Ohio’s Insurgent State Central Committee Slate (See Updates)

I had the list which follows below forwarded to me this morning, along with an accompanying email, most of which I have excerpted (bolds are mine):

Once again GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine is trying to manipulate the primary election to protect the GOP from Tea Party influence. Brietbart’s got it now

We believe that this effort to change the Permanent Rules of the Party is an act of desperation by DeWine to protect his job from a growing number of state central committee candidates and incumbents, who are not happy with his stewardship. (You mean that “standing ovation” Kevin says he received wasn’t unanimous? — Ed.)

The State Central Committee (meeting) scheduled for this coming Friday may be the most contentious in the history of the party as he tries to change the rules for qualification to run for state central committee, after voting has already begun. With the new rule requiring that state central committee candidates vote in three consecutive GOP primaries, the Ohio GOP would disqualify 1) Operation Chaos voters who switched to vote in the democratic primary for Hillary Clinton against Barack Obama in 2008, as suggested by Rush Limbaugh, 2) Young people, 3) People who may be elderly or have had a medical condition that kept them from voting in the proper number of consecutive GOP primaries, 4) American servicemen who may have missed a primary election as a result of their service to our country, 5) New residents in Ohio (Karl Rove would be disqualified as a state central committeeman for at least 6 years after moving to Ohio) … I am sure there are even more categories of people who would be excluded from the list of “Qualified” people by DeWine’s proposed rule change. It may even include some incumbent state central committee people.

DeWine is also expected to ask the state central committeemen to endorse themselves for re-election so that party funds can be spent defeating their Republican challengers in the primary, that would otherwise be spent defeating Barack Obama and Sherrod Brown in the general election. Everyone in this state should find out whether or not his/her incumbent state central person supports Kevin DeWine’s position on this; that their own re-election and the protection of DeWine’s job as state Chairman is more important use of Party funds than defeating Obama and Brown. And to remember that when you vote for state central committee people.

To find your incumbent state central committee persons, click on http://www.ohiogop.org/index.php/learn/, then on State Committee, and then on your area and senate district. If you’ve come this far, give them a call or send them an email and tell them where you stand. Have all your members contact them. Most have them have never had that happen before. …

… DeWine has lost his way. He is in the weeds, blinded by his own self-interest. If he had full control of his faculties, he would realize that it is time for him to bow out gracefully in the best interests of the Party, the country, and his own political future. He would appoint a highly regarded and generally acceptable interim chairman who would oversee a proper and compassionate transition until the newly elected state central committee arrives to elect a new Chairman.

But if DeWine has to be forced out of office clawing and scratching with his fingernails as he is dragged out, jeopardizing our ability to regain control of our republic in 2012, he will have aborted any political future he may otherwise have had. He needs more people telling him and state central committee incumbents that he has gone too far, and that if he goes any further he will be committing career suicide. …

… (Our recommended) list includes recommended Tea Party candidates, Kasich supported candidates, incumbents and independents; this is our best shot at coming up with the best overall slate for all districts. It even includes RINO’s we would not normally support. But these are not normal times.

… Look for names on the list that you recognize, and be sure to support them if you can with your donations and your hours. These are fellow patriots who are sticking their necks way out, and they need and deserve our support.

Our special thanks to Michael Boerger who is running against Kevin DeWine himself, and Mary Ann Schmidt running against arch-DeWine loyalist Brenda Lewis in DeWine’s home district.

Yours truly,
Jim Woods of The “Others”

I should also note that Ohio’s 2008 GOP primary had very few contested elections, and that no statewide office, including that of U.S. Senator, was at stake. The presidential primary was virtually over (Mike Huckabee didn’t concede until the day after the primary, but John McCain’s inevitability was already obvious). I’m big on voting even when it doesn’t matter much, but it’s pretty hard to make a case that Republicans who didn’t vote in the 2008 primary were extraordinarily derelict to the point where that non-act should disqualify them from the Central Committee.

The list:

The original was apparently color-coded to identify Tea Party and non-Tea Party candidates, but what I received had no color coding. If I get that information, I will update. Udate, 12:45 p.m.: Got the coded list.

Update, 2:30 p.m.: I’ve been emailed a couple of separate comments objecting to specific candidates listed above. Rather than relay them from email, I’m going to ask folks who have comments to submit them through BizzyBlog (not in the comment box, which doesn’t work, but in the comment pop-up, which does; sorry for the center-justification; it ends up looking okay in the full post).