A Response to CR Vets and a Challenge
Written by Mark Harris on April 15th, 2005After reading this piece by CR Vets concerning the Davidson release it is evident that the CRs are divided along two different factions with entirely different views on how the CRNC should be run and operates. This isn’t a simple misunderstanding this is a fundamental conflict, that won’t be wished away but by the end to the political operatives who have used the CRs for their personal advantage tarnishing all our names. I believe CR Vets are honest CRs who just fundamentally disagree with our premise of change, and because of that I have some thoughts and a challenge. There are good people on both sides, I know some of them they are my friends here in DC, but we fundamentally disagree on some things.
My first salvo is this:
Since the Gourley campaign is scared of debates, I, hereby, challenge Brian Mazanec or Bryan Shuy to a debate on the CRNC race and the future of the organization. I will go anywhere, anytime, to do it (as long as it won’t require me to fail out by missing a ton of classes 
). Set the date, the time, the venue and I will be there. We’ll record it and then post it on SaveTheGOP (I will even pickup the bandwidth expenses). So how about it CR Vets?
Salvo #2:
Mazanec and the CR Vets crew who I think honestly believe in what they are saying and I think are decent folks are just wrong in where this organization needs to go. They have failed to grasp that for those of us who stuck our necks out for Michael it wasn’t about electing Michael chair so we’d have an ally in their to help our career ambitions so now we should pack it up and suck up to Gourley to cover our loses. No, we honestly believe that if this organization selects a man who williningly defrauded seniors then we have essentially doomed the organization and proven how morally bankrupt it is. This isn’t a fight about political alliances this is a fight for the ages so to speak. Even if Davidson ends up losing we will spend his two years networking and bringing down the corrupt political operatives who have threatened, coerced and otherwised made the CRs a giant joke. We will, from the ground up, send a new message of what the CRs can be if they refuse to sink to such disgustingly low levels. The problem does not begin with Gourley it goes way back before that, but it ends with us. It ends because no longer will we allow individuals to use the CRs to win points with state parties to get them future political appointements, get their buddies into congress in contested primaries, or threaten and coerce chapters over their rightful actions.
Salvo #3:
I challenge some Gourley supporter to explain how Gourley is not morally culpable for signing the letters.
Ball is in your court CR Vets and I look forward to the healthy and polite debate as soon as possible, this weekend, next weekend, whenever I am ready.
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war of the bloggers! now this seems like a really good idea…
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Sorry for the long post. I just had to post the crvetsfortruth.com response to Davidson’s statement. This is a perfect example of what is wrong with the CRNC. Educated people who think it’s OK to ignore the truth in an effort to gain favor with a corrupt administration. Anyway, read it. It’s funny and over the top. At least they’ve done away with the last bit a credibility they might have had. Because most people don’t read their blog I thought I would post it here:
January 19, 2004: Howard Dean issued his primal scream following his third-place finish in the Iowa Caucus. Soon after Dean let loose his fateful “Yeeeeeeearrrrrrrrrhhhhhh” it became clear that the Dean campaign wouldn’t respectfully give up their quest for power even though defeat was certain. They went on to only win the support of Dean’s home state.
What does January 19, 2004 have in common with April 15, 2005? Apparently a lot.
Friday night as it becomes only clearer that Paul Gourley has a commanding lead and more than enough votes to be elected CRNC Chairman, and amidst bipartisan calls for unity and civility, Michael Davidson issued a statement titled “On The Verge Of Change.” The title of this statement ominously foreshadows not a change of situation in the election, which is effectively over, but rather a damaging and desperate change in political tactics by the Davidson camp- just as Howard Dean hysterically changed tactics in the Democratic primary.
Davidson up until this point had been telling people that both he and Gourley were basically good and legitimate candidates, only that he was the better choice. He had also given his word that he would not make the unethical fundraising of RDI (a 13-year old issue resolved by the current administration) a political issue at the center of his campaign. Rather, Davidson had promised a healthy and clean campaign focused on the positive future of the CRNC. For many months some Davidson supporters have been negatively campaigning across the nation, and evidence has developed that some in the Davidson camp were supplying information to Baghdad Bob over at the racist and vendetta-driven “Truth” Caucus. The campaign even directly linked to this spiteful blog in a mass email sent out to CRs across the nation. But to his credit Davidson himself had never publicly gone negative, until now.
Rejecting the call for unity now that the race has been decided, and refusing to set aside his personal quest for control of the CRNC, Davidson frantically lashed out at what he called the “incumbent regime,” accusing Gourley of being “part of the problem” and making RDI a central political issue in his personal quest for the Chairmanship.
Davidson also yet again alleged to have more support than he actually does- refusing to accept the fact that nearly two-dozen more delegate votes are supporting his opponent than himself. He says many Gourley states are voting for him come June but again provides no details to back up this frenzied claim. Frankly any unsubstantiated claim from the Davidson campaign needs to be carefully considered now that it has become clear that the cornerstone Coulter endorsement wasn’t real.
As the foundering Davidson campaign willfully and deliberately goes negative (obviously willing to say or do anything to win), we must consider that the greatest test of leadership is not how people act when winning, but how they act when losing.
As always, the text of the statement is available at Davidson’s campaign site, in full.
Click Here For the Davidson Campaign’s Statement
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CRVetsForTruth@gmail.com
http://www.crvetsfortruth.com
AIM: CRVetsForTruth
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Wow, these guys have lost their minds. I think they might be suffering under the failed assumption that people take them seriously. At least crnctruthcaucus.com posts the facts, regardless of whether or not they don’t like them. These guys just post whatever Hoplin tells them to.
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Mazanec?…Mazanec?…Mazanec?…
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Bogging makes you feel pretty important, huh?
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Not nearly as important as stealing from old people make Paul Gourley feel.
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Ha! They aren’t going to debate…they are all yellow…every last single one of those son of a bitches
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Mark & Company,
We here at CR Vets For Truth truly appreciate your willingness to put your name behind your ideas, and we respect you for that. However it is obvious that we do not agree on many issues surrounding the CRNC election — particularly this idea perpetuated in the anti-Gourley echo chamber that is the blogosphere that Gourley is unwilling to engage in a debate on the future of the National Committee. Clearly, as is evident by the many platform pieces mailed out, phone calls made, states federations visited, and most importantly overwhelming support given- that Paul Gourley has been putting forward a positive and detailed vision for the future of the CRNC, a vision grounded in his unprecedented experience training and managing a youthful grassroots army. Here in Virginia Paul was willing to participate in any convention dialogue we chose, and did participate in a Candidates Panel with Michael Davidson. Thus the very premise of your “challenge” is flawed. We’re not candidates here. We are, however, happy to continue our honest and positive dialog. If you’d like to join the thousands of other CRs who have been participating in the forward looking discussion these past few months we suggest you give Paul a call.
The fact remains that Paul Gourley has a 25-vote lead over Michael Davidson and more than enough votes to be elected our next National Chairman. Regardless of whether or not you’re willing to accept it, the support behind Paul is support given in good faith because the majority of CRs truly believe he is the best man for the job- it is ridiculous to suggest that anyone is forcing CRs to vote a particular way, with the possible exception of the Davidson friendly Michigan state GOP.
We look forward to reporting all of the major developments in this election — even though the end result is already certain, and we truly hope that Davidson and his supporters will reconsider the bipartisan pleas for unity and civility and reject the divisive negativity so evident in their campaign as of late.
Respectfully,
Brian Mazanec
Bryan Shuy
Mike Herbert
CR Vets For Truth
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You have a good site, i enjoyed my stay!