Part 2 of a three part series of Guest Posts by the Honorable Paul Mirski, member of the NH House of Representatives (and one of the Fathers of Conservatism here in NH). He is seeking to be the Majority Leader in the NH House of Representatives.
- Part Two discusses how the Republican Caucus ought to be organized in order to use and enhance the array of skills represented within our caucus and in a way that will encourage each and every member to play a constructive and satisfying part.
- Part Three suggests five or six overriding legislative themes and then goes on to provide a basket of choices for legislative action that are drawn directly from our current Republican Party Platform. If members consider all of the media focus on Tea Party initiatives over the last 18 months, they will see that those Republicans who began rewriting our platform eight years ago were well ahead of the curve.We’re ready right this minute to create change. We don’t have to go searching for ideas.
Part 1 is here.
To succeed in passing and implementing an agenda the 2011-2012 Republican Leadership must become focused.
If we want to restore New Hampshire as the preeminent state for economic growth, personal freedom, development of personal wealth and individual opportunity then our guide ought to be our Republican Party Platform.
Republican Caucus unity.
We’re rich in bright, intuitive, imaginative, and dedicated members. Each member’s skills and abilities must be enlisted and applied to accomplish specific objectives if we’re to achieve our common goals. Unified, we can restore a vibrant entrepreneurial environment, preserve our treasured natural environment, create the best schools, produce the most able and well prepared graduates as well as encourage the growth of the most motivated and well rewarded workforce of all the states.
The Republican caucus must be made relevant.
Where, in the past, the “Republican Caucus” simply referred to the aggregate of elected Republicans in the House and where, in the past, Republicans were for the most part, only called together on infrequent days during session so that leadership could inform its members of the House on how to vote on session day, our new caucus must meet regularly and frequently so all members can help organize, develop and flesh out leadership goals and then help coordinate and achieve our unified, legislative objectives.
ORGANIZATION:
Our Republican Leadership Team must immediately organize a set of what it feels are generally achievable Goals and Objectives for Year One and Year Two of the forthcoming session that will in turn, generate legislation reflecting the ideas, goals and objectives articulated in the Republican Party Platform.
Republican Leadership must then organize a set of long and short term initiatives on the following suggested format.
FIRST YEAR – FIRST TIER BILLS:
Legislation having to do with the looming state budget deficit must take precedence over all other considerations, and would comprise the core of the first year – first tier legislative effort.
Legislation having to do with reorganizing government, promoting efficiency, and reducing waste that would help reduce the cost of government must be promoted within that first year – first tier initiative as well.
FIRST YEAR – SECOND TIER BILLS:
Legislation related to improving the state’s general economy and that primarily has to do with incentivizing business and job growth, making New Hampshire more competitive among the states, and removing or modifying regulation that pointlessly inhibits entrepreneurial activity, general economic growth and the ability of individuals to freely act in their own economic interests should form the core of the Republican first year – second tier legislative effort.
SECOND YEAR – FIRST TIER BILLS:
Legislation following from government reorganization and budgeting initiatives and legislation related to economic growth and jobs creation.
SECOND YEAR – SECOND TIER BILLS:
Legislation with a social or cultural component.
EXCEPTIONS:
Constituent generated requests and especially those from political subdivisions of the state. These should be considered as first year – first tier bills.
REPUBLICAN CAUCUS ORGANIZATION:
The Republican Caucus must convene as soon as possible following the creation of a proposed Year One and Year Two agenda by those it has chosen to lead it. The caucus must remain engaged throughout the entire two year session in the molding and fine tuning of the Republican agenda. While we accept that the nature of political decision making requires fluidity and the ability of leadership to act instantly with respect to issues in play, leadership nevertheless, must meet weekly with the caucus in order to apprise of progress and status and to seek input from all members on improving performance. These meetings would focus solely on caucus business and be separate from informational meetings held to coordinate caucus floor activity on session days.
The Republican Whip and Committee Whips should be wholly responsible for organizing, counting and delivering votes at committee executive sessions and on session days.
The Republican Whip therefore should also be responsible for all communication with members having to do with coordinating all House Republican initiatives. Committee whips should be responsible for coordinating respective committee activity, holding committee caucuses, organizing support for Republican initiatives and counting votes to make sure that caucus expectations will be met. Following the publication of each House Calendar, Committee whips should schedule committee caucuses in order to organize the Republican position for scheduled hearings and in order to garner the required votes. Committee Whips should always provide the first line of communication between Republican leaders and members of the caucus.
The 2012 Republican re-election campaign began November 3, 2010.
Every leadership act from November 3 forward ought to promote a positive view of the Republican agenda. Republicans have two years to convince voters that there is no substitute for Republican leadership. One way to keep Republican initiatives in the news will be to reinstate the practice of making sure that press releases that highlight constructive work on the part of individual Republican members are sent regularly to local media by the House Republican Office. A Republican press office dedicated solely for the promotion of individual members and our Republican agenda must be established immediately and put to work.
IMMEDIATE LEADERSHIP TASKS
- Organization of Staff.
- Appointed positions
- Legislative staff, secretaries and other hires.
- Organization of Republican Agenda [see below].
- Establish whip structure and communications network.
- Public network
- Private network
- Establish Press Office.
- For Caucus
- For individual Republican members.
- Analyze and determine range of skills and abilities of each and every elected Republican.
- Review ‘resumes’ of all members and especially consider past legislative experience and skills.
- Seek and determine level of interest and energy level of each member.
- Seek and determine individual work load and time available for legislative activity.
- Seek and determine desire for individual involvement.
- Calling of the Caucus for dissemination of preliminary agenda
- Review and critique of proposed agenda by caucus .
- Organization of legislative initiatives and activities based upon caucus response.
- Establish a Republican agenda for the two year session.
- On the basis of understanding the makeup or the caucus and the individual interests of members, encourage responsibility for sponsoring of specific agenda oriented bills and for initiating, carrying out and completing other legislative tasks to all members of the caucus.
- Assign members to specific committees based upon legislative agenda, skills and interests but most of all –with regard to achieving Republican Party legislative goals.
- Establish a regular and predictable meeting schedule for the Republican caucus in order to coordinate its legislative agenda, member skills and organizational activities.
- Propose rules changes that would improve ability of Republicans to achieve their legislative agenda.
- Develop a critical path analysis/schedule for all legislative initiatives factoring in all relevant dates.
- Develop an activist network.
- Develop an index of lobbyists and determine client interests.
- Establish liaison with lobbyists and lobbyist clientele.
- Develop Republican roundtable to promote agenda – seek input..
- Establish liaison with all activist groups that supported Republicans in last election.
- Establish liaison with all individuals that significantly supported Republicans in last election.
- Establish liaison with all individuals that gave significantly to Republicans in the last election.
- Establish liaison with other Republican office holders.
- Towns and Cities
- State
- Federal
Mr. Mirski is seeking to be the Majority Leader in the NH House of Representatives.
