It's about competence, not ideology

Without calling me out by name, Mike Netherland has called me out and accused me of trying to "smear" Jim Pelura and John Flynn.

Mike however completely misses the point and tries to turn this into an issue of ideology over performance:

The folks I have spoken with personally have no doubt as to what motivates the current smear-merchants. Vengeance and ideology, it turns out are on their agendas. Those currently on the Executive Committee, privy to embargoed documents such as financial statements, budgets and letters clearly marked "Confidential," seek to replace a principled conservative with a squishy, bring-home-the-bacon moderate. I don't know Mr. Redmer but I'm sure he would resent such a characterization. Also, members of this cadre who are not on the Executive Committee seek to right many perceived wrongs against them, the latest of which involved the unpleasantness on the Anne Arundel State Central Committee, by smearing county conservatives.

The argument for the replacement of Pelura and Flynn has little to do with ideology, at least in my perspective, because I am as conservative as they are on the issues. But the fact of the matter is that we can have the most conservative, most dyed-in-the-wool Republicans out there in positions of leadership, but if the leadership cannot display competence, that leadership must be replaced.

I'm not sure what the motivations are of all of those who are opposed to the Pelura/Flynn team. It's not personal to me, I have always been very fond of Jim Pelura. It's not about vengeance, because if it were I have a much longer list of folks to be paying attention to. But what it is about is the success and the failure of the party. It is about the party being in the black or being in the red. It is about the party being viable in 2010 or not being viable in 2010. To assume that there are other motivations behind my call for change is nothing short of myopic.

(Crossposted)