We can always count on the Sussex GOP to provide a little lite entertainment, and high drama, and this month’s Executive Committee meeting did not fail to do just that.
Prior to the regular meeting the election of a new RD Chairperson for the 20th R D was scheduled to be held, to replace outgoing Nelly Jordan, who was elected to state Vice-Chair, and then temporarily promoted to State Chair when John Sigler resigned.
Two people had put their names in for consideration, one was Tom Bain (hope I spelled that correctly), the other was the Husband of Nelly Jordan, Tom Jordan.
Well there was a short bit of politicking and then they held the first round of voting, of course as luck would have it there were eight people voting and the vote ended in a 4/4 tie. As I was at the back of the room I could see what was happening but was only getting pieces of the conversation.
Thinking that there would be more politicking and another vote I turned to speak with others about the tie, that is when I heard the booming voice of the Executive Committee’s Parliamentarian, Miguel Pirez-Fabar. When I turned to see what was happening I saw the two candidates shaking hands and Tom Jordan was declared the winner.
Since this had taken place within seconds of the first and only vote I had no idea what could have happened. We thought maybe a miss-count of the vote, or maybe one of those voting had verbally changed their vote.
But no! In the grand tradition of the Sussex GOP, we had once again gotten it wrong.
It seems as if the “Parliamentarian” had stated that it was in the rules that ties were to be settled by a coin toss.
This of course caused a flurry of people to pull out their smart phones and to go to the Sussex site to view the rules. Here is a link to those rules, http://www.sussexgop.org/Sussex-County-GOP-Rules/
It took very little time to determine that no such rule existed. The rules simply state that a tie will trigger another vote, no mention of a coin toss.
Not since the overtime coin toss, of the 1998 Thanksgiving Day NFL football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit lines, has a coin toss gone so bad because of an official not being up to the challenge. That was the coin toss that the Steelers’ Jerome Bettis stated that he had called tails, and the official had heard heads, the toss had been tails and the Lions had won the toss. It was quite a controversy.
I later heard Mr. Pirez-Fabar say that, “well it used to be in the rules”.
This may be, however, to know the whole story of this little mishap you have to also know that along with being the Parliamentarian, Mr. Pirez-Fabar is also on the rules committee of the E C, and the rules committee has been pouring over the rules for months making what they call necessary changes. So, after reading and re-reading the rules for months, while also “acting” as the Parliamentarian, Mr. Pirez-Fabar still thought that a coin toss was the correct way to settle a tie after only one vote.
Let me be clear, the toss could have gone in Mr. Bain’s favor as easily as it did in Mr. Jordan’s, the problem here is that we have people who say they want to go by the rules, and they are constantly changing the rules, yet they don’t seem to know the rules.
Once it was determined that a mistake was made, a determination that did not seem to include Mr. Pirez-Fabar who was speaking with a woman while others where searching the rules, the people of the 20th were called aside to take more votes, which continued to end in ties.
Once time came to call the regular meeting to order, they left to continue in another room. It was not until minutes before the regular meeting was adjourned that Tom Bain was announced as the winner.
Some will say that this was some sort of shenanigans, but what it was, was playing by the rules.
By the way, Phil Luckett was the official who was officiating the overtime coin toss in 1998, and he would have been so proud that the Sussex GOP had the courage to get it right, after getting it so wrong.
With summer here I’m ready to give them our 5 worst ED’s so they can door knock, as promised at convention, to register new Republican’s.
500.00 says I never see anyone.
Finnally the reign of Jordan is over. Tom is a R who is not interested in titles or theatrics, just the business of R politics. A born leader, not someone looking to call themselves by their title.
Tuxamus Maximus wonders why Sussex GOP has ‘rules’. Sandlot politics just makes ’em up as the game goes along except everyone loses.
The travails of the De GOP are without limit. The question is not whether the party is dead right now, is it extinct for all time is the question.
Their ongoing wonderlust with the rules and the platform will be the downfall of the current tide. A bunch of middle management people who expect everyone else to do something whilst they continue to box themselves out of existance via the rules and platform.
Really the rules to effectively run a county party organization could be one page, front only double spaced.
With all of the ridiculous ranting and raving that passes for political discourse — coupled with skullduggery, back stabbing, authoritarianism, special interest dominance, coercion, repression and hypocrisy inherent in the GOP, who in their right mind would register as a Republican???
The SCGOP committee… has chosen to become irrelevant to Delaware politics. The old angry white men in that room last night were pitiful. In their greedy quest for titles, rules, name badges, resolutions, assigned seating and secret handshake they have become completely irrelevant! Ok, I made up the handshake part. The rest is sadly true. I think I may just get me one of those tan vests and a patriots sticker so I’m a cool cat too.
The GOP I was involved with, we didn’t need name tags because we knew each other. We didn’t need assigned seats, we knew who the committee people were. We didn’t need 18 pages of stupid rules, because we had respect. We didn’t need to pass resolutions against our elected officials, we picked up the phone and called them to express our positions, respectfully. We raised money, volunteers and elected republican candidates.
Thank God we have good elected officials that don’t need these party clowns to get elected.
GOP RIP while the SCGOP is panhandling in grocery stores for $5 bucks a pop. What a joke.
I would add that SCR are alive and well, and will continue to field good candidates. The party will prolly not be so fortunate.
The problem is that many of the people populating the Sussex GOP do not identify themselves as Republicans, as was demonstrated when one person rose during the discussion of Common Core, her first words were that she was a 912 Patriot, not a concerned citizen, not a Delawarean, not a parent of a school age child, and certainly not a Republican. Far too many of these people are only within the GOP to use, or suck the life if you will, from what little infrastructure there is left. Too often the Republican stand on issues is contrary to the more radical views held by these sub groups and so all we get is in fighting. The GOP in Sussex especially is fighting for its life, and right now the attacker is from within.
The writing is on the wall. Last month, the DE GOP lost 35 people and now has a negative growth rate.
The GOP in Delaware is brain-dead. Its body is on life support and the Democrats are moribund.
It’s about time that the voters pulled the plug on both parties.
The GOP is brain dead and its body is on life support.
Likewise, the Democrats are moribund.
It’s about time that the voters pulled the plug on both parties.
The GOP is brain dead and its body is on life support.
Likewise, the Democrats are moribund.
It’s about time that the voters pulled the plug on both parties.
Sorry about the repeats, but the DR protocol kept on sending various rejections while actually posting the comments.
Deary get off you high and mighty horse. You’ve never once made issue when a man speaks from the galley who doesn’t fit any of your lesbiman criteria. Deary you’ll never win over or influence any new members with your loathsome arrogance you display towards others at meetings or in here.
What are you in the party for deary ? The reason I ask is I hear all you do is complain at every meeting and then write these atrocious tales of woe narratives about how the Sussex GOP has everything all wrong.
Deary next time you want to make issue about how a real lady introduces herself you might not want to be witnessed applauding like you did when the lady finished addressing everyone.
To “nobody”, first you do know that your avatar leaves a trail, don’t you?
Second, my point about how the lady introduced herself is not about what she had to say, but about the fact that so many so called Republicans are really just RINOs. They don’t even like the GOP, they are simply using the party as a platform for their own small irrelevant sub groups.
If I did applaud after she spoke it was for the part where she said that everybody should listen to both sides of the issue on Common Core, a sentiment that I share. You see, unlike many people, I can separate the things I agree with from the things I disagree with, and will not simply write off a person I happen to disagree with on a single issue. But thanks for playing honey.
“You’ve never once made issue when a man speaks from the galley who doesn’t fit any of your lesbiman criteria.”
This is not true. Frank has had the same reaction to every person who introduces themselves as a 911 Patriot at the GOP meeting, man or woman.
Nice to know Nazism is alive in your manifesto to move Delaware forward
Anon, nice to know you have nothing more than empty rhetoric. My point is not that there should not be differing points of view within the party, but that many who claim to be a part of the party, really don’t want to be. They self identify more with other groups. In many cases the goals and ideology is not simply in the form of a differing view point, but is diametrically opposite to the goals of the GOP. It is one thing to have different views on how to achieve agreed upon goals, it is another to have different goals. To have different ideas on how to achieve agreed upon goals may simply mean that we all get to the same place but by a different path. If the party is populated by people with different goals, then this means that we are not all working in the same direction and most likely none will achieve their stated goals.
As for NAZISM! Well I think a resolution that is intended to silence opposition is more like NAZISM than anything I have ever written, but hey, maybe it all depends on which flavor of NAZISM Anon prefers.