This post was originally published on this site
Dear Orange County Breeze Editor,
“Feckless” Fred Whitaker Should Not be Re-elected Orange County GOP Chair
Recently, Fred Whitaker, who is Chairman of the Republican Party of Orange County sent out an email touting his success following the midterm elections. The long spiel included the announcement that he plans to run for re-election.
Just as America First conservative Republicans are demanding new national leadership, Orange County patriots are doing the same. In Whitaker’s role as “CEO” of the Orange County GOP, his leadership has been feeble, futile, and lacking initiative for the task at hand. However, in my opinion he is excelling at using this position to feather his own nest.
It is preposterous, that the party CEO is pounding his chest over all the great “successes” that the Republican Party achieved this past election cycle. Here are some of the “great” achievements we have seen in Orange County under the leadership of Fred Whitaker:
November 8, 2016 – Orange County votes Hillary Clinton, the first time The OC has voted for a Democrat in for president in 80 years! Why? Never-Trumpers at the helm gave a nod and wink and refused to encourage the party faithful to support our nominee, but instead bought into and echoed the national anti-Trump narrative of the mainstream media.
November 6, 2018 – All congressional races go Democrat. We lose every single Congressional seat. Why? Because there was wide scale ballot tampering with the mail ballot system. Irregularities were occurring everywhere. Many voters and political insiders were alarmed. These irregularities were reported to Feckless Fred. His response? “There is nothing we can do about it.” What?
August 6, 2019 – Orange County becomes a Democrat County as there are now officially more registered Democrats than Republicans. Why? Because little or no attention was given to old-school retail politics, canvasing, and going door-to-door, setting up registration and information tables throughout the county. There is no precinct operation of any kind. Many Republicans left the party and reregistered No Party Preference or went independent, not because of Donald Trump as the entrenched RINO swamp likes to claim, but because the party has broken faith with the base. In street vernacular, traditional Republicans are pissed off.
March 9, 2021 – Lost the 2nd Supervisorial District seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors in the special election. Why? It’s not because of vote splitting and the sour grapes of career politicians who want to blame independent thinkers. It’s because of the behind-the-scenes manipulations and the blind ambitions of Representative Michelle Steel and her husband Shawn (former CAGOP Chairman), who left that seat vacant without a care as she moved on to bigger and better things for herself. The Steels actively worked to discourage the one person who could have won that seat. The Steels did nothing to help a potential Republican successor. They left Orange County in the lurch.
November 14, 2021 – Orange County fails to deliver on the recall of Gavin Newsom. Party leaders could not even muster a 50% YES vote. Yes, Fred was more than happy to use Larry Elder, who was wildly popular with the base, to raise funds at the annual Flag Day Dinner in June 2021. It was incredibly selfish to divert Larry’s attention from campaigning and raising funds for his own campaign. Mr. Elder is an honorable man, who has interfaced with and been embraced by the grassroots for many, many years. He’s the only thing that gave this ill-fated recall any life. The entrenched party apparatus could have embraced him at any time during the previous 20 years.
November 8, 2022 – Democrats become majority on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Orange County Republicans lose another Assemblyman. Why? Because the only thing that matters to the Steels is Michelle’s seat in Congress. The only thing that matters to Fred is pleasing the Steels. Here’s the sad truth: Given the actions of the “Republican board majority,” it is likely we will not even be able to tell any difference once the Democrats are in the driver’s seat.
November 29, 2022 – As of this date, there are 80,541 more registered Democrats than Republicans in Orange County. Why? Apathy and the official party turning a blind eye to the liberal voting records of our own elected Republicans.
Any CEO with this record of failure would have been fired over four years ago. Many concerned conservatives want to know how Whitaker can be replaced and who might be positioned to do it. Here are some facts that you need to understand. Only elected or appointed members currently sitting on the Central Committee may run for or be considered for executive board positions like chairman, vice chairman, secretary, and treasurer.
There will not be another election for Central Committee until March 23, 2024. Shortly after Prop 14, which gave us the Top Two Jungle Primary, passed in 2010, the party leadership, under then-Chairman Scott Baugh, elected to move Central Committee races to a once every 4-year term, instead of a once every 2-year term as it always had been. So, the only bench from which to recruit a new and more effective Chairman would be from among those already on the committee. Unfortunately, those best qualified to lead are 100% on-board with the current leadership, such as it is. Whitaker is a very nice person, and he does favors for all the right people.
Deborah Pauly, J.D.
President of Conservative Patriots of Orange County
