Jeff responds to Hager’s letter here: http://votejeff.org/news.asp?docID=107.

We don’t need to continue this top-down approach of Hager and his friends.

Leaders who have squandered the ideological affinity voters naturally have for conservative causes in favor of running pollster-driven, focus group-tested, consultant-dominated campaigns aimed at out-liberaling the Democrats deserve to be booted. It’s bad enough that nationally the GOP brand has been tainted by Congressional Republicans drunk on their own spending power and GWB’s “compassionate” brand of “conservatism” (i.e., huge spending increases on entitlements like Medicare). That a core Red State like Virginia is now rapidly turning purple from the bottom up is unacceptable.

Frederick will put the focus of the party back on conservative ideals and issues, and will energize a lackluster organization that has failed in its core responsibilities to raise money and mobilize resources in support of WINNING ELECTIONS. He has a proven ability to do this, by having won overwhelming victories as a bedrock conservative in a Democrat district.

When given a choice, voters almost always choose to back someone who believes in something, rather than someone who believes in nothing. Republican activists in Virginia–like their brethren across the country–are frustrated at a party establishment that has become too entrenched and too comfortable, and that has forgotten the simple philosophies that made us a majority in the first place. This is why I believe Jeff Frederick will be the next RPV Chairman.

Tactically speaking, Hager is at his zenith at the moment, having mobilized all the support he can. Frederick, on the other hand, will likely bring hundreds (or possibly even thousands) of new bodies to the county conventions across the state. We’d all benefit from being among those energized conservatives who go out and make a difference for the future of the Republican Party in Virginia.