I want to start this post by stating that I gain nothing from defending Andy Garakhani or Jessica Patterson. They both hate my guts. I get reminded of this repeatedly by people in all walks of politics. However, your intrepid blogger prefers to deal with as many facts as possible, even when defending people who hate me.

Steve Frank has written at least two of his columns post-convention, and they are riddled with falsehoods. If the opposition to the McCarthy-Patterson GOP is to be effective, the truth needs to be the focus.

Just stop, Steve

Several months ago, CRP Chair Jessica Patterson appointed the CRP Resolutions—every member was appointed by her.  Their votes represent HER views.  On September 30, 2023, the CRP Resolutions voted  NO to recommend HR 26 and HCR 3 to the full body.  Below are these measures.

Steve wrote the above line to create the false impression that the Resolutions Committee are all robots that do what they are told by Jessica Patterson. This is a lie, similar to all the committees – of course, the chair is going to think through the appointments and will favor loyalists… but assuming she can control all the committees post-appointment is absurd.

For years, the Resolutions Committee has killed almost all resolutions submitted by the opposition. This convention was no different, but Steve Frank’s deception is an attempt to say the Resolutions Committee did business as usual, but this time is special because it means that Jessica Patterson was bought by Planned Parenthood. Jessica is many things, while she runs from the Abortion Issue like most squishes, from there, Steve Frank departs from reality.

When Jim Brulte was CAGOP Chair, he ensured the opposition was taken care of. Not all CAGOP Chairs are this magnanimous. Expecting and demanding fair treatment from people you lie about is completely ludicrous.

Why did Jessica Patterson give no direction from the Dias about the platform versus telling people she was voting no on the Resolution? The leadership of the CAGOP kills resolutions as a rule. When chair of the committee, Robert Philibozian has always been known as the killer of resolutions. So this is nothing new, and the hysteria of it suddenly meaning Jessica Patterson is now trafficking in body parts etc. etc. etc. is as absurd as a Walmart toupee.

However, the Platform was a completely different issue.

The Log Cabin Republicans were leading the drill to shred the platform. Every insider I know 100% told me this. There was no Andy Gimmecandy, David Stafford Reade, Scott Winn et. al. leading some effort to harvest proxies to kill the platform. Think it through. The enemies of Andy and Jessica are the Conservative opposition, but not every conservative. This means that equal numbers of people on both sides of the platform issue were supporters of the current regime. Think: Paula Whitsell and Fred Whitaker for example, both are Conservative supporters of Patterson.

If you are Andy and Jessica, you are pinned and can’t take a position. The Log Cabin are huge supporters of Jessica. The CRA and others are sworn enemies. One of the critical defects of character borne by most in the political world is if you cross them once, you are on the s–t list forever. Trump, McClintock, Jessica, Andy, David and others all have this defect of character. Jessica Patterson was NEVER going to side with the CRA on anything. Just accept this and drive on.

All the prior statements do not exempt the leadership of the Log Cabin Republicans from accountability over breaking their promise regarding not attempting to change the platform.

California’s Highest Ranking Republican Ted Gaines is a hero of the fight to keep the platform. I forgot to mention him in my first write up. Unlike McClintock, Ted Gaines pushed hard for Conservative Values despite McClintock trying to convince him to stand down. McClintock’s betrayal of Conservatives (which he has done many times over the years) is worse than any meaningless resolution that got killed on the Convention Floor. FYI – Steve Frank hates Tom McClintock too dating back to when McClintock beat him for Assembly in 1996.

Andy Gimmecandy was not paid to stack the Platform Drafting Committee with liberals. Steve Frank asserted he was. Had I gotten any proof Gimmecandy and Jessica Patterson were running or part of an organized effort to eviscerate the platform, I’d have come out with the allegations including proof. You have none and you get none from Steve Frank. Trust me, your intrepid blogger talked to a ton of people.

Don’t forget Jessica Patterson’s staff called the FBI on your intrepid blogger and some still wish the Federales would have hauled me off to jail. There is nothing in it for me to cover for them at all.

What is Andy G. guilty of? He does indeed believe the social issues cost us elections and would like to see them go away. He is wrong for that belief, but that is much different than making thousands of dollars trying to rig a proxy drill to make that happen.

It is the opinion of your intrepid blogger that Steve Frank hates LAGOP Chair Tim O’Reilly. O’Reilly is a decent man who deserves better than the dehumanization he has suffered at the hands of Steve Frank and crew. O’Reilly is a squish but that does not make someone eligible for the death penalty or libel. You read Steve Frank’s writings about him and you could draw no other conclusion. I have never met Tim O’Reilly, I have seen him on tape and read some of his emails and there is a palpable difference between he and Steve Frank.

Even this part of Steve Frank’s column is only partly true because Mr. Frank can’t help himself:

But with the threat from Legislators, a distracted Andy Gimmekandy failed to manufacture the votes Tim needed to win like he had done previously for Tim’s ascension to Los Angeles County Chairman.  David Hernandez, a real conservative Republican, won election to a seat held for years by Jessica’s rubber stamp, 68 to 61. To add insult to injury for Jessica, a long-time grassroots activist, Jon Paul White, won the Associate Representatives position on the Executive Committee, 61 to 55.

The legislators never had to threaten Andy Gimmecandy! Since Steve wrote that he decimated the meaning of the true part of the paragraph. It is clear to anyone observing that Andy was not invested in this convention proxy drill and left the door open to opposition victories. But, the opposition can still only win certain issues in controlled universes.

Please note that David Hernandez is very close to Steve Frank and has been for years. Also, John Paul White was expelled from CRA Leadership for being a disruptive force. Welcome them both to the CAGOP Board of Directors. (P.S. had I had a vote, I’d have voted for both of them over their opponents)

I will finish this by saying Harmeet Dhillon was also a hero of the platform drill. She has been a consistent force within CAGOP politics. Before the convention, She advocated for leaving the RNC Delegate Rules mostly intact. For this, despite her years of service to Donald Trump and crew, she was singled out by Trump in his expletive-laced speech to the CAGOP on Friday. Similar to the opposition of the CAGOP that can’t seem to be consistent and demand 100% agreement, so also did Harmeet experience the same from the former President. Yet, all the same she played another pivotal role in defending our platform. She deserves our continued support.

Steve Frank needs to retire. For example, he can’t even spell Corrin Rankin’s name right when he lies about her. If the opposition to the CAGOP’s ruling junta is so worried about who the next officers are going to be, maybe it is high time we all stop following proven liars and fight the squishes with some truth. The impressionable delegates that can be swung will respond to that.

Please see the two posts of Steve Frank I referenced here and here for attribution purposes.