Wow. A couple of meetings? Did you just expect them to hand it over to you? Are you a baby boomer?
The Ron Paulers took over the Republican Party of Iowa in one year by controlling the convention. The social conservatives have been nominating and winning at the state legislative level for several years, and hence the Iowa GOP caucus is probably about as conservative as you will get.
I’ve been on the front lines too long to know that is a load.
“Wow. A couple of meetings? Did you just expect them to hand it over to you?”
I have no desire to run anything. I attended out of curiosity. But the structure was set up to protect people who were already there.
I actually campaigned for individual candidates, but didn’t go to anymore party meetings. All of my candidates lost. But none of them got the GOP’s approval. They were, however, good conservatives as opposed to those who got the go-ahead.
I will continue to look for good candidates and try to help them through the primary process. But in my county has not voted for a republican in years. To be effective, I’d probably have to campaign elsewhere.
“Wow. A couple of meetings? Did you just expect them to hand it over to you? Are you a baby boomer? The Ron Paulers took over the Republican Party of Iowa in one year by controlling the convention. The social conservatives have been nominating and winning at the state legislative level for several years, and hence the Iowa GOP caucus is probably about as conservative as you will get. I’ve been on the front lines too long to know that is a load.”
This. People have to start running for precinct positions, county captains, county chair, vacancy committtes. You have to recruit for those positions (they are usually thankless) and then campaign to have good people elected. Then you have to help the good people elected keep their spine and do the right thing.
It doesn’t happen overnight—it can take years. But a hostile takeover of the Republican party is in process. That’s why the GOP-E is so apoplectic about Cruz, Paul, Lee and the Tea Party. The GOP-E’ers know what’s going on and the slime machines are out big time.
That means we are making serious progress.