Andy Reilly Voting Tabas — The always perceptive Lois Kaneshiki has posted the below letter from Andy Reilly at the Pennsylvania Precinct Project. Reilly chairs the Southeast PA Republican Caucus. The takeaway line is “And my conscience tells me that Lawrence Tabas is the right choice for Party Chair.”
Here is his letter:
Fellow Republican State Committee Members,
As Chair of the Southeast Caucus, I can assure you that both Lawrence Tabas and Bernie Comfort enjoy strong support from our members. This comes as no surprise. Both Lawrence and Bernie have been committed to our party for years and I’m proud to call them both my friends.
As the vote nears for the election of a new chair of our state party, some members have asked me for my advice. Here’s what I’ve told them:
Vote your conscience.
Voting one’s conscience means just what it says. It’s not about power plays or Washington politics or satisfying outside interests. State parties should be run at the local level.
When it comes to Immigration, China, and picks for the United States Supreme Court, I happily stand with the Trump team. I’m ready to go into 2020 fighting for the principles and vision of Donald Trump.
But when choosing a local party leader, especially when we have two well-known candidates, my reply is “thank you, but I’m voting my conscience.”
And my conscience tells me that Lawrence Tabas is the right choice for Party Chair.
It disappoints me that someone has invited the Trump team into a contentious, local matter. It’s a no-win proposition for our President.
Either candidate will work hard for the President’s re-election. The use of the Trump team and family members demonstrates a lack of regard for their political welfare and jeopardizes the Trump coalition that made us successful in 2016.
This vote is a matter of conscience. And that duty resides solely with the men and women from across this state who believe in Republican principles.
Andy Reilly
Trump Delegate to 2016 Republican National Convention
Member of 2016 Electoral College – Pennsylvania
Chairman of Southeast PA Republican Caucus
I don’t know Andy Reilly, but I know who my Chesco state committee members are. I would be happy if I felt secure that they would vote their conscience, but history indicates that under Val DiGiorgio’s county, then state-wide “leadership” (and yes, he held BOTH chairs for some period of time), most did HIS bidding and that of the party’s self-appointed “elite”. History indicates that that quality of being a good “soldier” for everyone other than voters was preeminent to most then and will continue to be until the R house is cleaned of similarly inclined “leadership” wherever they exist in PA . Isn’t it time to stop trying to paint pretty pictures for fear of internal party warfare (or externally slung mud or losing chocolate-coated resources) and face the fact that the ability to act independently and do the right thing for VOTERS has BEEN EXACTLY the problem, at least in some parts of this state? Let’s PROVE to voters that we have the ability to recognize our party problems and solve them with transparency. Anything less than transparency is, frankly, gutless and will lead to more of the same.
You are 100 percent right. The Chesco state committee members for the most part (I am sure that there are some exceptions) are tools of the pay-to-play establishment that has ruined the party, alienated limited-government believers, and led to the Val DiGiorgios of the world controlling the county party and then the state. Unfortunately, a call to vote your conscience falls on their deaf ears –nearly all of them have no conscience. Our only hope is that they are scared straight by the rank and file Republicans.
I expect those in the Republican Party leadership will support President Trump’s agenda and efforts for the United States. I am a strong supporter of all he stands for and I demand no less from you.
Andy Reilly must have lived in an alternate universe during the Trump 2016 campaign. The Delaware County GOP under his leadership was MIA in promoting his candidacy. The Republican Party would not even allow us to post Trump signs in front of the Springfield GOP office on Baltimore Pike.
The same is true for the SE GOP’s minimal efforts to get Lou Barletta elected as Governor. Absolutely pathetic. So it is not surprising that this ineffective GOP in the Philly suburbs has reaped its just rewards with losses in Washington, Harrisburg and locally. #DrainTheSwamp
We activists in Grassroots groups will have to pick up the slack and work with the Trump Team while the self-important ‘GOP Leadership’ pretends to care. #Trump2020
I am totally confused. Who truly represents the Republican mindset in Pennsylvania? Someone with credibility please answer me.