It’s amazing to me that it has been over fifteen years since I along with hundreds of conservative Republican activists left the internecine battles of California Young Republicans, and formed an activist-based organization for young Republicans, the Young Republican Federation of the California. 

Since leaving the CYRs all of those years ago, I never regretted the decision.  For many years now, the YRFC has continually proven themselves as a conservative group focused on sending Republicans into local, state and federal office that understand the principles of our founding fathers.  I can’t keep track of the scores of YRFC activists who have gone on to public office or taken on other prominent leadership roles in state or national politics.

Occasional glances through the looking glass have quickly confirmed and reconfirmed to me that the CYR’s as an organization continues to be diminutive and fraught with inner-organizational battles that always end the same way – which is that the organization of former Congressman and Bill Thomas and his protégé-now-Congressman Kevin McCarthy, under the iron fist of Bakersfield political consultant Mark Abernathy, always cheats and schemes to maintain control of the faux-organization.  This is done with no regard to the idea that large, vibrant organization (like the CRA, CCR’s or CFRW or YRFC) get a lot done, but of course cannot be manipulated as if they are personal property.

I’ve actually been of the opinion that for years, the main “use” of the Thomas/McCarthy CYR machine was to use it to influence the outcome of national YR elections.  I know from hearing from some of my YR contacts around the country that CYR always “papers in” a vast delegation that claims a state membership for the CYRs that strains credulity.  And, go figure, the delegations always vote unanimously for the choice of the Thomas/McCarthy team (in one election, the beneficiary was McCarthy himself). 

This year is shaping up to be no different.  This weekend, YR delegates from around the country will converge on Indianapolis for the Young Republican National Federation elections.  The Thomas/McCarthy machine is supporting is Rachel Hoff.  A quick Google Search reveals that in 2004, Hoff plead guilty to voter fraud!  See the links here, here and here.  Go figure…

Hoff’s endorsement by the CYR’s was, of course, pushed through the CYR Board (which may actually contain a majority of the living breathing CYR members in the state) by the Thomas/McCarthy machine – with Abernathy engaging his minions Zack Scrivner and Vince Fong to do his dirty work.  According to reliable sources, only the Kern County YR’s want Hoff, and that all of the other CYR clubs around the state support Hoff’s opponent, Audra Shay. 

As you would expect, despite having one of the smallest YR clubs in California, the Kern County YR’s do hold a staggering 8 of 13 statewide board positions in the CYR’s, allowing them (thanks to a specially written top-down CYR constitution) to control every aspect of the organization.
The influence of the Thomas/McCarthy machine continues to extend up into the hierarchy of YR national organization.  Their man Scrivner, unbelievably, is Chairman of the YRNF’s Credentials Committee – setting the state for the kind of potential disenfranchisement of activists that sent me packing from CYR’s all of those years ago.  That Credentials Committee gets to review, and choose who can and cannot be voting delegates at the convention – and one can assume that this power will be used to try and, ironically, commit voter fraud in support of Hoff.
 
Sources tell us that Bakersfield resident Vince Fong, who was installed by the Thomas/McCarthy machine as the Western Regional Vice Chairman of the YRNF, is playing games with his position, threatening to engage in last-minute manipulation of regional meeting times (after delegates have purchased their airline tickets based on long-published times) – again with the desired effect of manipulating an outcome for Hoff using nefarious means.

It is unclear what the outcome will be of the national YR elections, and whether all of this back-room manipulation will ultimately help Hoff or not.  But one thing is clear – which is that once again the Thomas/McCarthy/Abernathy machine is about to once again disenfranchise a bunch of California activists because those folks have their own ability to think and actually do not agree with direction that the long-time CYR overlords want to take the group.
 
The good news is that the YRFC continues to thrive and will, as happens periodically, stand ready with open arms to welcome another group of young Republicans from the CYR, who want to focus on electing Republicans and beating Democrats.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.