[Vision2020] Steed: "I Am Not Resigning"

[Saundra Lund]

I cannot fathom having a moral compass so completely absent as to make me
think it anything other than abominable and flatly cruel to laugh at the
medical misfortune of my worst enemy, let alone at someone who until just
recently was an ally.  So he later apologized - bully for the bully.  That
doesn't change the fact that there's something deeply, deeply wrong with an
adult who would behave that way in the first place.

 

It's happening in the GOP all around the country, of course, but
Klingenberg's contemptible behavior is a local example of how the GOP is
working overtime to push this great nation on a highway to hell paved with
intolerance and incivility.

 

 

Saundra

Moscow, ID

 

Compassion is the basis of all morality.

~ Arthur Schopenhuaer

 

 

 

http://dnews.com/local/article_9136649d-2836-53d9-858d-4622873a814d.html

 

Steed: 'I am not resigning'

GOP chairman takes more flack over gun violence letter

Posted: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 1:00 am

With blood running down his face, Latah County GOP Chairman Walter Steed had
a clear message for his fellow Republicans on Tuesday night - "I am not
resigning."

Twelve Latah County Republican precinct committeemen last month passed a
vote of no confidence in Steed after he signed a letter to the Legislature
as president of the Moscow City Council recommending ways of curbing gun
violence should it take up the issue this session. Those rallying for his
resignation say he didn't uphold the party's values in the Second Amendment.

Steed didn't even get a chance to call for a prayer and recitation of The
Pledge of Allegiance before Precinctman David Klingenberg called for a point
of order.

"Do we even have a chairman?" he asked. "We took a vote."

Steed fired back that Klingenberg was out of order, apologizing to the
assembly because he was dealing with minor surgery on his face and high
blood pressure was causing him to bleed.

"That's right, laugh about it," he told Klingenberg. "Laugh about it, you
son-of-a-bitch."

"I'm not the one who pissed on the Constitution," Klingenberg said.

Those still supportive of Steed's leadership demanded Klingenberg stop
talking. Gresham Bouma, a two-time state Senate candidate, who made the
motion for a vote of no confidence last month, did not speak up against
Steed. The chairman later read a prepared statement before excusing himself
from the meeting as he could not continue the agenda in his current
condition.

"I have never asked to be chairman of the Latah County GOP," he said. "Both
times, I was asked. I accepted the position with a goal of working toward
finding and helping electable conservative candidates; believing our county
would be better off following fiscally conservative values."

He did not take credit, but said while chairman there is now a Republican
majority on the Latah County Commission, as well as most county elected
positions.

"Latah County is rather closely divided between Republicans and Democrats,"
Steed said. "We are the second-most liberal county in the state. I believe
candidates who espouse extreme views in either party are not going to be
elected."

He said many have asked him not to resign, and are worried a new structure
of leadership could turn off Republicans seeking viable conservative
candidates and also keep them away from election polls when the time comes.

"Latah County will then stand a good chance of becoming totally governed by
the Democrats," Steed said. "I am sure to the chagrin of some of you, I am
not resigning. To follow the wishes of 12 of 27 elected precinct chairs
would not move this organization forward or toward cohesiveness, but would
only fracture it further than it has already been torn."

GOP Vice Chairman Thomas Lawford later spoke about a gun rights subcommittee
formed last month in response to questions about whether the party was going
soft on the issue. A draft letter to Idaho Senate Majority Leader Bart
Davis, who serves on the Judiciary and Rules Committee, and written by the
subcommittee was approved Tuesday. It quotes the Second Amendment and Idaho
Constitution's language regarding the right to bear arms and encourages
lawmakers to enforce gun laws already in effect, but states no further rules
or regulations are needed.

"We're against adding more regulations and limits, so we decided, let's just
write that," Lawford said, adding proposed gun control measures only appear
to affect law-abiding citizens. "Somehow, I think the lawbreakers will still
disobey the law."

A bylaws subcommittee has also been formed as the county chapter is no
longer in compliance with the state party in terms of how it handles
reorganization and elections due to the inclusion of caucuses. Streamlining
and reducing the bureaucracy to allow the local party to respond more
quickly to issues also needs to be handled, Lawford said, adding revisions
are expected to occur before the end of summer.

"How we replace officials has been brought up," he said, "and we'll discuss
that. ... We have to think long-term, and we have to be fair."

He said there is also concern for what constitutes a quorum - just five
members - and how a small fraction of dissidents could vote to change
leadership and bylaws should many be away on other business.

Before the end of the meeting, Klingenberg apologized for his outburst and
Steve Piper apologized to Secretary Mary Steed for being overly
confrontational with her during last month's meeting. He added he still
would have liked for the chairman to have stayed and answered questions.

Roger Falen asked fellow Republicans to work together to resolve
divisiveness within the party and to accept differences of opinion to ensure
the GOP remains in the majority in the county.

"Otherwise, the liberal, big-spending Democrats are going to win," he said.

  _____  

Brandon Macz can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 238, or by email to
<mailto:bmacz at dnews.com> bmacz at dnews.com.

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20130328/c0fb6362/attachment.html>