The Umatilla County Democrats operate a private Facebook group and won’t let in anyone who could be critical of them, according to an audit of political parties that are active in Umatilla County that was announced today by myself – I am James Tibbets and I am the publisher of Pendletonian Times.
The audit was simple: a personal Facebook account was used to request membership in the Facebook groups of three major political parties that operate in Umatilla County. Those groups are the Umatilla County Republicans, Umatilla County Libertarians and Umatilla County Democrats.
When joining the Umatilla County Republicans, it was noted that they are a public group who list their members publicly. You cannot be a “secret” Republican in their group. Their group administrators are Sue Hyers, Michelle Finn, Allison White and Larry B. Moore.
When joining the Umatilla County Libertarians, it was noted that again, they are a public group who list their members publicly. No secrecy surrounding the local Libertarians. Their group administrators are Mike Montchalin and Robert Hornibrook.
Umatilla County Democrats are a closed group with secret membership. Groups that are aligned with progressive causes are known to keep their membership secret because they claim that they are activists for gender and sexual identity, so they must keep their members a secret from the general public, for their own “safety.” Their group administrators are Patrick Cahill, Pete Wells, Sue Petersen, Vickie L. Read and Caitlin Collins.
Wells was a well-known attorney for many years in Pendleton who at times donated his services to nonprofit organizations. According to the East Oregonian, Wells passed away on New Year’s Eve in 2022. He is still listed as a group administrator, though.
According to the Democratic Party of Oregon website, Cahill is the Umatilla County chair and Petersen is their secretary.
Today, I made a public post on my personal Facebook profile expressing some displeasure with my exclusion from the Umatilla County Democrats group. At about 9:44 a.m., I was contacted via private message by Petersen, who claimed to have no idea what I was referring to. After some robust wordplay, Petersen suggested that I take up any complaints with Cahill, since he is the chair.
So let this editorial serve as that complaint: Patrick Cahill, the policies of the group that you help manage are antithetical to American values. In the United States, we have a long-standing tradition of operating in the open. If you or your cohorts don’t like that, then maybe you shouldn’t be meddling in American politics in the first place!
I’m not affiliated with any party, let’s be clear about that. I probably will never join a party even after I retire. I’m diametrically opposed to the party system for every reason. That is to say, I’m probably the wrong guy to ask about partisan politics.
My preferred presidential candidate for this election season is Mickey Mouse!