Are you a Republican Party member? No, I’m not asking if you are a registered Republican in your state. I’m asking if you are a voting member of the Republican Party.
That is, are you eligible to vote for your local Republican Party committee officers? Are you eligible to vote for your county Republican Party officers? Are you eligible to vote for the delegates or “state committeemen” who elect the officers of your state’s Republican Party?
Are you eligible to vote for your state’s Republican Party national committeeman and committeewoman? That is, the members of the Republican National Committee? Are you eligible to vote for your state’s Republican Party chairman?
Do you know how to become a Republican Party member who can do these things? Do you know how easy it is to become a voting member of our Republican Party? Do you know that the “powers that be” aren’t exactly advertising how easy it is to become a voting member of the Party? Have you figured out how important it is for conservatives to become voting members of the Republican Party, especially in light of the fact that about half of these voting member slots are vacant? Can you do basic math?
Our time and money are limited. How will you spend it?
Here’s what it looks like when you become a member in Arizona:
One Michigan conservative Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Peter Konetchy, has a strategy for both garnering real support for his campaign and for changing the MI Republican Party. And, he has made this strategy an open part of his campaign. Here’s an excerpt from his campaign web site (bolding added):
I travel the State on a regular basis and encounter much frustration regarding the GOP. For example, here in Michigan, tea party people dislike the fact that just about every elected official has endorsed a presidential candidate considered by many a RINO. The same goes for the US Senate. Rather than endorsing a candidate based on principle, the “establishment” GOP tends to endorse based on loyalty to the Party.
The ordinary, hard working, conservative, patriots in Michigan feel the GOP has forsaken them. It’s not true. We have forsaken the GOP. If we complain that our Party is no better than the Democrats, or complain about our leadership supporting “RINO” candidates, it’s our fault. Anyone can complain, but to effect change, we must take meaningful action. We must Take Effective Action… (TEA 2.0)
Get involved in Party Politics by becoming a Precinct Delegate. The leadership of our Party consists of individuals elected at the County and State Conventions. If we don’t like the leadership of the Party it’s up to us to elect people more to our liking. The only individuals able to elect our Party’s leadership are the Precinct Delegates. (known as Precinct Committeeman in other states)
Imagine if the National Republican Chairmanship was held by an individual such as Rand Paul. The GOP and associated support would drastically shift towards constitutionalists. We can do the same thing at the County and State level if constitutional conservatives simply made the effort to become Precinct Delegates. It’s not hard, there are many vacancies, and most delegates run unopposed. Just complete an “affidavit ID” from the Michigan Sec of State website, and file it with your local township clerk. It doesn’t even cost any money.
Many Precinct Delegate slots in Michigan are filled with “moderates”, which explain why our County and State GOP leadership is “moderate” at best. To change the situation, we need to fill the vacant slots with true constitutional conservatives; educate ourselves about the potential candidate’s positions; and then elect true constitutionalists to all positions within the State Party – from top down.
The County and State Parties would be transformed from an “establishment” to a “tea party” mentality. The recruitment and support of candidates to fill local, state, and federal positions would decidedly shift conservative. The tea party would no longer feel antagonistic towards the GOP, and vice-versa, but would work together towards constitutional values.
Imagine if the full support of the GOP fell behind true constitutionally conservative candidates. We’d transform the State and have a very positive effect on the nation. The vote is a tremendously powerful, yet peaceful means for change; but only Precinct Delegates have this power to shape the Party. Become a Precinct Delegate and make a difference. Get started now by clicking on this URL http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Aff-ID_Precnt_139901_7.pdf
Over the last few days many here at Redstate have written much about the Rick Perry campaign’s failure to achieve the necessary number of nomination form signatures to gain a spot on the Virginia Republican Party primary ballot.
I wonder how many of the Redstate contributors who reside in Virginia either signed a nominating petition on behalf of Rick Perry or gathered signatures for him in their precinct or elsewhere? Based on this web site
I didn’t, and won’t, double-check my math (as the hour was late while writing this and I was tired), but I came up with Virginia having a total of 2,318 precincts. So, assuming that each precinct has just one Republican Party precinct committeeman (bad assumption, but assumed for this hypothetical), and that all of the precinct committeeman slots are filled (another bad assumption), if only about one-third (800) of the precinct committeemen went out to get signatures for Perry in their precincts to obtain a total of 15,000 signatures, each of them would have had to obtain only 19 signatures. Nineteen.
But, some precincts have more than one precinct committeeman. And, if Virginia is like the national average, probably about half of the precinct committeeman slots are vacant. And about one-third of the precincts have not even one Republican precinct committeeman.
Any Redstaters who are precinct committeemen in Virginia want to weigh in here with what things are like inside the Party where you reside?
Regardless, my original question stands:
I wonder how many of the Redstate Perry supporters who reside in Virginia either signed a nominating petition on behalf of Rick Perry or gathered signatures for him in their precinct? I wonder how many Virginia Redstaters picked up the phone and called the Rick Perry campaign to ask, “How can I help?” Or at least visited the Perry campaign web site to fill out an online volunteer form?
As I have mentioned before, a friend of mine here in AZ whom I admire for his principles and hard political work, David Fitzgerald (he’s run for our state legislature and is an elected Republican Party Legislative District Committee Chairman), says, “You cannot call yourself a ‘political activist’ unless you have actually, physically gathered signatures for someone or something that will appear on an election ballot.” That’s his opinion. Not everyone can do it, of course. Some perhaps are home-bound due to disability. But for those of us who are able, if we all do a little, we can achieve much.
Again, I wonder how many Virginia Redstaters who are complaining about Perry’s failure to achieve the necessary number of valid signatures to get on the Virginia Republican Party primary election ballot actually either signed a Perry ballot petition or gathered signatures in their precinct for Rick Perry?
Party politics is played in what Ron Robinson calls the “meat space.” I wonder if anything that was written at Redstate about Rick Perry can be proven to have actually helped get him the signatures he needed to get his name on the Virginia Republican Party primary election ballot. By contrast, if he had had just 800 committed Virginia precinct committeemen going door-to-door in their precincts, in the “meat space,” and each gathering just 19 signatures from qualified voters (using Voter Vault 3 walking sheets), he would have had 15,200 valid signatures.
Lady Penguin wrote a very good Diary here a while back about how easy it is, in Virginia, to become a precinct committeeman:
Again, for the umpteenth time, the only way to change the Republican Party “establishment” is to get “inside” the Party by becoming a “voting member” of it. And the best way to get involved in things like mundane signature-gathering for nominating petitions, which can actually get constitutional conservatives onto ballots, is by becoming a Republican Party precinct committeeman. Period.
With over half of these slots still going begging in our Republican Party, can you find a way to become one? Please see the links in my signature below for more information.
Richard Winger at Ballot Access News reported something that sheds some light on why, perhaps, the Republican Party of Virginia more closely checked the nomination form signatures:
But what has not been reported is that in the only other presidential primaries in which Virginia required 10,000 signatures (2000, 2004, and 2008) the signatures were not checked. Any candidate who submitted at least 10,000 raw signatures was put on the ballot. In 2000, five Republicans qualified: George Bush, John McCain, Alan Keyes, Gary Bauer, and Steve Forbes. In 2004 there was no Republican primary in Virginia. In 2008, seven Republicans qualified: John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, and Alan Keyes.
The only reason the Virginia Republican Party checked the signatures for validity for the current primary is that in October 2011, an independent candidate for the legislature, Michael Osborne, sued the Virginia Republican Party because it did not check petitions for its own members, when they submitted primary petitions. Osborne had no trouble getting the needed 125 valid signatures for his own independent candidacy, but he charged that his Republican opponent’s primary petition had never been checked, and that if it had been, that opponent would not have qualified. The lawsuit, Osborne v Boyles, cl 11-520-00, was filed in Bristol County Circuit Court. It was filed too late to be heard before the election, but is still pending. The effect of the lawsuit was to persuade the Republican Party to start checking petitions. If the Republican Party had not changed that policy, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry would be on the 2012 ballot.
Well, Redstaters, with all the talk of the possibility of a brokered Republican Party presidential nomination convention, which of you plan to become a delegate to the national convention?
I really want to know. Are you going to try to become a delegate? If so, please comment about it.
Or plan to help elect conservatives to those delegate slots? Again, I really want to know. If you are planning to become a “delegate voter,” please share in the comments HOW that happens for you in your state.
More re that below.
But, first, here’s a glimpse into what grass roots, precinct-level Republican Party politics looks like in Tempe, Arizona, “Goldwater Country,” and the home of Arizona State University. Yes, these are the political “shock troops” trying to make sure that our elected public servants are conservative and not liberal. I know most of these precinct committeemen. Some of them are over eighty years old. Most are over fifty.
And I love every one of them.
Watch the videos below and ask yourself if you’ve been to your local Republican Party committee meeting.
Ever.
It was a potluck. A “Christmas celebration” more than a formal meeting. We invited a neighboring Legislative District committee so we could “cross-pollinate.” The first video clip is just a pan of the group to give you an idea of the kind of people who become precinct committeemen — at least two attendees tonight were brand new appointed precinct committeemen. One was a young lawyer, the other was a woman in her seventies.
The second video shows an award being given to a husband and wife PC team, David and Alica Hawker (both retired — and should be enjoying their retirement but there are not enough younger people in the Party) — who gathered the most signatures, over 500, for ballot access for the two candidates flanking them — Dick Forman for Tempe City Council and Michael Monti for Tempe Mayor. Both candidates are “faux Conservatives” but far better than what we’ve got in those positions now. And Don and Alicia, the precinct committeemen and signature gatherers, are 100% conservatives.
Look at the folks in the videos and try to gauge the average age of the attendees. This is one of the reasons why we are losing. We have very little “young blood” in our Party.
Most of the “young blood” conservatives blog instead of actually getting involved in their local Party committee.
Or they try to get a radio gig.
Or they create “clever” YouTube videos.
None of which, alone, actually counters the left’s Get Out The Vote efforts.
If radio gigs and clever videos, alone, changed the outcome of elections, then with Rush/Hannity/Beck/Levin/etc. why aren’t we winning?
To get a taste of what we are up against, go to www.rVotes.com and do a little research on VoteBuilder.
So, on to the second question. Will YOU be voting for your Republican Party national convention delegates? You know, the people who will elect our nominee if a “brokered convention” ensues?
I’m in Arizona, and to become eligible to elect the delegates to the state convention, one has to have become a precinct committeeman (elected or appointed) by the last day of the December preceding the meeting at which these elections take place.
Our system is relatively simple.
And, did you know, that in most states, to be an elected delegate to the nominating convention, one does not even have to be a registered Republican? Have you ever read your state rules regarding this? Do you even know where to go to look them up? Or who to call to ask, “How does this all work?” (P.S. If you are a New Yorker, if you can obtain a PDF copy of the New York State Republican Party rules/bylaws, I will give you an “atta boy!”)
Some resources you may want to check out if your are interested in becoming a ball player in party politics rather than remaining a spectator are linked below in my signature. (The ball players know what I mean; the non-ball players, the spectators, may post nasty remarks about my “tone” and “method.”)
If you have not figured it out already, and you probably have not, the outcome of the 2012 election is not going to be decided by people who only blog.
It is not going to be decided by people who only create clever YouTube videos.
It is not going to be decided by talking heads on CNN.
It’s going to be decided by the people who actually vote.
And if you want to change the outcome of the 2012 elections, you have to get more people go to the polls and vote for your candidates than for your adversaries.
And that gets accomplished, best, at the precinct level where you live. In YOUR precinct.
It involves getting involved as a Republican Party precinct committeeman where you live. Or a PC “helper.” It involves making a a few phone calls. Maybe knocking on a few doors.
And, the best part, it’s fun.
Here are some additional sites you ought to get to know intimately:
The real question is this: What, from now until Election Day in 2012, are you going to do to increase the number of people who go to the polls to vote AGAINST Osocialist and his minions? And, HOW will you document that you actually moved more people to do just that?
Oh my goodness! The “conservative” Republican House and Senate leaders don’t seem to want to live up to their promises to cut spending and cut taxes and undo regulations!!!! Oh goodness, what, oh what, should we in the “center-right” of America do?
Consider the possibility that our “conservative” Republican congresscritters really don’t care about the phone calls and faxes and e-mails. Consider the possibility they only care about one thing and one thing only: whether they’ll win their next primary election. And if that’s the case, ought we not get into the best position to make sure they don’t survive their next primary election?
If you think that might be a possible strategy that maybe, just maybe, might work, go to the links below.
And get Erick Erickson’s book, Red State Uprising. And check out the last chapter, Take Back America, and the section, Take Back The Party. The strategy of filling up all the vacant “voting member” slots of the Party at the precinct level works. I know it does first-hand. It’s just common sense. But it requires that we conservatives unite and organize where we live. Inside our Party. Especially in light of the fact that, on average, in every local Republican Party committee, about half of the “voting member” slots — called “precinct committeeman” in most states (every state has its own system an terminology) — are vacant.
Or, fellow conservative Republican Redstaters, let’s just keep doing what we’ve been doing.
By the way, becoming a “card carrying” member of the Republican Party is fun. And, hint, the Party is not exactly advertising that about half of the precinct-level “voting member” slots of the Party are not filled. And they are not exactly advertising how easy it is to become a voting member of the Party. Because it’s not in their self-interest to do so. The status quo means they all get reelected.
So I hope you will consider becoming a voting member of the Party. Check out the links below if you are so inclined.
Undoubtedly, the “political activists” here at Redstate have the following information at their fingertips. The Republican National Committee does not. Let’s provide it, no? So, to that end, please respond here with the answers to the following questions. Obviously, each of you have this information readily at your fingertips, as you are all effective “political activists” where it really counts — in your “political neighborhood” in your precinct inside your political party. Please post links to the information here in comments to this Diary, identifying your state, county, and however else your information ought to be listed/linked. Thank you:
Much “political” discussion is had here at Redstate, mostly about legislative issues and candidates. Take a look at the subject matter of the Diaries and Front Page articles. They almost always focus on some political issue. But, rarely, do the writings conclude with a prescription or formula for what we are to DO to fix the outlined problem. Sometimes, it’s implied that somebody, somewhere, is supposed to so something about the problem. But that’s about it.
Simply put, our conservative issues will not be translated into legislative fixes — laws — including the repeal of laws, such as the repeal of the liberty-killing Obamacare — unless, and until, we conservatives focus on the how and why of electing more Constitutional conservatives. And that happens where we live.
That involves grunt work. Phone calls to voters. Fingers pressing door bell buttons.
How many phone calls have you made on behalf of conservative Republican candidates in the last year?
How many Republican voters have you talked to in your precinct in the last year? Not on the net. But, face-to-face, or by phone, or by literature drop, or by e-mail, to your “political neighbors” — your fellow Republican voters in your precinct?
Do you even know the physical boundaries of your precinct? I’d wager you don’t. Have you walked, or even driven, the streets in your precinct? I’d wager you have not. Why is that a good wager? Because I know that over half of the precinct committeeman slots in the Republican Party are vacant and over one third of the precincts in the country have not even a single precinct committeeman.
Know how to find out, in less than a minute, on the net, how many registered Republicans live in your precinct or legislative or congressional district? I’d wager you don’t. (I don’t want to talk down to anyone here, but I hope you all realize that over half of the local “voting member” slots in the Party — the precinct-level slots — are vacant nationwide. I’ve asked in the past for the “leaders” here at Redstate to tell us about their history inside the Party so we can learn from their experiences, but virtually nothing has been forthcoming — perhaps because they don’t pay too much attention to the Member Diaries (and certainly not to little ol’ CW) or they are engaged in much more important endeavors that help make sure Constitutional conservatives win those all-important, traditionally-very-low-turnout-primary elections. Each of us must set our individual priorities.)
How many Republican Party committee meetings have you attended where you live in the last year? I’d wager the answer is zero.
Do you even know when and where yours meets? I’d wager you don’t.
How many times in the last two years have you called your state representatives and senator? I’d wager the average for all Redstaters is zero.
Each of us can only do so much. But ought not all of us do at least something in the public square?
Ought we not unite? Ought we not organize for political action? Ought not we, conservatives, unite and organize INSIDE the Republican Party locally where we live? At our local committee meetings? Ever been to one? Don’t answer that — I really can’t stomach the answer.
If we don’t organize and unite, locally, inside our respective Republican Party committees, what will continue to happen in our state and federal legislatures?
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, better known as “Joe the Plumber,” yesterday announced his candidacy in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, currently held by Democrat Marcy Kaptur.
I especially liked the way Joe spoke about how each of us has a “civic responsibility” consisting of more than just showing up for jury duty. I believe we’ll be hearing more from Joe as his campaign unfolds about how one can carry out their “civic responsibility” by helping to Get Out The Vote, by volunteering to be a poll watcher or worker, and by participating, if possible, in party politics with respect to one’s precinct and local party committee.
Herman Cain’s stump speech often ended with the message of “Stay Informed,” “Stay Involved” and “Stay Inspired,” with short discussions of each point.
Last week I listened to Herman make those points again in Phoenix at an AZ GOP fundraiser where Herman was the keynote speaker. A little birdie ran into Mark Block during Herman’s speech (Mark was walking around observing the crowd’s reaction to the speech) and suggested that “Stay Involved” might be a bit obscure, and that the new message ought to be, at this point in the campaign for the presidency, to more specifically and concretely ask Herman’s supporters to “Get Involved.”
The little birdie explained that many in the audience, listening to Herman, want to, and are willing to, “get involved.” They want to “do something.” But, they don’t know what, specifically, they ought do to help their favored candidates. And that Herman ought to be telling his audiences exactly how he would like them to help his campaign and the Republican Party. And tell them how crucial GOTV will be in the 2012 elections. And that if Herman will ask them to do a bit more than usual, to make a few phone calls, perhaps, or actually walk a precinct, targeting the Republican voters who did not vote in the last two general elections, for example, then maybe we’ll greatly increase the number of Republican victories next year.
Herman had not yet gotten to the “Stay Involved” portion of the speech by the time the little birdie’s discussion with Mark ended, but Herman ended the speech with the same three points. That night, for example, after asking those in attendance to “Stay Involved,” he explained that obviously they were involved just by their attendance at the fundraising dinner for the AZ GOP. But, he then asked them, with a hearty, friendly yell, to “KICK IT UP A NOTCH!” A rousing round of applause followed. He added that “everyone can do something” and “do what you can do!”
Now Mark Block has succeeded in getting out that “Get Involved!” message to current and potential Cain supporters. Friends of Herman Cain sent out a video yesterday morning, and you’ve probably already watched it or at least heard about it:
The buzz over this video led to this interview on Fox News this morning with Megan Kelly, allowing the Cain campaign to again get out the main message to current and potential Cain supporters: the time has come to get involved with the Cain campaign.
Herman Cain promised that as an “unconventional” candidate he would run an unconventional campaign. It appears he and Mark Block are delivering on that promise.
Stay tuned — I believe the Cain campaign will provide more unconventional messaging for the American people. The little birdie gave Mark a few other ideas.
Yes, these Occupy Americans, at least in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 15, 2011 in downtown Phoenix, are somewhat dazed and confused when it comes to articulating what they believe with respect to whether President Obama has been an effective president and whether they will vote for him again. Enjoy!
This fellow really does not like Republicans.
Hey, Obama just needs four more years!
This courageous peacenik will vote for the warmonger again because he’s the lesser of two evils.
This fellow was a font of knowledge on a variety of subjects and will vote again for Obama even though it doesn’t seem to make much sense. Seems Obama just lacks a “popular movement” in the streets. Or something. And this fellow seems to really, really like FDR and his “jobs programs.”
This nice lady just thinks Obama needs more time to give us all free health care.
And this fellow is really, really torqued over Obama raiding the California medical marijuana freedom fighers’ stores.
And then we have this youngster who spoke for a couple of minutes during the “open mike” portion of the rally, basically presenting a litany of wants and desires which other people ought to pony up their money for to give him and his posse mo’ money, mo’ money.
The Occupy Phoenix freedom fighters were left with this parting shot to boost their morale.
I talked to many more Occupy Phoenix folks and more video will be posted elsewhere. I met many union members and government workers.
I come to Redstate just about every day and see comment after Diary after comment after Diary about this, that and the other thing about Republican Party politics.
And what I just about never see, in the sig lines of the contributors at Redstate, including the moderators/editors, is information relating to their participation in the Republican Party itself.
Me? I’m an elected precinct committeeman in Arizona’s no. 918 precinct. And an elected member of the Maricopa County Republican Committee Executive Guidance Council.
Hint: Guess who voted in the Republican Party of Florida straw poll the other day for Herman Cain? It wasn’t “mere” registered Republican Florida voters. It was those “mere” Republican Party registered voters who took the next step and became Republican Party of Florida precinct committeemen and who then got elected to become delegates to the Republican Party of Florida state committee functions. And then shelled out some hard-earned cash to cast a vote. And hard-earned cash and time to attend the event.
And you know why Herman Cain won the straw poll? Because more conservatives got involved in the Party as precinct committeemen and, in turn, elected more conservatives as delegates to the Republican Party of Florida get together that sponsored the straw poll.
So, who was driving this “narrative?” Bloggers? Or the Republican Party members who actually got involved in Party politics INSIDE the Republican Party and gave the bloggers something to write about?
In other words, who were the real ball players in the real ball game of party politics? And who were the spectators? Were the Party members who voted in the straw poll the ball players? And were the spectators those who just wrote about what the real ball players did?
As the old saying goes, there are people who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder, “What happened?”
In terms of Republican Party politics, which group are you in?
Recent reporting reveals the obvious strategy Obama needs to win reelection: get more of his “traditional base” voters to the polls.
Exit polls showed that Obama won 43 percent of the white vote in 2008 — in the typical range for a Democrat — but Gallup shows that his approval rating among whites now stands at less than a third.
Ultimately, the Obama strategy for reaching independents will depend largely on whom the GOP nominates; polls suggest a variation in how the different Republican candidates might perform with that group.
Still, the formula for Obama comes down to this: convincing enough additional minorities and core liberals to turn out and vote next year to make up for a loss of support from centrist and conservative whites.
I am far less interested in which of the current Republican contenders for the Republican nomination for the presidency utlimately wins the nomination than whether we Republicans will significantly increase the percentage of registered Republicans, and otherwise Republican-leaning voters, who will actually vote for our nominee in the 2012 election. Which brings me to the fun with Voter Vault.
Friday I decided to do some analysis of my precinct using the Republican Party’s Voter Vault system. How does one get access to the Voter Vault system? Well, unless you are a candidate for public office, a volunteer for a candidate, or a Republican Party staffer, you have to become a voting member of the Party. Here in Arizona, that means becoming an elected precinct committeeman. Voter Vault is an online system that allows one to create walking lists and telephone calling lists for all the registered voters in one’s precinct. You have to sign an agreement that you will only use it for non-commercial political purposes.
In my precinct, we have 895 registered Republicans and 8 PC slots, with all 8 filled. By doing some very basic filtering of the voter records of the voters in my precinct, I was able to determine the following regarding the Republican voters.
Of the 895 Republican voters, 329, or 36.7%, are “perfect voters;” they voted in the last 2 primaries and last 2 general elections.
66 of the total, 7.3%, were “zeroes;” they did not vote at all in the last four elections.
113 of the total, 12.6%, were “1 in fours;” they only voted once in the last four elections.
121 of the total, 13.5%, were “2 in fours;” they only voted twice in the last four elections.
That’s a total of 300, or 33.5%, of the whole who are, shall we say, less than stellar Republicans in terms of casting a vote despite the fact that some Americans fought for, and fought and died for, the right of these Republicans to elect those who are to represent them in the halls of government.
And, we have 20 brand new registered voters who are newly registered in our precinct.
So, the 8 of us have 320 Republican voters we need to go out and “touch” somehow. That’s just 40 a piece. We figure we don’t need to “touch” (by touch, I mean call, visit, leave literature at their door, etc.) the Perfect Voters and those who voted 3 out of 4 times — these are the Republicans who will most probably vote again with no prodding. But we PCs will need to reach out to the others and make sure they vote this time.
Just 40 a piece. A cake walk. A few hours of time.
Each PC can do what they want in terms of contacting the voters about whom to vote for in Arizona’s closed presidential preference primary, because we do not work for the Party — no one can tell a PC for whom they must get out the vote (“GOTV”). In the Tempe mayoral and city council elections in the spring, we’ll work together to help GOTV for the Republicans in those races. Right now, we are just beginning to go door-to-door for these candidates to obtain nominating petition signatures. If each of us spend just a few hours going door-to-door to the Perfect Voters (who are most likely to sign the petitions), we’ll help these candidates gain ballot access and also get to know better those Perfect Voter Republicans in our precinct — who might make good PCs in the future or Party volunteers, such as poll watchers. We might even find among them future precinct committeemen — we’ll certainly let them know about our Legislative District Committee’s monthly meetings and invite them to attend.
Now, imagine if we could get this kind of targeted GOTV activity in EVERY precinct in America. We could. If we got conservatives to fill up every vacant precinct committeeman slot. About half of the slots are vacant, on average, in every precinct in America. And about one-third of the precincts have ZERO precinct committeeman. One our our counties here in Arizona has no Republican organization at all. None. So who is helping to GOTV in that county? Well, it’s not the county’s Republican Party committee. Because there is none.
Again, I’m less concerned about whom our nominee will be, and more concerned about making sure, in the 2012 general election, we get every possible Republican to the polls for our nominee and the other Republican candidates. I’m not willing to put my hope in some charismatic Republican presidential nominee who will inspire every Republican and Republican-leaning registered voter to actually vote. So I became a precinct committeeman and encourage others to do the same. So we can, together, help maximize the voter turnout in our respective precincts for our Republican candidates.
If we do that, we can run the board against the leftists and their Democrat Party candidates.
I will be presenting these findings to my fellow PCs in my precinct and then get them on board to carry out this plan.
We have some great tools now to connect like-minded conservatives. FreedomWorks has created the FreedomConnector, for example.
Before the 2010 general election, The Concord Project was created to provide video tutorials and other information about how to GOTV.
Will we conservatives do a better job at getting out the vote than will Obama and his minions? How many of us will be GOTV heroes? Time will tell.
As you may have heard, Obama is asking some in his core constituencies to “take off your bedroom slippers — put on your marching shoes.” (A thirty second ad may play before you get to see the CNN video.)
(By the way, there’s much in the last segment of this video that could be used for a parody of Obama, juxtaposing video clips of his remarks about the need to press on and marching, etc., with video clips of his golfing excursions. Hint, hint. )
Back on August 8, 2011, somebody outlined these goals for fixing our current Obama-caused mess:
We need to stop this deficit spending, balance our budget, repeal Obamacare, cancel all unused stimulus funds, and reform our entitlement programs. We have to have an adult conversation about our spending commitments; circumstances have changed, and we must adapt. I know none of this will be easy, but, “thick” or not, the average American outside the D.C. politico bubble knows that we no longer have a choice! We will have entitlement reform and a balanced budget; it’s just a matter of how. We can do it ourselves in a calm, methodical, and responsible manner, or we can wait for the world’s capital markets to ram it down on us. Let’s be responsible and do it ourselves. And let’s get serious about reducing the size of government across the board and rooting out waste. How many more reports (that today are destined to merely gather dust on the shelf) do we need about duplicative and unnecessary programs before we actually do something about government waste?
We need to get this economy moving again, and the real stimulus we’ve been waiting for is domestic energy development. We must reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil by responsibly developing natural resources here. This will provide good paying jobs, reduce our trade deficit, increase federal and state revenue, ensure environmental standards, and actually stimulate our economy without incurring any debt. That’s real stimulus! Affordable, plentiful, and secure energy is the foundation of every thriving economy. Let’s make it the foundation of ours. Let’s do the opposite of President Obama’s manipulation of U.S. energy supplies. Let’s drill here, build refineries, and stop kowtowing to foreign countries in asking them to ramp up energy production which makes us even more beholden to them as we rely on their foreign product. Let’s move on tapping our massive domestic natural gas reserves. Natural gas is the perfect “bridge fuel” to a future when more renewable sources are available. It’s clean, it’s green, and we’ve got a lot of it. Let’s drill. Let’s build an infrastructure for natural gas cars and power plants. Energy development can help kick start our economic engine.
In addition to energy security, I embrace a pro-growth agenda that can make American corporations far more competitive on the global stage. (I will be writing more about this in the coming days.) We need to tell the world, “America is open for business again!” And let’s welcome industry by reducing burdensome regulations. The Obama administration keeps strangling businesses in red tape. From the EPA’s rulings to that nightmare known as Obamacare, the Obama administration is hanging one regulatory albatross after another around the private sector’s neck. Let’s get government out of the way and give the private sector room to breathe, grow, and thrive. We can provide businesses confidence to expand and hire Americans in a stable environment.
Be wary of the efforts President Obama makes to “fix” the debt problem. The more he tries to “fix” things, the worse they get because his “solutions” always involve spending more, taxing more, growing government, and increasing debt. This debt problem is the greatest challenge facing our country today. Obviously, President Obama doesn’t have a plan or even a notion of how to deal with it. His press conference today was just a rehash of his old talking points and finger-pointing. That’s why he can’t be re-elected in 2012.
Those goals were then followed by instructions on how “we the people” can achieve them:
Our destiny is still in our own hands if we pick ourselves up and act responsibly and quickly. We must all get involved. Concerned Americans must seek truth, work harder than ever, and be willing to sacrifice today to ensure freedom tomorrow. Please get engaged in 2012 electoral politics and support experienced, vetted, pro-free market fiscal conservatives who will dedicate all to preserving our Republic and protecting our Constitution.
Getting engaged in electoral politics and supporting experienced, vetted, pro-free market fiscal conservatives who will dedicate all to preserving our Republic and protecting our constitution. That sounds like a good prescription for getting involved in party politics and get out the vote efforts for the best Constitutional conservative candidates in the Republican Party primary electons and for the Republican winners of those primary elections as they go on to the general election.
You probably know that the person who wrote the above was Sarah Palin, back on August 8, 2011, on her Facebook page.
On September 3, in a speech in Indianola, Iowa, she offered another bit of common sense: the seemingly obvious idea that now all grass roots conservative Americans, who have created tea party and 9.12 and other organizations, should unite. I have not heard any of the announced Republican presidential candidates say this. In Indianola, after outlining her five part plan for restoring America’s strong, free market economy, Sarah Palin said:
This plan is a first step in a long march towards fundamental restoration of a strong and free market economy. And it represents the kind of real reform that we need. And, folks, it must come from you. It must come from the American people. Real hope is in you.
In other words, there is no cavalry that will save us at the last minute. We’re the cavalry.
Sarah Palin went on to say in her speech:
Don’t wait for the permanent political class to reform anything for you. They won’t. They can’t.
We’ve got to unite. We’ve got to stand together.
In other words, to restore our Republic, “we the people” truly will have to do more than just show up and vote. We will have to “act” and “get involved” in “electoral politics” so we can elect “experienced, vetted, pro-free market fiscal conservatives who will dedicate all to preserving our Republic and protecting our Constitution.” Because “the permanent political class” will not reform anything for us. We must unite and do it ourselves. We must get involved in “electoral politics” and unite inside the Republican Party as never before. And elect new public servants.
Good advice, I think. Will we follow it? Will we become our own cavalry?
Sorry to be such a “jerk.” Some people here don’t like blunt talk. They believe little ol’ ColdWarrior drives away from the fight those who might otherwise turn into fighters.
Too funny.
That mean old ColdWarrior! Would like to see some evidence that mean old CW drove someone away — with names.
So far, no such names have been forthcoming. If you don’t want blunt talk, don’t let your, or any of the little darlings you know who might be offended by straight talk, read further.
Fair enough?
Probably not for some. Such is life.
For the faint of heart, don’t read any further.
For those of you up for the fight, read on.
I look up and down at the “Front Page” Diaries by those who are favored there to write.
And I look up and down the Member Diaries.
And the Recommended [Member] Diaries.
And I see all sorts of “news” that has already been reported elsewhere. And all sorts of “gee, if only ‘the Republicans’ would listen to me” articles.
Etc.
Oh, and then I also see all sorts of “gee, this is my pet issue, and, golly gee, if only someone would read this and act upon it, maybe then they’d see that the Islamists are bad, etc.”
Let’s be clear.
One. Obama and his administration are BAD PEOPLE.
Two. Obama and his bad people want to “fundamentally transform” the United States into a socialist “paradise.”
Three. Obama and his BAD PEOPLE need to be replaced.
Four. To replace Obama and his bad people we need to get more good, decent Americans to VOTE in the 2012 elections. (Did you know that only 25% of Americans who regularly attend Sunday church services vote? Look it up. Did you know the same is true of the 4 million NRA members. Don’t believe it? Look it up. Well, what are you going to DO about it?)
Five. Other than writing to the conservative choir online about the above, what are YOU going to DO to help make sure that more good, decent Americans vote in the 2012 elections?
Well?
Please, tell us.
Seriously, post here in the comments what, specifically, you are going to DO to make sure, where you live, that more “center-right” Americans are going to vote in 2012 for conservative candidates. How many doors will you knock upon? How many phone calls will you make? How will you get involved in GOTV? (GOTV is not a new cable channel — it stands for Get Out The Vote.)
Or, are you just going to pontificate on the ‘net?
I live in a city that borders Phoenix, Arizona. Yesterday was the last day to cast a vote in the Phoenix city government election, in which those city residents who bothered to register to vote could cast a vote for their next mayor, for their city council representative, and for two ballot initiatives. (Only about 5/8 of the residents, though, got to vote for a city council representative, as only half of the eight slots are voted upon every two years. As one of the mayoral candidates had stepped down from one of the council seats not up for election this year, that district also had an election.)
The Phoenix city government currently grapples with many problems, including bloated government bureaucracies, public employee pension funding shortfalls, etc. And things are so bad, that a whopping 15% of those registered to vote bothered to cast a ballot for their elected city representatives. Unfortunately, the “tea party” candidate for Phoenix mayor, Jennifer Wright, did not make the cut; as no candidate received a majority in the mayoral race, the two top vote-getters, one a Republican, one a Democrat, will compete in a runoff election in November. I volunteered to make GOTV phone calls for Ms. Wright’s campaign yesterday and her campaign was doing it the old-fashioned way — a volunteer calls the campaign, then the campaign e-mails the volunteer a precinct call list from Voter Vault along with scripts, fact sheets, etc. The GOTV calls I made targeted those Republicans, in a particular precinct, who “usually” voted. Some said “not interested” as soon as they heard I was a volunteer for a candidate for mayor and then hung up. Others said they had already voted or would go to the polls.
Fifteen per cent. Even when the city makes it easy to vote, with vote-by-mail and the opportunity to vote in person at any one of many “voting centers” over the course of several days, only 15% turned out. Of course, this represented a huge opportunity for Republicans, but the Republican vote was split between five candidates. (The race is non-partisan, but everyone knows who the lone Democrat candidate was.) The Democrat got the most votes, 37,759 (37.85%), the Republicans got 61,556 votes. The Republican receiving the most votes, and who will to to the runoff election in November against the Democrat, received 20,492 votes. The results are here: http://www.phoenix.gov/election/results.html.
Voter registration figures reveal that 200,940 Phoenicians registered Republican, 217,636 Democrat and 220,220 independent. But only 15% could bother with voting. Which represented a huge opportunity for Republicans if only we could get more of them to actually vote.
Does the fact that the Republican candidates received about 62% of the votes mean that the Republican should win handily in November? One would think so. But then Democrat turnout might have been light because only one Democrat was in this initial race. Also, it’s unlikely Republican turnout will be much better in November, based upon the general election turnout for the mayoral race back in the fall of 2007: a whopping 18.69%. Also, the Democrat will have the benefit of the use of VoteBuilder software to help coordinate the Democrat GOTV effort; the Republican Party likely will have no such software. Maybe the Republican candidate will.
Oh, and how much support did our Republican candidates receive from the Republican Party precinct committeemen who reside within Phoenix? For the 9 Legislative District Republican Party committees that sit wholly or partially within the Phoenix city limits, about 59 per cent of the allotted slots are vacant. And, on average, over a third of the precincts have no elected precinct committeemen at all.
But we’re trying to change that. For example, tomorrow night, at the Maricopa County Republican Party committee meeting, we’ll be devoting the bulk of the meeting for a brainstorming session on how to further increase the number of precinct committeemen in the county (we’ve gone from about 31 per cent of allotted slots filled in 2008 to now being at just over 50 per cent) and how to improve our abilities to help get Republicans and Republican-leaning independent registered voters to actually get to the polls and pull the lever for Republican candidates.
If you have not already taken the plunge, I hope you will consider getting involved with the Republican Party in your locale by attending your local committee meetings and exploring how to become a voting member of it. It’s actually very interesting, can be a lot of fun, and you’ll have an opportunity to put your talents to good use. (Indeed, there are some locales where the Republican Party has no organization at all — you might be appointed to be the chairman of an organization just by asking!) You’ll also be able to vote for the Party officers. Please see the links below for more information. Volunteering for a local Party position is a great way for conservatives to carry out their civic duty. I believe it’s the best way, especially in light of the fact that nationwide, on average, the Republican Party is at half strength. The Party needs more Redstaters in it — if you can spare a few hours a month to attend your local committee meeting, I believe you’ll find that time to be well spent.
We’ll have a more conservative Republican Party when we have more conservatives in it.
Occasionally, I gently suggest here that conservative Republicans ought to consider, if they have not already, where their priorities lay with respect to actually, demonstrably, causing the best conservatives to get the most votes in the primary elections where they live and, then, go on to get the most votes in the general election. And how to actually become a “voting member” of the Republican Party; that is, to achieve the right to vote for those Republicans in the officer positions (for example, the local, county, state and RNC chairmen and the rest of the officers at each organizational level).
I have meekly advocated that the best way to to accomplish those objectives is by becoming a voting member of the Republican Party. That is, by taking the step beyond simply registering to vote as a Republican. That is, again, having the right, and the power, to vote for the leadership of the Party, locally, and having the political power (assuming the committee bylaws allow it) to vote to endorse the best conservative in the primary election. If all of this sounds foreign to you, take heart — it is not difficult to learn.
We can actually learn a few things from the progressive Democrats, as they are beginning to figure out how this all works.
Here is a site you may want to spend a few minutes at, the Union of Progressive Precinct Organizers: http://uppo.deepbluechange.org
Time
Wednesday, August 31 at 10:00am – November 30 at 10:00am
Location
All 3,141 Counties in America
Created By
Joseph Cardwell
More Info
Each county in America has two PACs, a Democratic PAC, and a Republican PAC. These PACs are run by a democratically elected executive committee. These PACs endorse 99% of the candidates that get elected. 50% of those committee seats are vacant. Many of the seats that are filled, are occupied by conservatives, even in the Democratic party.
If you feel like the Democratic Party is not making the progressive argument, it’s because progressives do not fill the Democratic County Party Executive Committee seats.
That has to change.
We are flash-mobbing the democratic party county party executive committees to fill the 200,000 empty seats and displace any conservatives that occupy them now. We are taking control of these committees, to take control of the party, and take control of our government.
America should not be number 13. We should be number 1, and only progressive values in our government will make it that way.
In other words, if conservative Republicans stay at home, and do not seek out their local Republican Party committee, “creative” and crafty Progressives may just fill up the empty precinct committeeman slots in that locale.
Now that the progressives know about The Neighborhood Precinct Committeeman Strategy, do you think maybe it might be a good idea for you to attend your local Republican Party committee meeting as soon as possible to see whether you can get involved as a voting member of your local and state Republican Party? To achieve real political power where you live?
I hope so. And I pray so. (Plus, there’s a silver lining: you may find your attendance at the meetings exhilarating and fun! I do!) I hope you will give it a try. See the links below if you are interested. And, if you have any questions, shoot them to me at coldwarrior1978 at gmail dot com.
Fact: In Arizona, where I live, HALF of the local, precinct-level (“precinct committeeman”) elected positions inside the Republican Party are vacant. And this is the way it is all across the country. Open the mailers you’ve received from the RNC, the NRCC, and the NRCC. And from your state Republican Party committee. See any mention of this?
Gee, maybe the Republican Party does not want you. If you are represented in the Senate or House, have you received a mailer from the incumbents’ campaigns imploring you to become a voting member of the Republican Party? (Psst.: I know the answer.)
I always apologize to the week-kneed, if I can, for asking hard questions, that hurt people’s feelings. But, decades ago, my job, on behalf of the U.S. government (and I have the unclassified commendations to prove it) was to recruit (that was the hardest part) and then train the recruits (most would not pass the test) for secret and dangerous missions on behalf of the United States government. And I had to tell them straight up that if they screwed up, the U.S. Government would not acknowledge they even existed. And I started doing these kinds of operations decades before some of my critics here were out of diapers.
And where did I gain my undergraduate degree? The “Un-College.” USMA.
Soldiering on from the South Hudson Institute of Technology (there’s a joke there), I ventured into the arcane world of Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence. The Soviets were on the march in Afghanistan, Angola, Nicaragua, Grenada and elsewhere. And I aimed to stop them. As did others. And Ronald Reagan.
As for the week-kneed whom I could not recruit to go on the secret and dangerous missions? I sent them on their way. As for those who can’t understand that it might be a good idea to show up at their local Republican Party committee meeting, or who would criticize me for suggesting that they do, I apologize for hurting your feelings. And I’m sorry if you want to depart on your ways.
If the RedState “powers that be” would like me to depart, you won’t hear from me again.
Recruitment. There’s a formula.
1. Explain to the recruit that if they do not do what you want, they will lose their liberties.
2 Prove you’ve done what you want the recruit to do.
3. Prove to the recruit that you can teach them what they need to do to achieve their goal to preserve their liberties.
4. Assure the recruit you will not abandon them as they carry out the mission to preserve their liberties.
If you don’t like this formula, no matter.
Here’s the bottom line: I want to fill up the vacant Republican Party precinct committeeman slots. If we don’t do that, we lose our country.
Period.
If my recruitment methods scare away people because they do not even know what “committee” means in the context of basic American civics, I’m sorry. I’ll try to explain it a little bit better — sometimes one does not know how little someone in law school, for example, knows. I hope those who know much more than I will jump in and help me. And explain what really needs to be accomplished to help Get Out The Vote and to accomplish a conservative take over of the Republican Party.
Perhaps those Restate “editors” or whatever they call themselves (that is, those who have the power to ban Redstate contributors with something they refer to as a “Krakken” hammer or whatever it’s called) who don’t care for little ol’ ColdWarrior should fess up and let the Redstate contributors know whether you are a voting member of the Republican Party. And, if not, why not? (For example, LUR has a valid reason why not to be.) Aaron G. has joined the fray. EE is “in it.” What about the rest of you? If you’ve got a reason for not being involved, I’d like to hear it. Publicly or privately. I’ll respect your candor. And not comment on it. But it would be good to know where you “stand.”
So, chime in.
Are you a “voting member” of the Republican Party where you live?
If not, why not?
Honesty is the best policy.
Am I being blunt? Yes. Guilty as charged.
Me? I’m an elected PC in LD 17 in Tempe, AZ. And an elected member of the Maricopa County Republican Party Committee. And an elected Arizona Republican Party state committeeman (hint why that’s important — I get to vote for AZ’s three RNC delegates).
So, the rest of you Redstaters, if you think little ol’ ColdWarrior should leave Redstate (or be “banned” or “Krakkened” or whatever it’s called), take a vote. I’ll respect the results. Let’s see an up/down vote by the Redstate “editors” and the rank and file.
Meanwhile? Visit UP’s Activist Hub. And consider becoming a voting member of the Republican Party where you live. You won’t regret it. I’ve yet to hear from any Redstater, who has followed my advice, regretting having gone to their local Republican Party committee meeting.
Moe Lane: #rsrh I know that the bar on libel is high in this country, but could Reuters have actually managed to clear it? http://t.co/4uw1Xnob
Dan McLaughlin: In past presidential elections, we looked for a leader. In 2012, the people may need to lead & elect a follower. #rsrh
KnightsofMalta: Looks like we'll get through another debate with no discussion of Eurozone crisis, which may be the biggest story around. #CNNDebate#rsrh
KnightsofMalta: I believe this #CNNDebate may be the best so far. Some weird topics, but good sparring, decent substance. #RSRH
Daniel Horowitz: US Debt= $15.236 trillion GDP= $15.137 tril. The debt will grow by 7.9% this year; GDP will probably grow 2%. Recipe 4 disaster #rsrh
Daniel Horowitz: In 8 years, Bush increased debt by $4.9 trillion. After 4 years, Obama will accrue $5.8 trillion. #rsrh
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Dan McLaughlin
Steve Maley
Moe Lane
KnightsofMalta
Daniel Horowitz
PG DeFreese
