The race for RNC chair is heating up as Ronna McDaniel appears to be in real danger of losing her spot.
McDaniel has presided over three straight elections where Republicans have either dramatically underperformed or gotten shellacked. Further, she’s instituted some of the worst, most predatory fundraising tactics I’ve ever seen, angering a base that is sick of losing and sick of being taken advantage of.
My colleague, Jennifer Van Laar, recently went through the RNC’s finances and exposed a boatload of questionable expenditures, including millions in unexplained gifts. Instead of owning the problems, McDaniel and her cronies lashed out, trashing RedState as a “blog” and calling the reporting false. Of course, it was not false, and no evidence was provided to show that.
Now, RedState has obtained an email from an RNC member (to other RNC members) blasting McDaniel, her lies about our reporting, and noting the lack of grassroots support for the current regime.
Since joining the 168, I have been quick to correct the many grassroots Republicans who think we are out of touch, country club elitists who care only about increasing our own power, position and/or wealth. I’ve told them about the many passionate patriots in our ranks who are truly speaking for the people we are supposed to serve, and I’ve urged our people to give the RNC a chance to change. Sadly, the critics were right, as evidenced by the dogged obsession by some on the 168 to quadruple down on abject failure if it means keeping their own individual power/position….the same power and positions not coincidentally parceled out by current RNC leadership. I’m not just talking about the failure of our party….it’s the failure of our country.
We have a new Republican Party, made up largely of regular working people who may not have gone to the “right” schools, yet are the backbone of this country. In 2016 they heard a message from our party that didn’t just include them, but was centered on them. In 2020 they became enraged at the injustice and corruption they witnessed and made massive inroads into the party at the local level. Sadly, the leadership of this party, both in Congress and at the RNC, instead of welcoming them, reject the will of these grassroots Americans. Bottom line: the current Republican leadership is incapable of leading this new party to anything but failure.
Disturbing information has come to light about what many see as the misuse of donor funds by the RNC. Despite the orchestrated howls that the RedState story was “false” and “full of lies”, the story essentially quoted the RNC’s own FEC reports!!! Are the Chair and her supporters claiming the RNC has been putting lies in our FEC reports? If not, then exactly what are the specific “lies”? $17 million for gifts is still $17 million for gifts. Even believing, arguendo, the Chair’s claim that “the majority” of the gifts were required by the White House, what about the other $8.5 million in gifts? Is THAT what our $25/month donors think they’re buying? Moreover, to cavalierly dismiss these substantive criticisms because “the items in this article only add up to 0.8% of the total amount the Chairwoman raised” illustrates an attitude that the average Republican voter cannot afford to have. How much income is the typical family today comfortable with wasting? Zero. That 0.8% is still millions and millions and millions of dollars.
Everything written there is bang-on. McDaniel’s kneejerk attack on RedState exposed just how out-of-touch she is. We are not just a “blog” and haven’t been for a very long time. Jennifer Van Laar is an excellent reporter who has broken some of the biggest stories in politics over the last decade. Further, her work exposing the RNC’s finances was backed by FEC disclosures. McDaniel, unable to offer a real excuse for her misuse of funds, did what liberals do, which is to dismiss the credibility of the source. It was a disgusting display by a person who needs to be removed from her position.
What we are seeing right now at the RNC is a bunch of people who don’t want the gravy train to end. They’ve enriched themselves and enjoyed the perks while delivering none of the victories required to earn the benefit of the doubt. McDaniel is chief among that group. Her refusal to take any responsibility for her failures while gaslighting conservatives about how badly the 2022 election went disqualify her from keeping her position.
The writer of the email continued with this.
I challenge any member of the 168 to HONESTLY tell me the majority of grassroots Republicans in their state want the current Chair re-elected. There is virtually zero grassroots support anywhere for that, and we all know it. Of course, if one is desperate to hang on to position/power at all costs – like Hillary hanging on for dear life to the White House draperies – I suppose some will claim their state grassroots just can’t wait to quadruple down on nonstop losing.
Again, that is correct. One look at right-wing Twitter will show you there is absolutely no support for McDaniel and her acolytes to remain in power. Nearly every major conservative voice is calling for change, with most backing Harmeet Dhillon for the position.
I can’t post any more of the email because it gets descriptive enough to reveal who it is, but there’s more in there that would have you fist-pumping. It’s honestly gross that McDaniel is even trying to remain in her position. She formerly promised not to run only to change her mind. Now, she’s attacking rock-solid conservative reporters for just doing their job. This woman has to go. It’s not even a question at this point.