January 25, 2007
"We have to work with whichever chair is elected, we're hoping it's not Diane"

So said a member of the state GOP executive board who contacted me today with yet more concerns about Diane Tebelius's leadership.

I didn't start with the intention of publishing a one-sided, negative portrayal of her chairmanship. But that's the only information that's coming my way. Because everybody else in the party would need to work with her if she's re-elected, nobody wants to take a public stand against her. So unfortunately, I can't drop any names. Lame, yes, but that's how the game is played. On the other hand, no major figures are publicly supporting her as far as I know, and nobody has contacted me to explain why she should be re-elected (including Tebelius herself). Contrast with public expressions of support for Chris Vance two years ago. I do invite Tebelius's supporters to contact me ASAP and make the case for her re-election.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at January 25, 2007 11:50 AM | Email This
Comments
1. GOP in this state is DOOMED!! DOOMED I tell ya.

Keep up the awesome work Diane!!

Posted by: Blah Blah on January 25, 2007 11:43 AM
2. No one will contact Stefan to support her. There IS no one that has any influence in the Republican party that supports her. Not Dino Rossi, not Rob McKenna, not any of our Congressmembers, not our Senate and House leadership. The only support she has is from a handful of state committee members. And sadly, THEY are the ones who decide the election.

We ARE doomed, I tell ya.

Posted by: Don Johnson on January 25, 2007 11:51 AM
3. To me Tibelius is a microcosm of the GOP problems in general. The GOP seems to have largely lost its focus. Especially in very Blue States like WA, there's a permanent minority mindset that dominates. Few Olympia Republicans take a stand, and they often focus on centrist issues, or try to throw bones to the left as a means of clinging. Also, for those who are hardline GOP, the focus also seems to be lost. There's a lot of intensity surrounding certain hot-button issues such as abortion, that forsakes the far more dangerous and daily problem of increasing government.

While the bickering over stem cells, etc. goes on, the bureaucracy expands with every tick of the clock, and few Repubs have the guts to stand up and challenge the problem at it's root and are instead content to needle away around the edges.

I somewhat like the B.E.S.T. platform for it's brevity. A key focus should be to stay away from the hot button issues and bromides like "E for empowerment" and instead focus on the nuts and bolts of limiting government and showing why progressivism is wrong. I would change the E to "Enlightening people to the dangers of Progressivism" and other collectivist structures. If you remove the Progressivism, the cultural relativism that causes all of the other problems will go away.

If there is a clear, simple and wider reaching message of Republicans, it will resonate, especially if it avoids the mined centrist middle ground which is nearly impossible to navigate.

Tibelius is the scapegoat. Buh-Bye.

Posted by: Jeff B. on January 25, 2007 12:03 PM
4. Don,

Did you watch that show on Jonestown on the History Channel?

Diane is starting to seem a little like Jim Jones.

Posted by: TV FAN on January 25, 2007 12:03 PM
5. Not happy with your party chief! Just what I want to hear.

Posted by: Mike Barer on January 25, 2007 12:31 PM
6. Talk about Republican transparency compared to Democrat transparency.

The election of the State Committee Chair has been debated on a web site of all things. It is open not just to party members, but comments were received by disgruntled Independents who should be Rs, trolls and the general public.

Contrast that to the request by Brian Lamb of CSpan to televise the House and Committee debates. He was doing this at the "transparency" lie of Nancy Pelosi, the most ethical, transparent, blah, blah ever as Speaker of the House.

I hope the Rs notice this and use this means of communication a little more. But, that means not using the MSM as their conduit; use Orbus, SP and many others.

Posted by: swatter on January 25, 2007 12:36 PM
7. TV Fan,

Good one. I guess we'd better tell those state committee people to avoid the Kool-Aid at the meeting on Saturday.

Unfortunately, I think there are scores of people out there who have had direct contact with Diane Tebelius that might agree with the Jim Jones comparison.

Actually, I think she might be more like Darth Vader. She sucks people in with her Tractor Beam, then uses the Dark Side of The Force to warp their minds.

"You don't want to vote for Luke Esser. He's not the candidate you're looking for. Vote for me. You can go about your business."

Posted by: Don Johnson on January 25, 2007 01:04 PM
8. I support her. She bothered to come talk with my fellow R's a month ago, was open, frank, and clear...perhaps even more open than some of the folks here seem to be.

Posted by: Matty on January 25, 2007 01:27 PM
9. I nominate Michael D McKay.

The problem is he is bigtime legal establishment garnering great big fees. I doubt he has the time or the inclination, but this is one tough no-nonsense guy... the kind we need.

Posted by: ragnardanneskold on January 25, 2007 01:35 PM
10. It is wholly inappropriate to compare Diane Tebelius to a mass murderer like Jim Jones ... or even semi-humorously to Darth Vader.

Certainly there are political differences. Could we keep the discussion on those?

Posted by: jimg on January 25, 2007 02:37 PM
11. jimg -

I was referring to the "cult of the one" mindset that some of the posts and questions here refer to.

Diane, like Jim Jones, demands absolute personal loyalty to herself personally, and surrounds herself with third-raters rather than people who are competent enough to stand on their own and have their own views and opinions.

She is systematically edging out people who have leadership ability and replacing them with followers.

She has, on many occasions, demonstrated to me and the party officials, staff, and volunteers I have worked with, the mindset that we work for her rather than that she works for us. And everyone I know is tired of seeing her take credit for our hard work.

And I think she would rather see it all tumble down into ruins that make even the slightest personal sacrifice.

In her mind "for the good of the party" means "for the good of Diane".

Because, after all, the WSRP has turned into nothing more than the "Diane for her Next Campaign for Political Office" committee.

Posted by: TV Fan on January 25, 2007 02:53 PM
12. So, you have two volunteers and one is currently in a certain position (no details given in the response). So, instead of finding a job for the second volunteer, you give him the job of the one volunteer and the other one goes home.

Looks to me like addition by subtraction.

Posted by: swatter on January 25, 2007 03:30 PM
13. Careful guys (and gals?)...maybe tomorrow is really the day of mass suicide!

Posted by: Scott Olson on January 25, 2007 03:34 PM
14. Jimg - Agreed that it is inappropriate to compare Diane to a mass murderer. However, I am surprised that no one has yet brought up the mass spinning she is doing on her opponent. Depending on whose ear she bending it's a gay rumor, or a womanizer rumor, or a monk-like quality rumor. Diane has some balls to be pulling crap like this. Is this really all she's got?

Posted by: Drone on January 25, 2007 03:53 PM
15. TVFan,

I know what you're referring to and I watched the same program you did. If you can't make your point without making comparisons to one of the largest, most notorious mass murders of all time, you need to find something else to do. It completely detracts from any legitimate point you may have.

I expect this from the children on the other side of the aisle ... not from reasoned adults having a political discussion.

Posted by: jimg on January 25, 2007 04:14 PM
16. jimg,

I am sorry I offended you. But the comparison is apt.

Have you ever been around Diane on one of her many "bad" days?

There was consistent discussion last year from people working with her on a regular basis that Diane was bipolar due to her flip-flopping moodshifts between nasty rage and semi-nice, day after day, back and forth like a neurotic metronome. Ask people you know who worked with her about this.

If you know anyone who worked at the WSRP for any time last year, call and ask them about her special cleaning days - or weeks.

This is behavior that would be of concern in any human being, not just our State Chair.

Posted by: TV Fan on January 25, 2007 05:04 PM
17. I will be one of those state committee members voting for Diane.She was handed a plate of debt.No one a year ago foresaw,the D.C. Rs accommplish NOTHING,every turn the Ds obstructed.look at D.C.now,the Ds have past some rule so there isn't even debate!The Rs last year could have done the same thing.That do nothing attitude and te moving away from core values of the party is what turned the last election.
There is a move afoot to change the by-laws so the state board representation is done by county population instead of US Congressional District.if that passes the rural counties shouldn't even bother showing up.

Posted by: George on January 25, 2007 07:09 PM
18. George, who is spearheading the change in the by-laws?
You're right, the debt was left by the Rossi mess and the idiotic management of Vance.

Posted by: thatcher on January 25, 2007 07:31 PM
19. George,

Please reconsider your support of Tebelius. Are you saying that you WANT the rural counties to have no say? This is absolutely unacceptable.

Diane is a train wreck. She paid off the legal debt with money that should have been spent on candidates or get out the vote efforts. Don't believe her. She LIES. Whatever she's told you is an absolute fabrication. She's a total pro at lying.

Read post #16 by TV Fan. He is 100% right. She almost certainly IS bipolar, or ADHD, or obsessive-compulsive, or all of the above. Those stories of staff cleaning days or her mood swings are all true. I encourage you to call any former staffers and talk to them. They will tell you what she is really like. Or, if you don't want to know the truth, just believe the lies she's told you.

Posted by: Don Johnson on January 25, 2007 08:41 PM
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