The following is a letter sent to delegates to the 2014 Scott County Republican Convention by delegate Gary Fincher, regarding the
proposed complete rewrite of the Scott County Republican Platform. An effort will be made to include amendments in section blocks to conveniently reinstate the flesh and blood concerns and work of grassroots Republicans.
Prior to Fincher sending his letter Former Scott County Platform Chair, Muscatine Platform Chair, District Platform Chair and State Platform Committee member, Ron Gruenhagen issued the following statement regarding the actions of the Platform Committee:
“It doesn’t give fair representation to grassroots members of the Republican Party.”
Letter from Gary Fincher:
Please read this important caucus preparation information:
We have a VERY important issue to discuss prior to the Scott County Republican Convention, tomorrow, Saturday, March 8th. You may have been informed about this or not, however it is VERY important that you understand the following:
1. Throughout the history of the Republican caucus process most previous platforms have been adopted with very slight alterations and additions. This is the case because while ongoing principles apply, specific issues and growing concerns about priorities need remain and need to the expressed.
2. The 2014 Scott County Platform Committee reduced our 2010-12 platform from 258 planks to 59 planks without informing us. Many of your well thought out planks DID NOT make it and on MAJOR matters, for example:
i. Affirmation of the Second Amendment various current related issues
ii. A rebuke of the Federal Government takeover of industry, healthcare and expansion with a clear definition to reverse the damage and restore private enterprise
iii. A clear statement on the immigration issue and some specific points to correct the damage to our economy.
iv. No verbiage on the violation of our rights as parents in the education system regarding “Common Core” and bizarre sex education teaching and training.3. These are only a few examples of what is missing. Our point and our tradition is that you should not have to parse words of a vague statement to know whether your Party has something to say about a timely issue of the day.
If you want to learn more, we have attached the 2010-12 platform and you can compare it to the proposed platform sent to you via email.
Here is what we have done so far to correct this:
Email to Jason Purcel, Scott County 2014 Platform Committee Chairman
Scott County Republicans
Dear Jason Purcell,On Sunday, March 2nd it was brought to my attention by several active Republican friends that the 2010-12 approved Republican platform had been scrubbed by the Scott County current platform committee. Many of us were expecting the proposed 5 pages that we received in February to be additions to the previous platform. Identifying proposed changes and deletions has been the tradition for many years. We were NOT provided a notice of process change prior to the 2014 caucus, at the caucus or after the caucus. As a matter of fact, many of the participants carried the 2010-12 approved Republican platform into the caucus and asked the meeting leaders will these planks be carried over to the current platform, or shall we re-introduce each plank again? WE WERE ADVISED TO NOT INTRODUCE WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROVED! On Monday, March 3rd, in an effort to avoid any confusion on this matter, I personally, along with 2 other individuals delivered the 2010-12 planks, with the proper paperwork to the Scott County Republican office according to the rules set forth in the letter dated February 8th.
I would like an update by the end of the business day today regarding these plank entries. Will the committee consider these? Will the 2010-12 platform be carried forward?
I thought it would be best to reach out first and get the committee’s feedback. Many of our active Republican friends are interested in how this will be handled and are in communication about this issue on a daily basis. It seems best to work toward a resolve of this issue prior to the Scott County Convention. I will consider a “no response” to this email to mean that the committee plans to move ahead with ONLY the 5 pages of planks and to NOT include the 2010-12 platform as has been the tradition.
If this is the case, then it will be a MAJOR issue on Saturday, March 8th, and beyond that is in our best interest to sort out for party unity!
UPDATE- Today, March 7, 2014 we will meet with Mr. Purcel and discuss these issues. It is our hope and reasonable expectation that the committee keeps the tradition to forward the previous, well written, clear and principal based platform to the district, state and national levels.
We want to make you aware of these issues in case we need discuss this at the Scott County Republican Convention on Saturday, March 8th.
Thank You,
Respectfully
Gary FincherNote to delegates: You are voting on the 2014 -2016 Scott County Platform. Our amendments, duly filed, include all of the language of the approved 2010-2012 Scott County Platform divided into sections . This was done in order to offer them as one change per section. Why 2010-2012 instead 2012-2014? That platform is the most recent approved platform. There were some changes made in 2012 and we are happy to incorporate those relatively few changes but no approved copy seems to exist.
Many other precinct approved planks forwarded to the Platform committee in January of this year, all of which were circumscribed or eliminated were not reintroduced. The most recent already convention approved language is set forth.
We offer these in order to honor the meaningfulness of the precinct caucus system, the traditions of the platform committees, and the work of previous conventions and the desire of rank and file Republicans to stand for flesh and blood things near and dear to them.. As a parliamentary matter it seemed the speediest least cumbersome way to proceed . . . 12 or 13 versus 257 or more.
It should also be understood that the amendments are offered as additions. Even if we do not support the platform committees language proposed for each section we can accept it as providing some generic explanation of what follows. Our amendments (the 2010-2012 approved platform is not out of date. Certainly things could be added but we are not proposing to do so.
Please be prepared to discuss these planks at the County Convention.
Thank you.
For the specific “one block per section” amendment proposal as explained above, restoring the flesh and blood to our fight with Democrats, delegates can review their e-mail from Mr. Fincher or access the amendment proposal here.
Still more commentary is available here, here, here and here.
