I have written before of the paramount importance of governors in providing leadership to the Republican Party and to our country. One my joys this year has been to work closely with Governors Haley Barbour and Tim Pawlenty in my role as Chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association Executive Roundtable.
My view is that we are poised to win the two gubernatorial races this year with Bob McDonnell capturing Virginia and Chris Christie becoming governor of New Jersey. Yes, there is a lot of time between now and Election Day, but I feel good about both of these key races. Just as in 1993, with victories for George Allen and Christie Todd Whitman in these states, this will mark a turning point for the Republicans’ march back to a majority center-right party.
Keep in mind, the quality of candidates really matters, and over 50% of newly elected members of Congress and the Senate in 1994 made the decision to run after being emboldened by the Allen and Whitman wins.
Four days during early August reaffirmed my conviction that the revival of the Republican Party will be led by our governors and gubernatorial candidates. In this post, I will address the first of two separate events.
On August 3 and 4, Governors Barbour, Pawlenty, and Rick Perry along with a strong group of Roundtable members attended the annual Aspen Institute conference. It was an invigorating two days, and we were all particularly impressed by the forward-looking, problem-solving approach of the governors. We started with Haley speaking on energy to a bipartisan audience at the Aspen Institute. He was strong, articulate, balanced, and his speech was well-received. That evening, we had a buffet reception at our home, highlighted by insightful remarks from Tim Pawlenty.
The next day we had panel discussions with Haley and former governor and HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt leading health care and Gov. Perry leading the discussion on reviewing our economy and creating jobs. Rick also spoke that night at a dinner hosted by Roundtable members Rick and Erica Horvitz, who hosted a wonderful Western dinner at their beautiful Wildcat Ranch.
It was an opportunity to review how far we have come this cycle. As an organization, we have recruited over 225 top executives, entrepreneurs, and other people of great merit who contribute $25,000 per year to the RGA and attend a series of policy oriented sessions with our governors. This means that over the two year election cycle leading to 2010, the RGA has another $11million to pump into key races, and it is growing.
This entire event reminded me why I love politics. No, it didn’t have the grassroots spontaneity of the incredibly impactful Tea Party movement, but it was a committed group of people enjoying in deeply substantive discussions of the key problems facing our country, enjoying a camaraderie in a setting of environmental beauty, and getting to know our political leaders in an up close and personal way.
In my next post, I’ll talk about our Candidate Forum the following weekend.
Question
DerKrieger Tuesday, August 25th at 12:55PM EDT (link)Mr. Malek,
While I am excited at the prospect of recapturing some governorships that excitement is tempered by the doubt that GOP governors will stand up to the extreme unconstitutional overreach of the federal government and reassert the states’ 10th Amendment rights. If the federal government can continue to run roughshod over the Constitution and We the People then GOP governorships don’t matter much.
GOP governors can’t nullify Obamacare should it pass if they refuse to demand federal fealty to the Constitution. We have entire states whose Congressional delegations are opposed to Obamacare and yet the Democrats/Socialists may have enough votes to pass it impose it upon us anyway.
I believe strongly in Federalism, as did the Founders, as a check on tyranny. If a state chooses to raise taxes and impose onerous regulations on businesses and people they are free to leave to more friendly states. That is the beauty of Federalism, it forces states to compete with each other for citizens and businesses through low taxes and low regulations. There IS NO escape from Federal mismanagement. And that is the reason the Left opposes Federalism in spite of the advantages it would bring to parts of their agenda like gay marriage. They would prefer to trap all of us in an inescapable Marxist prison.
So, again, while I am excited about possible gains at the state level, how will that make a difference at the federal level?
Do you support a strong 10th Amendment?
What are your thoughts on nullification?
What are your thoughts on the Arizona Health Care Freedom Act? http://www.azhealthcarefreedomact.com/
Thank you
“In questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” - Thomas Jefferson
“I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence (OBAMACARE – mine), the money of their constituents.” – James Madison
"...a majority center-right party."
Tbone Tuesday, August 25th at 12:57PM EDT (link)Well, that’s a majority that would be short lived. If Republican’s don’t take this opportunity to articulate well defined conservative fiscal positions, a commitment to the sanctity of life, promote free markets and free enterprise, and return to traditional American values we will miss this great chance to re-direct the Country away from the decay that has been accelerated by Obama, Pelosi and Reid to unprecedented rates.
If anyone thinks Republicans can govern effectively from the center I suggest you consider the depth and breadth of conservative accomplishments from 2000-2006.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
A positive note
RedBeard Tuesday, August 25th at 1:37PM EDT (link)Good to hear of successes at the state level, for many reasons. Primary among those is the fact that the driving force of a conservative Republican Party has to come from state and local organizations. As another commenter tried to say the other day, the inside-the-beltway people are not really picking up the ball and running with it.
Another take on this is that the Washington people should not be the focal point of our relationship with government, not if we respect the Constitution and the 10th Amendment. Our major day-to-day contact with government should be at the state level, and by extension, the local level.
I look forward to your next post, Fred.
Standard-bearer for grouchy curmudgeonry since, oh, 1975 or so.
Nothing Sells Like Success
DavidSage Tuesday, August 25th at 2:54PM EDT (link)If aspiring Republican politicians smell Democrat blood in the water, it will get them off their duff and run for higher office. Republican wins in New Jersey and Virginia would pull a lot of high quality people into the race.
One area too many conservatives overlook is the importance of recruiting. We’re obsessed with policy (which is obviously important) but often times the group of voters that decides elections are people who vote for the candidate over the party or ideology. Many of our losses are simply the result of horrible recruiting.
There are many examples of this, almost exclusively on the Republican side, where a state will go Republican on the Presidential level by double digits for 50 years straight, yet Democrats control everything. The fact that a state like Montana, which is overwhelmingly conservative, has two Democrat Senators and a Democrat Governor is a result of poor recruiting.
Republicans should have lopsided majorities in the Senate since Red States far outnumber Blue States, but we haven’t fielded good candidates in states that should be easy wins.
It all comes down to recruiting.