I think everything that needed to be said has been said now.
Lew has done a lot of hard, good work for this county for
years, and this passion has been an important part of his life. We understand this, and we took no pleasure
in rocking the passion of the man. We
didn’t go down this path out of hatred or spite or as a deliberate campaign to
smear a man, no matter how it stung.
Lew is not the only person who is passionate in this
county. Thanks to the abuses of our
recent federal government, a lot of people quit spectating and found their
voice in the last few years. This has
fundamentally changed the landscape of politics in southwest Washington, by all accounts and metrics for
the better. We found ourselves dismayed and surprised when the longtime voice
of conservatism in Clark
County repudiated these
Conservatives who have stepped into the ring.
We did not then and still don’t understand the basis of this thinking.
David Madore has observed that we are family, and indeed we
are. Regardless of who you may have
supported in the last presidential cycle, we all share a common core of
principles. To expand on Commissioner
Madore’s metaphor, when one member or group on a family feels abused by
another, they will take it for only so long before they retaliate. That’s what’s happened here.
Lew, think about how you’ve felt over the last week – angry, betrayed, unwanted by people you thought supported you. Divided, unappreciated, frustrated, beseiged. People were talking and you felt you had lost control of the conversation. This is exactly how many good, solid conservatives in Clark County have felt during your relentless, unwarranted attacks on people that you should have been allying with, because they share the same conservative values you do. We tried to ignore it - everyone says things that are over the top from time to time. But instead of moderating over time, the rhetoric just got worse, until absurd charges of corruption and wrongdoing were leveled.
Lew, think about how you’ve felt over the last week – angry, betrayed, unwanted by people you thought supported you. Divided, unappreciated, frustrated, beseiged. People were talking and you felt you had lost control of the conversation. This is exactly how many good, solid conservatives in Clark County have felt during your relentless, unwarranted attacks on people that you should have been allying with, because they share the same conservative values you do. We tried to ignore it - everyone says things that are over the top from time to time. But instead of moderating over time, the rhetoric just got worse, until absurd charges of corruption and wrongdoing were leveled.
These are not fringe extremists who seek to fundamentally
transform Clark County into something you wouldn’t
recognize. They are your neighbors, Lew,
and I hope you get the opportunity in the weeks to come to engage with them,
have a coffee or a beer or two and get to know them. Listen to them, instead of telling them what
you think they believe, and you’ll be surprised at how thoughtful and
reasonable they are. I know I was. Believe it or not, I entered the political
fray in 2012 for the first time specifically to lend my voice against the Ron
Paul movement that had taken control of the convention in 2008. If you open a
conversation with an attack, of course you’ll encounter resistance. That’s human nature. We hope and encourage
that our leaders – you know who you are - take the initiative to facilitate and
moderate this dialog over the next few weeks.
We have too big a battle against the Democrats to continue this
divisiveness among ourselves. It’s time
we quit reinforcing the Democrat stereotype of being intolerant right-wing
extremists and learn to get along with people who share our core principles.
Now let’s get to work.
We have candidates to elect, and a County charter to deal with. This has
unnecessarily sucked up far too much bandwidth. The game is afoot!
Very well stated. Let's see - and hope - that it makes a difference.
ReplyDelete'If you open a conversation with an attack, of course you’ll encounter resistance. That’s human nature.'
ReplyDeleteI am glad you said that, you did it buddy.
'We hope and encourage that our leaders – you know who you are - take the initiative to facilitate and moderate this dialog over the next few weeks.'
That means you know them, and they know you. Not good.
@ Tom Sharples: Well stated? Really? No it isn't. He was asked to take this down, but refused. This guy doesn't care about the damage done by creating all this mess, or the damage he is doing inside the Party. He was dumb enough to reveal all that David Madore has control of what is going on here. To defend anyone with this sort of mentality is to open up and embolden this sort of behavior onto anyone that they perceive to be an obstacle. Saying sorry now won't help. Revealing yourself will. This guy was asked to reach out to Lew by sitting down and understanding him, and this is how it was really done through this condescending post of snarkyness. Pitiful.
Ahh, freedom of speech is nice, ain't it? ;) I love the Constitution.
Dear unknown (if that really is your name):
ReplyDeleteFirst I would ask you to consider carefully the chronology - who started with the ad-hominem attacks and name-calling? I think you know the answer. Would you accept an endless amount of that without responding? I doubt it.
As to your other points, I've addressed them earlier so I'll just repost my comments here:
A large part of the problem IMO, has been that Lew historically tended to view ANYONE who disagrees with him about a matter of substance, even those who did so politely (me) as "The Enemy."
His response to disagreements has been shouting down and trying to bully those with a different point-of-view e.g. "if you don't like my blog, you're free not to read it" or "if you don't like it, un-friend me" or calling his opponents names or " you're never going to convince me to accept Ron Paul" (even when that wasn't the substance or intent) rather than engaging in a level-headed point-by-point discourse.
Nobody involved here is shy about their personal points of view. So I don't think anonymity was chosen as a way to evade responsibility - but rather to avoid Lew's usual habit of "making it personal" instead of addressing the substance of what is being discussed. Altho as it turns out, that approach, unfortunately, hasn't worked either.
Correction, those responsible for this website need to reveal themselves. That will be the determining factor in making amends. You guys keep talking to this guy, and those leaders that he speaks of. Reaching out is one thing, but reaching out with the right intentions is at the heart of the matter, and will make a difference.
ReplyDeleteFreedom should never be taken for granted, I cherish mine.
Lew, if you wish to continue to self-destruct, do it off your own soapbox. We have no desire to watch it happen here. Future comments will be moderated.
Delete"First I would ask you to consider carefully the chronology - who started with the ad-hominem attacks and name-calling? I think you know the answer. Would you accept an endless amount of that without responding? I doubt it."
ReplyDeleteIf I were an elected official, or held a post that demands respect, such as holding an office seat of the GOP, no I would not sully my reputation with this sort of drivel. That said, when an office position is accepted along with that comes controversy from opposition, as in bloggers, bad press etc. It is part of the political arena, it is hot and debated. It must be accepted, and for the most part ignored, or addressed in a classy fashion. That was not done here.
I refuse to engage you in things you have already engaged Lew about, it is none of my business. Lew has a right to say what he wants, he is out in the open, and honest with what he does. He has that right under the Constitution. If trying to make him conform because he can can be instrumental in getting folks get elected, that too is completely up to him.
"I don't think anonymity was chosen as a way to evade responsibility"
Oh, but it was, or these people would be coming forth as we type. Someone got their feathers ruffled, PLUS most likely got their demands and "perceived" freedoms limited by the almighty blogger.
Of course my name is Unknown, just like this blogger is I Tinker, but are you complaining about him? No. Why can't you use the same broad brush and say that anonymity on my part was not chosen to evade responsibility? After all, fair is fair, right? I can give you a hint though, unlike I Tinker. I don't hold a seat, I am not a PCO, and neither am I an elected official. Thank you for your concern though. It makes me feel really special.
At present I am not an elected official. But anyone has a legal right to say what they want (short of libel) and anyone has the legal right to control what's on their blog. The question is not whether they have the legal right - but whether what they said - and when they said it - was wise or appropriate given that we're all conservatives out here who should be working together. And while you can certainly make those arguments against this blog, given the history you would have to make the same arguments against that other blog - in spades.
ReplyDeleteDear Unknown (Come on, Lew, we know it's you)
ReplyDeleteThe chronology is that as far back as 2012 you were associating the newly activated conservatives with the Ron Paul Caucus as if they were interchangeable (they aren't). You did this so you could repudiate them with good conscience. I personally quit paying significant attention to your public rants when you started doing this, particularly when you associated a known Santorum delegate as part of the Ron Paul Caucus, because. . . well, we still aren't sure why you do this. As far as "ad Hominem attacks" go, I think you really need to research the definition of this term. Attacking your positions and ideas, pointing out inaccuracies and calling you to justify your wild claims is not "an attack on the man." Calling someone a shit-smearer and an asshole is, and it's something we never did.
Still fishing? No, David Madore is not involved with this, and has no control over it. He's a fine commissioner, and a level head but I have never met him and he wouldn't have a clue who I am. You really need to get this paranoia under control. No, that's not an ad hominem attack. Just calling it like I see it.
Everything that was pertinent has been removed. Everyone knows this, except for those who are just now tuning in. Instead of backing away, you insist on getting the last word in, keeping this wound fresh and trying to pick a fight. Sorry, dude. It's over. You got owned. Trying to continue this the way you are accomplishes nothing but to reinforce people's already shaky perception of you. You're already in a hole, friend. Time to stop digging. If someone calls you out for something you did, and you respond by acting like an asshole - You're going to have a hard time.
No one is jeopardizing anyone's freedom. Our first freedom is that of speech, but that freedom does not come with a free pass to say anything about anyone without repercussions. You were publicly taken to task about blatant inaccuracies and lies that you were promoting as the truth, which were being unnecessarily divisive to the party. that's all that happened. We were hoping for a different result than having your head explode. *shrug* Any damage you perceive beyond that has been entirely self-inflicted.
I find it instructive that the whining and attempted personal attacks continue instead of addressing the very reasonable questions we raised on the blog. Do you have an answer, Lew? Why not make your blog public again, and spend some time detailing all of the bad things that "The Liberty Caucus" has done in the last two years to demolish the party, and particularly why you feel that recruiting like-minded conservatives to join the political process is so corrupt - unless of course you're dong so for the "old guard" Republican party.
You won't. You've made that plain. Reasonable debate is not your forté.
Until you do that, there's nothing more to discuss. Please feel free to continue huffing and puffing all you want, we have lots of comment space. You'll probably be talking to yourself, though.