Reince Priebus identifies a major flaw here in the NH GOP - Granite Grok

Reince Priebus identifies a major flaw here in the NH GOP

 “a u-haul trailer of cash for a presidential nominee” that caused the party to atrophy everywhere but in a few swing states.”

Get. Into. The. Fray. NOW.
Get. Into. The. Fray. NOW.

Like NH.  Townhall reports an interview with national GOP Chair Reince Priebus on the overall problem with the GOP electorially – I think he is dead nuts on (reformatted, emphasis mine:

“We have a midterm party that doesn’t lose,” Priebus said, “and a presidential party that doesn’t win… you have to have a national party that gets its act together when it comes to the mechanics, when it comes to the ground game, when it comes to the data… this is 99% of my world every single day.”  Priebus said he’s trying to build “a national party that’s permanent, on the ground, all the time.”

In 2005, as the head of the Democratic National Committee, Howard Dean launched the “50 State Strategy,” which was an effort to build the Democratic Party in every state, on every level, in every precinct. Republicans mocked the Dean strategy – isn’t it a waste of money for the DNC to be spending in deep red counties in Alabama? – but now, staring at a Democratic party that has had two resounding Presidential victories, the RNC has undergone a transformation of its own.  And here is the money line: 

Priebus told Townhall that he rejects the Dean comparison. The problem is that the GOP became a party that’s just “a u-haul trailer of cash for a presidential nominee” that caused the party to atrophy everywhere but in a few swing states.

“You’ve got to be competent in all fifty states,” Priebus told Townhall. “You’ve got to be spending a heck of a lot more money in Florida, Ohio, and Virginia, than we are in maybe Vermont. But that doesn’t mean you totally ignore Vermont forever, because once in awhile, you’ve got a good shot at a governor’s race.”

“The point is that we’ve got to be an all-the-time party. Everywhere.”

And that has not happened here in NH, even with the promises of NH GOP Chair Jennifer Horn.  She all but promised a regeneration of the NH GOP at the time with her campaign slogans:

  • She would fill the Party’s coffers
  • She would unite the Party
  • She would transform the technology used by the NH GOP.

Silly us here at GraniteGrok – we actually take people on their word – and measure them on what they have done (you know, that old phrase that has fallen out of favor: “A man’s word is his bond”).  What did we get? One these three things that she voluntarily promised (no arm twisting here by anyone but herself).  Yeah, pretty much what I thought at the time:

  • The Party is STILL broke (if it wasn’t for the RNC money, where would it be?)
  • The Party is STILL split along the “Republican Republicans for the sake of the Republican Party” chasm with the base that, you know, actually wants the Party elected officials and politicians actually defend and implement the values in the NH GOP Platform and NH Constitution.
  • A new website that is marginally better than the old one (and that can be debated).  Certainly it is NOT the game changing stuff that was intimated (“compete with the Democrats”).  Flash over substance.

But to Priebus’s claim that the Party has atrophied?  True and I think that’s especially true here in NH simply because this is one of the first places that the U-Haul visits.  The local bus gets lipservice while all eyes look on adoringly – and with no small amount of “how can I get that cash into my pocket” – be it actual cash, influence, or basking in the light of “The Big Boys”.  If one looks dispassionately from the 50K foot level, yes, NH gets a lot of attention – and I do believe that NH voters believe in retail politics and are really, really good at sorting out the wheat from the chaff – the wannabees from the should-bees.  At the least, they ask the unthought of and (sometimes) the unwanted ones.  It causes the candidates (and their staffs) work and work hard.  And given the small size and population, it gives the UNflush coffers candidates a fighting chance to compete on a meritocracy level and not just a “shovel the cash” ones that are depending on the flash and the slick.

But there is always a price to pay – and for NH, it seems a lack of concentration by leadership on the real war at hand – which is not the Presidential one.  While the mid-terms do show life, it seems to be more oriented,  these last few cycles, of the Establishment wing out to get the insurgent wing of Party.  Perfect example is here this year: we’ve seen the NH GOP top go absolutely ga-ga over two old white men (having almost achieve that first attribute myself, not a bad thing but then again, I’m not running for elected office) that can bring money or notoriety to the game.  Flash and old, slick and manager – neither gets to the real point befitting a State that supposedly cherishes the second word of its motto – just same-o, same-o and a rash of Rogue Republicans trying to keep the Crony Crew together that claims the Republican mantle but demonstrably votes Democratic in the NH Senate.  But at least the eyes are here.

Wait a coupla / few months – it will all flip and all due to the First In The Nation Primary.  Then, it becomes ALL about that “u-haul trailer of cash for a presidential nominee” to the point that it severely distorts the outlook of the NH GOP and the political operatives in the State.  Local races?  From my viewpoint, it is the disruption to local politics that comes every 4 years.  And when that eye is on the other prize (“can I get my ticket punched to the Big Game?”), that price comes round again.

On / Off, On / Off – never a good place to be.  Steady, step-by-step, always trying to make the local folks better and better and a always on effort on contacting / greeting / including both potential candidates AND voters?  Not happening when those buses roll in and the Prez staffs steamroll over the local efforts and suck the oxygen out and away from the local races.

Yes, the Presidential race is important – very important.  But we all live here, in NH, and the decisions made here in the NH Legislature affect us faster and deeper than those made in DC.  Concentrating on the corner office, the Senate and House should always  uppermost – and more attention should be paid to the even lower down ticket races.

Democrats do and are working on those lower levels – and I’m talking about the town level ones.  Is the NH GOP willing to do that growing the “farm team”?  Not in the years I’ve now been watching.  Heck,  if I had a buck for every time I heard a town level Republican that told me that they didn’t even receive a “Congrats” message from the Mother Ship, I’d have a grand time in ole’ Bean Town some evening…

 

 

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