Image Credit: Williamson County Republican Party
By Steve Hickey, Franklin TN –
In 2016, Donald Trump shocked the political world by winning both the Republican nomination for president and the general election.
Through that electoral season and throughout the Trump presidency, a noticeable schism appeared within the Republican Party whereby longstanding GOP members suddenly joined their Democrat opponents in opposing the freshman president.
Many attributed it to Trump’s abrasive personality, his penchant for hyperbole, or his bull-in-a-china-shop approach to Washington politics.
“The experts” all warned us that Trump was dangerous; that he would surely lead the nation to ruin unless the learned elite were not consulted, trusted, and given deference they had rightfully earned through their years within “the system.”
Despite his eschewing conventional wisdom throughout his presidency, Trump was exceptionally effective. So much for these dire warnings of doom.
It was surprising to learn that a purported candidate for assistant secretary of the Williamson County Republican Party was circulating a similar message of dread regarding grassroots groups to “free thinking conservatives.”
Ms. Shauna Graham warned of an “overthrow” by “self-aggrandizing, power hungry authoritarians” and that the reader should “vote for GOP candidates who only have your best interest in mind and simply want to serve our beautiful community.” Seems serious, but what’s really going on here?
Ms. Graham is running with a slate of candidates headed by the incumbent chair and 1st Vice Chair, so her exhortation is not an entirely objective view of the situation. Her use of the term “overthrow” is particularly interesting in the context of what should be a free and fair county party election. Is she claiming that her cohorts have some inherent right to continued rule over the party?
That begs the question, what IS the current state of the county party? Is it responsive to the overwhelmingly conservative electorate (a group that chose Donald Trump by 26 percentage points in the last presidential election)?
What has it done to address extant concerns involving our education system, federal overreach, election integrity, or the erosion of individual rights? In other words, what have Ms. Graham and her compatriots done to keep Williamson County a beautiful community? One would think her message would be one of highlighting how the incumbent chair and the politicians they’ve supported have addressed those concerns. Yet she chooses to go hard negative and call the opposition names? Seems like something one would do if they had nothing firm on which to stand.
Free inquiry is the blessing our forefathers granted us with our system of governance and every voter should look hard at those to whom they entrust their political power. But is that really what Ms. Graham is trying to do here—asking people to take a hard look—or, rather, to trust the elites who have been in charge? Her plea to “free-thinking conservatives” raises additional questions.
Crossover voting has been an ongoing problem in Tennessee, diluting the voice of conservatives in primary elections. The Tennessee legislature recently rejected party registration that would have made it much harder for Democrats to vote in Republican primaries, calling into question whether our supermajority is willing to walk the walk, or just talk the talk. Are “free-thinking conservatives” just a dog whistle for Democrats to once again muddy the waters of a Republican election?
It also cannot be ignored that Ms. Graham’s screed came from a site controlled by a local political activist who herself does not tolerate any deviance from her orthodoxy. Does Ms. Graham recognize the glaring double standard of her own tribe displaying the same characteristics of which she accuses other groups?
Finally, there’s the issue of transparency that Ms. Graham highlights at the end of her message. What exactly has been transparent about this convention?
The Williamson County Republican Party prides itself on bylaw adherence, but appears to conveniently jettison these strictures when they become problematic to the ruling class’ ends. When did they hold the required CEC meeting to designate the convention date & assign the Contest & Credentials Committee? Someone else is apparently running the convention; why has that not been made public and this person’s contact information made available? If someone else is now running the convention to remove the impression of partiality, why are the chair and her slate of candidates privy to convention information before the rest of the public? Why did the convention venue & date both change (after the bylaw deadline date for both making changes and when conventions have to be completed) when alternatives were available on March 30th? When did the person (whoever it is) who is in charge of the convention know they had an attendance problem and why isn’t that registration information available not just to the incumbent and her slate, but other hopeful candidates as well? Why are direct questions to those coordinating this convention either met with deflection, a “we can’t talk about that” response, or stony silence? There are plenty of other transparency questions from the past two years that should similarly be asked.
So yes, Williamson County Republicans should indeed ask questions…lots of questions. This convention is the opportunity for the Republican electorate to demand answers of the party leadership and determine its direction for the next two years. In the end, the party will benefit from an exhaustive search for truth. On that, Ms. Graham & I agree.
Sources / References:
5 – https://www.facebook.com/groups/backtoschoolwc/
8 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhOCvvqn82Q
4 Responses
same oh same oh. These leftists, disguised as republicans stay in power because they control the system. They are funded by more fake republicans and the systems re-elects them over and over and anyone who challenges them gets marginalized and demonized. Williamson County claims to be Christian; that’s a joke; they’re just as corrupt as any place else.
OUCH! Right ON, Mr. Hickey! If questions are to be the ‘antidote’ for corruption and the good ‘ol boy network, then the power brokers in Williamson County must stand and answer these valid questions. They should NEVER fear the light of day being cast on their actions. BUT, to any rookie onlookers, do not be surprised by same or deceived by the negative reactions to those ‘questions’!
The current leadership of the Williamson GOP allowed a known Leftist to run as a Republican for the School Board. He had served on the School Board and everyone knew that he is favor of CRT, DEI and every leftist thing. He beat a true conservative in the Primary by about 40 votes because he got a lot of Dem votes. The Dem party and a lot of Dems endorsed him, even though a Dem was running!!! The Conservative appealed the vote to the TN GOP because the Leftist isn’t a conservative, but her appeal was denied by the TN GOP.
Why did the Williamson GOP allow the Leftist to run as a Republican? Apparently because the Leftist paid his $35 to the Williamson GOP and had voted in prior Republican primaries, so he “met the requirements”. No surprise – LOTS of Dems vote in the Republican primaries. It mattered because there are now 7 Libs and 5 Conservatives on the Board – if the Conservative had won it would be 6-6.
Apparently Bernie Sanders, AOC and other Leftists could run as Republicans in Williamson if they pay $35 and had voted in the Republican Primaries. Allowing Leftists to run as “Republicans” de-frauds Republican voters who assume that a “Republican” is a Conservative – most people wouldn’t think the GOP would allow Leftists to run as Republicans. The TN GOP needs to STOP that or the Republican brand will be tarnished and people will be forced to join alternative Conservative groups and oppose the Williamson GOP – that is what has happened – that goodness for Williamson Families.
The people running the Williamson GOP lack common sense and need to be replaced. I don’t doubt that they rescheduled the meeting to try to gain an advantage. It looks like they are either secret-leftists or power-hungry.
The “opposition” to the current leadership appeared recently on Heartland Liberty. https://rumble.com/v2ecywu-heartland-liberty-live-3-22-23.html When given several opportunities and even encouraged to criticize heir opposition, these men refused, only stating that they felt they could do a great job in leading the party. They were not interested in criticizing. So I wonder why the current leadership might refer to them (??) as “self aggrandizing, power hungry”.