The Purge is complete and official | Eastern North Carolina Now

By:  The Observer Editorial Team

The Beaufort County Republican Party Convention met on Saturday March 25 at Southern Acres near White Post. There were approximately 105 delegates representing  the 21 Beaufort County precincts.  They will meet again for this same purpose in two years.

Joseph Stalin is the historic master of the political purge.  He killed more than 20 million people that he simply did not like.  While there are no Republicans dead from this purge, I get the distinct feeling that many of the liberal Republicans who now control the Beaufort County Republican Party have not ruled out some kind of severe punishment as a possibility.

For weeks the faction of the Beaufort County Republican Party ruled by Carolyn Garris, Paul Varcoe, Keith Kidwell, John Rebholz and Frankie Waters, to name a few, have been considering severe measures to control the conservative wing of the Republican Party.  They have, for weeks, been spreading rumors that security in the form of law enforcement would be required at the convention to control the leadership of the conservatives, namely Hood Richardson.  They claimed that Richardson, in addition to being ill tempered, was abusive, domineering and disrespectful of everyone. 

To that end they had at least one sheriff’s deputy in attendance and made gun toting Keith Kidwell, Sergeant of Arms.  Kidwell made a point of subtly showing his fire arm in addition to accusing Richardson of making threats.

Paul Varcoe a  member of a south of the river precinct which was seated on the other side of the meeting room showed up at Richardson’s Fourth Ward table, took a seat and announced the he was there to control Hood Richardson and to see to it that he was not abusive.  At one point, while standing near the table Varcoe inserted himself into Richardson’s conversation and pushed against Richardson while yelling at the top his lungs.  Richardson advised Varcoe that if the touched him again he would file charges of assault.  Eventually someone convinced Varcoe that he needed to return to his precinct and sit at their table.  He had no right to be present at the Fourth Ward meeting.  While at the Fourth Ward table, Varcoe proceeded to give instructions to his supporters on what to say and how to vote.  If you do not know Varcoe you should avail yourself of that pleasure.

Keith Kidwell made a point of strutting around the room, pulling his coat back so one could see the pistol he was carrying.  Finally he removed his coat, making sure all could see that he was armed.

We support the right to bear arms.  However, a political convention is not the place for this kind of force.

One of the issues was a changed in how we elect members to the County Republican Executive Committee.  Since the beginning of Republican time in Beaufort County there has been a “minimum” of five people on the Committee.  There has not been a maximum number.  All party factions were represented by volunteers to be on the committee.  The liberal Republican insiders voted to limit the number of people to 21. They made a list of the people they wanted to be on the Committee.  They nominated these people individually. Two additional people were nominated. The total came to 23 nominations.  Almost half of those who had already put their names forward under the old rule did not even attempt to seek seats under the new rule.  Conservatives realized they were not welcome.

Keith Kidwell, who had dominated the convention, made a motion that rather than vote for members to be on the committee, that we vote for two members not to be on the Executive Committee.  That vote resulted in two prominent conservative leaders, former longtime Tea Party chairman Buzz Cayton and former General Counsel to the State Republican Party, Steve Rader, who is also a former Beaufort County Republican Party chairman and one of the few local people who has been inducted into the NC Republican Party Hall of Fame, being thrown off the Committee, and the remainder of the nominees being elected.  Make up the rules as you go. 

The result of that is there is little to no representation of conservative Republicans on the Executive Committee. Only the liberals are represented. This includes those people who have been accused of Party disloyalty, for supporting the Democrat candidate for sheriff. The accused are Frankie Waters, Kelly Cox, Jimmy Whichard, John Rebholz; and Paul Varcoe.  Waters and Cox had been forced to resign just a few months ago for party disloyalty.

There was considerable debate over the changing of disloyalty provisions in the rules.  Those who have been most disloyal now want any Republican who supports any opposition candidate or criticizes a Republican to be declared disloyal.  The use the term “Any Republican” is significant because we are a free speech nation.  Party disloyalty has always referred to those in the  party who have a  special duty to preserve the Party. Now the wording refers to “any Republican” person.  This becomes a free speech issue.  It also means the Party Leadership  can punish any person who is registered as a  Republican they do not like.  The whole thing here is to suppress dissent within the Party.  To these people, it is all about power.  Their power.  The next primary will be very interesting.

Keith Kidwell misinformed the Convention when he described the loyalty part of the new rules.  He then insisted that Hood Richardson was lying when Hood accurately read the first sentence of the proposed changes.

Steve Rader made the argument that the effect of the proposed change was to confer on the County Party the same (if not more) discipline rights than the State Party has.  Rader pointed out that he knew the  meaning of the wording used in the State regulations because he wrote them.  His experience is significant, his having been General Counsel for the State Party. Rader was overruled by Kidwell and his faction.

There is a very good chance the State Republican Party will force Beaufort County to adopt a reasonable definition of disloyalty. 

Disloyalty is a significant issue because Carolyn Garris has allowed disloyalty on a grand scale and now the same people who have been disloyal want to punish their political enemies for saying they are disloyal  with new disloyalty rules.  Take particular note that Frankie Waters is sitting on the Executive Committee having made a cash donation to the Democrat candidate for Sheriff.  Disloyal Frankie Waters now sits on the Beaufort County Executive Committee while loyal Republicans are barred from it.

Tim Melton, a conservative Republican, ran against Carolyn Garris for Chairman.  Because of the drawn out time, almost five hours, of the convention and the actions of Varcoe and Kidwell, many people left the convention in disgust.  Almost every time they created an incident, people left the meeting, disgusted.  Almost all of them were Tim Melton supporters.  We estimate the number at between 20 and 30 people. Had they stayed the entire time, Melton may have won.

All of the above are bad times.  However, the conservative Republican effort in Beaufort County is alive and well. The Conservative Republican Club will carry the banner. Republicans need to be aware of the disloyalty issues and the hatred these people have of conservative Republicans.  I know, they all claim to be conservative, but their actions betray them.