* Written with Brian Baker, President of Ending Spending

As the eyes of the nation turn to key state races in 2013 – New Jersey and Virginia – the issues of fiscal responsibility and economic growth will be a yardstick for how voters measure candidates. This year, Virginia will play a critical role in the ongoing national discussion of how we reverse the massive growth of the federal government and begin to solve the problem of out-of-control government spending.

One thing is certain: we need strong, principled, innovative new leaders not only in Washington, but also in our state capitals—leaders who will attack fiscal problems head-on by reforming faulty tax codes and broken spending mechanisms, not just nibble around the edges. We need leaders who will take the fight directly to the political establishment and disrupt the ruling class which has failed our country so badly.

For voters in 2013, the only real game in the country is in Virginia – and we’ve decided to team up again to help a brave and bold ticket win. Ending Spending and American Majority Action whole-heartedly endorsed Attorney General and GOP nominee Ken Cuccinelli for Governor. As regular Red Staters know, Cuccinelli is a champion for American families, small businesses and other liberty-minded people. Cuccinelli led the effort against Obamacare, and is one elected official who truly understands the importance of organizing and mobilizing the grassroots. But we’re not stopping there.

Given the tie in the Virginia State Senate – where current Lieutenant Governor Bolling at times votes with Democrats to stop practical reforms pushed by Governor McDonnell – future Governor Cuccinelli will need a courageous Lt. Governor. We think we’ve found what amounts to a great draft pick—in Virginia entrepreneur Pete Snyder, part of the important next generation of leaders who will get us back on the path of fiscal responsibility. A technology executive who pioneered the industry of social media marketing, Pete is making his first run for office, seeking the position of Lieutenant Governor in Virginia.

In a crowded field for the Republican nomination, Pete Snyder is the lone stand-out. Pete is a rare breed: he’s not another career politician—he’s an innovator and job creator, who has also supported smart policies and the right candidates for nearly twenty years, including as Governor McDonnell’s choice to run the Virginia grassroots effort in 2012. Pete’s experience growing jobs in the private sector makes him the best qualified candidate to be Virginia’s next Lieutenant Governor.

The Virginian-Pilot correctly notes that Snyder’s show of leadership is “a score” for his campaign, demonstrating “to the Senate Republican Caucus he hopes to preside over next year that he’ll give them political cover when needed.” In other words, Snyder is going to stand strong on his common sense principles, and help others in Richmond do the same—and that is precisely what Virginia (not to mention every state in our country) needs right now. We agree with Erick and believe strongly that Pete is the best candidate to run alongside and complement Cuccinelli.

Ken and Pete’s demonstrated records as principled, effective leaders make them a great team to lead Virginia. We hope you will join us in supporting these candidates, and encourage you to join learn how to become delegates for both Ken and Pete at the Republican Party of Virginia’s nominating convention this May.

Those staff are what American Majority is about: not a personality driven organization, but a band of irreverent, hard-working, dedicated, and skilled organizers who have bought into a mission and a vision. We seek national, generational change, which does not begin at the top, in Washington, DC. It begins at the bottom in as many local communities as possible so that a groundswell rising from the bottom up will bring the change we want. The Progressives did it in the 20th century, and fundamentally changed our government, and quite frankly, our society. We want to reverse engineer that, and we’ve seen glimpses of the possibilities of it happening over and over again in the past five years. We want to show a different approach to the conservative movement, one that we believe is a winning recipe: build the right infrastructure in the right places for the implementation of the right ideas (hint: the right place is not Washington, DC).

And while it’s nice to chat about mission and vision, of ideas and infrastructure, at the end of the day, unless there is actual work being done to achieve the ultimate goal, all you’re left with is nice conversations about dreams that never become reality. That’s why it’s about numbers, tied into accomplishing a mission. So I always push staff to think about the numbers and metrics, and these are some of the things the American Majority staff has accomplished in the last 5 years:

• 24,900+ individuals trained
• 2,100+ candidates trained
• 700+ training events
• 7 year-round, full-time state offices
• 200+ American Majority trained candidates in office
• 50% trainee win rate in the last major election cycle
• 9 full-length training manuals
• 366,000+ Facebook fans
• 31,000 Twitter followers
• 900+ New Leaders Project signers
• Trainings in 45 different states

We’ve learned a thing or two over the past five years. And we will keep learning. We take the idea of creative destruction, and creative disruption, very seriously. We plan to stay on top of our game and make big change happen despite our relatively small size. We strongly believe that people with bad ideas and good organization always beat people with good ideas and bad organization. We’re determined to implement the right ideas effectively and train tens of thousands more to do so as well (actually hundreds of thousands if I have my way), to become better organized in their local communities so that they can implement the right ideas. When we can get enough local communities organized, and bringing about change in their communities, we will inevitably see national change begin to happen. So we put our hands to the plow, let time go, and see what can be, what will be, if we’re faithful in doing the small things well.

Right now, conservatives’ technological lifeblood could use a dose of digital steroids. But, some of us on the Right are on, dare I say, the right path.

Voter Gravity, the database technology tool developed with the great Political Gravity guys and American Majority Action, got some love from techPresident, but since the article is behind a paywall, I thought I’d highlight a few blurbs about Voter Gravity and the future of campaign technology.

But as I mention in the article, the use of tools like Voter Gravity were not widespread enough to have a significant national impact—that’s one huge reason Romney lost. When it was used, and used right (as in going to targeted doors on a smart phone device to have live conversations with voters), it had the desired outcomes:

All that being said, Voter Gravity 1.o was a good start, but unless we acknowledge on the Right that there is an “arms race” in political data and technology, we will continue to fall behind and lose to liberals like Barack Obama.

An experience last week only furthered my thinking on this front. I had the opportunity to attend Google’s Political Innovation Summit. It was an enlightening day. Obama’s digital and field team and Romney’s digital team were present, with the rest of us an eclectic mix (mostly Left-leaning mix) of party entities, academics, and outside groups like American Majority.

It was really an off-the-record meeting, but there was permission given to discuss/Tweet thoughts and ideas without direct quotes or citing of the panelists unless there was specific permission given. There’s much more to say than what I’m going to write about.

My bigger conclusions are that the Obama team was light years ahead, not only in skill, but in time (some had been doing the work for 6 years) and staffing with 150 staff on their digital team. The real success was that they were, mostly, able to integrate data analytics and technology with targeted messaging (online and offline) and voter contact. In short, they developed great tools, great data, and were then able to have organizers on the ground train (and train . . . and train) the grassroots volunteers on how to use all the tools available to make meaningful work happen (as in going and knocking on targeted doors to have conversations with voters). Conservatives and Republicans are nowhere near their level of sophistication and integration.

But, what struck me at the summit was even though the focus was political innovation, two themes kept popping up: there must be local organizers on the ground, and those local organizers must train the grassroots on technology while organizing the grassroots into meaningful, targeted work; essentially community organizing and political education, and a lot of both.

Community organizing and political education sound boring, but people, are we going to do what it takes to win or not? How long will we keep our collective heads in the sand?

Unless those on the Right emphasize a broad-scale usage of data analytics and database technology, with local organizers on the ground–years before an election–with significant amounts of training to make database technology second-nature to the grassroots, I would say our odds of winning, while not impossible, are significantly diminished.

Let’s play smart, learn from our losses, and get back to winning.

American Majority Action opposed the House GOP leadership’s plan to suspend the debt ceiling for four months without spending cuts. We believe that the day to stop stealing from our children is today–not tomorrow, not four months from now.

However, the House passed it anyway, with 33 conservatives dissenting. Now that it’s passed, and the Senate will likely pass it, the real question becomes: Now what?

It’s important to note that outgoing Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Jordan voted for this debt ceiling suspension. Jordan, by all intents and purposes, is the primary leader of conservatives in the House. So, why did he vote for more debt?

Because conservatives, if we keep persevering, are going to receive something HUGE in return from House GOP leadership. I suspect Jordan may have negotiated with Boehner. Jordan is no slouch, and would never, ever compromise his principles without a major victory in return.

Here’s what I believe Jordan and conservatives should expect from leadership, some of which is already public:

• The House will pass budget which balances in ten years. (Public)
• The House will use the Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government to get real, undelayed spending cuts (more than just the sequester).
• The House will allow the sequester to take effect, maybe with a small amendment for defense spending.
• The House will use the May debt ceiling to force the Senate to pass a budget which balances in the next 10 years.

Speaker Boehner wants to put the pressure on Senate Democrats, which is wise. Under the just-passed deal, the Senate will be forced to pass a budget by April 15. With 12 Democrats running in races polled within 10 points–two in red-leaning states, six in dark red states–the Senate may pass a bill to the right of what President Obama wants. Senators Landrieu, Hagan, Pryor, Johnson, Begich, Shaheen, and Baucus will have a tough time selling higher spending and taxes in their states. Really tough.

But, after we get the Senate to pass a budget, it’s time to make them pass a budget we want.

During the next debt ceiling fight, it’ll be time for House Republicans to grow some courage and not be afraid to hit the debt ceiling.

Remember, what exactly happens when we hit the debt ceiling? In reality, it’s a balanced budget, stupid. When we can’t take out any new net debt, the government is forced into spending only what it takes in.

The rumors that we’d all be dead on December 21, 2012 were more valid than President Obama’s claim that the United States will default on its bonds upon hitting the debt ceiling. In the next year, the US government will take in around $2.6 trillion in revenue, according to the CBO. Servicing the debt–which prevents any defaults–costs between $220 to $250 billion dollars a year: A mere 8.5 percent of total revenues.

In fact, if we were to hit the debt ceiling and stop taking out debt altogether, we could still afford all of our “mandatory spending,” including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, defense, and interest payments (servicing the debt). The CBO projects these mandatory programs will cost $2.3 trillion in 2013; they project our revenue will be $2.6 trillion–leaving nearly $300 billion left for discretionary spending.

Point being, Republicans punted on the debt ceiling this time, but, to continue the football metaphor, punts don’t always result in the other side scoring. We’re going to get the ball back, but when we do, Republicans can’t fall on their backsides like we have been. Republicans need to be ready to score.

And, by score, I mean being ready to stop stealing from our children’s future and balance the budget.

In fact, according to the CBO, we have enough to pay all “mandatory spending” (Medicare, Social Security, veterans benefits, debt payments, etc.) and defense spending, plus have more than $300 billion to use for “discretionary” spending. That’s right. Not only could we run all absolutely essential functions of government, we would still have $300 billion to spare.

Obama’s math doesn’t add up, yet the President and his buddies in the media have convinced people that the government will “default” if we hit the debt ceiling. They say our economy will tank. Explain this: How is a balanced budget bad for the economy? I mean, God forbid we only spend what we take in…

To President Obama and the media, nothing is more frightening than a balanced budget. Just listen to their rhetoric on the debt ceiling. It sounds like they’re talking about the Mayan Apocalypse. It would be “catastrophic,” “cataclysmic,” or worse.It’s almost comical, really.As conservatives, I think we can win the PR battle by fighting for this balanced budget. If President Obama is unwilling to negotiate and write a budget with real entitlement reform, I say we don’t negotiate with him either.Let’s hit the debt ceiling and force President Obama to immediately balance the budget.My intuition is, from there, President Obama might be willing to negotiate. I say we settle for nothing less than a budget which balances in 10 years. If Obama doesn’t want to talk, at least our kids will be saved from billions and trillions of debt.

Now, of course, the Left will counter that the debt ceiling just stops us from being able to pay our bills. They’re wrong–it’s much more than that. The debt ceiling, duly passed by Congress, is there to stop Washington from robbing future generations. It should be used as such.

Speaker Boehner killed the planned 7:30 p.m. vote last night when he realized that AMA and other groups had succeeded in holding enough conservative members to defeat the measure. AMA has been leading the charge against Boehner–kicking off the #FireBoehner movement–since he removed four conservatives from their committee placements and started pushing tax increases as a solution to the fiscal cliff.

The reason is that AMA, and the conservative House members who dissented last night, believed Plan B would have let taxes increase on job creators, while doing statistically nothing to fix America’s debt problem. Our real problem in all of this is a spending problem, yet neither side is offering a serious proposal about how to rein in government spending. Speaker Boehner embarrassed himself yesterday by pushing a plan which AMA told him he didn’t have the votes to pass. After the 2012 election, conservatives must take this opportunity to define the direction of our movement–and proposing a plan Nancy Pelosi wanted just months ago isn’t the solution.

Remember, Speaker Boehner lost more than 35 votes last night, and the #FireBoehner movement needs only half that number to force him out of office January 3. He should save the Republican Party the embarrassment of a public leadership battle and resign. The world might not have ended today, but Speaker Boehner’s power is at an end. It’s time to make room for fresh leadership and a new approach to governing. Without Boehner’s resignation, no fiscal cliff deal will be agreed to until after the January 3 election for Speaker.

But let’s be honest about the Speaker options outside of Boehner: Eric Cantor is not an option. Kevin McCarthy is not an option. Jim Jordan, Jeb Hensarling, even Dr. Tom Price, are acceptable options, with Jim Jordan being my first choice.

Speaker Boehner’s leadership has been discredited, and now he’ll procrastinate on preventing the fiscal cliff until he can re-secure power. Our country’s economy and the Conservative Movement deserve better than to be held hostage by Speaker Boehner’s last cling to power. Time for a change, and time for a change right now. 

Last week, American Majority Action kicked off the trending #FireBoehner hastag on Twitter and began to pressure House members to abstain from voting for Speaker.

After speaking with the House Parliamentarian, we discovered the House precedent is actually interpreted to mean an absolute majority of votes cast for a specific candidate. So, House members do nothing by abstaining. However, the core idea remains: Without a majority (50% +1), the House is speakerless. If neither Boehner nor Pelosi win 50%, the House keeps voting until a new leader arises with a majority.

To get Boehner under 50%, we need to unite behind a candidate—or candidates. We have more than three weeks to choose.

American Majority Action is endorsing Tom Price, Jim Jordan, and Jeb Hensarling as candidates for Speaker and senior leadership.

Though Price has announced that he does not plan to run, all three would be a welcome change. All three have been staunch conservatives—standing up against the Bush spending sprees. They have each been in leadership and have significant support in the caucus.

The #FireBoehner movement has become a threat: If Speaker Boehner compromises with Obama and they propose a tax-hike together, Speaker Boehner will be finished.

#FireBoehner started after Boehner proposed a tax-hike and purged four key conservatives from their committees. The movement has had tremendous support so far, and more House members will join our cause if Boehner capitulates.

We cannot raise taxes on our small businesses right now. Any Republican who votes for a tax-hike will be primaried—we can guarantee that.

If Obama continues to force the issue, we agree with Senator Rand Paul: Let Democrats eat the tax-hikes. Republicans should vote “present” and let liberals own these awful polices.

We shouldn’t—conservatives shouldn’t—endorse any policy that will destroy jobs for normal Americans, as tax hikes would. We should be fighting for what works. Frankly, we should be looking at tax cuts. Reagan cut taxes 25% in 1981, during both a recession and fiscal crisis, and by the end of his term: Revenue from the highest bracket doubled, Americans created 20 million jobs, and youth unemployment fell 43%.

That’s what we should be fighting for—not a smaller tax hike.

Boehner be warned.

I described how and why here.

We need all of you to make this happen. We only need 16 conservatives to abstain from the Speaker vote to depose Boehner and force the GOP caucus to pick new leadership.

We’ve had thousands of activists nationwide ask how they can help. For now, we suggest calling and writing conservative Congressmen in your area.

Here’s a suggested letter/email. For a list of target Congressmen to send it to, please scroll below. Here’s the link to email your Congressperson.

Sample Email/Letter
The Honorable (full name)
(Room #) (Name) House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Re: Consider Abstaining Your Vote For Speaker Of The House

Dear (Congressman/woman):

My name is (Full Name) and I am your constituent from (city), (State). I am writing to urge you to abstain from voting for Congressman John Boehner (R-OH) for Speaker of the House on January 3rd, 2013.

Our country is at a tipping point. We have passed the $16 trillion mark on our national debt and our interest payments are more than $3,000 per taxpayer per year. Our economic growth over the last four years has been anemic, growing just 2.7 percent in the third quarter of this year. We currently borrow 40 cents per every dollar spent, and inflation is eating away our future savings.

President Obama wants to punish our nation’s job creators by increasing taxes–a total of $800 billion taken out of the private sector–on the top income earners in our country as part of the fiscal cliff deal. This is the most devastating action one could take in a sluggish economy. The President proposed to cut spending on our nation’s national defense without putting welfare reform,the main driver of our national debt, on the table. President Obama is also urging our nation’s leaders to eternally remove the debt ceiling, our nation’s last defense against Washington’s rampant spending.

The House of Representatives is the conservatives’ last line of defense in blocking the fiscally destructive policies put forth by Democrats. As Speaker of the House, John Boehner is supposed to be the spokesman for fiscal responsibility and taking steps to do everything he can to stop Washington from destroying America’s future. Instead, Speaker Boehner is undercutting conservative principles by putting forth a liberal compromise of raising taxes–or “closing loopholes”–on our nation’s job creators, coupled with only $600 billion in spending cuts. This will hardly put a dent in our national debt and will likely put America in a recession.

Speaker Boehner has also waged an eternal war on a few of the most fiscally conservative members of the House by removing them from key committees, including the House Budget Committee and the Financial Services Committee. This was the nail in the coffin proving that Boehner is willing to fold on principles in the name of “compromise”.

In order to save the future of our country, we need to stop those in Congress who aren’t willing to put their foot down. We need an articulate spokesman in the House who is fiscally responsible and won’t cave on principle. We only need 16 Republican votes in the House to depose Congressman Boehner as Speaker of the House. As your constituent, I ask you to please stand on principle and abstain from voting for Speaker of the House on January 3rd, 2013.

Sincerely,

(Your Name)
(Job Title)

Call the House switchboard operator:
(202) 224-3121
Here’s our list of target Congressmen to reach out to encourage them to abstain. All listed members are either 2010 or 2012 freshmen Republicans, or prominent members of the conservative caucus–the Republican Study Committee (RSC).

Alabama
Martha Roby (Alabama, 2nd District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Mo Brooks (Alabama, 5th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Robert Aderholt (Alabama, 4th District) – RSC Member (Twitter)
Spencer Bachus (Alabama, 6th District) – RSC Member
Mike Rogers (Alabama, 3rd District) – RSC Member

Arkansas
Rick Crawford (Arkansas, 1st District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Tim Griffin (Arkansas, 2nd District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Steve Womack (Arkansas, 3rd District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Tom Cotton (Arkansas, 4th District) – 2012 Freshman

Arizona
Matt Salmon (Arizona, 5th District) – 2012 Freshman
Paul Gosar (Arizona, 1st District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
David Schweikert (Arizona, 6th District)  – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Trent Franks (Arizona, 2nd District) – RSC Member

California
Paul Cook (California, 8th District)  – 2012 Freshman
Doug LaMalfa (California, 1st District) – 2012 Freshman
Jeff Denham (California, 19th District)  – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
David Valadao (California, 21st District) – 2012 Freshman
John Campbell (California, 48th District)- RSC Member
Tom McClintock (California, 4th District) – RSC Member
Gary Miller (California, 42nd District) – RSC Member
Ed Royce (California, 40th District) – RSC Member

Colorado
Cory Gardner (Colorado, 4th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Scott Tipton (Colorado, 3rd District)  – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Mike Coffman (Colorado, 6th District) – RSC Member
Doug Lamborn (Colorado, 5th District) – RSC Member

Florida
Ted Yoho (Florida, 3rd District) – 2012 Freshman
Ron DeSantis (Florida, 6th District) – 2012 Freshman
Trey Radel (Florida, 19th District) – 2012 Freshman
Rich Nugent (Florida, 5th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Dennis Ross (Florida, 12th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Steve Southerland (Florida, 2nd District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC (Twitter)
Daniel Webster (Florida, 8th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC
Gus Bilirakis  (Florida, 9th District) – RSC Member
Vern Buchanan (Florida, 13th District)- RSC Member
Jeff Miller (Florida, 1st District) – RSC Member
Bill Posey (Florida, 15th District) – RSC Member

Georgia
Doug Collins (Georgia, 9th District) – 2012 Freshman
Austin Scott (Georgia, 8th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Rob Woodall (Georgia, 7th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member
Paul Broun (Georgia, 10th District)- RSC Member
Lynn Westmoreland (Georgia, 3rd District)
Phil Gingrey (Georgia, 11th District) – RSC Member
Tom Graves  (Georgia, 9th District) – RSC Member
Jack Kingston (Georgia, 1st District) – RSC Member
Tom Price (Georgia, 6th District) – RSC Member

Idaho
Raul Labrador (Idaho, 1st District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)

Illinois
Rodney Davis (Illinois, 13th District) – 2012 Freshman
Randy Hultgren (Illinois, 14th District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Adam Kinzinger (Illinois, 11th District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
John Shimkus (Illinois, 19th District) – RSC Member

Indiana
Susan Brooks (Indiana, 5th District) – 2012 Freshman
Luke Messer (Indiana 6th District) – 2012 Freshman
Larry Bucshon (Indiana, 8th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Todd Rokita (Indiana, 4th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Todd Young (Indiana, 9th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Marlin Stutzman (Indiana, 13th District)- RSC Member

Iowa
Steve King (Iowa, 5th District) – RSC Member

Kansas
Tim Huelskamp (Kansas, 1st District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Mike Pompeo (Kansas, 4th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member
Kevin Yoder (Kansas, 3rd District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)

Kentucky
Thomas Massie (Kentucky, 4th District) – 2012 Freshman & RSC Member
Andy Barr (Kentucky, 6th District) – 2012 Freshman
Brett Guthrie (Kentucky, 2nd District) – RSC Member

Lousiana
Jeff Landry (Louisiana, 3rd District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
John Fleming (Louisiana, 4th District) – RSC Member
Steve Scalise (Louisiana, 1st District) – RSC Member

Maryland
Andy Harris (Maryland, 1st District) – 2010 Freshman

Michigan
Kerry Bentivolio (Michigan, 11th District) – 2012 Freshman
Justin Amash (Michigan, 3rd District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Dan Benishek (Michigan, 1st District)  – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Bill Huizenga (Michigan, 2nd District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Tim Walberg (Michigan, 7th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Dave Camp (Michigan, 4th District) – RSC Member

Minnesota
John Kline (Minnesota, 2nd District) – RSC Member
Michele Bachmann (Minnesota, 6th District) – RSC Member

Mississippi
Allan Nunnelee (Mississippi, 1st district) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Steven Palazzo (Mississippi, 4th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member

Missouri
Ann Wagner (Missouri, 2nd District) – 2012 Freshman
Vicky Hartzler (Missouri, 4th District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Billy Long (Missouri, 7th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Alan Nunnelee (Missouri, 1st District) – RSC Member

Montana
Steve Daines (Montana-AL District) – 2012 Freshman

Nebraska
Jeff Fortenberry (Nebraska, 1st District) – RSC Member

Nevada
Joe Heck (Nevada, 3rd District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)

New Jersey
Chris Smith (New Jersey, 4th District)
Scott Garrett (New Jersey, 5th District) – RSC Member

New Mexico
Steve Pearce (New Mexico, 2nd District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)

New York
Chris Collins (New York, 27th District) – 2012 Freshman
Chris Gibson (New York, 20th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Michael Grimm (New York, 13th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Richard Hanna (New York, 24th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Tom Reed (New York, 29th District) – RSC Member

North Carolina
Robert Pittenger (North Carolina, 9th District) – 2012 Freshman
George Holding (North Carolina, 13th District) – 2012 Freshman
Richard Hudson (North Carolina, 8th District) – 2012 Freshman
Mark Meadows (North Carolina, 11th District) – 2012 Freshman
Renee Elmers (North Carolina, 2nd District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Howard Coble (North Carolina, 6th District) – RSC Member
Virginia Foxx (North Carolina, 5th District) – RSC Member
Patrick McHenry (North Carolina, 1st District) – RSC Member

North Dakota
Kevin Cramer (North Dakota, AL District) – 2012 Freshman

Ohio
Brad Wenstrup (Ohio, 2nd district) – 2012 Freshman
David Joyce (Ohio, 14th District) – 2012 Freshman
Steve Chabot (Ohio, 1st District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Bob Gibbs (Ohio, 18th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Bill Johnson (Ohio, 6th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Jim Renacci (Ohio, 16th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Steve Stivers (Ohio, 15th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC (Twitter)
Steve Austria (Ohio, 7th District)  – RSC Member
Mike Turner (Ohio, 3rd District) – RSC Member
Jim Jordan (Ohio, 4th District) – RSC Member
Robert Latta   (Ohio, 5th District) – RSC Member

Oklahoma
Jim Bridenstine (Oklahoma, 1st District) – 2012 Freshman
Markwayne Mullin (Oklahoma, 2nd District) – 2012 Freshman
James Lankford (Oklahoma, 5th District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Tom Cole (Oklahoma, 4th District) – RSC Member
James Lankford (Oklahoma, 5th District) – RSC Member
Frank Lucas (Oklahoma, 3rd District) – RSC Member

Pennsylvania
Scott Perry (Pennsylvania, 4th District) – 2012 Freshman
Keith Rothfus (Pennsylvania, 12th District) – 2012 Freshman
Lou Barletta (Pennsylvania, 11th District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Mike Fitzpatrick (Pennsylvania, 8th District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Mike Kelly (Pennsylvania, 3rd District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Tom Marino (Pennsylvania, 10th District) – 2010 Freshman
Pat Meehan (Pennsylvania, 7th District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Joe Pitts (Pennsylvania, 16th District) – RSC Member

South Carolina
Tom Rice (South Carolina, 7th District) – 2012 Freshman
Jeff Duncan (South Carolina, 3rd District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Trey Gowdy (South Carolina, 4th District) – 2010 Freshman  & RSC Member (Twitter)
Mick Mulvaney (South Carolina, 5th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Tim Scott (South Carolina, 1st District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Joe Wilson (South Carolina, 2nd District) – RSC Member

South Dakota
Kristi Noem (South Dakota, AL District) – 2010 Freshman

Tennessee
Diane Black (Tennessee, 6th District)  – 2010 Freshman&RSC (Twitter)
Scott DesJarlais (Tennessee, 4th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Stephen Fincher (Tennessee, 8th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Chuck Fleischmann (Tennessee, 3rd District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Marsha Blackburn(Tennesse, 7th District) – RSC Member
Phil Roe (Tennessee, 1st District) – RSC Member

Texas
Roger Williams (Texas, 25th District) – 2012 Freshman
Steve Stockman (Texas, 36th District) – 2012 Freshman
Randy Weber (Texas, 14th District) – 2012 Freshman
Blake Farenthold (Texas, 27th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Bill Flores (Texas, 17th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Joe Barton (Texas, 6th District)-RSC Member
Kevin Brady (Texas, 8th District)-RSC Member
Michael Burgess (Texas, 26th District)- RSC Member
John Carter (Texas, 31st District) – RSC Member
Michael Conaway (Texas, 11th District) – RSC Member
John Culberson (Texas, 7th District) – RSC Member
Louie Gohmert (Texas, 1st District) – RSC Member
Kay Granger  (Texas, 12th District) – RSC Member
Ralph Hall   (Texas, 4th District) – RSC Member
Sam Johnson (Texas, 3rd District) – RSC Member
Mac Thornberry (Texas, 13th District) – RSC Member
Kenny Marchant (Texas, 24th District) – RSC Member
Michael McCaul (Texas, 10th District) – RSC Member
Randy Neugebauer (Texas, 19th District) – RSC Member
Pete Olson (Texas, 22nd District) – RSC Member
Ted Poe (Texas, 2nd District) – RSC Member

Utah
Chris Stewart (Utah, 2nd District) – 2012 Freshman
Rob Bishop(Utah, 1st District) – RSC Member
Jason Chaffetz (Utah, 3rd District) – RSC Member

Virginia
Morgan Griffith (Virginia, 9th District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Robert Hurt (Virginia, 5th District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Scott Rigell (Virginia, 2nd District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)
Randy Forbes (Virginia, 4th District) – RSC Member

Washington
Jaime Herrera Beutler (Washington, 3rd District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)

West Virginia
David B. McKinley (West Virginia, 1st District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)

Wisconsin
Sean Duffy (Wisconsin, 7th District) – 2010 Freshman (Twitter)
Reid Ribble (Wisconsin, 8th District) – 2010 Freshman & RSC Member (Twitter)

Wyoming
Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming, AL District) – RSC Member

As most conservatives know, Boehner and the House GOP Steering Committee decided to purge four conservative House members from their committee. Congressmen Justin Amash and Tim Huelskamp were removed from the House Budget Committee, and Congressmen David Schweikert and Walter Jones were cut from the Financial Services Committee.

Amash, Huelskamp, and Schweikert were targeted because they were too fiscally conservative—all three have voted against Boehner’s debt ceiling hikes. Amash and Huelskamp were the only two GOP votes against House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s budget.

Amash explained that vote at yesterday’s Bloggers’ Briefing at the Heritage Foundation, “It’s unacceptable to have unbalanced budgets until 2040.”

For anyone outside of DC, this statement seems obvious. Only in Washington is balancing the budget radical.

Many conservatives voted for the Ryan budget because they didn’t want to “let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” I understand that, but we shouldn’t criticize those who actually understand the depth of our debt problem and plan to propose real answers.

If Speaker Boehner wants to purge independent, bold conservatives—I think it’s time he gets fired as Speaker. Not only for the purge. He has failed to effectively win negotiations with President Obama and appointed moderate committee chairs. To the public, Boehner may appear radical but in reality he proposes milquetoast policies, like the tax-hikes he proposed this week.

While the caucus has already voted in support of John Boehner as speaker of the 113th Congress, the final floor vote doesn’t happen until early January.

Everyone thinks it’s a fairytale, but the Conservative Movement is capable of firing Boehner with just 16 votes.

The House rules demand that a Speaker receive a majority—218 votes—to be elected speaker. If no nominee for speaker receives 218, the House remains speakerless—as it did during parts of the Civil War.

If 16 House Republicans were to abstain from voting for Speaker, Boehner would only receive 217 votes.

Once we depose Boehner and cause a firestorm, the Republican caucus will get the memo: Pick someone else! These 16 Republicans only need to hold out until the caucus chooses a new leader.

For Speaker, I suggest members who are anti-establishment, but still have broad support. Congressmen Jim Jordan of Ohio would be my pick. He just finished leading the Republican Study Committee and proposed the best budget we’ve seen come out of Congress.

Republicans and conservatives deserve a more articulate, more conservative leader. In fact, we need one if we want to keep the House majority and take the Senate. Boehner has been Obama’s punching bag and has lost every public battle with the President. Now, he’s waging an internal war on conservatives.

Remember, we lost seats in the House under his leadership. He has failed as spokesman for the movement. Boehner has been in Congress for 22 years, and he looks like and embodies the typical DC politician. Can’t we find someone fresher to lead the party forward?

You see, I have a little theory on why we as a movement, and Republicans lose: because we’re stupid. No, I take that back. We could actually stand to be a little more stupid and do the obvious. I think we sometimes are too smart for our own good. We think if we come up with some twist of phrase or some great idea the masses will rise up and we will be victorious. Folks, there is no silver bullet in politics. You can’t blow up the Death Star with one amazing shot and think you’ve won because the Empire never dies and it always strikes back (Paul Teller and Matt Robbins, I salute you).

So here’s a thought: let’s do the obvious moving forward and actually commit to doing some fundamentals of politics. Because that, despite all the chatter of data and technology and everything else the Obama campaign did better than us, is exactly what the Obama campaign did. Politico had an article yesterday on what Jim Messina learned from the campaign. There is one sentence that sticks out, and glaringly so when you think of certain Super PACs and other outside groups on our side that spent hundreds of millions of dollars on TV ads. The quote is this: “It was the convergence of 21st-century data and old-fashioned on-the-ground door-knocking that left Messina confident before Election Day that Barack Obama would be victorious over Mitt Romney.”

There are other factors in winning. I know that. Like having a candidate people can get fired up about. But that aside, unless we commit to real grassroots and GOTV, and by that I mean knocking and talking on doors, and having personal contact with the voters, and not just in the last month or two of the election season, we’re not going to win. People will say we must have a better message. I like our message, and quite frankly if we would tap into the conservative populism message of, “We hate Big (government, corporations, banks, etc.),” we can and will win. There is nothing wrong with our message. There is everything wrong with our approach and tactics. People are wringing their hands about how much further ahead the Obama campaign is with data and technology. In the technology arms race, we can actually catch up, even move ahead. We, on our side, have the databases and technology, that with some more investment and development, can and will be better by 2014.

All is not lost for us, but it will be unless we change our approach to politics as a whole. When confronted with great challenges and wondering where to start, do the obvious. And the obvious for us is to commit to grassroots development now, to having a presence in the field in the key states between now and 2016, and an improvement on our data and technology.