TOW JOB? According to a published report, four people with ties to Republican
California politicians are trying to win four seats on the board of the
Automobile Club of Southern California, in an effort to get the 100-year-old
nonprofit organization to lobby for conservative causes.
 The Los Angeles Times reports that the four Auto Club members are running
on a platform that is a "mirror image" of legislative proposals being pushed
by a conservative Republican state senator, in their campaign as a "reform
slate" for four open seats in a March 12 election. They want to abolish the
state vehicle licensing fee and the 15% sales tax on gasoline, and launch an
investigation of high gas prices. 
 Auto club officials say they're concerned that if the four insurgent
candidates win, they will get the board to use the organization's prestige
at the cost of tarnishing the organization's nonpartisan image.
 Thomas McKernan, chief executive of the Auto Club, told the Times the
challengers have "a very narrow, slanted political view ... if we ever got
to the point where we were seen as favoring one party over another, or one
political ideology over another, I think we would lose credibility with
legislators, and could lose credibility with our members."
 -- If the insurgent candidates play by the rules, is there any reason why
they shouldn't run for seats on the Auto Club board?
 -- If the Auto Club leadership can't stop the insurgent candidates from
running, are they within their rights to urge members to vote against them?