Former KVI talk host, Kirby Wibur, who's been mainly unemployed since his 2009 firing is in the fight of his life as he tries to unseat Luke Esser as Republican Party Chair.
We won't go into the delicious internecine politics of this just now, but it's a battle for what passes for the soul of the hapless state GOP.
Read Jim Brunner's piece in the Seattle Times; Publicola adds to the story. Seem's Kirby's got some junk in his closet.
Ol' Kirb is a hard-right Christian winger. Esser is less of an idealogue, but hasn't produced many results at the ballot box in his term.
Kirby's crew wants to go farther to the starboard; they've controlled the party before, and boyo they're fun to watch...
Go Kirby!
He looks a bit like Jabba the Hut
Posted by: JD | January 19, 2011 at 08:33 AM
Wasn't Wilbur also the CEO of Exxon?
Posted by: Coiler | January 19, 2011 at 09:20 AM
C'mon: On Esser's watch, Republicans picked up six seats in the state House, and four in the Senate. Not enough to change the majorities, but closer...closer.
Posted by: bmoc | January 19, 2011 at 09:46 AM
Hopefully they can find a Republican chair that can accommodate him in his current physical condition.
Posted by: AprilMayJune | January 19, 2011 at 11:07 AM
Kirby is a man of clarity and vision that will strengthen our efforts to remove this corrupt Gregoire regime.
Posted by: The Truth | January 19, 2011 at 11:36 AM
How is that "junk" in Wilbur's closet? So the secretly funded PAC he was chairing didn't disclose their sources or spending until after the election - think that wasn't the plan? Think Kirby didn't know exactly what the law required? Think any Republican operative or PCO will hold his non-compliance against him?
The way campaign finance law is now constructed, it's far more beneficial to violate the law and pay the piddling fines (or have Rove's group pay them) after the fact than it is to actually comply with the law. And on the Democratic side, the Moxie Media kerfluffle is exactly the same dynamic, counting on the fact that the after-the-fact punishment will cost less than the benefit of flouting the law. Corporations do this, too, routinely. Until there's a realtime cost associated with violating the campaign finance laws, it will continue to be skirted or (as with Kirby) simply ignored routinely by whomever can get away with doing so.
Wilbur made a rational (if amoral) choice. If anything, he'll be rewarded for it, not punished.
Posted by: Pete | January 19, 2011 at 12:18 PM
Kirby ever find Saddam's WMD that he has insisted for years were hidden in Syria?
He's a likeable guy, just not very bright....sounds like just the man for the job!
Posted by: Rocky | January 19, 2011 at 12:20 PM