Instead of fighting Democrats, the Young Republican National Federation waged a civil war among its own Sunday. Troops led by former Utah congressional candidate Enid Greene lost - and she suffered some stiff personal attacks.
Greene - chairwoman of the group, which is an arm of the National Republican Party - tried unsuccessfully to oust the California Young Republicans for spurning organization rules.She said its leaders had assumed near dictatorial powers including: improperly ousting county Young Republican groups that opposed them with new, more loyal organizations; imposing bylaws to strengthen their control without approval by members; and insisting they did not have to comply with national rules.
The Californians said such actions did not merit banishment and contended Greene was simply out to get them for personal reasons.
Greene persuaded the group's executive committee to vote 44-15 with two abstentions to expel California. But that was short of a two-thirds vote by all the committee's 88 members - or 59 people - that was needed for ouster.
Many members had left to catch airplane flights as what was supposed to have been a short meeting Sunday morning stretched into a six-hour marathon. At the end, Greene would have had to gain the ballots of all those voting to win.
The California group attacked Greene as much as it defended itself.
Tom Green, with the California group - who Enid Greene threatened once Sunday with removal by police for verbal outbursts - said, "You can't cross Enid Greene. Many of us feel she is trying to get even with us because her opponent (for chairwoman) was from California."
Greene scoffed at that, and said she began inquiries after the National Republican Party received complaints and asked her to take care of the situation.