My name is Arthur Schaper. I am an activist, writer (you can find my articles on Townhall.com—Click here), blogger, and life-long California Republican. I also served as the President of the Beach Cities Republicans, one of the largest volunteer grassroots organizations in Los Angeles County.
I have witnessed first-hand how Republicans can win, and I have also seen why Republicans continue to lose—and what must be done to change this.
Despite some victories in 2013 and 2014, the California Republican Party’s decline has gone from bad to worse. The media and the GOP party establishment list the following excuses:
These are all lame excuses, nothing more.
Here are the problems:
1. The CAGOP does not register new voters or win back voters who have left the party.
2. The CAGOP is dependent on third-house money and vendors (consultants) who do not share the interests of California voters.
3. Prop 14 has shut out Republicans across the state and even for statewide office, and Republican leadership has done nothing about it.
4. Ballot harvesting, voter fraud, and the automatic motor-voter laws are suppressing the voter franchise, and no one in party leadership has done anything to fight these problems.
The biggest problem plaguing the CAGOP? A tightly-knit group of well-connected consultants and establishment party bosses—The Select Few, I call them—are more interested in making money and having power over a vastly diminish Republican Party than making a difference for the entire state.
I resent this group imposing on us our next chairman. They tried that the first time following the appointment of one-term NeverTrumper former Assemblyman and failed gubernatorial candidate David Hadley as the next CAGOP Vice Chairman. When he dropped out, they selected Jessica Patterson.
Who is she? Mrs. Trailblazers is a big party donor puppet. Her Blazing Saddles Failure spent more time weeding out real Republicans and promoting third-house proxies, while the California GOP hemorrhaged more seats in Congress and in Sacramento.
Patterson, a career staffer with no leadership experience, is connected to the same consultant cabal which has overtaken and overturned Republican county central committees, including mine. The Republican Party of Los Angeles County, or RPLAC has been run into the ground by a branch of “The Select Few”. Rather than fundraise, they rely on a few big checks from liberal special interests sources. The consultants get rich, and the rest of us get wrecked.
And it gets worse. Rather than helping conservative grassroots organizations to prosper and win elections, RPLAC, under the bankrupted leadership of “The Select Few” revoked the charter of one of the longest lasting and largest conservative groups in the area, the Beach Cities Republicans, of which I was a member, then President for two terms. As President, I helped our club grow and increase its impact and influence in the South Bay section of Los Angeles County. Our efforts helped secure a Republican majority on the largest city in the district: my home town of Torrance, CA.
We never shied away from fighting for GOP values: pro-life, pro-family, and pro-country. We enthusiastically supported President Trump, and we worked with different demographics to join the GOP. Latinos for Trump was our featured guest one month before Election Day 2016. We even recruited members from sections of Los Angeles County which don’t even HAVE Central Committees.
Instead of supporting our club and our efforts, “The Select Few” in RPLAC lied about us, citing non-existent violations of county by-laws (which they don’t even follow). It was a disgusting power-play, all orchestrated by Andy Gharakani. Ultimately, the RPLAC Executive Board revoked our club’s charter and sought to ostracize us in the greater Los Angeles County area.
This template for failure, collusion, and corruption will go statewide if Jessica Patterson becomes the next chairman. “The Select Few” which is propping up her bid for chairman will getting the big money, while our state goes to ruin. Sorry, but I am not interested in electing another wake of vultures getting fat off the dying body of the CAGOP.
Patterson is a NO!
And so is Travis Allen.
The CAGOP Chairmanship is not a consolation prize. I am not looking for a cheerleader, but a leader whom I can cheer. This is not a celebrity gig to prep for another statewide race. A Party Chairman is supposed to be the lead team player, not the center of attention. He helps other people become the centers of attention in their bids for office.
“But Travis can raise money! Look at all the flyers he has been sending out to the delegates!”
The previous CAGOP leadership raised $34 million, and we still lost seats. Hillary Clinton outraised Donald Trump nearly two to one, but we all know how that ended. Politics is not just about money, but how the money is spent, and who benefits.
“But Travis Allen has the Take Back California PAC! He Has $3 Million in the bank!”
Well, we don’t know how much he has because he has not filed the mandatory reports with the FPPC yet. Also, Travis Allen had pledged to donors that he would use that money to help elect OTHER REPUBLICANS to legislative office. As of now, that money is helping one Republican, Travis Allen, to get elected CAGOP State Party Chairman.
A political party needs a team player for chairman, not a self-promoter; a sage, not a celebrity; a little guy to help other little guys become big guys, not a big shot taking shots for himself.
We need a chairman who knows and helps the grassroots grows, who knows the Central Committees, who reaches large audiences. We need someone who knows the by-laws and expects everyone to abide by them. In short, we need someone who will make the CAGOP and California Great Again.
That man is Steve Frank.
Here’s why you need to support Steve Frank as the next CAGOP Chairman:
1. He has helped other candidates get elected. He helps them speak, campaign, and fundraise.
2. He has outlined an extensive yet simple plan for remaking and restoring the CAGOP, and he is already implementing it.
3. He knows the local as well as state politics in each region. He knows how to get out the vote, and he can make the case to the voters in different areas.
4. He is not only well-informed on statewide affairs, but daily informs others through his newsletter California Political News and Views, published by California Political Review.
5. He knows the inside baseball of party politics, including convention rules. He is well-aware of the games which have been played against us and for the benefit of “The Select Few”. He also knows how to stop these games and help all of us win again.
6. When the state party leaders ignored the plight of the Beach Cities Republicans, Steve reported and exposed the crap and corruption going on in the Central Committees, especially RPLAC.
In short:
Steve is a workhorse, not just a show-horse.
Steve is a team player, not a “me player”.
Steve is experienced, not just a showman.
Steve has been fighting the good fight, win or lose, not just someone who showed up on the scene.
I support Steve Frank for CAGOP Chairman, and I urge you to support him, too.
If you have any questions, please email me at arthurschaper@hotmail.com.
You can also contact Steve Frank for more information:
Cell: (805) 795-1271
Email: stephenfrank@sbcglobal.net