A well orchestrated event

by David Grand
July 28, 2004

I attended the Republican Central Committee's (RCC) powwow last Saturday evening, where it was to make the most important decision in it's history of nominating, and forwarding to the governor for his approval, the name of a person to fill Carmen Amedori's seat after interviewing her seven, wannabe replacements.

It was held in the Board of Education Public Meeting Room, thanks no doubt to C. Scott Stone, president of the school board and candidate for the vacant delegate slot, making it available to them. But any "brownie points" he may have hoped to score by extending that courtesy to the RCC was for naught, with Tanya Shewell, a Republican loyalist of the first order, winning the blue ribbon. She will do well in the delegation.

As I scanned the room, I was pleased to see that former superintendent of the schools William Hyde's portrait was not among those of his predecessors hung on the back wall. Maybe he didn't have time enough to pose for one before taking up temporary residence in the county's detention center.

The RCC deserves kudos for managing the event to the umpteenth degree and in keeping the program moving along at a fast pace, so fast that I was out of there by 7:30 p.m., well before my stomach began growling out loud. And the way they staged the contestants entry into the room was impressive, coming through a side door when it was their turn to be seen and heard, like those competing in a talent show.

None were deserving of the "hook" for their demeanor or for the answers they gave to the same, four questions put to them. Of the four, the only one that caused my ears to perk up was: "Have you ever made a contribution to a Democratic candidate? (Four of 'em confessed to having committed that dastardly deed in a trembling voice.) I half expected to hear a follow-up question: Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party or "fellow traveler"? It wouldn't be much more absurd than what they were asked. For if a poll were to be taken in the county as to how many people had contributed in the past to former Democratic delegate Richard Dixon's campaigns, undoubtedly it'd reveal that as many Republicans as Democrats supported him and for the same reason I did: he always "brought home the bacon," unlike how it is today when we're getting nothing but table scraps.     

Incidentally, I had prepared for the occasion by going over the candidates' mini-platforms that appeared in the paper below their photos. I found them to be so similar (with nearly all of them for slots and against the commishes proposed transfer tax) that they might as well had a group photo taken. The only notable exception was C. Scott Stone, who while in favor of slots, questioned "why the horse industry needs a government bailout." I could only conclude by that naive comment that he was either throwing off a horse when he was a kid, or that he's been so absorbed in educational matters during his 12 years on the school board he was oblivious of the near-moribund state of that 2 billion dollar industry, and of the tens of thousands of Marylanders who depend on its viability for their livelihood.

But what my eyes really zeroed in on was another article about James Reter, a candidate for the position and current member off the RCC, in which he boasted that "I'm the best person for the job," and that "none of the other candidates' resumes can touch mine." Now, I don't know of anyone who's that vain and egocentric, except perhaps Ralph Nader and Michael Jackson. And his aura of self-love reminded me of that old saying about the cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow.

Now, once the RCC gets its second wind after this grueling experience, they'll be faced with another daunting task: selecting someone to finish the unexpired term of Joe Burns on the RCC, who got the old heave-ho, ostensibly for "housekeeping" reasons, in lieu of any specific charges being lodged against him, at least according to Burns who said he's considering filing a lawsuit against the RCC for its unlawful removal of an elected official.

But threatening to sue for alleged wrongs is nothing new to him, having previously contemplated suing the RCC's chairwoman for assault by bending his finger during a tiff he had with her. While he didn't indicate which finger it was, I think it's safe to assume that it was the middle one he'd pointed upward while keeping the others down. (But for me, it wouldn't be the middle finger I could raise since I have no little finger on my left hand.)