I took part in my first PCO Revolution phone bank event yesterday, and wow, these guys are great. (Full disclosure: I run a little tech consulting operation that provides database and mailing support services for many Republican liberty style campaigns, including PCO Revolution.) They are all passionate volunteers working to restore the power to the grassroots by informing regular citizen voters of their duty to run for Precinct Committee Officer.
What shocked me most was the bipartisan support. Our lists included both Democrats and Republicans. One lady I called started talking about the horrible experience she had at the 2012 King county convention. She started telling me how the ladies at the credentials table refused to seat her as a delegate because she didn’t support the nominee and tote the party line. She said they wanted the appearance of unity, even though a small number of delegates disagreed. That sounded almost identical to my experience at the King County Republican Party convention. My credential paperwork was “lost”, and I had to prove I was a delegate eligible to attend. Luckily I knew who had my original caucus paperwork, and I was able to take a taxi to pick it up, but not everyone was so fortunate.
The thing that really stands out about this story is who was keeping her out of the convention. She told me the lady at the table was wearing a Obama button. So, it isn’t just the Republican party playing games with their caucuses and conventions to keep the voters from having a say. Both parties play this game, and it is only natural.
Many involved with PCO Revolution think we need to completely remove the Establishment party leadership. I’d tend to agree with them. However, the question is, who do we replace them with? I don’t have any idea.
I know Lori Sotelo, current KCGOP chair, has done many horrible things that have been damaging to the liberty movement and the Republican party. But, I don’t think she is the only one to blame. The current PCOs have consented to and encouraged this behavior. The party rules effectively expect it from her.
Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men. — John Dalberg-Acton 1887
I think that quote holds true here. Do we need to remove the current chair? Possibly, if there is a replacement who can do a better job than she. I have yet to see anyone in the Liberty movement step up as a real contender. It looks like there may be a candidate positioning himself for chair in the Tea Party. But even then, what is to stop a Liberty or Tea Party chair from doing exactly the same thing? I won’t stand for that.
This is why I volunteered to phone bank for PCO Revolution. I want to return the power in our political parties to the grassroots. Once the power is returned to the PCOs and Districts, what our chairperson does will matter much less. That is why I need you to Declare Candidacy as a Precinct Committee Officer today. We need a strong, stable grassroots base to build our political parties on for 2016. I think the leadership is realizing their time with unlimited, unrestricted power is coming to an end. The King County Republican party is even openly recruiting candidates for Precinct Committee Officer.