Former Nevada Republican Party Chairman Bill Laub has been known to say, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him do the backstroke in your swimming pool.” When you’re right, you’re right. And Bill Laub is right. Which is why I’m throwing in the towel on the current chairmanship controversy at the Nevada GOP.
To recap: Party chairman Paul Adams resigned a month ago. So the party’s Vice-Chairman, Paul Willis, is the acting chairman until a new chairman can be elected by the full Central Committee at their regularly-scheduled meeting two months from now.
This puts the party in all kinds of difficulties, two in particular.
First, it’s broke and no one can or will raise any money for it because of the leadership vacuum.
Secondly, there’s no opposition voice coming from the GOP…either blasting away at the D’s or defending the R’s.
Indeed, just two days ago eight or the nine leading candidates for president all appeared at a forum in Carson City, and the Nevada Republican Party didn’t even release a statement which could have been used in media stories the next day, let alone made someone available in Carson City to do live interviews. I mean, where the heck was the Executive Director at least?
This problem is compounded by the fact that the Nevada Legislature only meets for 120 days every other year. And in case you missed it, they’re in session RIGHT NOW. The Democrats are busy holding weekly press conferences touting their agenda while simultaneously slicing-and-dicing Republican Gov. Gibbons and Republican legislators.
As all of this is going on, the Nevada GOP is essentially AWOL. It’s an intolerable situation that the party’s leaders apparently find absolutely…tolerable.
Former state Sen. Sue Lowden is the party’s pick for the chairmanship vacancy. Everyone knows it. It’s as they say, “a done deal.” She’ll be elected by acclamation in late April…when the legislative session is already half over.
I’ve not heard of a single party leader or even rank-and-file Central Committee member who has voiced opposition to Mrs. Lowden. She will be a strong spokesperson for the party and has the resources and connections to raise the money necessary to make it a truly-effective political machine.
But rather than move heaven and earth to get this exceptional woman into the driver’s seat ASAP, the party’s leaders and Executive Committee have opted for world-class navel-gazing. I can’t remember the last time I witnessed such an irresponsible display of self-defeating hurry-up-and-wait foot dragging.
Rather than saying to themselves, “It would be best for the party to get Sue onboard immediately in some capacity, so let’s find a way to make it happen,” the Bylaws Brigade is finding excuse after excuse to blow this situation off until April.
Let me run down the main objections before making my “last best offer.” After this, I’m washing my hands of the whole matter. The party gets what it deserves.
There is a somewhat legitimate concern that the bylaws don’t provide for naming an “Interim Chairman” to run the party between the time of a vacancy and a formal election to fill that vacancy. I contend that the “Hear and Resolve” clause of the bylaws DOES allow the Executive Committee, which can call itself into an emergency meeting in a matter of hours, to make such an appointment, subject to review of the full Central Committee. This would resolve the matter immediately.
However, it has been suggested that someone might sue the party, claiming that the Executive Committee didn’t really have the power plainly expressed in the bylaws to hear and resolve controversies.
Maybe. But in a state that’s entire economy is based on playing the odds, I gotta believe the odds of a member of the Republican Party successfully filing such a suit are what we would call a “longshot.”
After all, we’re only talking about a two-month period in which Mrs. Lowden would be serving on a temporary, interim basis in the position that everyone and their uncle KNOWS she’s going to get permanently in April.
And what are the odds of a judge sticking his nose into partisan party politics and issuing a temporary restraining order banning Mrs. Lowden from doing what the party Executive Committee voted to allow her to do? And even if a judge somewhere DID foolishly issue such a restraining order, would the party be in any worse shape than it is RIGHT NOW? Of course not.
But OK, let’s forget that option. What else could the Executive Committee do to get Mrs. Lowden in the saddle right away with the appropriate authority to raise money and speak on the party’s behalf?
Well, it could hire her as the party’s Executive Director for $1 a year, and temporarily make the current Executive Director the Deputy Executive Director.
The objection to that option has been that the Executive Director has responsibility for FEC reporting and compliance, and that it’s not fair to Mrs. Lowden to subject her to such potential liability on an interim basis. However, once Mrs. Lowden becomes Chairman in two months she’ll then be subjected to the exact same potential liabilities. It’s only two months sooner, so what’s the big deal?
But OK, let’s even concede that concern.
Why not have the Executive Committee name Mrs. Lowden as the party’s temporary Chief Executive Officer or Chief Operating Officer for the next two months? The acting Chairman and the current Executive Director would still “officially” be on the hook for FEC and other purposes, etc., but Mrs. Lowden would be in an authoritative position to raise and spend money while kicking the Democrats around in the media with reckless abandon.
No, I’m told, a CEO or COO designation conveys too MUCH authority and, of course, isn’t really provided for in the bylaws regardless of what the party’s decision-making Executive Committee decides.
Arrrgghhhhh.
So, fine.
I think these concerns are over-blown and overly-cautious, but I’m a political guy, not a lawyer. So allow me to accept the arguments against the above options and make my last, best suggestion.
A similar situation currently exists in the Ohio Republican Party. Current party Chairman Bob Bennett, who I think was first elected during the Lincoln administration, is retiring, I believe effective later this year. And in order to ease the transition, the party is considering creating a temporary position of “Deputy Chairman.”
Kinda like an assistant manager.
This individual is the person likely to be named to replace Chairman Bennett and would technically answer directly to the Chairman while being granted wide authority to act on his behalf on matters in which the Chairman and/or the party extends the requisite authority.
The position wouldn’t be subject to any FEC liabilities and wouldn’t convey overall party control in either an official or unofficial capacity.
The Nevada Republican Party Executive Committee should IMMEDIATELY name Sue Lowden as acting-Chairman Paul Willis’ Deputy Chairman.
Acting-Chairman Willis should then place Deputy Chairman Lowden in charge of the party’s Communications and Finance Departments, under his supervision.
Deputy Chairman Lowden should then immediately start hammering on Democrats up-and-down the ladder, while at the same time offering a spirited defense of Gov. Gibbons’ agenda and that of legislative Republicans.
Deputy Chairman Lowden could also immediately begin helping the party get out of the financial hole they’ve dug themselves into (yet again). Donors, knowing Sue will have some control and oversight over how and what the party spends their money on, won’t be worried that their money will be wasted or spent frivolously.
And Deputy Chairman Lowden would have two months “inside” the party operation to prepare her for the inevitable formal election to the full position of Chairwoman in late April. A seamless transition.
There is absolutely, positively NO REASON for the Executive Committee not to make this happen THIS WEEKEND.
But if they won’t, I can’t help them any longer. Got bigger fish to fry and better things to do with my time. And as my old friend Dr. Lonnie Hammargren would say, “You can’t fix stupid.”
Posted on February 23rd, 2007 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: Nevada
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