Mike McCarville
Sources within the Tea Party movement in Oklahoma City report today that abrasive and controversial Ron Paul campaign state coordinator Al Gerhart has been removed from that post.
The sources say Gerhart was removed when slates of Republican districtr convention delegates he personally chose abandoned him because of his roughshod treatment of friend and foe alike, especially longtime GOP officials and workers.
It’s been no secret that many of Paul’s supporters had lost confidence in Gerhart and distanced themselves from him as much as they could.
Calls to the national Ron Paul campaign office to confirm Gerhart’s removal were not returned. Several Paul supporters, however, indicated there was an email today announcing his departure.
Gerhart in recent months had issued a number of hard-core emails telling would-be Paul delegates they had to be vetted by the national campaign (him) and that action reportedly infuriated many in the movement. So many, in fact, that an ad hoc coalition of Paul supporters not in Gerhart’s Sooner Tea Party went to work and elected their delegates.
Gerhart has used his Sooner Tea Party/Ron Paul campaign positions to savage Republicans he describes as “RINOs,” or Republicans In Name Only. He has repeatedly criticized elected Republicans, causing some who were inclined to support Paul to support other candidates.
Gerhart is a recent Republican; prior to his involvement in the Sooner Tea Party, he was an Independent who had not been active in politics. He is a carpenter by trade.
As the former Cleveland County Ron Paul 2012 Campaign Coordinator, I have to stand up for Ron Paul National. I have worked in upper management in retail (Hickory Farms). When you give someone a management position, no matter how good their references were, there background check etc., bottom-line when you hire managers, you are always going to get a bad apple. Sometimes the damage cannot be assessed until after the Christmas season.
I quickly confronted Gerhart about such favors. He kept on with his incessant vulgar, misogynist remarks. The grass-roots folks the key to the precinct meeting, the county convention and the 4th district. I gladly stepped down after the Cleveland County convention and warned him against any further vulgar tantrums for the course of the election.
The one good that came for myself and a dozen plus others was that Ron Paul National had a special phone project (which I managed for Cleveland County). Myself, and a dozen volunteers along with one guest of mine (Mike Reynolds who is running for Sheriff in Cleveland County), got to meet Ron and Carol Paul in the press room at the capitol.
I am glad he is gone. The Ron Paul Republicans have an agenda. To defeat Barrack Hussein Obama. The Ron Paul delegates are in it for the long haul come what may. I have never seen a more determined, dynamic, motivated network of highly-individualistic people that share a dream of a free nation, a free market, wise monetary policy and strongly conservative fiscal transparency. Not to mention, many of us are ardent pro-life activists.
I am new to the GOP too. In Cleveland County, the chair Bobby Cleveland and acting chair Lisa Shrieves and many others have welcomed the new republicans that Paul has brought in.
The republican party in Norman is very very strong. I am proud to be counted among them. See everybody at the state convention!
Lord bless you all,
Reverend Craig A. Corbin
True character eventually comes out!