Rebuilding the GOP

Not content with trashing good conservatives here in the Granite State, former NH GOP Chair Fergus Cullen wrote a column in last Friday’s Union Leader telling fellow party members, when it comes to Ronald Reagan: GET OVER HIM! Following last Saturday’s MTNP radio appearance, guest Leslie Carbone– who posted an excellent piece commemorating the 5th anniversary of the Gipper’s passing— agreed to provide a response to Cullen’s drivel…

Times may change, but government is still the problem, not the solution

by Leslie Carbone

As Republican hands continue to wring themselves raw over the party’s back-to-back electoral trouncings, the latest sound-bite floating from the mouths of the moderates responsible for the party’s loss of trust and power is that we should all just forget Ronald Reagan. 

That’s like saying that we need to forget Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Jim Rice. 

Has baseball changed since those guys hung up their Red Sox uniforms?  Sure.  New teams and new divisions have changed the play-off structure.  New stadiums with strange designs bring different dynamics into play.  And, sadly, steroid scandals and other unseemly behavior have tarnished the game’s gleam. 

But the fundamentals of the sport haven’t changed.  You’re still not going to win without good pitching, good hitting, and good management. 

The world of politics has changed some too since the days of Ronald Reagan.  A new enemy has replaced the one he largely defeated.  New technology alters the way all sides communicate their ideas. 

But as in baseball, the fundamentals haven’t changed.  Wealth redistribution is still wealth destruction.  And government is still the problem, not the solution.

The last Republican president, and presidential nominee, to grasp—and communicate—those principles was Ronald Reagan. 

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Although there is not a written “job description” for our State Party Chairman, there are many references in our bylaws to the Chairman and his/her duties and scope of authority.  In addition to filling these requirements there are other qualities that would be desirable in a Chairman.  Here are a few of my thoughts on what we might look for in a State Chairman.

It is necessary that the Chairman, as the representative of the party, be a person who would be well-spoken and articulate and able to speak intelligently and competently on the issues, to all the media, as well as be able to debate one-on-one with the Democrat State Chairman. Priority should be given to holding the Democrats feet to the fire and making sure they are accountable to the public for their actions on every level.  This needs to be a continual and consistent effort on the Chairman’s part.

The Chairman should work with the E-Board to set fundraising and recruitment goals and develop a strategy for reaching them. The Chairman would have to, with input from the Board, develop and frame our ‘message’ and get it before the public in every way, including utilizing technology and the latest communication programs and hardware.  In doing so we must have a person who believes in and supports our party platform and will take the leadership in promoting it and facilitating, in any way possible, the prosecution of Republican core beliefs and guiding principles.

Besides the ability to listen to, and respectfully relate to, the members and the public, the Chairman would have to either possess organization skills or have someone on the staff that does. They should demonstrate a willingness and ability to delegate tasks and authority to members and committees, and a desire to work openly and cooperatively with the Executive Board. Hopefully the Chairman would have an ‘open door’ policy where input, ideas, criticism, complaints, suggestions, and recommendations would be received in a respectful and welcoming manner.

Recognizing that the State Committee is essentially a volunteer organization, as the leader of the State Republican Party, the Chairman should work to build a team and foster  loyalty through encouraging efforts, acknowledging successes, and giving praise and recognition to those who work tirelessly for the party by giving their time, money, and energy.  It’s important not to waste talent, skills or enthusiasm. The Chairman must help and assist county and city chairmen in their rolls.  And all members must be asked and offered an opportunity to contribute to our efforts in whatever way they are willing and able.

If under fire by the Democrats or the press, the Chairman, as our champion and our leader, should come to the defense and support of any member of the board or committee. Should the Chairman have any problem or difference with a member they should be dealt with privately with the individual.

Finally, the Chairman, in his or her role as a member of the Republican National Committee must work closely with the National Committeeman and National Committeewoman as a team to maximize our power and effectiveness in representing New Hampshire’s interests on the RNC, including, but not limited to, preserving our First in the Nation Primary status.

 
NH GOP By Laws pertaining to the State Chairman after the jump

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This is a question one is likeley to hear at Republican Party functions (at least those where ordinary, non-insiders are allowed to speak) that never really gets an answer beyond the usual vagaries and empty platitudes:

"We need to better articulate the low tax message."

Sure we do.

"We need to call for less government and regulations."

Yup. Absolutely. I can just hear the newly-minted young voters knocking at the door of the GOP now…

NOT!

Of course, this is for 3 main reasons:

 1) The Republican talking points don’t really offer solutions other than to identify problems that might even be agreed-to and capitalized upon by Democrats while cloaking their real socialist ambitions, which they never stop seeking to implement; and 2) Nobody believes the present crop of Republicans anyway, as their actions betray their rhetoric; and 3) They are viewed, as a local Party, to be out of touch, which, heh, when you consider the facts, who could disagree?

Meanwhile, across the aisle at the NH Democratic Party, as reported by the Citizen newspaper:

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We would like to welcome Phyllis Woods to the ‘Grok.  She is a long time Republican activist who is currently New Hampshire’s National Committeewoman to the GOP’s Republican National Committee.  She has seen some of my writings here on the ‘Grok and elsewhere about where the GOP should be fixing itself.  I offered – she agreed to post her thoughts here from time to time!  Thanks, Phyllis!

There are several things Republicans will need to do to take back our state and win in 2010 and I’d like to address them each in separate submissions.  The first, and most essential, is to unite our party.  While this may seem obvious, it’s harder than it would seem.  Republicans are not used to being in the minority.  The Democrats are very good at voting and walking in lock-step, something that’s important if you want to accomplish anything when you are greatly outnumbered.  Republicans are used to being diversified, thinking for themselves, and following their own agendas.  We cannot afford that luxury any longer.  We can’t afford to lose a single legislator’s vote on important issues and we will all have to pull together in a united effort to achieve any success even if it only means we’re able to stop some of the detrimental initiatives we know will be presented.  But even more important, all of us will need to hang together in order to have any strength and to make progress in the State GOP over the next two years.

Our county caucuses have been held to choose the future members of our state party.  Recently our State Chairman was quoted in the press saying that we shouldn’t say that some Republicans are ‘good ‘ Republicans and other Republicans are ‘bad’ Republicans.  Agreed, however, in another newspaper he is quoted as saying of one of the caucus elections, that a lot of ‘good’ Republicans were thrown off the committee, presumably to be replaced by ‘bad’ Republicans.  What needed to be stressed is that we have turnover in our membership every two years which is a good thing as it brings in new people into the process.  If some ‘good’ Republicans lost their bid for re-election, they were replaced with other ‘good’ Republicans were they not?

It’s time to…

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