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434 new conservative precinct committeemen. And counting.

By: ColdWarrior (Diary)  |  September 2nd, 2009 at 06:06 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Promoted from diaries.  Now spread it around. – Moe Lane

As of August 31, 2009, since the Nov. 2008 election, the Maricopa County Republican Party has increased its precinct committeeman ranks by over 21 per cent. The Party had, in Nov., 2008, 1,989 precinct committeemen representing the 694,000 registered Republican voters in Maricopa County. The quota was 6,231. Thus, the Party was at less than one-third “fighting” strength. Those 1,989 were split about 50-50 between moderates and conservatives.

No more.

Since November, we’ve recruited 434 more PCs. Most at Tea Parties and congresscritter protests. Most, if not all, of these new recruits are conservatives – I’ve been to a lot of Tea Parties and protests – and talked to a lot of people at them in my efforts to recruit PCs – and I’ve yet to meet a moderate.

And I know we’ve got more conservative recruits in the pipeline. And they are motivated. One brand new recruit with webmastering skills just volunteered to improve our website. I recruited 5 more conservative PCs in the last three days. And other conservative PCs are doing the same.

So, assuming we’ve got 450 new, conservative PCs in the ranks, instead of being at a fighting strength of about 31 per cent we’re now at about 40 per cent. Of course, the goal is to get all remaining slots filled with conservatives.

Why is this so important now? This increase in the ranks sends a STRONG SIGNAL to the “powers that be” in the AZ Republican Party, both the elected internal party leadership, and the elected representative, that a conservative sea-change is beginning in the Republican Party. This infusion of conservatives into the PC ranks within the Party should influence how elected representative view the Party ranks and may cause them to consider taking stands on legislation more in keeping with the Party Platform. The more conservatives in the PC ranks, the more likely the leadership of the Party will be conservative.

Why is it important to become a PC now? Immediately? Because in some states, the deadline for becoming one, so that you may participate in the internal legislative district, county, state and national Party elections is fast approaching. If you are interested, contact your county GOP office NOW.

How did we do it? Some of the new PCs were recruited one-on-one. Many were recruited, as mentioned, where conservatives tend to gather – both in person (Tea Parties, protests against socialized medicine outside the offices of congresscritters who would not hold town hall meetings, like mine, Debtocrat Harry Mitchell, AZ CD-5) and on the internet (here at Redstate, ResistNet.com’s conservative forums, Breitbart.com, Townhall, conservative blogs, etc.)

I use a flyer and have posted here about how I used it and a big sign at the April 15, 2009 Phoenix Tea Party at our capitol:

http://www.redstate.com/hawksruleva/2009/04/15/after-the-tea-party-whats-next/#comment-6

While I was handing out my recruitment flyers, Arizona State Senator spoke to the crowd using my flyer to implore conservatives to become PCs (his remarks start at about the three-minute mark in the video):

You may have seen Erick Erickson posting about the need for conservatives to become PCs:

http://www.redstate.com/erick/2009/04/30/at-play-in-the-field-of-tea-parties/

Again, the point is, demonstrations don’t actually DO much to change the status quo.  Winning elections does.  To win elections, you have to out-number the other side and have a better message than the other side.  When the Republican Party candidate does not win it’s usually because his message is warmed over liberalism rather than clear, principled conservatism of the Reagan mold.

And here’s some great information compiled by Martin Knight about The Committeeman Project:

http://www.redstate.com/martin_a_knight/2009/05/05/the-committeeman-project/

Want to be part of a revolution? A conservative revolution? Then become a Republican Party precinct committeeman.

Now.

I’ve spoken to the precinct committeeman in Pinal County who has volunteered to coordinate PC recruitment there. Pinal County may be having more success than we are here in Maricopa County. And I’m encouraged by the number of folks here at Redstate who have become PCs recently.

Martin Knight has estimated our Party nationwide is at about half-strength. Half the PC slots are empty. We really could have a conservative revolution within the Party if we filled up only one tenth of those open slots with good conservatives. Every vote counts. Our Maricopa County and AZ GOP chairmen, good conservatives, beat moderate challengers by only a handful of votes. If you want conservative leadership, you have to vote for it. And only PCs can vote in the Party leadership elections.

Want to impact the Party “leaders?” Become a PC.

Every state has different requirements. They are not onerous. Some don’t even require you to gather signatures.

Go here to learn more: http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com

Go for it! So some day you can say, “I was a precinct committeeman before it was cool.”

Thank you. And thanks to all of you here who have become PCs. You’re going to meet a lot of great people and have a lot of fun!

ColdWarrior

P. S. If you are having success recruiting conservatives into the PC ranks, please report it here at Redstate.com

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  • Rod_Patrick

    I hope the same happens to all districts and counties across the Union.

    Good diary, ColdWarrior!!!!!

  • scarlos

    Do you know how many PCs the Democrats have (either in Arizona or Nationwide)?

    Oh, and I’m definitely signing up to be a PC once I get out of college.

  • IJB

    …In either AZ, or in other states?

    If we can tell people exactly what they’re getting into, they might be more receptive to signing up.

  • ColdWarrior

    Scroll the comments here:

    http://www.redstate.com/dan_perrin/2009/08/31/senator-grassley-comes-out-swinging-against-obamacare-in-fundraiser/

    Gotta run. Off to a meeting that Sen. Russell Pearce will be speaking — hope to recruit a few more conservatives into the PC ranks.

    Thank you.

    ColdWarrior

    • http://charlemagne-the-hammer.blogspot.com/ DerKrieger

      …forgot the response was form you. Was looking for a different take.

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  • discerningconservative

    People need to understand how easy this is. I completed my nomination form in about 15 minutes, and had the 5 required signatures before I even left the county meeting. I was put on the ballot unopposed, so I technically needed only my vote to gain the seat. I have technically been a PC since May 5 (the day of the election), but in our next county meeting we are having a ceremony for the 2 new PC’s in our county. I have noticed that local elected officials are much more interested in talking to me. During the county fair a couple of weeks ago, I met my districts representative to the state house. He asked for my email, and spent about 20 minutes talking to me. This is how change starts.

    I have never seen a football game won by a player standing on the sideline cheering the loudest. You have to get in the game!

  • kellymch

    tomorrow night to go over my duties as “precinct captain.” All I had to do was email her and ask her if I could do it. Thanks Cold Warrior and Redstate.

    Oh, and I’m definitely not a moderate!!!

  • ColdWarrior

    For example, in Virginia, I’ve found, PCs don’t have to collect signatures, but they have to pledge to support all Party candidates and have to show up for meetings and pay dues. I’m told Florida is similar. Ohio requires five nominating signatures.

    I believe Martin Knight’s Diary had info in it re the total number of PC slots nationwide, or at least a link to Ken Blackwell’s strategy document that contains those numbers.

    Arizona has no dues requirements nor meeting requirements per se — you put into it what you want. But, you’ve got to get up to 10 signatures from registered Republicans or Independents in your precinct (depending upon the population of your precinct). In Arizona, precinct committeemen are elected one per precinct, plus one additional for each 125 registered voters of that Party as of March 1st of the general election year. Arizona has over 2,239 precincts statewide, including over 1,142 in Maricopa County.

    I live in a precinct with 8 available slots. Six are filled — I’m “leaning on” a couple of my conservative neighbors to fill up the two available slots.

    Legislative Districts exist in counties of more than 500,000 people (Maricopa and Pima Counties) and include all PCs within that district. Officers are elected at Organizational Meetings after the general election including a chairman, two vice chairs, a secretary and a treasurer. Those who show up at the election meeting get to elect the leadership. We elected a young conservative to be our chair. The vote was close.

    County Committees include all PCs within that county. They meet in January after general elections to elect a chairman, two vice chairs, a secretary and a treasurer. This past January, only about 800 PCs of the 1,989 showed up for that election meeting. We met in a church about a mile from where I live. Our current conservative chairman won his seat, I am told, by FOUR votes. So, on that day, four votes determined whether a conservative or a moderate would “lead” the 694,000 registered Republicans in Maricopa County.

    And so it goes up to the Arizona GOP with its chairman and officers.

    Being a PC means you get to help decide who’s running the show. Ultimately, it’s the PCs who decide everything.

    That’s why it’s been called “The Most Powerful Office In The World.”: http://www.eagleforum.org/misc/brochures/precinct-committman.shtml

    Why wait until you’re out of college. Register in your college town and do it now. It will be fun!

    Thank you.

    ColdWarrior

  • Richard Mullins

    some things are a little different. Precincts are part of larger Senatorial districts(31 of them in the state) and of that here in Harris county, lots of them are unfilled[not where I live, it's filled alright]. I guess I’ll have to email Chairman Woodfill as to how to be about of local precinct(one small sliver of land[Harris county 0006]). It looks like it’s a club mentality here in Texas( I could be wrong).

  • scarlos

    1. I’m 17 (turning 18 soon) so I’m not yet a registered voter, which is a requirement.

    2. I’m currently living in a precinct that is both underpopulated (about 100 people) located in the heart of one of the most liberal parts of the Bay Area. I don’t think we have more than 5 Registered Republicans in the precinct.

    But thanks for posting about this, and I will look into it as much as can now.

  • ColdWarrior

    Can you research it and let us know? There may be others here from your state who would benefit.

    I did it the old fashioned way. I called the Maricopa County GOP and said, “I want to become a precinct committeeman.” They told me when and where the next Legislative District meeting was for me. I went. I introduced myself to the chairman and said, I want to be a precinct committeeman, what do I do?” That’s all it took. I had to get 10 signatures from Repubicans or Independent votes in my precinct on a nominating paper. Then it had to be notarized. We did that at a “notarizing party” at a candidate’s house. Duties? Whatever I wanted to do — make phone calls, stuff envelopes, hand out flyers, put signs. I did a little bit of all for the candidates of my choice. But I wasn’t required to do any of it. But the most important thing was being able to vote for the leadership of the Party.

    As for the duties of PCs in Arizona, there’s information at a link in the blog I created which I linked to in the Diary:

    www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com

    Here’s the direct link:

    http://www.maricopagop.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=44

    In Arizona, there are no duties per se. No one is forced to do anything. I like the statement, “In a constitutional republic, citizen is the highest officeholder.” I think of the PC role in the Arizona Republican Party in the same vein: “In the Arizona Republican Party, precinct committeeman is the highest officeholder.” The most important thing is that you get to vote for the Party leadership. And in any resolutions to endorse candidates in the primaries.

    If I had nickel for every time I’ve heard, “Well, until the Republican Party does such and such, or gives us better candidates, or does X, I’m not going to get involved,” I’d be a rich man.

    The Republican Party is what it is because of the involvement of those who are in it. Want a more conservative Republican Party? Wishing for it won’t make it happen. Blogging about it won’t make it happen. Ultimately, the ONLY way it will happen is if more conservatives JOIN it and create a working MAJORITY in it. With fifty per cent of the slots unfilled nationwide, the Party is there for us conservatives to take it. Or not.

    As DerKrieger has analogized, at a football game, the people in the stands don’t determine the outcome of the game, it’s the players. Precinct committeeman are the players in the Republican Party.

    Go to the links I posted in the Diary. Read everything. Do some research on the duties of PCs in your state. Every state is different. If you unearth anything, it would be great if you could post about it here — undoubtedly their might someone else from your state who might benefit. I’ve done quite a few searches re the duties of PCs for various states — it’s hard to find sometimes or non-existent on the web. I hope you can help out. For example, last night I helped someone find out about Virginia’s system. I’ve helped people re Florida’s system, which is similar to Virginia’s. No signature gathering required. But you are expected to make the monthly meetings and pay nominal dues.

    As I said, it’s hard to find the info on the web sometimes. You might have to call your county GOP office if you can’t find the info on the web. At least with respect to Maricopa County, a Google search using the search words maricopa county republican party precinct committeeman took me right to the link I set forth above for you.

    Thanks for your involvement and I hope you’ll become a PC if you aren’t one already.

    Sincerely,

    ColdWarrior

  • http://charlemagne-the-hammer.blogspot.com/ DerKrieger

    Slightly O/T but what, being from AZ, can you tell us about this: http://www.azhealthcarefreedomact.com/

  • http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com ColdWarrior

    The Maricopa County Republican Party, on Election Day, 2008, had 1,989 precinct committeemen out of approximately 6,231 available slots. That meant 31.9 per cent were filled. Our party was at less than one-third strength. 1,989 registered Republicans out of approximately 694,000 registered Republicans in the county were “in” the Party as voting members of it. About half of the 1,989 were conservatives.

    Tomorrow is our “mandatory” county Party meeting at which precinct committeemen who have been appointed since Election Day, 2008, can vote to elect five “at large” members of the Executive Guidance Council and also vote on resolutions. We will also be having a straw poll as a fundraising vehicle — a $5 donation allows an attendee to vote.

    All PCs, whether elected in 2008, or appointed 45 days before the meeting, are eligible to vote with respect to Party matters at the mandatory meeting. 45 days before the meeting, our county had 3,030 PCs eligible to vote at the mandatory meeting. That means we went to 48.6 per cent strength in time for the mandatory meeting.

    And, the current count of PCs is 3,326 (includes those appointees who did not get appointed in time for the meeting). That means we are now at 53.3 per cent strength!

    As I’ve said to the conservative precinct committeemen I know in Arizona, we are making a difference. But we can?t rest. We need to keep recruiting conservatives and recruiting conservatives and recruiting conservatives to become PCs. We need to get every conservative PC we?ve recruited to become a conservative precinct committeeman recruiting machine, too.

    Randy Pullen, our conservative AZ GOP Chairman, reports that we the Arizona Republican Party has more precinct committeemen than ever before.

    Pray. Recruit. Repeat.

    Thank you.
    ColdWarrior
    No More Scozzafavas!