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What’s the [precinct committeeman] count? Update

By: ColdWarrior (Diary)  |  March 16th, 2011 at 01:27 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Occasionally, I post here at Redstate to urge conservatives to unite politically in their respective locales inside the Republican Party. My premise is simple: our Republican Party is weakest at the place it should be strongest — at the local, precinct level. Go to my blog linked in my signature below to learn more.

Back in April of 2010, I posted a Diary entitled, “What’s the [precinct committeeman] count?”

Why become a precinct committeeman? Well, because, in our two-party political system, real political power, that determines the outcome of the all-important, traditionally-very-low-turnout primary elections, resides at the most basic unit of our political system — the precinct. And that’s where we’re weakest within the Republican Party. And that’s where the greatest opportunity exists for united conservatives to regain the upper hand — if conservatives fill up these vacant precinct committeeman slots, they’ll effectively take over the Republican Party, because over half of these slots are vacant in the Party. And this isn’t theory — I’ve seen this work first-hand.

Again, go to my little blog and spend a few minutes learning about The Neighborhood Precinct Committeeman Strategy, which is nothing more than good, old-fashioned, basic American Civics. It’s the unremarkable proposition that “we the people” really are the masters of our government — if we choose to be. The reason we’re in the mess we’re in is because for that last thirty to forty years “we the conservative people” have been absent from the real ball game of politics in our respective locales.

Ever been to a Republican Party monthly committee meeting? No? Ever been a precinct committeeman? No? But we’re supposed to listen to your pontifications about all the things that are wrong with “the Republican Party?” Newsflash: “The Republican Party” consists of its “voting members.” It’s “voting members” — that is, those who are eligible to vote for the Party leaders at the local, county, state and RNC levels — are the precinct committeeman. Don’t you want to be part of voting membership of the Party? (Pssst: it’s not hard or expensive — and it’s a lot of fun!)

Since that April, 2010 Diary, I’ve compiled a list of Redstaters who have indicated that they have either become precinct committeemen or would endeavor to do so. Here it is:

anacreon
azaeroprof
bens
BigGator5
Brian Hibbert
brojohn2
chamberD
charliebravoNH
danasdaddy
deano64
discerningconservative
Donald Ayotte
earlgrey (precinct has a captain, but he helps out in TN)
ebone
eburke
edwyrd
George Neitz (was hoping to become a PC)
Greg Garrison
honorable
Hugh
Jake W
Jonas Parker, PC
jstjoan
karenmartin
knitwit
mriggio
nivlem
ocleverone
penguin2
PrecinctPatriot
rightwingmom52
ron robinson
scarlos (not a PC but active at CalPoly and recruiting parents)sjkohut
shaitra and mr. shaitra
Socrates
StephC
texasgalt
tomtflorida
toothpick
traversecityconservative
usnret88

This list is incomplete, and I apologize if your name is not on the list. I’ve been a little busy and haven’t had time to devote to updating the list.

I am hoping if you are a precinct committeeman, and you consider yourself a Redstater, and your name is not on the list, you’ll post here in the comments and let us know your status. And, please share with us any information about your journey into party politics that you believe might be helpful to others who might be thinking about becoming a ball player in the real ball game of politics.

Thank you.

For Liberty,

ColdWarrior

————————

Will YOU help make 2011 “The Year of the Precinct Committeeman?”

Where it all started.

Learn how to GOTV at The Concord Project and at Procinct and Unified Patriots.

COMMENTS

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  • http://www.redstate.com/tnjim TNJim

    Couldn’t get it to take the first 4, but when it did, well, 5 it is. Glad t see the PC’s here at RS, and I hope to join the ranks soon!

    • redneck_hippie

      And, how nice to see CW’s count growing.

    • http://www.unifiedpatriots.com/ Brian Hibbert

      must be read!

      • http://www.redstate.com/tnjim TNJim

        And I mis-counted. It’s 6 reco’s.

        • rightwingmom52
        • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine
  • volunteerstate

    your list. Plus, I got the Knox county Tea party involved. We have co-ordinated with Tea Party groups in Shelby County and the Nashville area. Local precinct committeeman elections are this Friday . We may have started to late to oust the current Rino crowd but we have plans and resources to spread this effort into all adjoining counties in the East Tennessee area. Thanks to Coldwarrior and Ron Robinson for all the inspiration. We never would have known without Redstate and your diaries !

    • rightwingmom52

      If there’s any way to involve them in your efforts, let me know. Perhaps we can trade emails and I can send you the contact info.

      • volunteerstate

        e mail me at jpbrownlow (at) gmail.

        • rightwingmom52
          • volunteerstate

            Try it again. nothing yet

          • rightwingmom52

            Resent @ 1:32 CST. If you don’t get it, try sending me an email and I’ll bounce it back to you: warbington3 (at) att.net

          • rightwingmom52

            If you didn’t get it, I’m not sure what the problem is unless it’s sitting in a spam folder waiting for you to approve.

    • earlgrey

      the education reform laws. They have considerably watered down the bill. Frankly I don’t see the point of this bill at all.

      HOUSE REPUBLICANS COMPROMISE ON HB130

      Governor Haslam Brokers Deal

      House Republicans today advanced a compromise on the bill that would originally have halted collective bargaining by Tennessee teachers – allowing bargaining to continue but with new limits on what can be negotiated.

      The House Education Subcommittee approved, on a party-line vote, the amendment that would strip out the bill’s ban on collective bargaining and instead allow negotiations to continue between local teacher associations and school boards on base salaries, benefits and a few other issues.

      It would prohibit negotiations on differential and merit pay, giving school boards full authority to enact merit pay plans. It would limit bargaining on “working conditions” – currently a broad topic – to matters affecting employees financially or their relationship with the school board.

      The amendment also removes principals from the bargaining unit with teachers. The school-level supervisors are currently covered by collective bargaining agreements.

      Gov. Bill Haslam, who had kept silent on collective bargaining as he focused instead on his own efforts to substantially alter the teacher tenure law, endorsed the compromise. “I support the amended version of HB 130… It gives superintendents greater flexibility in making personnel decisions and supports my central focus of doing what’s best for children in Tennessee classrooms.

  • gop2010

    Jackson County, Missouri, a blue haven in a red state. Repubs had been somewhat disorganized here but committeemembers are fired up to make changes. We’re going to try to get the local Tea Party together with the local Republican Party and perhaps we can make some inroads.

  • Spotter

    Here in Texas, we’re called Precinct Chairman, and I took over from our previous one early in 2010, inspired directly by what I read here at RedState.

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

    guess what? The other side is organizing like crazy. And have been for years.

    With web-based “Progressive Precinct Organizing” night school tutorials, etc.

    Go to these links to get a flavor for what we’re up against. Watch the videos. Then ask yourself whether you have a couple of hours a month to get involved in your local Republican Party committee. Or whether you’re going to stand on the sidelines and let the likes of these progressives continue to hold the reins of power in the Senate and White House and try to regain them in the House (not to mention in your state and local governments):

    http://uppo.progressiveprecinctproject.org/

    http://www.facebook.com/ProgressivePrecinctProject?sk=info

    http://www.facebook.com/TheUPPO

    (Hat tip to a contact at American Majority for this information.)

    We can beat these people, can’t we?

    Are we going to let them out-organize us? Out-work us?

    Time will tell.

    Thank you.

    ColdWarrior

    • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister
  • SKully

    PC in Erie County, New York – a sometimes red blip on a very dark blue state.

    I became a PC from reading your posts, CW. I also learned a lot about NY political parties from “Primary Challenge” – a group dedicated to getting new conservative PC’s for all parties, not just Republicans.

    There is a small but growing number of us here in this corner of NY. We may never take over this state, but I’m proud of the efforts regardless.

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

      I’ve been in contact with Lenny Roberto of Primary Challenge. I’ve got it linked on my little blog.

      Thanks again,

      ColdWarrior

  • http://1magpiecollective.blogspot.com mommymagpie

    Monongalia County WV, a rather violet county in an otherwise red state (yes, I meant violet the color). I think we’d be red if not for the blue-ness of the university.

  • redneck_hippie

    which as you say, is incomplete.

    Each time you post your update, we learn of a few more. Love it!

  • http://www.unifiedpatriots.com/ Brian Hibbert

    several have made meteoric rises in the party. I’m just a lowly secretary of the county GOP. But I know of one person who is now on the candidate search committee for his state’s next senator. I know of several others who are state level delegates, county chairs, etc.

    People, it’s not hard to get good conservatives back in charge of the party. All it takes is for people like YOU to just show up and DO SOMETHING.

  • edwyrd

    i know the resorces are out there to get up to speed as a conservative republican PC, but this is not a time to learn on the job.
    we don’t meet to finalize our delegates untill april 2. it would be a real help to get pointed in the right direction in as far as what to expect, what to beware of, and so on.

    got any ideas?

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

      with Karen Martin at karenmartin_1 at charter dot net.

      Get a copy of your local, county and state bylaws and read them. Try to find someone who’s been a delegate and who is conservative and talk to them.

      Search all of the South Carolina county web sites to see if there are any “how to” guides.

      Call your county and state chairman and ask them if they have a set of instructions or any other information that would assist you.

      I hope that helps.

      Thanks for all you are doing!

      ColdWarrior

      • edwyrd

        i will check it all out, i already joined procinct.net
        and the SCGOP facebook page

      • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

        meeting. I guess I can take time off from column writing for breakfast!

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

          Now you’ll have fodder for another great column! And, you’ll have a lot of fun and you’ll be making a difference in yet another way.

          Bless you!

          And thanks for letting me know.

          ColdWarrior

          • acat
          • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

            how most folks don’t want to be officers. I was a precinct president and Party Chair while an activist Dem for 18 yrs until my 2001 conservative epiphany, but never a precinct committeeman mainly because there were so many seniors above me in Sptbg Cty then. Yes, I will write a good one on why I decided to join now, why I have eschewed on the ground politics for 10 years (except for campaigning for Cain for senate) and what the duties and powers are.

            But most of my columns will as always be about issues, what policies work and ought to be followed and in putting 24/7 moral and logical pressure on the The Powers that Be in DC.

            more later

            PS If I could ever get Cold Warrior to sell my legal services….the man is persuasive and persistent….as if!

        • lineholder
        • redneck_hippie

          You will make a difference. How many roosters actually leave the hen house to invigorate the GOP ???

          • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

            all the Dems here already know me from my Champion and AJC op-eds bashing them 24/7 for 10 years!

          • rightwingmom52

            We moved from Atlanta just over 10 years ago and hated the “Urinal/Constipation.” It’s good to know even this many years later that there’s a sane voice there. I would’ve enjoyed anybody challenging McKinney.

          • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

            the first time to Magette, who was also a lib, but not a radical. McKinney then came back and won the seat back by getting Majette to run for US Senate. I suspect intimidation from her and her racist Dad. But then Hank Johnson beat McKinney the next year and has safely held the seat ever since. (Johnson is also much better than McKinney and is actually pretty good at constituent service. McKinney was not. Majetter would have been the best the county can probably produce had she kept the seat.)

            It would be a miracle for a Republican to win the US House seat for the 4th Cong Dist and all but 1-2 state legislature seats from the county.

            In fact, I have urged potential republican candidates to not waste their money running in DeKalb, but rather to invest in winnable seats or move to a district where they could possibly win, as in neighboring Gwinnett.

          • lineholder

            That’s all you have to say to anyone.

          • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine
  • http://redmerrimack.blogspot.com/ charliebravoNH
  • Vegas_Rick

    Now a member of the Clark County Republican Party Central Committee and a “Precinct Patriot. Had a committee meeting last night. Listened to presentations by Las Vegas Mayoral candidates. George Harris really impressed. Victor, not so much. State meeting April 1st. We’ve been walking neighborhoods for John Simmons our City council candidate for Henderson in my district. Got a chance to talk to Sue Lowden. Impressive woman. We really screwed up the Senate race here.

  • patrickdalroy

    In respose to CW’s constant prodding, I attended the local mass meeting in my area of Fulton County, GA last month. Since I was the only one from my precinct who showed up, I became the chairman. Last Saturday, I attended the Fulton County GOP convention. The main purposes of the convention were to elect the county chairman and select delegates to the state convention to be held in Macon in May. (At the state convention, the state party chairman will be selected). Roger Bonds, a local businessman, and the one who was expected to win, did indeed get elected county chairman, defeating Trey Kelly, a 38-year-old insurance and financial services executive, who is active in the Fulton Young Republicans and is credited with the dramatic growth in that organization. Charlie Wingo, who previously served as party treasurer, came in third. The race for chairman did not seem to be marked by much controversy, at least not openly. I witnessed Mr. Bonds and Mr. Kelly exchange cordial handshakes, both before and after the vote, and the victor graciously made a motion to name his two opponents as vice-chairmen. Among the dignitaries who spoke were Sen. Johnny Isaakson, who discussed energy and budget issues, and TV pundit Phil Kent from “The Georgia Gang”. Phil was pretty wound up — he really tones it down when he is on TV though. At the end, the list of delegates and alternates was revealed. I am on the list as an alternate to the state convention.

    You might be interested in the results of the 2012 Presidential Straw Poll that was held. Results are incomplete – I managed to get the top 3 written down:

    Gingrich 25%
    Romney 17%
    Cain 15.6%

  • http://www.thejoyofreason.com Greg Garrison

    …to hand out at the Mecklenburg County convention this weekend, listing me as Precinct Chair, with contact info. I’m looking forward to utilizing data about the voters in my precinct to contact them, get them energized, and see if we can do some grass-roots party recruitment among neighbors. I live in a largely minority (African-American & Latino) precinct and hope to partner with the local chapter of the Frederick Douglass society to reach out and increase the non-white GOP footprint.

    ColdWarrior, thanks again for all of your encouragement and for highlighting the importance of precinct involvement!

    • acat

      That’s gonna take a while to bear fruit, but given enough time, it will…

      Congrats!

      Mew

  • diogenessinope

    I’ve been a county chairman among various other offices in our local party, but this year I’m chairman of my local precinct. I’ve been preaching to our local party that the key to the 2012 elections is activity on the precinct level, this is the real grass roots. I promise you that the democrats are focusing on the precincts for 2012. Our goal is to have structure in each precinct, chairman etc, sort of a mini party. Small counties have traditionally just had the party structure.

  • The_Fastest_Squirrel

    PC in Fairfax County, Virginia as a direct result of CW’s efforts…

  • keepourrepublic

    Been a Precinct Committeeman for two years and am working to encourage like minded individuals locally to do the same.

  • Jonas Parker, PC

    I met CW here on Redstate about a year ago. Thanks to the information and guidance he provided, I became an elected PC last year. During the summer and fall I and another person who became a PC because of CW were able to pull together a team of 11 committed constitutional conservatives, some from the tea party but all PCs, who were successful in taking over the leadership of our Legislative District from the establishment, moderate, corrupt contingent who had run it for a long time.

    We then helped in January to elect a conservative as chairman of the county GOP.

    Two weeks after that, with CW playing a major role, the incredible energetic network of conservative Republican PCs, many of them tea partiers, that has emerged in the last year or so, elected one of our team of 11, mentioned earlier, as chairman of the Arizona GOP.

    Actually, the events between last June and the end of January would make a pretty good movie. ‘Grassroots conservatives defeat establishment and take over the dominant party in one of the largest states in the U.S.’

    Since we live less than a mile from each other, I ‘m lucky to know and collaborate with CW personally. He is widely known and respected, and is without a doubt a huge positive influence for conservatism in our state. One cannot go to any conservative meeting anywhere around here without meeting at least several people who have been recruited by CW. He has transformed politics in our state.

  • Jonas Parker, PC

    I met CW here on Redstate about a year ago. Thanks to the information and guidance he provided, I became an elected PC last year. During the summer and fall I and another person who became a PC because of CW were able to pull together a team of 11 committed constitutional conservatives, some from the tea party but all PCs, who were successful in taking over the leadership of our Legislative District from the establishment, moderate, corrupt contingent who had run it for a long time.

    We then helped in January to elect a conservative as chairman of the county GOP.

    Two weeks after that, with CW playing a major role, the incredible energetic network of conservative Republican PCs, many of them tea partiers, that has emerged in the last year or so, elected one of our team of 11, mentioned earlier, as chairman of the Arizona GOP.

    Actually, the events between last June and the end of January would make a pretty good movie. ‘Grassroots conservatives defeat establishment and take over the dominant party in one of the largest states in the U.S.’

    Since we live less than a mile from each other, I ‘m lucky to know and collaborate with CW personally. He is widely known and respected, and is without a doubt a huge positive influence for conservatism in our state. One cannot go to any conservative meeting anywhere around here without meeting at least several people who have been recruited by CW. He has transformed politics in our state.

  • e_rowe

    I’ve been a Republican precinct chair since 2008.

    Getting involved this way is a good idea, especially for those of us who want to reform the party.

  • trink509

    Central Committee member
    Committee Chair- Voter Registration
    Delegate to California Republican Party

  • sccrenny

    I attended my first precinct reorganization and signed up for county and state delegate.

  • http://www.downstateiladvocate.com anacreon

    We are poised here in our county to retake a vast majority of PC slots with conservatives. Our do nothing chairman is scared. I rewrote our by-laws for the party here and placed in the by-laws a provision that explicitly states the duties of a PC and that any PC can be removed that does not fulfill their duties. Most of the newbies will be our Tea Party members.

    No more do-nothing,or empty PCs in our area after 2012. That’s the goal.

    And don’t forget one of the most important roles a PC can play…deputy voter registrar!

  • lineholder

    Truth is that I’m so green with envy I can’t stand it. I’m without a vehicle for the time being and totally dependent on other people for transportation. Tough times end up that way sometimes.

    I’m hoping that changes soon, because I really want to get in on this, CW.

    Send some prayers my way if you think of it. And thanks for all you are doing. May God grant you many blessings of untold measures for your efforts.

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

      You’re doing all you can, and that’s enough. The reason I’m asking what state you’re in is that I’m compiling at my blog for every state links to whatever “how to become a PC in [name of state]” that I can find. The hard part is finding the time to find them. The hard part is that to find them, you have to know what key words to search on. If you look at the list I’ve compiled, and click on a few of them, you’ll see that we are already blessed with some very good, easy-to-follow “how to guides” for some states. Then, for others, there’s nothing but a link to a set of bylaws.

      If you have the time, pick some of those states for which I have only bylaws, read through the bylaws, and see if you find a “how to guide” on the net. Or, call some of the county chairmen of the state chairmen for those kinds of states and see if they know whether a “how to guide” exists. As you’ll see for MN, for example, the former state chairman created a “how to” video.

      Thank you!

      ColdWarrior

      • lineholder

        I’m in NC. I noticed that Dare County is the only NC site listed. I live in Guilford county. There is a local conservative site I am familiar with that has individuals proactively involved in numerous precinct meetings in this area of the state. Let me see what I can do. I love a challenge, so this is great!!!

        Thank you so much, CW, and I genuinely mean that.

  • ebone

    Once becoming a PC, find out from your elections supervisor, the number of Democratics and Republicans that voted in the last election. Who ever had the most votes won. Where you a winner or loser?

    Rocket Science made simple.

    Ebone.

  • lineholder

    Found this “how to” buried in the GOP Brunswick County website. It’s the NC Precinct Operations Manual, dated 2009.

    http://www.ncgopcca.org/PDF/Training/2009%20Precinct%20Operations%20Manual.pdf

    It’s a start.

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

      just done a great service to the conservatives of North Carolina.

      Thanks so much!

      You can contact me directly at coldwarrior1978 at gmail dot com.

      Imagine if every state and county GOP web site put this kind of information front and center on their web sites and then advertised it.

      They don’t because the RINOs and all the incumbents don’t want this information in the hands of the “little people.” See Nancy70′s Diary of earlier today for evidence of that.

      Thanks again!

      For Liberty,

      ColdWarrior
      P.S. Wouldn’t it be nice if here at Redstate there was a prominent button labeled something like “Click Here To Find Out How To Really Do Something To Make The Republican Party More Conservative” that took people to another page where they could click on buttons for ThePrecinctProject, The Concord Project and Procinct?

    • no2nt

      thanks lineholder! I’m in the precinct committee now and I couldn’t find any good information about what we are supposed to do, other than @ CW’s precinct website.

      This is all new to me. I never heard anything about this in Civics class or from my parents. Time to reverse the trend of apathy

  • http://www.MuskogeePolitico.com jamisonfaught

    … I am the State Committeeman for my county (Muskogee County, OK), and I’m on the OKGOP State Executive Committee.

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

    in Oklahoma Republican Party politics.

    All I have for “how it works” in Oklahoma is this:

    http://oksafe.wordpress.com/2011/01/08/the-precinct-the-most-powerful-office-get-involved-elections-212011/

    With your involvement on the OKGOP State Executive Committee, can you track down, if one exists, a link to a “how to become an Oklahoma Republican Party precinct committee” guide that resides somewhere online?

    Thank you,

    ColdWarrior

    • http://www.MuskogeePolitico.com jamisonfaught

      There really isn’t one (something I’ve lovingly prodded the current and immediate-past state chairmen about). OK-SAFE has that one, but I don’t know of any more “official” online version.

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

        I hope so.

        Take a look at some of the links I have for various states. AZ. CA. IL. AK. FL. MN. NH.

        Just cover the basics. Most Americans, sadly, have never had a basic course in American civics and how the parties function in their respective states.

        Thank you.

        ColdWarrior