On July 11, Republicans in Virginia’s Sixth Congressional District (CD6) voted overwhelmingly for a change in leadership. They elected businessman and Strasburg Town Councilmember John Massoud to be CD6 Republican chairman with 58 percent of the vote. They elected ten of the eleven candidates on his team – only two of whom were incumbents. They elected John because he pledged to end the divisiveness on the District’s Republican Committee and to focus everyone’s efforts on getting Republicans elected to every office from local to national.

John’s win was so huge that this newsletter could easily become a “gloat-fest.” That, however, would be counterproductive to what John wants to accomplish – to what he has already begun accomplishing. John tried to take a couple of days off to decompress from a very intense and overly long campaign, but almost immediately, a significant number of people began calling and emailing him. Most brought congratulations and offers of support. Some were people who had supported his opponent during the campaign but who now offer their support to his efforts to make Republicans in CD6 an even more imposing force for conservative values. A very few were people who called to vent their anger that he won.

The bottom line is that the vast majority of active Republicans want to be about the business of saving the America that we have known and stopping the hordes of brainwashed socialists who disdain the very freedoms that allow them to believe as they do and that allow even the poorest among them to live at an economic level higher than 90 percent of the rest of the world.

CD6 Republicans, when given proper leadership, are the most powerful conservative force in Virginia. Even during the turmoil of the past two years, we have elected Republicans to the General Assembly from six of eight Senate districts and twelve of thirteen Delegate districts that include a portion of CD6. Republicans can do even better if they will work together.

It is time to heal the wounds to our unity and to flex our significant, conservative muscle.

To begin the healing, John has reached out to the major players from his opponent’s coalition in an effort to find common ground. Most have agreed to work with John for the common good. A couple have not. They should rethink their positions, especially in light of what the Republicans in CD6 have very clearly voted they want from their leaders.

It is time to heal. Those who supported the former chairman need to switch their allegiance, not to John Massoud but to the Republicans district-wide whom they were elected to represent, lead, and serve.

It is time to heal. It won’t happen if we pick at the scab of past differences.

It is time to heal. People who live in the past will die in the past. It is time to move forward and fulfill our obligations as leaders. It is time to provide the leadership and motivation and encouragement grassroots Republicans need to put voice to their dreams and to put feet to their enthusiasm. It is time to heal.

Cordially,
Steve “Doc” Troxel, Ph.D.

On Saturday, delegates to the Sixth District Republican Convention will be selecting a district chair, three regional vice chairs, and three representatives to the State Central Committee (SCC).

The three candidates I support for SCC are myself (obviously), Steve Kurtz, and Dean Welty. I like, as individuals, our opponents in the race, but the three of us have far more experience and success in conservative politics, and we have proven abilities to stand up for our principles in the face of opposition.

Each of the three regions of the Sixth District will elect a vice chair for their region. For Northern Region Vice Chair, I support Randy Gilbert. He took on the job of Chairman of a local Republican committee that was in turmoil and decline. In just two years he turned that committee around and made it one of the top committees in the district. He has the ability to help other committee chairmen in the northern region apply similar ingenuity and effort to improve their committees as well.

I support Curt Lilly for Central Region Vice Chair. He too smoothed out some difficulties that he inherited in his local committee when he became chair of that committee. His opponent has never before been involved in Republican Party leadership.

Steve Richards is running for reelection as Southern Region Vice Chair. He brings experience and organizational skills to the job. His opponent has no experience in Republican leadership.

The most important race to be decided on Saturday is for District Chair. Some people would make it a contest of personalities. Even then I think John Massoud would win, but that isn’t the key. The keys to this decision are leadership and trust. Our current chair is not a leader. John Massoud is. I’ve studied leadership. A true leader gets other leaders to work together for a common cause that excites them all. Our current chair wants everyone to do what she wants regardless of the education, intelligence, and experience we bring to the table. In fact, many things said during this long campaign lead me to believe that Jennifer selected the members of her team because they will do what she tells them to do. They may not think that, but I’ve seen her in action when she doesn’t get her way. It isn’t pretty.

That is not meant as a put down on the candidates on her team. They are all likeable people, but she sees them as pliable people who will vote the way she tells them to vote. John Massoud on the other hand does not need to feed his ego. He has enough successes in his life to provide fulfillment for anyone. Instead, John plans to lead this district to do what grassroots Republicans want us to do – defeat Democrats, protect our Constitution, and restore pride in the United States of America.

Our current chair uses vile Facebook posts, false narratives, and lawsuits to intimidate and punish those who disagree with her. John Massoud uses reason, intelligence, and understanding to work out principled solutions that everyone can embrace. You can trust what he says.

Our current chair takes credit for the work of others. John Massoud helps others accomplish more in their work.

Our current chair has been unemployed as long as I’ve known her. John Massoud is vice president of a multi-million-dollar company where he is responsible every day for leading hundreds of employees in getting their jobs done smoothly and efficiently.

I’m tired of working under the chairmanship of a wannabe dictator. I want to work under a leader who practices the true meaning of the word “leader,” someone whom I can trust to lead wisely.

The delegates will have to decide whether the district will continue with the same “leader” who has promoted turmoil for the past two years, or they can elect John Massoud, a true leader who will unite the district and whom we can trust will get our real job done.

Cordially,
Steve “Doc” Troxel, Ph.D.

The word “pusillanimous” has come to my mind a lot lately. “The American Heritage Dictionary” says it means “lacking courage; lacking strength and firmness of mind; faint-hearted; timid.” I first heard the word back in middle school during a video recreation of a Patrick Henry speech. Although we use the word very seldom compared to Colonial times, I do think the word is appropriate to certain recent activities within the Republican Party.

At our State Central Committee (SCC) meeting on June 27, the SCC voted to hold an “unassembled” state convention. Several of us pled for an assembled convention because, among many other reasons, we need to challenge as totally inappropriate a Democratic governor dictating when and how Republican committees perform their political functions. Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) Chairman Jack Wilson replied that our Governor has the legal right to trample our constitutional freedoms and deny our First Amendment “right of the people peaceably to assemble.” In other words, we are in surrender mode.

Patrick Henry – who later became Virginia’s first and sixth governor – gave a speech on March 23, 1775, to the Virginia House of Burgesses in which he spoke very clearly about such surrender to dictators: “If we wish to be free… if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight!”

Wilson told the SCC that the RPV had not taken the Governor to court because litigation would cost $90,000 dollars and “we need to spend that on electing candidates.” I have never been so frustrated with political claptrap. If the RPV is only a fundraising group then we need to call ourselves a political action committee and not a political party. But if we in fact speak for conservatives in the Commonwealth, then we need to stand up on our hind legs, speak our truth, and use our resources to fight against these egregious violations of our constitutional rights. That fight is worthy of our funds. We gain nothing by waiting, by being conciliatory, by going along to get along.

Patrick Henry was, in that same 1775 speech, very eloquent on this point: “They tell us, sir, that we are weak – unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger?… Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?”

The RPV needs to be the lighthouse of conservative principles in Virginia, but we seem to be little more than a glow stick. Even our own Sixth District should have challenged the Governor in court weeks ago when we decided to have an assembled convention, but Chairman Jennifer Brown thinks and votes in lockstep with Wilson. And now, instead of getting the Governor out of our business, Chairman Brown is trying to jerk our convention around at the last minute to suit the whims of a powerful Democrat. Patrick Henry noted: “Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of the means which the God of nature hath placed in our power…. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no [choice]. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery!”

Some might call my comments over dramatic, but I remind you of Venezuela, once the most vibrant economy in South America, but now socialism has turned it into the most likely place for citizens to either starve or be murdered. The same Socialist masterminds who ruined Venezuela have targeted the U.S. – while we spend our efforts appeasing an out of control governor rather than preparing for the coming battles for our very way of life.

Patrick Henry concludes his speech with these famous words: “Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”

Unfortunately, the American public has become so comfortable that we don’t see the need to fight. Equally unfortunately, if we don’t fight for our freedoms, we will lose all our comforts. Patrick Henry must be rolling in his grave hard enough to make the ground tremble. I would rather cause a political, moral, spiritual earthquake while I’m alive. And I would much rather have leaders who will stand up and fight for what’s right than have those who merely organize a long, drawn out surrender.

Cordially,
Steve “Doc” Troxel, Ph.D.

Congratulations to Daniel Gade, who handily won the primary on June 23 to become Virginia’s Republican nominee for the US Senate. He will face Democrat incumbent Mark Warner in the general election in November. But primaries and general elections were not what the founders of our country, the authors of our Constitution, envisioned when it came to electing Senators.

The original document says in Article I, Section 3, paragraph 1, “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.” The Seventeenth Amendment – ratified on April 8, 1913 – changes who chooses Senators by stating “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State… [so far identical to the original, but here comes the change] …elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each /senator shall have one vote….”

It seems like a simple change, having the people choose Senators rather than the legislatures. But let’s think about why the original authors chose to have the legislatures choose.

Our Congress was designed in a way that resolved an argument between large states and small. States with small populations did not want to be dominated by large population states, so they demanded equal representation. But the states with large populations wanted their individual citizens to receive representation equal to the citizens of states with small populations. The solution was ingenious. There would be a House of Representatives to provide equal representation for all citizens no matter in which state they lived. The Senate would provide equal representation to all states no matter how big or small their population. To that end, members of the House of Representatives were to be elected by the people, and the members of the Senate were to be elected by the legislatures of the states. Brilliant!

More importantly, because the new Constitution gave the federal government more power than it had been given under the Articles of Confederation that it replaced, having state legislatures elect the senators reassured anti-federalists that there would be some protection against the federal government overpowering the individual states and usurping their powers. The Senate was to be a body of “ambassadors” from the states to the federal government. These ambassadors – appointed and authorized by the separate state governments – had the authority to approve international treaties, cabinet appointments, ambassadors, and judges, and other decisions, on behalf of the states, thus allowing the states to keep the federal government under control. If a Senator started voting contrary to the best interests of his state, the legislature – in its efforts to put the interests of the state first – could replace their Senators as necessary. States’ rights were protected, senators voted as representatives of the state, and the federal government was held in check.

We lost that with the Seventeenth Amendment. Proponents of popular election of senators said that legislative selection was open to corruption and electoral deadlocks. The people did not have sufficient time to consider the end results of passing this amendment as it was ratified less than a year after it was first proposed by Congress. Had the people had opportunity to put more thought into the amendment, they would have realized that corruption is a function of men not of legislatures or elections. Corrupt men exist no matter the circumstances. And if a legislature wants to endure a stalemate regarding who will be their senators, then they can go without full representation at the federal level until their citizens start taking action to force their legislators to do their jobs.

The trouble with the Seventeenth Amendment is that now senators don’t have to be good or able or much of anything other than well known. The only skill they need is the ability to sell themselves to enough voters to win an election. The average citizen does not take the time to know the individuals who are running for office. They generally go with what they read on a mailer or because a friend supports that candidate or because they recognize the name. Flyers, campaign teams, and name recognition all take money. That means only rich people or people who can raise money – often by selling themselves or their votes – have a chance at becoming a senator. Too many highly qualified people will never consider representing their states because they don’t have the money or the inclination to try to make people like them. It just isn’t worth it to them. Instead we get too many people who speak well regardless of whether they are worth anything. Not every senator is like that, but too many are, and that is a major reason we have a swamp in Washington, D.C. We would do ourselves a favor by repealing the Seventeenth Amendment so that legislatures could elect senators based on quality rather than popularity.

Cordially,
Steve “Doc” Troxel, Ph.D.

Sixth District Southern Region Vice Chair Steve Richards and I were asked to assist the Teller committee at the Fifth Congressional District “Unassembled Convention” held Saturday, June 13. Steve was asked because of his organizing skills and his reputation for honesty and integrity. I was asked because I chaired the balloting committee at the 2018 Sixth District convention and have for several years served as a Chief Election Officer in Lynchburg.

The difference is that instead of the one precinct I deal with in Lynchburg, we were dealing with what amounted to 23 precincts, that is the 23 units in the Fifth District. As a result, it took a long time to tabulate the end results. I learned later that a number of Twitter and Facebook posts questioned whether the “delay” in getting the results out was an indication of vote manipulation in the tally room. Actually, it was a sign of thoroughness and accuracy.

Because of the contention surrounding this election, the dozen of us in the Teller room (not counting at least ten observers) were very careful to document every ballot and match the number of voted ballots with the number of delegates checked-in by each unit. The tally process was more complicated than merely scanning the ballots. There were a few minor discrepancies – normal in any large election process – that we chose to sort out (identify, explain, document) before we would report the totals from a unit to the spreadsheet operators. (There were two identical spreadsheets, each on a separate computer, with the output of each computer projected on a wall so that all of the observers could see/compare the results – raw votes and weighted results – as entered into each computer.) We decided it was better to get an accurate number than a quick number. Even though it took much longer than any of us would have liked, the final vote count came from a clean, fair, open, and accurate tally process.

The Fifth District convention is done, but another contentious convention — the Sixth District convention – comes on July 11. (I’m running for reelection to the State Central Committee.) We approved the call for this convention in December because convention preparation takes a long time. But the time we provided was squandered. A month or so ago, since no committees had been announced, the Sixth District Committee instructed current Chair Jennifer Brown and current Vice-Chair John Massoud – the two candidates for District Chair – to each select two members of each temporary convention committee and to select committee chairs on whom they could both agree. (Temporary committees are appointed because the committees don’t become permanent until voted on by the convention delegates.) We instructed them to complete the process by May 26. When the committees had still not been selected by May 28 (due to disagreement about one specific committee), we called a District Committee meeting for June 15 (to allow for the required 14-day notice) to appoint committees if the two candidates could not reach agreement by then. Finally, less than an hour before the District Committee was to meet, the convention committees were announced. Chairman Brown sent out her privately funded newsletter that evening with a few wrong names on it. I have included the correct, official list below:

The Temporary Convention Arrangements Committee includes Patsy Walker and Dexter Gaines (selected by Brown) and Steve Arrington and Dave Goetze (selected by Massoud). Jane Burner (Brown) is the committee chair.

The Temporary Convention Rules Committee includes Bethany Harrison (Brown), Scott Seaton (Brown), Vance Wilkins (Massoud), and Jeff Adams (Massoud). Dan Webb (Brown) is the chair.

The Temporary Convention Elections Committee includes Jeff Roadcap (Brown), Anne Seaton (Brown), Gary Chatelain (Massoud), and April McWilliams (Massoud). The chair is Austin Armentrout (Brown).

The Temporary Convention Nominations Committee includes James H. Kostelni (Brown), Scott Cline (Brown), Dave Christovich (Massoud), and Kyle Ford (Massoud). Doug Smith (Brown) is chair.

The Temporary Convention Credentials Committee includes Craig Storrs, Jr. (Brown), Eric Harrison (Brown), Jim DeLong (Massoud), and Brandi Rutz (Massoud). Nate Boyer (Massoud) is the chair.

Virginia House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert will be Temporary Convention Chair. Some people have posted that he came because Jennifer Brown asked him to. That is not true. It took a concerted effort and specific invitations from both candidates before he would agree to serve. If both candidates agreed to it, then his nomination as convention chair would not become a point of contention at a convention that already promises to be quite… lively.

Cordially,
Steve “Doc” Troxel, Ph.D.