Republicans call for ouster of Bob Asher

Below is a letter sent over the weekend to Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Robert Gleason asking the Republican State Committee to drum out Bob Asher, a national Republican committeeman who also meddles in Montgomery County politics. Asher's fingerprints are all over the recent fiasco involving Jim Matthews and Joe Hoeffel.

The vote of no confidence is from a group calling itself "Montgomery County Real Republicans" and accuses Asher of putting his "personal interest before party loyalty" and causing "severe irreparable damage" to the GOP.

Here is the letter:

Robert Gleason, Jr., Chairman
Republican State Committee
717 North Second Street
Harrisburg PA 17102

Dear Mr. Gleason;

For decades we have been dedicated and committed to the state and local Republican Party and its candidates. We applaud your swift condemnation of Republican Jim Matthews' alliance with Democrat Joe Hoeffel, in an effort to give the appearance of bipartisan governing.

Matthews' alliance is an act of betrayal to all of the Montgomery County Republican voters who on November 6th, 2007, elected a Republican Majority to govern Montgomery County.

We are troubled by the failure of party leaders to forcefully denounce Matthews' actions. Particularly disconcerting is the deafening silence of National Committeman Bob Asher, a Montgomery County resident.

Asher's silence would not be as troubling if not for the following accounts:

Asher led efforts raising in excess of $300,000 for Matthews' individual 2007 campaign account. Asher personally, to include members of his immediate family, and the Asher controlled political action committee, the "Pennsylvania Future Fund" contributed $60,000 towards this effort.

This fund raising effort allowed Matthews to ignore the Matthews-Castor team campaign plan and focus only on his re-election. As a result of abandoning the team, the Republicans lost five (5) county row office campaigns.

We believe that the PA GOP was compromised when National Committeeman Bob Asher was successful in securing the reappointment of a strong ally and friend to a $150,000 annual salary position, as the Executive Director of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, by cutting a deal with Governor Ed Rendell.

National Committeeman Bob Asher has demonstrated that he puts personal interest before party loyalty, and has caused severe irreparable damage to our Republican Party.

As GOP State Party Chairman, it is imperative that you call for the immediate resignation of National Committeeman Bob Asher, who has fostered divisiveness and party deterioration. As loyal Republicans we need to be assured that our party leaders will support all Republican candidates, as we are faced with a highly competitive 2008 Presidential Campaign.

Montgomery County Real Republicans