It looks like Leslie forgot about the fallout from backing a losing candidate against a longtime incumbent. Along with some help from unlikely allies, the Strickland and fundie nut wing of the local party, she got pushed out. They've been looking for an excuse to make their move on the moderate and mainstream conservatives for some time now. One likely result of this move will be more Party support for fundie nut candidates like Strickland, Foy and Dunn. This will erode support for the local GOP and if the Democrats are paying attention, they can move in and work this to their advantage. In the end, Ventura County is a fiscally conservative, socially moderate county. The spoils will go to the party and candidates that can best speak to that mainstream electorate.

She only backed him when he was the only candidate. When another candidate entered(Gallegly) she declined to flip flop. She endorsed Tenenbaum but it wasn't like she was running fundraisers for him week in week out.

There is some other issue at play here. But I don't know exactly what it is.

An interesting point that many seem to be missing is that Cornejo came to the Chairmanship the very same way. She was one of the leaders of a group that moved to remove the first woman to ever chair the committee. She, like Cornejo, only had a few months left, but Cornejo and her group pushed ahead. The only difference between Jackie Rogers and Cornejo was Rogers, when faced with certain removal, resigned rather than put the party through the process. Cornejo and her pals only care about themselves and their positions, not about their party or their committee.

They got what they deserved.

So, lessly, what you're saying is that payback is a bitch, and so is Cornejo?

It just appears to be a purge of one faction of party membership by another. It is a common occurence in party politics and the pendulum usually swings back the other direction before too long.

There's not a lot to be read into the affair. In the culture of Party, both GOP & Dems, it doesn't take more than a small, activist faction to effect leadership changes. Especially in a period where party solidarity is a must, ANY dissatisfaction within the party must be taken care of ASAP and in this case it meant replacing Cornejo and getting on with business. If it weren't for the approach of a vital election Cornejo would have been given time to work with the disgruntled faction(s).

I would agree but what election is coming up locally? Is her job to turn out voters to win statewide? Is that what they were worried about?

If it is local issues, what race are Republicans sweating? Most of their seats seem perfectly safe. The ones they don't have ( Pedro Nava etc.) are way out of their reach.

City or county races?

My guess: Could it be about positioning the Central Committee to support "the right" candidate for Elton's seat in 2008? Possibly other future state legislative, county or local offices too?

Judging by the primary Republican battles this year that Judy Mikels and Audra Strickland faced, I think it might just be the effect of the quest for control the local party's future agenda and candidate choices. If so, the endorsement of Tenebaum was just the pretext for the change in leadership.

I agree. You have great insight Garibaldi.

Wonder if Tennessen will become Chair, or if Osborn is planning on taking him out too?

What faction of the party is Osborn and Tennessen from?

"Ya pays your money and makes your choice":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factions_in_the_Republican_Party_(United_States)

Thanks Garibaldi. Do you know what factions the new people are from?

I do not know.

I was hoping someone might tell me. It is very confusing trying to keep all of them straight.

If she backed Tenenbaum she must be from the conservative wing.

All this seems like politics as usual to me. I'll have to agree with the comments made by GS and Garibaldi.

So maybe Audra will make a go at Elton's seat that could make sense and why Debi Schulte was the dissenting vote.

So my prediction would be Becerra vs. Audra in 2008 especially if Tony becomes State Controller.

I loathe partisan politics. Than again I am an idealist. Good people are shut out as a result of the popularity contests.

Hey, why doesn't anyone take on Audra these days, she seems to be below the radar.

What are the current chances that Tony becomes state controller?

If Tony wins Audra might as well get a moving van for DC if she wants to. There is no way anyone can stop the Stricklands then. Tony will have statewide money that someone like a council member will never have access to. He will also line up enough endorsements that it will a landslide in that dept. too.

Is the new board closer to Audra? If so, that bodes poorly for any moderate thinking of running when Elton retires.

Or Tony loses, and the invincible Strickland shield is lowered. Then the defeat becomes complete when Becerra has a landslide years in the coming. Tony/Audra should try to move on quickly they stand no chance against a Becerra who has been plotting for years.

Not everything that happens in East Ventura County is related to a Becerra VS Stricklands race that may or may not ever occur.

New GOP leader sought
Central Committee to pick interim chair Aug. 23

By Star staff
August 8, 2006

The acting chairman of the Ventura County Republican Central Committee has scheduled a vote Aug. 23 to elect a successor to former Chairwoman Leslie Cornejo, who was ousted last week during a special meeting called expressly for that purpose.

First Vice Chairman David Tennessen of Camarillo informed members Monday that the vote to select what he called "an interim chair" will be conducted at the committee's next regularly scheduled meeting. The meetings are on the fourth Wednesday of every month. About 24 people are eligible to vote.

It is widely believed that Mike Osborn of Ventura, one of the members who called for the meeting to oust Cornejo, will seek the chairmanship.

Tennessen said he expects to seek the post in December, when the annual organizational meeting is held, but would not be a candidate at this time.

"In no way, shape or form would I enter into a competition for the chairmanship under circumstances like this," he said.

The vote last week was lopsided ? 14-1 ? as the result of a tactical decision by Cornejo's supporters not to attend, in the hope that their absence would prevent a quorum, or minimum number needed for a vote, from being present.

Tennessen said he expects this month's meeting to be much better attended. In fact, he said he is searching for a location to accommodate a crowd larger than the group's regular meeting place can handle.

The move to oust Cornejo was motivated by her decision to endorse challenger Michael Tenenbaum for Congress over incumbent Rep. Elton Gallegly in June's Republican primary. At the time she made the decision, Gallegly had announced his intent to retire.

After the Simi Valley congressman changed his mind and decided to seek another term, Cornejo declined to rescind her endorsement.

Mike Osborn is a political consultant? For what causes or candidates?

There is some "fuzzy math" here. This just does NOT add up. If Paul Harvey were reporting on this, he would tell us all "the rest of the story."

What isn't adding up?

Simple: the punishment does not fit the crime. There is no proportionality here in this extreme move and so there must be another reason for it.

Elton is a very smart politician and I do NOT think his campaign has a logical reason to want this before the November election. Since he is not now (nor ever was) in any danger of being unseated and this action only has the potential of alienating some of those most involved in his party, I deduce that this purposeful embarrassment of a local party leader has another cause.

I agree with Garibaldi. There has to be something else behind this that isn't in the public forum.

I agree. I have known Leslie for some time and the Tenenbaum thing is just an excuse. The local Republican party needs to be more open or they will lose all trust.

This is NOT about the Republican party in general, but rather a small, vocal group run amok. I wouldn't vote for anyone they endorse and I would suggest others do likewise. They run their group in secret for a reason.

The Cabal meets at Coco's.

Cornejo should have known better than to not follow the other lemmings off the cliff. There is no room for independent thinking in the Ventura County Republican Party! NOT NOW, NOT EVER!

MORE OF THE TRUTH COMES OUT. THESE ARE SOME POSTS MADE ABOUT THE TIM HERDT COLUMN TODAY.

Duf Sundheim, Chairman of the California Republican Party is the man described by Timm Herdt. He is the one to monitor and do changes in the party to tune it to California reality. What has Duf Sundhaim been doing? The answer is nothing for the sake of growing the party. He has been very involved in communication with Mike Osborn over the removal of Leslie Cornejo. Middle-age white man coaching the state party. He doesn't get it and the Republican Party suffers.

11:04:29 a.m. on August 9, 2006
ENRIQUE CORNEJO | Homepage | 08.09.06 - 8:09 am | #

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The California Republican party has been overtaken by extreme right wing nuts. Thats why people like Tony and Audra Strickland get elected and good people like Beth Rogers don't.

1:14:47 p.m. on August 9, 2006
JOHN WHITE | Homepage | 08.09.06 - 10:19 am | #

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Several weeks ago a group of 10 women including Beth Rogers came to my home for the purpose of reviewing her presentation on the political crisis in California. I can't say this enough - under Leslie Cornejo's tenure as Chair of the VCRCC for the first time factions of both philosophies were coming together for the real purpose of any Central Committee - that being the development of a farm team of candidates. I don't think it is a mistake thousands of women have left the Republican party in California. The gang of 15 have sent another clear message to female voters in this state - if you are a capable female in this party we are going to lynch you - period. It isn't even about choice - you just have to be capable and successful and there are enough disgruntled jealous women who will gladly join in with the petty insecure men against you for a public lynching. This lynching of a more than capable leader 3 months prior to an election was for the specific purpose of humiliating her publicly and those who participated know it - they simply don't have the courage to admit it. Hence their voting behind closed doors.

Alexandra Dymond
Camarillo

It's simple TrickleDown Theory at work. From the White House to the RNC to the State Party machines through the County organizations and to every Republican leader and candidate the order of battle has been handed down and the Party insists on followign order to the letter or else suffer punishment. In Cornejo's case she likely committed the most cardinal of GOP sins by allowing DISUNITY to take root at a time when the RNC insists on showing a solid front across the Nation. The disgruntled minority may only be a small vocal faction of extremists but by allowing them to disrupt that solid front, locally, Cornejo's been sent packing in place of stricter leadership.

This is a strategy that's benefitted the GOP since Gingrich's heyday. There's probably no more to the story.

I for one em tired of the extremist right wing republicans who can't handle women with there own minds. Lelie Cornejo is being treated as a second rate citizen for not doing what right wingers like Elton and Peter Foy expect. I think my party is living in the dark ages. It's time ALL REPUBLICAN WOMEN think about breaking out and not just doing what the right wing expects. Elton is so out of touch it isn't funny and Peter Foy who I'm being told I must vote for is absolutely ANTI-WOMEN. It's time we break out. We don't need Elton's or Foy's.

To IOOH: Stay put and start building a moderate women's caucus within the VCRCC and be willing to cross party lines if that's what it takes to elect a moderate. That's the only way to change the direction of the GOP and take it back from the extremists that have hijacked it. If you'd like some help getting organized feel free to email me at gary@calunion.com and we'll put you together with like-minded people. Dont give up...give them hell!

Leslie is a wonderful woman and has done a lot for the GOP. The problem is that she endorsed a candidate as the Chair of the Central Committee. When Gallegly re-entered the race, Leslie had a conflict that she did not want to remedy. If the endorsement had been a personal endorsement, with no mention of the Central Committee, I don't think there would have been a problem. Having made the choice to stick with her original endorsement, it would have been best for the Party if she had stepped down voluntarily. Don't forget, Leslie took over the reins of the Central Committee in a fiasco of similar circumstances. Another Femal Cenral Committee Chair was unseated with Leslie's help. THere is far more to this story than meets the eye. I applaud the majority of the Central Committee who have chosen NOT to get into the details, that would surely be embarrassing to Leslie.

Leslie is a wonderful woman and has done a lot for the GOP. The problem is that she endorsed a candidate as the Chair of the Central Committee. When Gallegly re-entered the race, Leslie had a conflict that she did not want to remedy. If the endorsement had been a personal endorsement, with no mention of the Central Committee, I don't think there would have been a problem. Having made the choice to stick with her original endorsement, it would have been best for the Party if she had stepped down voluntarily. Don't forget, Leslie took over the reins of the Central Committee in a fiasco of similar circumstances. Another Femal Cenral Committee Chair was unseated with Leslie's help. THere is far more to this story than meets the eye. I applaud the majority of the Central Committee who have chosen NOT to get into the details, that would surely be embarrassing to Leslie.

Leslie is a wonderful woman and has done a lot for the GOP. The problem is that she endorsed a candidate as the Chair of the Central Committee. When Gallegly re-entered the race, Leslie had a conflict that she did not want to remedy. If the endorsement had been a personal endorsement, with no mention of the Central Committee, I don't think there would have been a problem. Having made the choice to stick with her original endorsement, it would have been best for the Party if she had stepped down voluntarily, in light of the controversy within the Central Committee. Don't forget, Leslie took over the reins of the Central Committee in a fiasco of similar circumstances. Another Female Cenral Committee Chair was unseated with Leslie's help. There is far more to this story than meets the eye. I applaud the majority of the Central Committee who have chosen NOT to get into the details, that would surely be embarrassing to Leslie.

Say it three times or thirty-three times, but this potential partisan disaster seems to have more at its center than one inconsequential endorsement in the past primary. Otherwise, logically it could have waited until AFTER the November election when any fallout would have been negligible.

Someone should come clean and tell what REALLY was the point of this action before some Republican women decide to stay home on election day in November OR vote for candidates from other parties - especially women candidates - to make a point of their own.

What's wrong with voting for Women Candidates? Some of our very best elected officials have been women, at all levels of govt.

I see the not so veiled threats to embarrass Leslie have come out. Why shouldn't the whole truth come out? If removing her was a legitimate move, why not reveal it? If Leslie has nothing to hide, she won't mind. Only members making sneaky back room moves and with personal agendas have anything to hide. Central Committee members are elected by the public. Every registered GOP voter in the county has a right to know what's going on in our party.

For the record, the post made in this thread on August 9, 2006 03:41 PM was not from me. It seems that impersonating me has become a habit for some people around here. Using someone else's pen name to put words in their mouth is simply not cool.

Bubba, Sorry about whomever did that to you. I entered the matrix and had it changed to NOT Bubba Kidd. Does that work? Otherwise I could delete it.

If that ever happens again, e-mail me. I can tell it wasn't you by the e-mail address you used.

For everyone else, if you steal another's handle, ( Garibaldi, Bubba Kidd) I can choose to reveal your identity.

That's fine. Thanks Brian.