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MEMBER DIARY

Tell the White House We’re Running on Empty

By: Chairman Reince Priebus (Diary)  |  May 16th, 2011 at 09:00 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Please welcome from the diaries the Chairman of the RNC

The summer of 2010 was supposed to be the Summer of Recovery. That’s what President Obama told us. It wasn’t and now nearly a year later, unemployment remains unacceptably high. With gas prices at nearly $4.00 a gallon and on the rise, the forecast for the summer of 2011 isn’t looking much better.

America is $14 trillion in debt. We’re running trillion dollar deficits which President Obama says are necessary to dig us out of the recession. The problem is Hope Isn’t Hiring and the unemployment rate recently ticked back up to 9.0%.

Today, the number of unemployed Americans stands at nearly 14 million. Finding a job in the Obama Economy is tough enough as it is, but with gas at nearly $4.00 a gallon, even getting to the interview has become a challenge.

That’s how these record-high gas prices really hurt – putting yet another burden on already overburdened Americans struggling to make ends meet. With fuel and grocery costs on the rise combined with dropping home values, Americans are now caught between a rock and a hard place – unable to afford the gasoline they need in order to drive to work, a job fair, interviews, or even just the grocery store to buy food.

A recent NBC poll had the President’s approval on the economy plummeting to 37% – the lowest of his Presidency. It’s easy to see why. In addition to restricting access to our own domestic energy resources, Democrats want to increase taxes on producers, which will only result in consumers paying more at the pump.

Together let’s send this President a message. It’s easy; just take a picture of the pump the next time you fill up. Then, upload those pictures to your favorite social media site. If it’s Facebook tag Barack Obama in the picture. If it’s Twitter mention @BarackObama in your tweet and include the hashtag #Obamanomics.

Enough is enough. Let’s hold Democrats accountable so we can get America working again.

COMMENTS

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  • gpclaw

    Fantastic idea! I’m going to get started on this today.

    • NeoKong

      …when you take a chunk out of their wallet.

      They coughed up the dough to elect Obama two years ago because they thought they were all going to utopia or something.
      They were all for “spreading the wealth” until they found out that when you reduce a business’ profits the first thing they do is lay someone off. Hope and change ain’t gonna’ play too well again and Obama is going to need a different theme.
      The problem with that for Obama is no one is going to believe him when he tries to act like he is all about creating jobs as he will no doubt have to attack the rich ...again..to keep his base happy.

      Another problem for him was that on the campaign he was Mr. Ambiguous who could make any promise and talk as if he had the solution to everything. He was the man with no past who was going to lead his flock into the future.
      He could be anybody as there was never a record we could pin him to.
      Not anymore. Just like in 2010 when the Democrats had to run away from the last two years of their rampage and campaign on smearing conservatives instead. Obama will have the same problem. Now he has a record and it ain’t pretty.

      He will have a tough time making big promises when people are eating Ramen noodles three times a week.
      That is why the media is jumping on the “food stamp President” comment from Newt so hard because a phrase like that can stick and become a powerful slogan.
      They want to make that phrase forbidden.

      • stopnationaldebt

        There won’t be change until the public truly gets how bad US finances are. The public yawns when it hears $trillions in debt thinking “big number, but its a big country”. since they have no perspective. We need to rephrase the issue:

        There won’t be change until the public truly gets how bad things are. The public yawns when it hears $trillions thinking “big number, but its a big country”. since they have no perspective. We need to rephrase the issue:

        The federal government will need >$1 million per household to pay its IOUs!
        > $116 trillion =”official” debt plus money

  • carolina

    We can’t afford for the GOP to campaign on a Herbert Hoover message. Where is the economic growth story? Where is the positive message?

    • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

      The RNC has to wait the primaries to promote which pro-growth policies the Presidential nominee will be running on.

      • taylerdog23

        Aren’t there at least some broad pro-growth energy policy positions the RNC could put out there?

        If Priebus is going to devote this front-page diary to complaining about $4.00/gal gas and a $14 trillion deficit, certainly he has some nuggets of policy wisdom/prescription to share besides, “Let’s hold Democrats accountable…” The dude looks embarrassingly feckless.

        • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

          The RNC can’t go take positions our nominee might contradict later. That would be a disaster.

          • Change Jar Conservative

            Congrats on getting the job.

            Keep up the good work …

            See if you can talk the RSC and RCC into staying out of the primaries and then we might actually start to fund them again.

          • YnotNOW

            I suspect you will not receive the warmest welcome, what with the disappointments that the Republican Party has given us conservatives several times in the recent past. But we do want to work WITH you to elect conservatives in the primary / Republican in the General.

            Of course, we will continue to hold you and all our representatives accountable…. ;)

          • taylerdog23

            the RNC could take that would reasonably be opposed by the nominee. Even if the nominee did oppose a specific position, then he could spin it as an example of him being independent from the DC establishment (which is for all practical purposes what the RNC represents).

            In any event, my original comment was driven by my desire to hear the RNC Chair lay out some specifics that address the energy issues we face *right* now, rather than just (as I see it) whining about the Dems and offering empty platitudes.

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

          It’s here:

          http://www.gop.com/2008Platform/2008platform.pdf

          Would be nice if someone would summarize it into “soundbite-sized chunks” and start talking about the broad, pro-growth energy policies set forth therein.

          Thank you.

          ColdWarrior

          • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

            We’re going to have the 2012 platform set up next year, after we pick our nominee.

          • taylerdog23

            that’s what i was just getting ready to ask about.

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

            the Platform (and who wrote the 2008 Platform) are ONLY those Republicans who got inside the Republican Party itself as voting members of it — the precinct committeemen — who then, in turn, got onto the Platform Committee according to the Rules of the Republican Party. You can see who was on the 2008 Platform Committee and staff at the end of the 2008 Platform; the Rules of the Republican Party are here:

            http://www.gop.com/2008Platform/2008platform.pdf

            Notice how Chairman Priebus left out of his post to us here at Redstate any mention of the fact that half of the Republican Party precinct committeeman slots right now are vacant and that it might be a good thing for each of us here to consider, if at all possible, becoming a “voting member” of the Republican Party. Or at least finding out where our respective local committee meets and maybe attending a committee meeting just to see what sorts of things happen at these meetings.

            The Republican Party is going into the 2012 primary and general elections at one-half strength, with over one-third of the precincts in the country having ZERO precinct committeemen, but Chairman Priebus does not think that’s worth mentioning to a web site with a conservative Republican audience.

            Hmmmm.

            Nah. Instead, encourage us to “send a message” to Obama by taking photos of gas pumps.

            Thank you,

            ColdWarrior

          • taylerdog23

            “The Republican Party is going into the 2012 primary and general elections at one-half strength, with over one-third of the precincts in the country having ZERO precinct committeemen, but Chairman Priebus does not think that

          • blooch

            “Who IS this ColdWarrior?!!!? Why was I not informed of his presence at RedState?!!!”

            “b-b-but SIr…We thought you knew. He’s legendary!”

            “SILENCE!!!!”

            Come here often, Mr. Chairman?

          • http://www.800cart.com Ron Robinson

            One of my co-workers for my GOP district in LA was just elected to the CA platform committee, and he looks to me for a lot of guidance.

            The PC-Strategy group has a LOT of people in other states (like WI where Priebus is from) and they are pushing their people into the WI platform committee successfully.

            Where do you think these folks will be in 2-4 years? I think a few of them will be on the national platform committee.

            This is how the tea party takes over the Republican Party. By putting tea party people into places of governance on the GOP. Takes some time, but it could not be easier – they are begging us to come in, and we bring our ‘change’ with us.

    • johnt

      government to decide where and when and if drilling to take place, I feel so much better. In other welcome news. The O and his wise cohorts in Congress will seek to cut subsidies to the big[ means bad] oil companies. This would certainly expedite oil exploration and drilling, don’t you think? Plus it would reduce the deficit, $21 billion over ten years, by which time we will need a new vocabulary to describe it’s size.
      Well if the Chinese can ride around on bicycles I guess we can.

  • Locked and Loaded

    you have almost made me want to join one of these social networking sites.

    • acat

      (cheshire grin)

      • Locked and Loaded

        I’ve never been on Facebook or Twitter. But the chairman’s recommendation strikes me as quite powerful.

        • tea42

          It says alot about our society when the media and the masses will not acknowledge his inability to tell the truth. As long as the media dodges the truth and aids and abets this crime against America we spin our wheels. Good example is the continueing saga about bin Ladin over- powering the real news and issues we face. Poor Bernie Madoff didn’t hurt the folks like the clown in thre White House.

  • freemanja1991

    HOPE! Hope that his presidency ends liberalism in America.

  • rightwingmom52

    Enough is enough. Let

  • http://www.800cart.com Ron Robinson

    I would say have a little ‘voter reg’ event at the gas station – clipboard with reg forms and a sign ‘re-register republican if you’ve had enough’ – the guys in Fresno have been registering a LOT of republicans this way and we are going to try it in LA.

    But the fact you didn’t think of this or similar ideas shows the grassroots work, like registrattion, just is not on your mind (or radar) at all.

    If you can’t even come up with ideas that cost nothing to advance our cause, how can we trust you with the millions you are going to raise?

    I am GOP chair for a district in Los Angeles – why aren’t you leading the GOP in such a way as to encourage my state chairman and my county chairman to support our local volunteer recruitment efforts?

    I fill out the volunteer form on the California Republican Party web site, but am never advised by the state party that I have a new volunteer.

    I ask my county chair for a list of past volunteers in my district and get a deer-in-the-headlights look.

    I am a brand new district chair and I am responsible for 300 precincts and I have not a single volunteer or precinct captain. This is the legacy that your party passed on to me.

    What are you going to do about that? Are you going to encourage my state chair to alter his mass emails so that he replaces JUST ONE of those six links to his contributions page with a ‘Volunteer Now’ button? (And I am actually informed of new volunteers?)

    I have my own plan to get the volunteers I need and whip my district into shape. But it was reasonable to expect to inherit just the teeniest bit of existing infrastructure from generations of GOP work in the largest GOP county in the country.

    Can I count on any help from you and your state and county chairs?

    Or is it going to be GOP business as usual? Your GOTV people are on their own?

    Remember, the people who put the boots on the ground also govern the GOP and elect the GOP leaders and the RNC Committee Critters.

    Do you want to be a one term RNC chair?

    • http://teapartisan.wordpress.com Loren Heal

      It frustrates me no end that the Republican Party is not interested in growing its own ranks.

      There should be a Precinct Committeeman or Captain or Wardman or whatever to serve every 300-1000 voters.

      Each Precinct Committeeman should know how to raise funds, vet candidates in accordance with the Party Platform, and do GOTV. Each should have a team of at least one person, and probably 3-7 people, who will assist him or her with GOTV, issue advocacy, rumor gathering and rumor quashing.

      And when the PCs meet to elect a County Chairman or District Chairman, everyone in the room should know there are no Democrats there.

      What is Reince Priebus doing about any of the above? Sure, almost all of that is local. But it all has to happen everywhere, and only the Chairman of the RNC can really advocate it.

      And if he would do so, the party would be his.

    • gunslingr45

      all of the tough questions we ask liberals, we need to ask our leaders the tougher ones.
      Great job on putting his feet to the fire.
      Amyone but newt.
      Anyone but mitt.
      Any others?

      If ignorance is bliss, liberal/socialist must be euphoric! I said that.

      • http://www.800cart.com Ron Robinson

        He hasn’t returned to answer any of our questions or concerns in the comments…

  • http://www.taosgop.org taoscountygop

    Just tagged ‘Barack Obama’ in a Facebook pic of the rising gas prices in Taos, New Mexico!!

    facebook.com/taosgop

    We need to keep this going!