Republican Party to Stiff $3,000,000Contributor? Will Financial Bankruptcy Follow G.O.P.’S Moral Bankruptcy?

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Party Official Blames Governor for Debt, Who Sticks it to the Party

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

The California Republican Party is in financial trouble. According to the SF Chronicle,it owes $3.4 million in unpaid bills. And while it has $3.2 million cash on hand, it owes a major donor $3 million of that in a loan now due.

The loan is controversial. Party official Jon Fleischman claims the debt should be put on the Governor’s shoulders as the money was used in his reelection campaign.

The Governor denies owing any money. His spokesman notes that the Party voted to accept the obligation – including now Chair Ron Nehring. “The Governor is not responsible for settling the loan” says the Chronicle story citing Adam Mendelsohn, advisor.

The contributor in question is reportedly demanding party officials take specific actions to “get a finance chairman, operations committee person and a Team California chairman to oversee major donations for the party”. Also requested was “accountability in developing a detailed business and political plan to address issues such as voter registration, (and) getting voters to the polls”.

Pretty basic stuff. But the story quotes “one GOP source” as saying the business plan demanded by the Party’s creditor has yet to be produced.

Is receivership in the offing?

He who pays the fiddler, calls the tune. The fiddler in this case – the $3m donor –is demanding the party open it’s primary to otherwise unaffiliated registrants as the Democrats do. A way of getting them into the habit of voting Republican.

But declined-to-state voters are moderate in ideology. If allowed to vote in primaries that might help out moderate or liberal Republicans (like John McCain), thus ending the dominance of Goldwaterism and restoring Rockefeller Republicans to their traditional position of authority within their Party.