Bob Michel or Newt Gringich?

One of the reasons I started this blog was to provide readers some insight into local Republican politics that you would not get anywhere else. Here is the first installment.

Here is the reporting.

I reported here about the coming leadership struggle within the House of Delegates Republican caucus. The struggle is a rematch of the fight a couple of years ago between Del. Wade Kach and his team and that of Del. O'Donnell (who served as minority whip). That was won by the O'Donnell forces by a single vote.

An anonymous source within the caucus informed me that the the single vote that made the difference a couple of years ago came from Delegate Bob Costa (R-33B) who split with other Anne Arundel House members to support the O'Donnell team. For his efforts he was made an assistant whip. A year or so later, Costa resigned his leadership position and left the caucus entirely although he did not cease being a Republican.

Now Costa is leading the charge to replace O'Donnell with Kach, who he personally kept from having the position previously.

Now for the opinion.

Costa's cynical and unabashedly opportunistic efforts remind me of Italy during the First World War. It is a despicable act by a Delegate uninterested, it would seem, in the good of the party or any principle beyond himself.

Tony O'Donnell is a solid conservative leader and would not bring the "moderate voice" Wade Kach has been seeking to bring for the last few years. O'Donnell is solidly pro-life, led the fight against spending taxpayer dollars for embryonic stem cell research, was the primary supporter of "Jessica's Law", opposed the huge tax increases urged by the Democrats, led the fight against early voting, the "Wal-Mart Bill" and other unconstitutional legislation, all while carrying the water for the Ehrlich administration and heroically standing up to the ironfisted rule of Mike Busch.

Tony O'Donnell has earned his stripes and deserves to keep them.

We have been here before. The O'Donnell/Kach fight is the Bob Michel/Newt Gringich fight of the early nineties. Do we content ourselves as Republicans to being docile backbenchers or do we unite behind a leadership that will demand accountability and fight for a clear alternative agenda which can lead to political victory in future elections. The latter choice was Newt Gringich and is Tony O'Donnell.