Why does this matter? These bylaws give absolute power to a small number of individuals (the executive board) to override the election (and even reelection) of PCOs and/or convention delegates whom they deem guilty of “Egregious, flagrant and continued violations of the Fundamental Principles of Republican Conduct that risk doing damage to the Republican Party.” Without an objective criteria, PCOs stand the chance to be judged based on a subjective criteria of the executive board. This is very similiar to the former policy of the Washington State Republican Party Pre-Primary Censorship Agreement. Candidates running in Repubilcan primary elections were told they had to sign an agreement to not criticize their fellow Republican (including their primary opponent) with penalty of expensive fines, or else not receive access to party events and support. After a grassroots outcry, the WSRP killed it. It seems now that corpse has been exhumed to come after any Republican who dares to criticize party leaders.
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