Los Angeles Republican Party Wins Lawsuit Against Ron Paul Supporters

Posted on | May 27, 2010 | 35 Comments

Taking over a county-level Republican Party isn’t really that hard. In most places, if you’ve got a core group of five or six smart organizer/activists who really know what they’re doing, you can oust the incumbent party leadership within a year.

Since 2008, supporters of Ron Paul have done this in many counties, and there are a few states where Paul supporters (and their sympathizers) constitute a real threat to the GOP status quo. Paulistas were among the leaders of the Utah coup against Bob Bennett, for example — and good on ’em for that.

However, there are always those who seem to think that the ends justify the means, and in Los Angeles County, California, this resulted in some disgruntled Paulistas forming a “shadow party” and filing suit against the existing county GOP leadership, claiming that the leadership had been unlawfully elected. My friend Joe Fein at Valley of the Shadow had posted about this earlier, and today informed me that the “shadow party” lawsuit had been dismissed, as LA Republican Alex Burrola reports at the Flash Report:

Now, less than two weeks out from the California primary, we hope that all Republicans in Los Angeles County can unite and pull together for victory in November. Jane Barnett and her leadership are committed to welcoming all Republicans – including those who may have been led astray by the blandishments of the shadow RPLAC – into the fold to register voters, raise much-needed funds, and support our party’s nominees in the summer and fall in what promises to be a game-changing and exciting election cycle.
It is truly unfortunate that so much effort of the leadership of the largest county Republican organization in the United States was devoted to responding to the sour grapes behavior of Robert Vaughn’s group. Hopefully, Judge Solner’s unequivocal decision and his awarding of fees and costs to the duly elected party leadership will send the right message to malcontents in other county committees, and encourage them to consider working within the existing framework and engaging in productive conduct to grow the party, not selfish behavior that can only harm our chances at the polls. . . .

Please read the rest of that, which should be required reading for anyone else who thinks they can sue their way to power. More generally, while I am very much a critic of the GOP Establishment, I consider it better to be in a position to exercise some minor influence than to alienate everybody and marginalize myself by being a complete douchebag. Remember Rule 6.

Once more, thanks to Joe at Valley of the Shadow for the tip.

Category: California, Republicans, Rule 6, Valley of the Shadow

Comments

35 Responses to “Los Angeles Republican Party Wins Lawsuit Against Ron Paul Supporters”

AngelaTC
May 27th, 2010 @ 8:15 pm

Heh. The story I heard was certainly a little different than what he’s telling, that’s for sure.

The one I heard started out with Barnett and Vaughn losing an election and then refusing to hand over the party. http://precincts.ning.com/profiles/blogs/la-gop-threatened .

Losing elections seems to be something the establishment LA GOP is quite adept at.
AngelaTC
May 27th, 2010 @ 3:15 pm

Heh. The story I heard was certainly a little different than what he’s telling, that’s for sure.

The one I heard started out with Barnett and Vaughn losing an election and then refusing to hand over the party. http://precincts.ning.com/profiles/blogs/la-gop-threatened .

Losing elections seems to be something the establishment LA GOP is quite adept at.
RJ
May 27th, 2010 @ 8:24 pm

What the Jacobins, eh, Paul supporters are doing to the Party around the US is hurting our November chances for gaining back the Legislative branch.
RJ
May 27th, 2010 @ 3:24 pm

What the Jacobins, eh, Paul supporters are doing to the Party around the US is hurting our November chances for gaining back the Legislative branch.
AngelaTC
May 27th, 2010 @ 8:31 pm

@RJ: I’m sorry – which branch of the GOP lost it to begin with, again?
AngelaTC
May 27th, 2010 @ 3:31 pm

@RJ: I’m sorry – which branch of the GOP lost it to begin with, again?
Robert Stacy McCain
May 27th, 2010 @ 8:34 pm

“The story I heard was certainly a little different than what he’s telling, that’s for sure.”

Certainly my familiarity with the background is minimal, and I hope I haven’t accidentally misrepresented anything.

That the California GOP has declined into near-irrelevance is inarguable. It mainly goes back to 1994 when Arianna Huffington decided her congressman husband should be Senator, talked him into buying the nomination, and then tried to micromanage his campaign personally, with disastrous results.

Dianne Feinstein could have been defeated had it not been for the bungling of Arianna Huffington. She subsequently blamed conservatives for her husband’s defeat, which was the beginning of her drift from phony conservative to phony liberal.

If Arianna is consistent in nothing else, she has been consistently phony — she is to genuine human beings what Naugahide is to leather, or what olestra is to shortening.
Robert Stacy McCain
May 27th, 2010 @ 3:34 pm

“The story I heard was certainly a little different than what he’s telling, that’s for sure.”

Certainly my familiarity with the background is minimal, and I hope I haven’t accidentally misrepresented anything.

That the California GOP has declined into near-irrelevance is inarguable. It mainly goes back to 1994 when Arianna Huffington decided her congressman husband should be Senator, talked him into buying the nomination, and then tried to micromanage his campaign personally, with disastrous results.

Dianne Feinstein could have been defeated had it not been for the bungling of Arianna Huffington. She subsequently blamed conservatives for her husband’s defeat, which was the beginning of her drift from phony conservative to phony liberal.

If Arianna is consistent in nothing else, she has been consistently phony — she is to genuine human beings what Naugahide is to leather, or what olestra is to shortening.
Robert Stacy McCain
May 27th, 2010 @ 8:47 pm

@RJ: I’m sorry – which branch of the GOP lost it to begin with, again?

OK, Angela, there is no need to fight the neo/paleo/libertarian quarrel to its bloody conclusion here and now. The entire point I was trying to make is that there are limits to how far political infighting should be carried.

The GOP Establishment needs to stop its goddamned self-dealing and cronyism. The insurgents need to understand that (a) the ideal time to mount a challenge is not in the middle of a crucial mid-term election year, and (b) there are some tactics that are self-destructive.
Robert Stacy McCain
May 27th, 2010 @ 3:47 pm

@RJ: I’m sorry – which branch of the GOP lost it to begin with, again?

OK, Angela, there is no need to fight the neo/paleo/libertarian quarrel to its bloody conclusion here and now. The entire point I was trying to make is that there are limits to how far political infighting should be carried.

The GOP Establishment needs to stop its goddamned self-dealing and cronyism. The insurgents need to understand that (a) the ideal time to mount a challenge is not in the middle of a crucial mid-term election year, and (b) there are some tactics that are self-destructive.
Dan
May 27th, 2010 @ 9:02 pm

RSM, I disagree, this IS the crucial time to mount a challenge to the GOP establishment because they are the ones who will destroy any chances at seeing real citizen tea party style leadership come to fruition. They will support the same partisan hack sellouts like Carly Fiorina instead of Chuck DeVore. I won’t vote for Fiorina in the general election, PERIOD, and there are a lot of other conservatives like me who are sick of supporting RINOs.
Dan
May 27th, 2010 @ 4:02 pm

RSM, I disagree, this IS the crucial time to mount a challenge to the GOP establishment because they are the ones who will destroy any chances at seeing real citizen tea party style leadership come to fruition. They will support the same partisan hack sellouts like Carly Fiorina instead of Chuck DeVore. I won’t vote for Fiorina in the general election, PERIOD, and there are a lot of other conservatives like me who are sick of supporting RINOs.
Estragon
May 27th, 2010 @ 9:23 pm

It is one thing to challenge the ensconced establishment of the party, but quite another to throw in with Paulbots to do so.

These people are nucking futz – which is why they regularly attract about 0.5% of the national vote (or about one-eighth of the margin of error in a typical opinion poll).

Lay down with dogs, wake up with fleas, I don’t want to sit with you.
Estragon
May 27th, 2010 @ 4:23 pm

It is one thing to challenge the ensconced establishment of the party, but quite another to throw in with Paulbots to do so.

These people are nucking futz – which is why they regularly attract about 0.5% of the national vote (or about one-eighth of the margin of error in a typical opinion poll).

Lay down with dogs, wake up with fleas, I don’t want to sit with you.
count vikula
May 27th, 2010 @ 10:01 pm

So Estragon, tell us how you really feel LOL
count vikula
May 27th, 2010 @ 5:01 pm

So Estragon, tell us how you really feel LOL
AngelaTC
May 27th, 2010 @ 10:03 pm

If you check the link, it seems that Vaughn and Barnett lost their seats during a regularly scheduled election. They’re the ones who weren’t playing by the rules and bullied their way back into “their” chairs. That was my original point.

DSM is right. The TEA Party aligns far more closely with the paleo side than the social conservative loser establishment hacks, and if we think that establishment is going to gracefully step aside and let us return to our conservative roots, we’re apparently being fairly naive.
AngelaTC
May 27th, 2010 @ 5:03 pm

If you check the link, it seems that Vaughn and Barnett lost their seats during a regularly scheduled election. They’re the ones who weren’t playing by the rules and bullied their way back into “their” chairs. That was my original point.

DSM is right. The TEA Party aligns far more closely with the paleo side than the social conservative loser establishment hacks, and if we think that establishment is going to gracefully step aside and let us return to our conservative roots, we’re apparently being fairly naive.
Nadorn
May 27th, 2010 @ 10:10 pm

@Estragon:

Paul actually regularly polls these days at around 10% for 2012, and that’s a lot more than Nader ever got. So be careful next time you go down to the grocery store, one out of ten voting citizens might be crazy! Actually, better yet, just lock yourself in a steel cage for the rest of your life. Then they’ll never get you.
Nadorn
May 27th, 2010 @ 5:10 pm

@Estragon:

Paul actually regularly polls these days at around 10% for 2012, and that’s a lot more than Nader ever got. So be careful next time you go down to the grocery store, one out of ten voting citizens might be crazy! Actually, better yet, just lock yourself in a steel cage for the rest of your life. Then they’ll never get you.
Robert Stacy McCain
May 27th, 2010 @ 10:15 pm

RSM, I disagree, this IS the crucial time to mount a challenge to the GOP establishment because they are the ones who will destroy any chances at seeing real citizen tea party style leadership come to fruition.

Fine. Win the primary, then. But if you don’t win the primary, whose fault is that?

Go back and look at February 2008, when I wanted Romney to fight John McCain all the way to the convention. ANYBODY but McCain! But because so many Christian conservatives backed that useful idiot, Mike Huckabee (and some other idiots actually thought Rudy Giuliani had a chance) the opposition to Crazy Cousin John was divided, enabling him to win the nomination with 47% of the total primary vote.

Who was to blame for that? REPUBLICANS, that’s who! If you voted for Huckabee or Giuliani in any primary before Feb. 8, 2008, you were in effect working to nominate John McCain. And I warned from the outset that he would lose the general election.

Oh, but by God, I remember that day at CPAC when John Boy and his McCainiacs came marching into the Omni Shoreham like Darth Vader with his escort of storm troopers — The Grand Army of Guaranteed Losers!

John McCain should never have even mounted a primary campaign for the nomination in 2008. Never. And anyone who disagrees simply doesn’t understand how to achieve political victory.

The problem with the GOP Establishment isn’t that they’re a bunch of arrogant opportunistic unprincipled elitist know-it-alls — although they certainly are that — the problem is that they’re losers.
Robert Stacy McCain
May 27th, 2010 @ 5:15 pm

RSM, I disagree, this IS the crucial time to mount a challenge to the GOP establishment because they are the ones who will destroy any chances at seeing real citizen tea party style leadership come to fruition.

Fine. Win the primary, then. But if you don’t win the primary, whose fault is that?

Go back and look at February 2008, when I wanted Romney to fight John McCain all the way to the convention. ANYBODY but McCain! But because so many Christian conservatives backed that useful idiot, Mike Huckabee (and some other idiots actually thought Rudy Giuliani had a chance) the opposition to Crazy Cousin John was divided, enabling him to win the nomination with 47% of the total primary vote.

Who was to blame for that? REPUBLICANS, that’s who! If you voted for Huckabee or Giuliani in any primary before Feb. 8, 2008, you were in effect working to nominate John McCain. And I warned from the outset that he would lose the general election.

Oh, but by God, I remember that day at CPAC when John Boy and his McCainiacs came marching into the Omni Shoreham like Darth Vader with his escort of storm troopers — The Grand Army of Guaranteed Losers!

John McCain should never have even mounted a primary campaign for the nomination in 2008. Never. And anyone who disagrees simply doesn’t understand how to achieve political victory.

The problem with the GOP Establishment isn’t that they’re a bunch of arrogant opportunistic unprincipled elitist know-it-alls — although they certainly are that — the problem is that they’re losers.
AngelaTC
May 27th, 2010 @ 10:29 pm

“The problem with the GOP Establishment isn’t that they’re a bunch of arrogant opportunistic unprincipled elitist know-it-alls — although they certainly are that — the problem is that they’re losers”

I’ll give you that. It looks like the LA GOP has Star Parker as their candidate. Lets hope they don’t screw that up.
AngelaTC
May 27th, 2010 @ 5:29 pm

“The problem with the GOP Establishment isn’t that they’re a bunch of arrogant opportunistic unprincipled elitist know-it-alls — although they certainly are that — the problem is that they’re losers”

I’ll give you that. It looks like the LA GOP has Star Parker as their candidate. Lets hope they don’t screw that up.
Dave Nalle
May 28th, 2010 @ 3:38 am

There’s a significant difference between a “paulbot” and a Liberty Republican who may happen to support Ron Paul. There are some people who are carried away with the excitement of the Ron Paul insurgency and want massive change instantly and shoot themselves in the foot to get it. But there are lots of others who are willing to work with the party through groups like the RLC to form alliances and move the party towards liberty inexorably and much more effectively.

Dave
http://www.rlc.org
Dave Nalle
May 27th, 2010 @ 10:38 pm

There’s a significant difference between a “paulbot” and a Liberty Republican who may happen to support Ron Paul. There are some people who are carried away with the excitement of the Ron Paul insurgency and want massive change instantly and shoot themselves in the foot to get it. But there are lots of others who are willing to work with the party through groups like the RLC to form alliances and move the party towards liberty inexorably and much more effectively.

Dave
http://www.rlc.org
Reptoid
May 28th, 2010 @ 5:05 am

Just as the Judge was about to decide in favor of the Libertarians, he was suddenly blinded by the glint off of their tinfoil hats and came to his senses….
Reptoid
May 28th, 2010 @ 12:05 am

Just as the Judge was about to decide in favor of the Libertarians, he was suddenly blinded by the glint off of their tinfoil hats and came to his senses….
ak4mc
May 28th, 2010 @ 11:19 am

I’ve always been more of a “chips fall where they may” kind of guy. If some group is as bad as its detractors say they are, they’ll prove it themselves by their deeds far more effectively than the detractors can by their rhetoric. That is, after all, what’s happening to the Obama-Pelosi-Reid axis despite the relative quiet of a GOP establishment paralyzed by fear of being called (GASP!~) racist.
ak4mc
May 28th, 2010 @ 6:19 am

I’ve always been more of a “chips fall where they may” kind of guy. If some group is as bad as its detractors say they are, they’ll prove it themselves by their deeds far more effectively than the detractors can by their rhetoric. That is, after all, what’s happening to the Obama-Pelosi-Reid axis despite the relative quiet of a GOP establishment paralyzed by fear of being called (GASP!~) racist.
Bill S.
May 28th, 2010 @ 11:37 am

Dave, I like what I’ve been hearing from Ron Paul lately. I was a member of the GOP as soon as I could vote. I left the GOP six years ago because I got fed-up with “politics as usual”. I am now registered with the Constitution First Party.

When McCain was running in the primaries, I was trying to help by voting in the Other Party, choosing a candidate least likely to win. Of course, that was the only time I’ve tried that, and being in Massachusetts I should have known better.

Will I return to the GOP? Maybe, if they manage to stop looking so much like the whack-job Democrats.
Bill S.
May 28th, 2010 @ 6:37 am

Dave, I like what I’ve been hearing from Ron Paul lately. I was a member of the GOP as soon as I could vote. I left the GOP six years ago because I got fed-up with “politics as usual”. I am now registered with the Constitution First Party.

When McCain was running in the primaries, I was trying to help by voting in the Other Party, choosing a candidate least likely to win. Of course, that was the only time I’ve tried that, and being in Massachusetts I should have known better.

Will I return to the GOP? Maybe, if they manage to stop looking so much like the whack-job Democrats.
Rae
May 28th, 2010 @ 3:58 pm

Ron Paul. Yeah, what a kook, introducing a bill to repeal Barry’s Big Medical System. What kind of conservative is he anyhow?:

Ron Paul Introduces the Private Option Health Care Act
http://www.ronpaul.com/2010-05-27/ron-paul-introduces-the-private-option-health-care-act/

Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Private Option Health Care Act. This bill places individuals back in control of health care by replacing the recently passed tax-spend-and-regulate health care law with reforms designed to restore a free market health care system.

With Just Six Words, Ron Paul Can Box in the Republican Establishment in November
http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north848.html

The Republican Party voted unanimously to oppose it. Most of them did this for low-risk grandstanding reasons. Had George W. Bush proposed the bill, they would have voted for it, just as they voted for his prescription drug law.

Ron Paul can force their hands in November. By introducing the bill, he will guarantee that the Democrats will never let it get out of committee. That is to be expected.

Once it is bottled up in committee, it becomes politically active. At that point, Tea Party voters can ask their Republican candidates, “Do you promise to vote for Ron Paul’s bill to repeal Obama’s health insurance package if the Democrats lose in November? Do you also promise to vote for it without any amendments or any other modifications until it is signed into law by a Republican President, no matter what?”

That will put the fire under them. At that point, they will begin to mumble. They will say that Obama will veto it. Answer: “That’s true. Kiss Obama’s chances goodbye in 2012.”

Stacy: The problem with the GOP Establishment isn’t that they’re a bunch of arrogant opportunistic unprincipled elitist know-it-alls — although they certainly are that — the problem is that they’re losers.

This read will curl your hair:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/32000890/Inside-the-New-Mexico-GOP
Rae
May 28th, 2010 @ 10:58 am

Ron Paul. Yeah, what a kook, introducing a bill to repeal Barry’s Big Medical System. What kind of conservative is he anyhow?:

Ron Paul Introduces the Private Option Health Care Act
http://www.ronpaul.com/2010-05-27/ron-paul-introduces-the-private-option-health-care-act/

Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Private Option Health Care Act. This bill places individuals back in control of health care by replacing the recently passed tax-spend-and-regulate health care law with reforms designed to restore a free market health care system.

With Just Six Words, Ron Paul Can Box in the Republican Establishment in November
http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north848.html

The Republican Party voted unanimously to oppose it. Most of them did this for low-risk grandstanding reasons. Had George W. Bush proposed the bill, they would have voted for it, just as they voted for his prescription drug law.

Ron Paul can force their hands in November. By introducing the bill, he will guarantee that the Democrats will never let it get out of committee. That is to be expected.

Once it is bottled up in committee, it becomes politically active. At that point, Tea Party voters can ask their Republican candidates, “Do you promise to vote for Ron Paul’s bill to repeal Obama’s health insurance package if the Democrats lose in November? Do you also promise to vote for it without any amendments or any other modifications until it is signed into law by a Republican President, no matter what?”

That will put the fire under them. At that point, they will begin to mumble. They will say that Obama will veto it. Answer: “That’s true. Kiss Obama’s chances goodbye in 2012.”

Stacy: The problem with the GOP Establishment isn’t that they’re a bunch of arrogant opportunistic unprincipled elitist know-it-alls — although they certainly are that — the problem is that they’re losers.

This read will curl your hair:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/32000890/Inside-the-New-Mexico-GOP
Rajeev Ranjan
May 30th, 2010 @ 8:59 am

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