Tags
Chris Malone, Dale Cooke, Dennis Berwyn, Donna Williams, Election 2012, Elephant Express, Heather Losurdo, Jeff Morse, Luther Snyder, NC Republican Primary, Susan Bryant, Wake County, Wake GOP
The other day, we published a post about the abuse of power that Wake County’s Republican leadership has shown in trying to hand-pick a successor for Susan Bryant rather than staying out of the competition and letting the process work. Bryant and some of her leadership team have used party resources to promote one candidate for County Chair exclusively while ignoring the other completely. That is until now…
Apparently we hit a nerve. In the latest “Elephant Express”, Susan Bryant not only calls out this blog, she attacks candidate for Wake County Chair, Dale Cooke, and accuses him of misleading people, alleging he’s using democrat tactics, and urging readers not to listen to his robo calls at all.
Now, I don’t know if Cooke is using democrat tactics or not, and frankly I don’t know that much about him at all. One thing I do know is that the Wake County Republican Party heartily endorsed him to be one of their county commissioners last year. Because of that, I doubt that he’s done anything to become such a pariah that they’ve had to resort to these measures. No, I think the evidence would point to Susan Bryant simply wanting to coronate her own successor rather than have fair elections to choose her replacement.
Mrs. Bryant accuses this blog of putting out “misinformation” regarding their activities last year. She parses language like the Washington insider she spent 30 years being. She states that the Wake GOP didn’t “endorse” anyone in the primary last year. I’ll present some information and let you decide what constitutes an endorsement.
The Wake GOP Facebook Group page appears to be primarily administered by Jeff Morse who is listed as a Member-at-Large on their website. As the Party’s official Facebook presence through all of 2012, only people designated as Admin’s could originate posts. If you look down through the primary season of January 1 through May 8 of 2012, you might find something interesting. While Jeff Morse made more posts than anyone, several other folks made a lot of posts too. In fact, a fellow named Dennis Berwyn (a self-described political consultant per some of his several websites) posted to the page more than 45 times from January to May. I could not find any mention of Berwyn being a member of the Wake County GOP Executive Committee. Oddly enough, Luther Snyder (Chair of the Marketing/PR Committee) who occasionally posts to the page is also a political consultant.
Among the other authorized posters (remember, someone has to make them an “Admin” to post), was Heather Losurdo. Losurdo endured a brutal campaign for School Board in 2011, but I couldn’t find that she was ever a member of the Executive Committee. It just so happens that Losurdo decided to run for chair of the 13th Congressional District Committee that spring. You can’t tell that anyone else is running for the seat because the official Wake GOP Facebook Group only posted about supporting Losurdo.
In other non-endorsement news, the Facebook Group posted in support of Christ Malone for NC House District 35 more than a dozen times during the primary season! Again, there is no mention of a competitor for the seat. While it was pretty unanimous among most of us that McCrory would be our nominee for Governor, he still technically had a primary. Multiple posts were made in support of him during the primary season with no mention of any opponents.
So what do you think? “Backing” someone or “Supporting” someone is not exactly “endorsing”, but doesn’t it accomplish the same thing at the end of the day? Are we the party that believes it depends on what the definition of is is?
Susan Bryant, who purports to be a big-shot Washington consultant along with her husband has allowed consultants to be members of her Executive Committee (clear conflict of interest) and has allowed them to promote their candidates exclusively using Party resources (clearly unethical and in violation of the Plan of Organization). Further, she has used the Party newsletter to bash one Republican and unequivocally support another in the same race.
Here’s the kicker. In 2012, Bryant removed a District Chair from his seat (Wake has 9 or 10 Districts) because he worked on the campaign of a state-wide candidate during the primary. Talk about a double-standard.
Is this how the good people of Wake County want their party to run? Sounds like the way we’ve criticized Democrats for doing it…
RESOURCES:
Wake GOP Facebook Page
Wake GOP Facebook Group
Elephant Express Endorsement of Williams #1
Elephant Express further endorsement of Williams, bashing of Cooke
Susan Bryant Endorsement of Williams
Donna Williams’ Website
Dale Cooke Website
I consider that you are making a mountain out of a mole hill. Lets focus on chossing the right leader. The primary objective is to select a Wake County Chairperson who is a proven individual. Donna Williams is a proven organizer and leader. She has been very successful. No one will out work her. I have been attending the Northern Wake Republican Club for several. years. Donna Williams had the initiative and perseverance to start and organize that club. I have listened to numerous Republican candidates speak there. I do not know Dale Cooke. Where was he? Let him volunteer and work as hard as Donna has and then I may consider him the next time around. For now, I will vote for Donna without hesitation.
Ralph,
I appreciate your desire to move on. No doubt this is fueled by the fact that you have already chosen who you will support. However, have you taken a moment to think of the folks who might have heard of Mr. Cooke but not Mrs. Williams? What about those who don’t know much about either. You may not be disturbed that your County leadership is using Party resources to give the advantage to Mrs. Williams, but then that’s who you want to win anyway. But, what if they were doing just as much to support Mr. Cooke, whom you do not support, thereby disadvantaging Mrs. Williams? Would you think it was important then?
My contention is what is good for the goose is good for the gander. Let’s be fair. You and probably many others have their minds made up, but just as many do not. Right now they’re only getting information on a single choice (Mrs. Williams) if their primary source of information about it is the County Party. For those who may have thought about backing Mr. Cooke, they now have second thoughts because your County Chair and 3rd Vice-Chair have publicly endorsed Mrs. Williams and your Chair, Susan Bryant, has taken to the Elephant Express to attack Mr. Cooke herself. Now is that fair? Is it right? Where are your standards?