As Republicans, we believe in the Ideals of Liberty, Justice, and Equality and the Principles of smaller government, fiscal responsibility, and personal responsibility. Do not believe me, look at our 2022 Iowa Republican State Platform. That is why what the Republican Party of Iowa (RPI) is attempting with concerns to this year’s Second District Convention has raised my ire and it should do so with all Republicans, especially with those in the new Second District.
The convention was held in Independence this year and hosted by the Buchanan County Republican Party. Some rural county Republican Parties have struggled over the years mostly due to the same situation that is plaguing every volunteer organization, an aging leadership and lack of participation by younger people with lives they deem too busy to participate in for the betterment of their and their posterity’s future. Buchanan County was one of these until it was revitalized, led by new Chairman Buckley Necker.
“Bucky” went all out, took the bull by the horns and organized the Second District’s convention there in Independence at a new venue that was looking to promote itself, so RPI received a great deal on its’ rental. RPI, who always likes to have control, went further in supervising him by including to tell him how many delegates for which to plan to be in attendance. The other counties knew the number was way high, but Bucky trusted the “experts” at RPI and even though Bucky informed RPI that they could alter that number
even a few days before the convention, RPI knew what they were doing.
Well, they did not, and the overestimation cost the newly revitalized county party an extra $1400. Now you would think RPI, being Republicans after all, and having the funds to do so, would say, “yea, we made a mistake, here is check”. Nope. RPI’s first solution was to have Buchanan County foot the bill. When pressed, however, they came up with a different solution, “yea, we made a mistake, here is a check”? Nope, wrong again. The new solution was them paying half and then shifting the blame for their mistake to the rest of the counties in the Second District and telling them to pay the other half.
Lack of responsibility, blaming others for your mistakes, and redistribution of wealth, is something I would expect from the Democrats/Socialists/Communists and for RPI to take this tact is very disturbing to say the least. Hopefully they can be persuaded to abide by our State Platform and send Buchanan County a check for the full amount of their failures along with an apology for it taking so long to square up.
