"Do you want to turn this State over to the Democrats for the next ten years to get even with men who share your principles?" Governor William Glasscock (R) at a Republican unity meeting in Fall 1910.
In 1908 West Virginia Republicans enjoyed twelve years of success by any political standards. They controlled the Legislature, Governor's Mansion, and the congressional delegation. Despite this success, some Republicans grew bitter at their leaders. In 1908 they launched an iunsurgency, even creating a second Republican Party with a full slate. A few weeks before the general election the two sides patched up the quarrel and won. State party leaders offered concessions that did not satisfy the insurgents. By 1910 the constant fighting fatigued the GOP. Democratic candidates captured elections despite getting less votes than Democrats running for the same office two years before. Republicans, disgusted with the infighting, simply stayed home.
History sometimes tries to repeat itself. Earlier tonight (Thursday) was the much ballyhooed "secret meeting." Speculation leading up to the Salem gathering seemed to indicate that opponents of Doug McKinney and his new Executive Director Gary Abernathy could finally launch a removal campaign. Those that expected the organizers of the event to let slip the dogs of war against the two party leaders were disappointed.
The forty or so attendees of the meeting were a mixed bag. A few expressed some dislike of Abernathy and McKinney. Some came to speak on behalf of them. Some had problems with the way Abernathy was hired; others did not like the fact that he was hired at all. Many simply came because they knew there was a GOP assemblage. In short, no overwhelming consensus existed to recommend any kind of action against the two.
If the organizers had ever planned to attempt to remove McKinney, and that is not a given, they altered their plans prior to the meeting. Michael Stuart spoke first, insisting that he did not seek the chairman's position. He then offered his own ideas. During this talk, he discussed the importance of maintaining an elevated tone and not tearing down individuals. When asked what the "game plan" was, Stuart responded that he simply wanted to collect ideas, not stage a coup.
Organizer Jack Adams invited others to the podium as well. Greg Thomas discussed involving more active Republicans. Donna Gosney discussed the role of the Finance Committee and the bylaws. Tom O'Niell emphasized unity and stated that throughout the party, people had stopped truly listening to each other. Delegate Woody Ireland discussed the value of grassroots involvement.
The main issue of the night was the hiring of Gary Abernathy. The ugliness displayed on anonymous blogs did not show itself this evening. Most speakers professed that their main problem lay in the potential violation of bylaws. The party is not permitted to engage in a contract that will cause it to go into debt, but it is not clear that Abernathy's contract will result in that end. In the discussion, it was revealed that his contract was set up in three month increments. This means that if the executive director does not perform his job to the satisfaction of the chair, he can be released.
No one attacked Abernathy personally, but former candidate and client Bob Adams responded to the smear campaign leveled by others against his former consultant. Adams passionately defended Abernathy. His statements condemning anonymous mudslinging drew massive cheers. The most heated discussion involved the question of payments made to Doug McKinney. It was finally established by State Executive Committee Member Tom O'Neill that not only did McKinney not receive a stipend, he had also passed on asking the party for reimbursements of expenses.
The role of county executive committees and their chairs came up for discussion. One suggested that only county chairs should have votes on the executive committee. Others at different points bemoaned the lack of activity among many county committees and chairs. Kanawha County Chair Melody Potter asserted that McKinney and Abernathy were not perfect, but most everyone involved with the party had failed it in some respect.
At the end of the night it was decided that an ad hoc committee would form to take ideas to Dr. McKinney at the February 21 Winter Meeting in Charleston. The committee was formed from volunteers.
For all the expected fireworks, it turned out to be a relatively tame affair with a few minor blowups. A real attempt to unseat Doug McKinney over the hiring of Gary Abernathy would have absolutely devastated the state Republican Party. However, the possibility of removing McKinney was always slim. Some probably mistaken discontent or complaints with the desire to remove.
The question remains. Was this meeting ever conceived at any point as a "get rid of Doug" event? Either the organizers never truly considered it, or they created a strategic retreat from a very exposed position. All the Cain raised in the days before this meeting ended up signifying nothing too serious at the end of the day.
When West Virginia Republican Party Chair Doug McKinney first took the job, some folks in the party must have wondered why he or anyone else would want it. Kris Warner had to resign after 2004 and Robin Capehart had little time to make substantial changes before heading off to Romania.
