The ‘Grok has certainly been following the pathway of Gov. Sununu’s retirement from holding the NH GOP Chair. In fact, here, I noted that the horse race has started, with four gates already slated for the major names thus far being led to the stalls. However, in concentrating on the news (and other things call "life" that get in the way of blogging), I put aside the letter that he penned in finally clearing the track. Hmmm, is that Horse Gate being moved before the horses are positioned (emphasis mine, full letter after the jump)?
CONCORD – Former New Hampshire Governor and Republican State Committee Chairman John H. Sununu sent the following letter the NHGOP’s Executive Committee this afternoon discussing his decision to retire and the qualifications that the next chairman should have:
…It is important that we elect a new chairman who will be able to maintain and expand our reinvigorated NHGOP grassroots effort for 2012. We worked too hard rebuilding our Party structure to let it revert back to a neglected, ineffective condition. We are fully aware of how difficult it is for Republican candidates and elected officials to succeed when the State Committee is weak or mismanaged.
"Reinvigorated NH GOP grassroots" – I hate to be a thorn in the side, or point out the obvious, but while the GOP and the NH GOP Chair certainly had their role, I would hardly agree…
…with the notion that the Party was THE linchpin and sole reason in the "reinvigoration" of the base. On the idea that what is not mentioned is often as important as that which is, I see no mention in the letter of the broad based influence of the TEA Party, the 9/12 Project, and the general Constitutional Awakening to which blew into the Republican sail. This "Liberty & Freedom movement began and operated mostly outside of the "Party influence" the last two years. And then we see something I really didn’t expect to – a veiled, implied threat in the form of "if you don’t agree to my terms, I’m taking my ball and going home for good"?
Doubt me? I’m quite sure that there will be many who think I’ve either jumped off the cliff myself, or just have a grievance against Gov. Sununu. I’ll allow the former, but be assured that the latter is not true.
That said, I’m not sure how else to take the rest of his letter. Look, he HAS done a lot of good for the Republicans in NH the last two years (far better than his predecessor) and deserves all the thanks he is now receiving. The obvious result of such a performance is that no one would bother running for the Chair if he decided he wanted it. Not a one. And he knows it. And, I think, is (like all political types) is trying to trade on that political capital in influencing the next selection of Chair.
It is very clear what is happening here – it happens often in the software field where job offerings are so tightly worded, one can tell that the person who will fill that slot has already been selected; the string is merely being played out as a formality. It also works in reverse for "the other" (especially internal) candidates that might show interest in such a position – write the requirements such that it automatically eliminates those that have been designated "not wanted".
The Preamble (the warning):
We all know there are a number of people who would like to take on that responsibility. It is great to see such interest and willingness to serve. But to do the job well, and to maintain a unified and well focused Party, there are a number of specific considerations that have to be respected:
The Requirements (the setup):
- The next chairman must have a real commitment to conservative Republican principles, understand the politics of politics, and have the ability and willingness to make the required commitment of time and effort.
OK, ostensibly, this declares "no RINOs". Unless the one holds the belief that in today’s Republican climate, everybody is a conservative (past history is to be disregarded; I’ll allow that a few may really have had a Road to Damascus experience, but MANY politicians are politicians – and they’ll bend with the political winds and trends to appear to be relevant), this should make an outlier of one of the horses. Which of the four I listed get knocked out here? Would this be Foley (even as he intimates that Sununu asked him)?
It also means, since it is a conservative document, the next GOP Chair had better be willing to defend EVERY clause in the Platform. That might be a hard row to hoe for a couple. This time, Ms. Bergeron (another that seemingly has been courted encouraged) comes to mind, as it seems that she had a public outburst concerning the Platform a little while ago; it seems that she has real difficulties with some of the social issues listed as being primary pillars of the NH GOP and may have had some impact between the Swanzey and County GOP entities. I may be wrong, but it is my belief it is Article VIII. Should this matter? Well, there are no small number of fiscal conservatives that are also social conservatives in the NH GOP – it may matter.
- The next chairman must be able to raise the considerable amount of money needed to run the Party. The Party cannot function or support our candidates without proper financial resources. We should recognize clearly that it requires many hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to fund a Party structure that can compete with the Democrats.
OK, among the four that, who would this be a knock against? Yeah, Jennifer Horn (even as she fits the first requirement)? Sure, she had campaign debt – her own money and is not beholden to anyone else. And if the reports are correct, she raised on her own (without outside assistance), over $160K (more than anyone else in the Second CD; not an inconsiderable amount.
The question to which I do not have an answer is this: what is the fund raising records of the others (e.g., Foley, Sununu, and Bergeron)?
- It is very important that the next chairman be solely focused on the well-being of the Party without the distraction of personal political considerations. The chairman cannot be interested, or be perceived to be interested, in seeking any one of our major elected offices such as Senate, Congress or Governor. It would not be good for the Party, and in fact would not be good for that individual.
I am but an ordinary schlub in a small State, but I find it hard for ANYone to be completely altruistic politically (regardless if they are contemplating running for anything in the future – or not!). This IS politics, and once at this level, politics DOES get personal. The question would be – to whom would this be directed? None of the 4 that I have mentioned have publicly floated the idea of running for even a state-wide office at this time….
- The next chairman must be able to efficiently manage the administrative side of the responsibility, including the modern complexities, from FEC reports to state reports, to the nuances of internal fund allocations.
Hmm, I thought that this would be the purview of the staff to manage and submit, with oversight. Thus, the question that comes up is: who would know the best folks to recruit (as it is my belief that Andy Leach and Ryan Williams (who told me this personally a while ago) are leaving)?
Sidebar: I truly wish Andy and Ryan well! Certainly, GraniteGrok is loud and out there, and is unafraid of spanking both Dems AND Republicans – making life difficult for them at times. But in the end, they have earned the high probability of good things coming their way
- The next chairman should come with a good existing relationship with the business community, and a capacity to build on that to raise funds and develop support. The chairman must have credibility to remind the business community that there really is a difference between Republicans and Democrats.
In other words, someone that is grounded philosophically in Conservativism, lives it, and breaths it. Not only that, the person needs to be able to "Talk, Talk, TALK" and do it effectively and persuasively. Certainly, any GOP Chair at any level should be able to do this, along with a radio talk show host. One would imagine that a political operative / consultant can do the same as well (well, that’s all four!). So, who has the best biz / donor cred?
- The next chairman will have to be able to put together an effective recruitment effort, and also understand and support the detailed mechanics of effective election activities.
A nod towards James Sununu? And I will also bring up this – who is best positioned to coordinate with all of the newer avenues. The Internet is not only a disintermediary for news and business, but politics as well.&
nbsp; No longer is politics merely a top down approach where the message and the complementary actions can be reliably controlled in a command and control methodology. No longer can the Party say "Do this" and folks will go "Sure thing!". It will take someone with knowledge of the newer loci of contacts and actions – someone entirely taken up only from within the GOP structure will be at a severe disadvantage in the changing campaign environments. True, it may be at the edges now, but that’s what was said about the Web, too, just a few short years ago.
- The next chairman must also help bring our philosophic coalitions together and must massage different egos and different personalities within the Party. A chairman who is seen as not being a builder of coalitions would hurt our chances of continued success.
Let’s be blunt: it seems Foley has torqued off a lot of folks if word to me is true. It could also be construed that because of her status within the Liberty and Freedom wing, the intimation is that Jennifer Horn has also been ruled out as there is some no small amount of enmity between the "Country Club" and Grassroots at time (even as she put her Conservative cred on the line and squired Charlie Bass (not exactly repp’d as being a true blue Conservative) and probably was one of the major reasons for him squeaking out the win). The others, I just don’t know; I’ve already mentioned a consideration concerning Ms. Bergeron.
I understand that every potential candidate for chairman believes they meet these criteria, but in fact, most do not. We need to help our State Committee Members find one that truly can do the job.
Heh – the purpose of the Letter: pre-selection time!
The Admonishment (a "do as I say or I’ll take my ball home and stay there" moment?):
As I noted earlier, I do not have the time or energy to do all this well. However, as we have discussed, I would be willing to provide some assistance and informal policy guidance. But I should note to you that my willingness to continue serving the Party depends on the NHGOP choosing qualified officers who would do the job well. I cannot make a commitment to stay involved unless I am confident that the State Committee has assembled a team that is capable of effectively managing the organization.
Perhaps my short involvement in politics has made me both a tad jaded and cynical. Couched in velvet words is the implication of "I brought you back – you want success, you will still want my help. You NEED my help. Be very careful who gets the Chair – choose wrongly, I’ll run away like a cold footed bride at the altar".
What a slap in the face for those that continued to work hard, even under the chafing that was Fergus Cullen! Conservatives knew that they were not his favorites, yet continued to put their shoulders to the grindstone – what if we all decided to simply pick and choose? Is it teamwork only a notion for us little people to comply with but not others "of higher rank"?
Is that the message?
I will point out that the Republicans were the beneficiaries of the "L & F" movement ONLY because the Rs have a platform that was more consistent than any other political destination. That said, the converse may be true as well: screw over the L & F wing, and the NH GOP may well find itself in the same situation as it did in 2006 and 2008 when people sat on the couch.
Or even worse – you could see many of them facing you down from the other side of the ballot. Republicans are NOT entitled to the blood, sweat, tears, and $$ of the L&F wing. It is theirs to lose…
************
CONCORD – Former New Hampshire Governor and Republican State Committee Chairman John H. Sununu sent the following letter the NHGOP’s Executive Committee this afternoon discussing his decision to retire and the qualifications that the next chairman should have:
December 6, 2010
To: NHGOP Executive Committee
From: John H. SununuMy Dear Fellow Members of the Committee,
Congratulations again to all of you. We went through a long, hard campaign season. You helped put together a great two-year effort and our 2010 election successes are a result of the quality and intensity of your efforts.
We now face the challenge of structuring the Party for the next two year election cycle. For a variety of personal, family, and business reasons I cannot provide the time and focus required to serve as State Committee Chairman again. Many of you have been kind enough to ask me to stay on for a second term, but I truly cannot do it with the same contribution of time and energy as I was able to provide over the past two years.
We all know there are a number of people who would like to take on that responsibility. It is great to see such interest and willingness to serve. But to do the job well, and to maintain a unified and well focused Party, there are a number of specific considerations that have to be respected
- The next chairman must have a real commitment to conservative Republican principles, understand the politics of politics, and have the ability and willingness to make the required commitment of time and effort.
- The next chairman must be able to raise the considerable amount of money needed to run the Party. The Party cannot function or support our candidates without proper financial resources. We should recognize clearly that it requires many hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to fund a Party structure that can compete with the Democrats.
- It is very important that the next chairman be solely focused on the well-being of the Party without the distraction of personal political considerations. The chairman cannot be interested, or be perceived to be interested, in seeking any one of our major elected offices such as Senate, Congress or Governor. It would not be good for the Party, and in fact would not be good for that individual
- The next chairman must be able to efficiently manage the administrative side of the responsibility, including the modern complexities, from FEC reports to state reports, to the nuances of internal fund allocations.
- The next chairman should come with a good existing relationship with the business community, and a capacity to build on that to raise funds and develop support. The chairman must have credibility to remind the business community that there really is a difference between Republicans and Democrats.
- The next chairman will have to be able to put together an effective recruitment effort, and also understand and support the detailed mechanics of effective election activities.
- The next chairman must also help bring our philosophic coalitions together and must massage different egos and different personalities within the Party. A chairman who is seen as not being a builder of coalitions would hurt our chances of continued success.
I understand that every potential candidate for chairman believes they meet these criteria, but in fact, most do not. We need to help our State Committee Members find one that truly can do the job.
As I noted earlier, I do not have the time or energy to do all this well. However, as we have discussed, I would be willing to provide some assistance and informal policy guidance. But I should note to you that my willingness to continue serving the Party depends on the NHGOP choosing qualified officers who would do the job well. I cannot make a commitment to stay involved unless I am confident that the State Committee has assembled a team that is capable of
effectively managing the organization.It is important to get the NHGOP transition right for the State of New Hampshire. If we do it correctly our Party will help develop the proper policies for the state and our country. It may be difficult, and it may be challenging and uncomfortable to go through the hard work of this process, but we have an obligation to do it right.
Again, I appreciate what you’ve done for the State of New Hampshire and the country. I know you will continue to make those contributions in the future.
Thanks again for your good work and assistance.
Sincerely,
John H. Sununu
Chairman
