THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9603280009
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
I didn't serve my country as a military officer for more than two decades or fly 50 missions in Korea in order to give Patrick M. McSweeney, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, the authority to decide who is politically correct enough to vote in a Republican primary.
I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I vote the candidate. Just imagine how many citizens of the Old Dominion would be denied their right to have a voice in the electoral process if McSweeney had his way about who should be allowed to participate.
The real reason McSweeney is working to deny independents like me their rights in the electoral process is because he is bent on ousting John Warner from the U.S. Senate for ``insubordination'' to the extreme right wing of the Republican Party, and he is well-aware that Warner's approval rating is very high among most segments of the Virginia electorate regardless of party affiliation.
When Warner opposed convicted felon (a verdict subsequently overturned on a technicality) Oliver North for the Senate, McSweeney vowed to retaliate. McSweeney, a lawyer who should know better and have more respect for the criminal-justice system, apparently thinks Oliver North would be preferable to having a Democrat, Chuck Robb, represent us on Capitol Hill.
I agree that we need to make some changes in the leadership of the Republican Party. I suggest we start by replacing Chairman Patrick M. McSweeney with a true believer in the democratic process.
DONALD V. RIDENOUR
Grafton, Feb. 25, 1996 by CNB