RSLudlum
08-10-2008, 10:52 PM
and a distraught chairman gets agitated declaring that if any party officers show preference for Conley, they risk getting "the boot"!!! ;)
The party's status-quo hacks just can't comprehend what's going on. :D
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080807/NEWS03/808060370/1004/NEWS01
Democrat's visit roils GOP meeting
Emotions flared Monday night when Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Bob Conley made an unprecedented -- and uninvited -- appearance at the Greenville County GOP's executive committee meeting at Greenville Technical College.
Later, a tug of war over printed material critical of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham ensued between Doug Wavle, Greenville's member of the state executive committee, and Brian Frank, a Cherokee County Republican supporter of Conley who had twice been ruled out of order at the meeting.
The incident, posted on YouTube, underscored a split in conservative Republican ranks, pitting party regulars against some hard-right conservatives, many of whom supported U.S. Rep. Ron Paul's failed 2008 presidential run and have long questioned Graham's conservative credentials.
It brought an open warning that party officers who publicly support Conley face being forced from their posts.
Conley, a politically unknown North Myrtle Beach engineer and recent transplant from Indiana, where he was a Republican activist, voted for Paul in the state's Jan. 19 GOP presidential primary, then filed for the Senate as a Democrat, narrowly won
his primary, and began calling himself a "Ron Paul Democrat."
His plan to show up at the meeting had been the subject of e-mail by Paul and Fair Tax supporters and talk radio speculation throughout Monday. Conley had previously asked for, and been denied, time to address the meeting, said Samuel Harms, Greenville Republican chairman.
"Showing up with 'Ron Paul Democrats' is a lot like going to a Clemson football rally decked out in Gamecock colors and saying, 'but we're both from South Carolina,'" said Dave Woodard a Clemson University professor and GOP pollster. "It's antagonistic, red flags to a Spanish bull."
Conley could not be reached for comment.
Conley's appearance forced the executive committee to publicly defend Graham, whom it censured in 2007 over his support for controversial immigration legislation. Also, Greenville was the only county he lost in his successful primary defense of his nomination against a far right conservative who contended Graham is a liberal masquerading as a conservative.
Wavle said the issue now "is that the party has voted in a primary and chosen our candidate, whether everybody is 100 percent satisfied or not."
Some Democrats who have been lukewarm at best to Conley over suspicions about his politics were caught off guard.
"That has got to be a first, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate meeting with the Greenville Republican Party before he meets the Greenville Democratic Party,"
said Kevin Mertens, the Greenville County Democratic Party chairman.
Mertens said he's never met Conley and has had only one phone conversation with him.
Speculation that Conley might show up and concern that some party officials might be supporting him triggered a discussion of a requirement that the executive committee strip them of the offices if found to be "publicly" supporting an opposition candidate.
The tugging match over anti-Graham articles was caught on videotape.
The one minute, 11-second video, taped by Frank, begins with Wavle standing with several people listen ing and speaking to Conley in the auditorium's lobby and continues with Wavle approaching Frank's table as Frank says, "This is a public place."
Wavle says, "You want to get a close picture. Go ahead and get a close picture," as his blue shirt and dark blue and red tie fill the screen. "Cherokee County," Wavle adds, citing Frank's home.
As Wavle moves to his right and steps up to the table, the camera wavers wildly, side to side, up and down, as Frank can be heard saying, "Hey! Hey! Dude! Dude! That's my stuff. Don't."
Just what is taking place isn't clear.
Wavle responds, "Then take it off the table and leave."
"I don't need to," Frank says. "This is a public place."
Wavle then walks away and heads outdoors, a sheaf of papers in his left hand.
The party's status-quo hacks just can't comprehend what's going on. :D
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080807/NEWS03/808060370/1004/NEWS01
Democrat's visit roils GOP meeting
Emotions flared Monday night when Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Bob Conley made an unprecedented -- and uninvited -- appearance at the Greenville County GOP's executive committee meeting at Greenville Technical College.
Later, a tug of war over printed material critical of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham ensued between Doug Wavle, Greenville's member of the state executive committee, and Brian Frank, a Cherokee County Republican supporter of Conley who had twice been ruled out of order at the meeting.
The incident, posted on YouTube, underscored a split in conservative Republican ranks, pitting party regulars against some hard-right conservatives, many of whom supported U.S. Rep. Ron Paul's failed 2008 presidential run and have long questioned Graham's conservative credentials.
It brought an open warning that party officers who publicly support Conley face being forced from their posts.
Conley, a politically unknown North Myrtle Beach engineer and recent transplant from Indiana, where he was a Republican activist, voted for Paul in the state's Jan. 19 GOP presidential primary, then filed for the Senate as a Democrat, narrowly won
his primary, and began calling himself a "Ron Paul Democrat."
His plan to show up at the meeting had been the subject of e-mail by Paul and Fair Tax supporters and talk radio speculation throughout Monday. Conley had previously asked for, and been denied, time to address the meeting, said Samuel Harms, Greenville Republican chairman.
"Showing up with 'Ron Paul Democrats' is a lot like going to a Clemson football rally decked out in Gamecock colors and saying, 'but we're both from South Carolina,'" said Dave Woodard a Clemson University professor and GOP pollster. "It's antagonistic, red flags to a Spanish bull."
Conley could not be reached for comment.
Conley's appearance forced the executive committee to publicly defend Graham, whom it censured in 2007 over his support for controversial immigration legislation. Also, Greenville was the only county he lost in his successful primary defense of his nomination against a far right conservative who contended Graham is a liberal masquerading as a conservative.
Wavle said the issue now "is that the party has voted in a primary and chosen our candidate, whether everybody is 100 percent satisfied or not."
Some Democrats who have been lukewarm at best to Conley over suspicions about his politics were caught off guard.
"That has got to be a first, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate meeting with the Greenville Republican Party before he meets the Greenville Democratic Party,"
said Kevin Mertens, the Greenville County Democratic Party chairman.
Mertens said he's never met Conley and has had only one phone conversation with him.
Speculation that Conley might show up and concern that some party officials might be supporting him triggered a discussion of a requirement that the executive committee strip them of the offices if found to be "publicly" supporting an opposition candidate.
The tugging match over anti-Graham articles was caught on videotape.
The one minute, 11-second video, taped by Frank, begins with Wavle standing with several people listen ing and speaking to Conley in the auditorium's lobby and continues with Wavle approaching Frank's table as Frank says, "This is a public place."
Wavle says, "You want to get a close picture. Go ahead and get a close picture," as his blue shirt and dark blue and red tie fill the screen. "Cherokee County," Wavle adds, citing Frank's home.
As Wavle moves to his right and steps up to the table, the camera wavers wildly, side to side, up and down, as Frank can be heard saying, "Hey! Hey! Dude! Dude! That's my stuff. Don't."
Just what is taking place isn't clear.
Wavle responds, "Then take it off the table and leave."
"I don't need to," Frank says. "This is a public place."
Wavle then walks away and heads outdoors, a sheaf of papers in his left hand.