As Bob Dylan wrote the times they are a-changin’. The campaign model that work for republicans in the past will not be as effective in the future. The internet has had a larger impact on this than most of us would have predicted. If the Barack Obama campaign in 2008 is not evidence enough of this, with his rumored 13 million email addresses, consider that the largest online fundraising day was set by a little known congressman from Texas who managed a marginal showing in the majority of Republican primaries.

When I undertook the challenge of launching a new club for young republicans in the Bronx I opened up my MacBook and did a little research on young republican clubs. I looked at not only on the existing local New York City area clubs but other clubs and federations around country. I wasn’t just researching ideas for our website but also ideas on how to make a well rounded and active club. Unfortunately what I saw was not only disappointing but appallingly bad efforts by local clubs and state federations alike. Not that the national federation was any better.

How bad is it out there? 17 state federations have no website. Alaska’s YR Federation website still has Frank Murkowski listed as governor of the state even though Sarah Palin has been the governor for over two years. The Texas YR Federation website has links that have been dead for over a year. California’s federation isn’t even listed has having a website by the Young Republican National Federation. If that isn’t bad enough consider that Ohio, a swing state in the three previous presidential elections, is a federation without a website.

What does it say about republicans if our national and state federations auxiliaries can’t manage to put up websites or keep even the most basic information up to date? Is it that we don’t understand the value of the internet or is just laziness?

Over the past four years the functions of websites have moved beyond just providing information towards hubs of social and business networking where people engage one another individually. It is time for us to take it to the next step. Political networking.

It is unlikely that more than a handful of local young republican auxiliaries would have the means to create the sort of websites we saw from the Paul or Obama campaigns. However this is exactly what we should expect from the state federations. None of the state federations offer websites that have a networking component. Most don’t even use a content management system. Few offer regular updates such a blog or calender.

I’m not sure what the future holds for the Republican Party but I do know if we don’t bridge this gap that has emerged in the last election we will continue to struggle in state and national elections. We have to make a better effort to present our message online because younger people are trending towards the internet to gather their information on politics. This divide won’t be closed solely by a better online presence but it will continue to broaden if they can’t find us, and we can’t keep then engaged, when they come looking for our message, candidates and auxiliaries.

The times they are a changin’ and so must we.

Seriously here is yet another example of a person registered as a republican who is just lost on the understanding of what a republican actually is.

 http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3760232

As reported on ESPN, Texas Congressman Joe Barton intends to introduce legislation, not for some pressing issue like preventing taxpayer money from being used to fund GM, Ford or Chryler, nope he wants to legislate college football.

 As a Texan there are few things as important as football but there is no need what so ever for federal legislation concerning the matter of determining who the Bowl Championship Division national champion should be. The fact this man is even considering legislation should be cause for his removal from the party. Harsh? Yep but obviously limited federal government is not in his vocabulary.

Obviously parts of the party leadership are arguing still over who is responsible for our result in this last cycle. Some parts of the party are trying to figure out who should lead next. And some still are arguing what comprises the principles of the party.

I myself have decided the best way to fix what ails my political party is to rebuild from the ground up. I live in Bronx County. It wasn’t all that long ago that the Bronx GOP was actually competitive in races here. In 1972 McGovern got 45% of the votes. Since this it has been down hill. This trend will never reverse itself if we don’t begin building a base to grow the party.

I’m guessing it would not be shocking to some to learn in Bronx County there is only one active auxiliary organization. No Young Republicans clubs. No Teenage Republicans clubs. There is only one college of the nine that has a College Republicans club. It is my intention to correct this problem.

I am here to announce that I along with a few other dedicated republicans will be holding an organizational meeting in January. If you are in the Bronx, or know someone in the Bronx, who would like to join the club let us know. We have set up groups on Facebook and MySpace for people to join to be notified of our activities.

If you would like to receive an email notice of our first meeting please contact me at chance@haywood.name

I have the simplest question for you. How does two men, or women, being married imfringe on your freedom, liberty, or life?

Since the very obvious question is this action does not then being in favor of Prop 8 is about as anti-republican as one can be and you should change your party affliation to democrat.

Just sayin …