The GOP's Short Game

As of this writing just about 48 hours to go until the Alex-Carol-Kevin Show hits the stage at Tangier, with up to 470-plus invited to witness either the start of the new era Summit Republican Party or stay-the-course politics under the elephant's trunk.

There's plenty of angst in this family feud, not the least of which has been among the men and women who actually make up the Central Committee, a name that sounds more like a throwback to Vladimir and Josef's time than political organizing in America in 2008. The comrades are not exactly thrilled with the prospect of being put on the spot by either group.

I think the Klinger-Coughlin brigade hit a wall last week when the fight became more about the rules of engagement than the prospect of romance; the sniping back and forth over which group's rules were more fair than the other still hurts my eyeballs just thinking and reading over the rules. Sure they're important, but in the long run the folks who control the party get to set the agenda and for Wednesday night's roast on West Market that would be the Arshinkoff wing.

For his part the incumbent chairman assures me votes will be conducted by secret ballot so long as the majority wants them cast and counted in secret. A 60% vote by the body as a whole will allow voice-voting and that might be a key to consider in figuring out just how long this all might take. My guess is despite talk of how committed people are to their party the possibility of imposing long waits on older bladders might play more of a part in whether balloting stays secret than either side cares to admit. Arshinkoff also says the media is welcome (we'll have a table off to the side to watch the proceedings) as witness to this slice of local political history.

The New Republicans want a head-to-head vote but that's not likely to happen; county committees have lots of leeway on how they run their own show and here the Central Committee chooses the Executive Committee which then picks the Chairman. So for the upstarts to upstage the Old Guard they need to replace the Old Guard, a formidable task since it isn't mano-a-womano but a more complicated process. Not only would the Central's have to vote against their long-term chairman's interests but now they're being asked to vote no on people they've supported in the past on the Executive Committee...a personal vote.

Is all of this bad for Summit County's GOP?

Nope.

Think of this as the natural way of things. Someone has to challenge the old bull elephant for dominance over the herd, and this is the challenge. For the most part despite the hard feelings each side seems to feel for the other most of this debate has been largely issue-focused, and that's a credit to both sides for not pursuing the case through the mud (even though both will point to this-or-that as proof the other side tossed dirt) but talking about strength of organization and ability to fund raise in the modern campaign cycle.

It's a good sign when democracy occasionally raises it's unruly little head in Summit County's political world. It was good for City Hall to have a scare, however brief, from Joe Finley because that's the kind of voice people in power understand...it helps them regain their focus on why they wanted the job in the first place. It is good for young voices to join the chorus of the Akron School Board because having a fresh perspective keeps an organization vibrant and in touch with stakeholders.

It's good for Arshinkoff to face a challenge from Coughlin/Klinger because it shows the GOP is diverse, and diversity helps build a stronger base to grow from despite the pains of transitioning from one to the other. No matter who wins the battle Wednesday night (if indeed there is a clear winner to be found) the ongoing fight for the soul of a political party is worth the effort.

Getting back to the point of gulag politics noted above: Akron and Summit County are largely run by men who've been there for awhile. In and of itself that isn't necessarily a bad thing, just as long as those on the outside still have faith the system can work for them just as it does for folks in charge.