The Alabama GOP is not backing down on trying to silence young conservatives such as Alabama Federation of College Republicans president Stephanie Petelos. Last Friday I brought the story of how members of the Alabama GOP are trying to remove Petelos from the party’s steering committee over her views on gay marriage.
Now, some party members are trying to have the party’s state executive committee handpick which members of the College Republicans and Young Republicans sit on the steering committee
A proposed amendment to the Alabama Republican Steering Committee bylaws looks to remove the heads of minority, women and young conservative organizations from the party’s steering committee and replace them with representatives handpicked by the State Executive Committee.
The chairpersons or presidents of the Young Republican Federation of Alabama and College Republican Federation of Alabama are currently granted seats on the steering committee automatically, due to being democratically elected leaders of their organizations.
The proposed amendment, submitted by Cleburne County Executive Committee member Heath Jones, would require that the steering committee seats be given to representatives of the group elected by the party’s State Executive Committee.
So instead of the leaders who are elected by their members, the State Executive Committee wants to make sure “yes men” are on the steering committee.
But young people are not the only ones being targeted.
Jones also wants the SEC to elect a representative from the Alabama Federation of Republican Women and the Alabama Minority GOP, rather than granting a seat to the already elected chairperson or president.
Apparently, the Alabama GOP is not interested in new ideas or free thought. This plays right into the hands of the left when they accuse Republicans of being intolerant. It does not strike me as a good idea to marginalize young people, women, and minorities in the Alabama GOP.
This amendment and the other one targeting Miss Petelos will be voted on Saturday.