The Sooner Tea Party has written a good half dozen stories about the long “serving” GOP general counsel AJ Ferate, covering his corrupt shenanigans before and at State GOP Conventions, conflicts of interest that he involved himself into like the candidate challenges where two GOP primary candidates are at the Election Board with Ferate representing one of the sides, and the notorious attack on President Trump back in early January of this year. We are no fan of this dude, make no mistake about that.
Yet like the rash on a baby's butt we find ourselves writing again about Ferate because the slow turnover to the incoming GOP Chairman has generated a small debate over tossing the guy out on his ear or keeping him around in a lesser position. Ugh, a Hobson's choice rears its head.
Hobson's choice? In England a few hundred years ago lived a stable owner who kept the horse he wanted rented out next in a stall near the front of the building. So he could spread the work around the horses so the more popular horses weren't overworked and the difficult or less presentable horses weren't worked at all. So Hobson gave the renters a choice, the one in the front corner stall or no horse at all. Which was popularized as being a choice that wasn't a choice at all, thus the Hobson's choice.
Why in this case is this even a debate? Ferate has never been fair to the grass roots, the conservative Republicans, in fact he lashed out and screwed us over every chance he got. Shouldn't he be kicked to the curb?
The dilemma is explained best in this quote from Frank Herbert from his Dune series:
“...A world is supported by four
things...the learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the
prayers of the righteous and the valor of the brave. But all of these
are as nothing without a ruler who knows the art of ruling.”
That last sentence is the most important, GOP Chairman John Bennett has found himself the Chairman of his friends as well as his enemies. As a leader we expect nobility from a leader as well as a leader that doesn't throw away resources or talents and the talent of reforming or if needed , humiliating the players in the game is more important that just whacking all the old and replacing them with the new.
That alone isn't enough though. Those arguing that Ferate ought to be kept on in a diminished role give two reasonable arguments; continuity and opening the purse strings of the tall building crowd.
Continuity, tapping the knowledge of the past work of the GOP General Counsel and not having to research and re invent the wheel on the small legal issues that have come up in the past. There was a lawsuit last year or the year before over who was the correct County GOP Chairman in one County, with Pam Pollard playing a role in things if we remember correctly. Then there are the thoughts and fears of those on the losing side of the Convention vote, perhaps a token sliver of the old guard could be left around to report back to those on the losing side. IF it can be accomplished without leaving a snake in the organization just waiting for the right time to strike.
Then there are the donors that previously supported the Oklahoma GOP. AKA Tall Building crowd and the moderates. We have the choice of ignoring them and funding the GOP entirely from the grass roots which historically has always been a losing proposition or seeing of a compromise can be brokered without breaking our principles. Meaning the Party will have limited funds to pay the Chairman and any office staff required to keep the doors open the required amount of hours per year to keep the RNC happy, pay for the FEC filing wizards, the campaign software, and all the overhead with hopefully some left over to help candidates. Can we run things on a shoe string? Yes, do we want to? No.
Will the donor class step up and fund the Party if they fear the unknown? Likely not. Cheap coin it would be to allow some continuity, to assure the donor class that the Party will be ran professionally and not be a repeat of the David Mclain administration. Let them pay to play.
It is not that this isn't a negotiation. Things would have to be different. We need an entirely new General Counsel that is honest and trustworthy, of that there is no doubt. But perhaps expanding the legal team to six to ten volunteer attorneys to ensure that Ferate's impact will be light if his interests are not with the interests of the Party and if so his time would be short as well.
And there can be no more conflict of interests from anyone that is General Counsel or volunteering on a legal team. The position will require staying out of Party politics and out of candidate challenges where both sides are Republicans. The new General Counsel will need to agree that as the position represents the Party public attacks upon conservative Republican officials will not be tolerated. You want free speech? Fine, don't act like you represent the Party. And any relapses would be cause for immediate termination. Assisting the GOP Party carries with it some bragging rights and opens new doors for attorneys. The fact that they are volunteering is of little importance if the people on the legal team don't act professionally.
The last argument heard was “I don't trust him.” Good, welcome to actual politics. One ought not to trust anyone. One ought to know their agenda and know them well enough that you are sure they will follow their agenda. That works with 95% of the actors and then there are the crazy ones like the Tulsa tyrant. After all it isn't a rule unless it has exceptions.
Whatever John Bennett decides to do can always be undone if Ferate continues to be a problem and it will up on the donor class to explain why.
