CHAPTERS: Free Republic LA Chapter Session @ AnnaZ's a great success!

My reporting ^ | 12 December 2002 | David H Dennis

[daviddennis]

AnnaZ's home is located in Ground Zero in the immigration debate: There is a travel agency nearby advertising trips to Mexico, in Spanish. And Spanish is all over the place, in the business names, on the streets, everywhere. You start to see what Invasion, the title of Michelle Malkin's anti-illegal book, really means.

Unfortunately, thanks to my own lateness in leaving work and a horrendous traffic tie up on Topanga Canyon, I missed Michelle Malkin entirely. And, as many of you know, I am on the other side in the illegal immigration controversy, so it may have been just as well.

AnnaZ and Mercuria were finishing their radio show, while a small crowd gathered in the living room of the house to start the discussion of strategy. DoughtyOne started the meeting by asking us to introduce ourselves and say a bit about what we wanted from the group.

It is genuinely impressive what a diverse group we have. The left talks about diversity, but we have it for real, everyone from passionate opponents of illegal immigration to equally passionate supporters of the status quo. From people keen on defending gun rights to those this issue didn't move. From vehement opponents of abortion to those who felt the issue should go away. And from people involved in a dozen or two organizations to those who just enjoyed getting together.

It was both heartening and intriguing that this very diverse group, with frequent passionate disagreements on many subjects, could unite behind a common agenda, but unite we did. The agenda, as hammered out during the meeting, has the following major points:

• Senator Barbara Boxer is a vunerable target, a hard-leftist who's done virtually nothing in the Senate. Our primary mission will be to get rid of her and elect someone we like in her place.

  We not only need to oppose Boxer by clearly defining her failed agenda; we also need to find someone we can sincerely and passionately support due to her or his conservative viewpoints on a wide variety of issues.

  For example, our work helping Simon, important as it was, concentrated too much in putting down Davis - who people knew was a slimeball - and not enough on showing Simon as a viable alternative.

• Reform the Republican Party. They have ignored our best people for too long. They gave Simon virtually no support at all, and it is no exaggeration that he might have been elected if they'd been behind him, with their money and troops. The same goes for candidates in lesser races such as MrB. MrB got 40% of the vote despite being in a 75% Democratic district; how much better could he have done with major backing?

  Right now, the Republican party only supports people who were elected before. This is absurd, since it will mean we'll never gain seats. We have to push them to become less risk-adverse.

So how can we support these vital goals, with almost two years before the election? There are two basic paths we must follow:

• Train ourselves. A runner would not dive into the olympics on his first effort; he would do extensive training and testing of himself first. Likewise, we need more training.

  The Leadership Institute's training at FRiva Las Vegas in August was extremely well received by all who attended. Providing workshops on subjects ranging from fund raising to effective campaigning on a tiny budget, the Leadership Institute's program is a proven way to improve our members' effectiveness and get them fired up at the grass roots.

  Accordingly, we agreed to make a March 2003 appearance by the Leadership Institute a major priority for our chapter.

• Find and Train our candidates. We must find good candidates from the grass roots, make sure their ideas are compatible with ours, and give them the training and tools they need to succeed.

  For example, we can give them high-quality research that will help them answer tough questions, responsibly, yet without betraying our core ideas.

• Dealing with Divisive issues. There were people on all sides of the illegal immigration issue present, from anti-illegal immigration activists (Mercuria) to cosmopolitan people generally supportive of illegals (me).

  DoughtyOne tried to steer a middle path. On the one hand, he noted, many opponents of illegal immigration do more damage than help to our cause. Many of them feel that a giant moat and huge wall with flashing lights and alarms should appear magically on the border; this isn't going to happen. On the other hand, DoughtyOne also feels that the rule of law must be enforced on the border.

  How to reconcile these two viewpoints must be left for later meetings.

  In the mean time, it's very clear to him - and, I think, virtually everyone in the room including myself - that we must expend our best efforts to place quality people who share our overall platform into positions of power within our state. Then, they can deal with this and other issues from a solidly conservative viewpoint.

• Network Enthusiastically with other Republican groups. Find 'em, build bridges to them, develop mutual support policies, and implement activism using their numbers on top of our own. Last night, we had within our ranks members of the NRA, the Liberty Belles, the Republican Party, the California Republican Assembly, the Young Republicans, and several other groups. There are good conservative people within each of these organizations. It is important that we develop metworking relationships with the willing members from these groups and others.

• We need regular meetings - frequent, but not too frequent. Bob J recommends frequent electronic meetings and quarterly in-person meetings. Most of us seem to feel that monthly to every six week meetings would be ideal, especially considering some other monthly events the more active among us can use to network.

• We need to seek out regular officers, including a VP and Media Spokesperson.

Overall, I feel our meeting was a great success. We hashed out a preliminary strategy which I think will serve us well in the years ahead. I look forward to our future meeting!

[daviddennis]

Important: This report is NOT an official publication of the Los Angeles chapter, because I am not an official with any kind of formal position. I like to "play reporter", giving my own personal views of what went on. They do not necessarily reflect the views of all who attended the meeting.

At least one person who has seen advance copies of this account feels that it distorts his beliefs. I welcome comments from him and others concerning the fairness of my report. If you were there and think I wrote a fair report, I hope you'll mention that, too.

[daviddennis]

I'm sure I've left out a lot of people - cut me some slack, it's late - but feel free to ping anyone you feel would be interested in the account.

D

[Travis McGee]

Any pics of those hot LA freeper babes? (You know who I mean.)

[RonDog]

Any pics of those hot LA freeper babes? (You know who I mean.)

click here

[RonDog]

AnnaZ and Mercuria were finishing their radio show, while a small crowd gathered in the living room of the house to start the discussion of strategy...

That would be:

AnnaZ (plus her husband Ben, and her boys, Hamlet and Indigo)
Mercuria
SixString
Bob J
diotima
DoughtyOne
DoughtyToo
Tony in Hawaii
gc4nra
RonDog
gubamyster
daviddennis
The Great Satan
Rockitz
absalom01

The NEXT time, we expect even MORE SoCal area FReepers!

Tentative date - Saturday 1/11 or 1/18 - early afternoon at a local restaurant. Right, D1?

DETAILS to follow, soon!

[freepersup]

ATTENTION- re: Boxer rebellion- catchy pun eh ? Contact Senator Peter Fitzgerald's political advisors in Chicago and / or Washington, DC. Names escape me at the moment. He defeated Carol Mosley Braun in 98. She was of the Boxer ilk. She was an incumbent as well. Peter was the challenger and underdog. I was a grassroots commando for Fitzgerald for Senate.

Illinois went for Al Goron by 12 points in 2000, and is quickly morphing into a liberal bastion and socialistic state similar to California. I can relate.

Karl Rove may have advised Peter in 98. Senate campaign / blueprints, mirrored a presidential campaign. Costs may be substantial.

Good luck !

[Jim Robinson]

LA Chapter bump!!

[DoughtyOne]

First of all I would like to sincerely thank DavidDennis for his work on this report.  I know he put a lot of tought and effort into it.

The Tuesday evening meeting was nice.  It was good to get together with him and the other folks who attended.  I had not seen some of our chapter members for longer than I would have liked.  Yesterday afternoon I finalized plans for us to meet again on Saturday - January 11th.  I will be posting a thread regarding this later today.  I hope that others who were unable to attend Tuesday's meeting will be able to join us then.

The consensus at Tuesday's meeting was that attendees each desired to see the FRN LA Chapter become more active than it has been.  To that end we are all dedicated to making that happen.  Meetings are going to be conducted on a regular basis.  Informal gatherings in-between meetings will be taking place as well.  They may be tied to Unspun broadcast nights or other festivities.

It is important to me that our chapter devise ways to become more effective.  I want to expend our energies in ways that will achieve the best bang for the buck, so to speak.  California is fertile ground for improvement.  When you're at the bottom politically, there's only one direction to go.  I want to see our chapter join with other FRN chapters and other organizations throughout the state in an effort to install more Republicans into the California state house in 2004.  As David mentioned, we will be discussing and divising ways to help Barbara Boxer retire in 2004.

Most of us are novices at the political process.  We have good intentions but lack the skills necessary to be as productive as we might like for our causes.  As a chapter we will be reaching out to obtain the tools necessary to achieve our goals.  We will be utilizing groups like the Leadership Institute whenever possible to obtain training.  We will also tap into resources closer to home.  Some of our members have been connected to the political process before.  They can help train the rest of us.

I like what I see in our chapter members.  We have a wide spectrum of groups represented by them.  They are not just Freepers.  And this pleases me because it provides an avenue of connecting to other organizations for strength in numbers.  Not only this, it means they are well versed in issues related to those other organizations as well as our own.  I'm looking forward to the next couple of years with high expectations.

When I thanked David for developing this report, I wanted him to know that I did appreciate his efforts.  The poor guy had to put up with my hypersensitivity with regard to his description of my comments on the illegal-immigraiton issue.  Unbeknownst to him I have taken every opportunity to speak out on the illegal-immigration and visa loopholes issues over the last twenty years.  I am very concious of these issues and make only deliberate and well thought out comments with regard to them.  I have had to develop this policy due to the explosive nature of the issue.  If you make one comment that can be taken wrong, you stand the risk of people making long term evaluations based on it.

David was kind enough to revise his comments regarding this issue.  I appreciate that.  I do want to clarify a few points further though.  This paragraph in particular raised a few issues for me.

DoughtyOne tried to steer a middle path. On the one hand, he noted, many opponents of illegal immigration do more damage than help to our cause. Many of them feel that a giant moat and huge wall with flashing lights and alarms should appear magically on the border; this isn't going to happen. On the other hand, DoughtyOne also feels that the rule of law must be enforced on the border.

I would have worded it like this.

DoughtyOne tried to steer a middle path.  He noted a few opponents of illegal immigration do more damage than help to their cause with thoughtless comments.  But when push comes to shove, he thinks the rule of law must be enforced on the border.

I did not think that David's version accurately reflected my comments at the meeting, but perceptions being what they are, perhaps his version is what I conveyed.  In the interest of clearly defining my views, I have provided an alternate version here.

For those of you who attended the meeting, it was nice seeing you again.  To those of you who couldn't make it, I hope you'll be able to attend our January 11 meeting.  Check in later today to find out more about that meeting.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks Jim. We'll have to have you down to break bread with us one of these times.

[BJungNan]

bttt

[PGalt]

Thanks for the report and organizational tips. Hooray to California FReepers.

[RonDog]

The agenda, as hammered out during the meeting, has the following major points:

• Senator Barbara Boxer is a vunerable target, a hard-leftist who's done virtually nothing in the Senate.

  Our primary mission will be to get rid of her and elect someone we like in her place...

From http://www.cyberbohemia.com/Pages/Portfolio/portraits_boxer.htm:

Please help us "BOOT Boxer!" in 2004

[NormsRevenge]

BOOT BOXer BUMP

Much success to all of you fine folks in the LA Chapter.

[absalom01]

Thanks to you lot for organizing, and to Anna for hosting this event. BTW D1, I thought that DavidD's notes were just a wee bit tongue in cheek, but that idea about the flashing lights at the moat is a good refinement.....
Two things I thought of after leaving the meeting:

1. One area that will have tons of room for political activity over the next two years will be dealing with California's budget 'crisis'. The Democrat party is already starting with their utterly predictable strategy of floating huge 'cuts' in popular programs (education, public safety), coupled with tax increases. This is the oldest trick in the book, and we can't let them get away with it.

2. Meeting locations and times: it would be very easy for me to attend a picnic type of event on Saturday afternoons at Burro Canyon, which would have the side benefit of giving some business to a good conservative local enterprise. You know, fresh air, punctuated by the sound of freedom, with a recreational opportunity beckoning at the end of the meeting to incentivise a business-like progression through the agenda. Just a thought.

[Feiny]

Sorry I couldn't make it, but I was without wheels that night. Hopefully, I will make the next meeting.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Thanks for the ping RonDog, sorry I couldn't make it. Sounds like it was a good meeting, I'll try and make the next one in January :)

[daviddennis]

I would like to wholeheartedly endorse point 1. This is something I feel we can all get behind. The hopeless incompetence of Gray Davis and friends is, I would say, not a controversial issue at all among us.

You are right. I do my best to make my accounts of our meetings colorful and entertaining. Sometimes this means I step on a toe or two, and for that I am suitably apologetic. But at the same time, my point of view is that an audience that isn't entertained to some extent is going to be an audience who assumes our meetings are not entertaining, and therefore won't come to them.

Where is Burro Canyon? I don't mind going pretty much anywhere for a meeting, especially if the location is close to great restaurants, but I would think outdoor events should wait until good weather comes.

I like the idea of a variety of events to keep us stimulated. However, note that Bob J also has a point that people often get used to a specific venue, and we might get more people if we can set them up in a routine.

D

[fatima]

bump

[seenenuf]

Thanks for the bump. I would have liked to have heard the discussion on the Boxer Rebellion. Did anyone bring up the name of Larry Elder? Read his books. He's bright, an attorney, has name recognition.He's a Libertarian,,, so he could get all the 'smokers' to vote for him. Ha, it's a California thang. I am not a Libertarian, but I think it is
going to take a moderate to win anything in Ca., until the state is certified bankrupt, the voters are hurting and want a new faces to clean up the mess. A straight shooting conservative will have to have many millions to knock off Boxer and the LA Times/SF Chron., plus a smarter voter base to win. Much success to all you LA FReepers, from the very south end of Orange county.
I hope the Orange County Chapter can meet up with you guys
for a joint event.