Republican Reactions to Frederick Ouster Range from Resignation to Rage

There's a great deal of Republican reaction to yesterday's ouster of Del. Jeff Frederick as RPV chair. Here's a sampling from this morning's newspapers, blogs, and Twitter feeds. Enjoy!

Del. Bob Marshall:
"Jeff Frederick lost his Republican Party Chairmanship, but Bob McDonnell was the bigger loser by the way Frederick was removed."

"Loudoun Insider" on Too Conservative: "Off to Elba!...Happy days are here again for RPV. The long nightmare is over."

Activist Theresa Robinson from Chester: "It's nothing but a mob lynching. That's what it is."

2nd CD Chair Gary C. Byler: "The enthusiasm of the grass roots is critical in the fall...We have to heal these wounds."

GOP 5th CD Chair Tucker Watkins:
"It's an awful thing, but a necessary thing"

House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith:

Clearly, Jeff made errors. I didn't think it reached the level that I would remove an elected chairman. Obviously a majority -- 75 percent of the people voting -- think they did. And we move forward.

10th CD representative JoAnn Chase:

It's split -- I can assure you it's split in half. The grass roots were not for this...There's going to be a backlash -- you better believe it. "Whoever voted in there and thought they were going to get away with that, and that the conservatives are not going to go back and re-elect him, God willing, if he runs again, have something else coming.

Del. John Cosgrove:

The people that wanted us to keep Jeff most were the Democrats. It seemed like every time we turned around, Jeff was saying something inappropriate.

Staunton Republican Committee Anne Taetzsch:

Jeff Frederick was a fantastic chairman. He brought he Republican Party of Virginia into the technology age and was excellent in fundraising and energized the base. This [ouster] was a topdown effort. I’m really sad. We essentially just handed the election to the Democrats. They [the grassroots base] feel like our vote is not going to count. If politicians are not going to respect our voice, why support these politicians?

Former Albemarle County Republican Committee Chairman John Darden:

People need some time. The Republican Party as a whole will be hard-pressed to generate enthusiasm among the grassroots. They will vote for Bob McDonnell. But will they work for him 8, 9 or 10 hours a day? I’m not sure. These are the folks ["a group of elite Republicans engineered Frederick’s beheading as chairman"] who have led us to defeat year after year

More from John Darden:

If we were really interested in bringing back conservative principles to the governorship of Virginia, this issue would have never come about, especially in the public as it has...We should be out today knocking on doors for our candidates, not sitting down here in Richmond having to defend a man who was elected chairman...We want [Bob McDonnell] to be our governor. Has the enthusiasm somewhat died a little bit? Sure.

Del. Steve Landes: "It’s a distraction, but our job is to elect candidates."

Frederick supporter Adam Bitely:

I wanted a change in the party, which is why I voted for Jeff last year...someone who stands for more limited government than we currently have and is willing to fight for it. But what's the point in participating if they tell me my vote is going to be trash anyway?

Frederick supporter Tony Arjona: "This lit the fuse on the marking of the end of the Republican Party in Virginia."

Republican activist Lee Talley:

To me it was about job performance, plain and simple. It's not about political issues at all. It's about the fact that we need effective leadership.

And last but not least...Jeff Frederick:

People don't always like change. Too many are still invested in doing things the old, top-down way. I'm sad for our party and our grass roots, but I will not be deterred. I feel the course I set for our party is the right one. And whether I or someone else completes the task that we began last year when I became chairman, that remains to be seen.