AA GOP Central Committee: Coming to a Head

After weeks and weeks of innuendo, speculation, rumor and ridiculousness, things come to a head tomorrow night. Tomorrow night in the Lowe House Office Building, the Anne Arundel County Republican Central Committee will meet and will likely remove Mike Collins as Chairman of the Committee.

Tomorrow night will be fascinating for any number of reasons. To see how many elected officials, bloggers, and party activists attend the meeting. To see how many members of the media cover our intraparty squabbling. And to see what happens when events finally begin to unfold themselves.

In Mike Collins' message from Sunday, he noted two interesting things. One, he stated that many people had contacted him to sign up and speak during the meeting. I am curious to see how many people have volunteered to speak, who they are, and one what side of this particular issue they come down on.

Secondly, he noted that he believed that:

It has come to my attention, that the "coup" leaders intend to take control of the September 5th meeting in order to foreclose any public comment or accountability. After I gavel the meeting to order, they plan to instantly make a motion to suspend the rules and to go into executive session, effectively closing the meeting to the elected republican leaders and the public. At that point they will attempt to vote me out as chairman without any comment. The coup plotters want to vote in secret and do not want any speakers to address the Committee.

Is that the parliamentary tactic that I would use if I wanted to shut down conversation about a controversial topic? Absolutely. Is it the tact that a body of elected officials should take when they have already handled the situation in a less than desirable manner? Absolutely not. If the leaders of this movement attempt to move the meeting to Executive Session immediately upon its commencement they will be shown to be damned fools.

As I noted regarding the city of Annapolis, politics is perception. The already existent perception of the instigators of this movement is that they are attempting to conduct their business in secret because they do not have a good reason for doing what they are doing (bylaws notwithstanding). Their attempts to remove Collins so far, regardless of whether or not you believe Collins should go or not, lack legitimacy due to their efforts. If the instigators move to take this meeting behind closed doors, it will show me a complete lack of understanding of the political environment. Since it is the Central Committee's duty to steer the party through the aforementioned political environment, that's a little troubling.

It comes to a head tomorrow. We'll be there, and I am almost certain all hell is going to break loose. And at the end of the day, the Republican Party loses...