Posted on 05/10/2009 1:08:11 AM PDT by Ron C.
Bill,
I enjoyed your comments. Precinct work is tiring and frustrating at times. But, the real battle is in who is running the operation - who populates the district party committee. Are they competent, or is the organization a mess ideologically - which usually means the organization isn’t being effective at its precinct responsibilities.
Again - you speak of the national level - and ignore who is in control of the wheel at the local level. We do that at our own peril. If you control the local / state levels, you will soon control the wheel at the national level.
Whining about the current national does nothing. Working hard at the local level CAN change that.
Completely wrong. ALL political parties operate under the same rules, federal and state. All have a similar party structure, and anyone can move to occupy that party structure. They can be supported by others, or opposed by others. Been there done that. Third parties are a losers route.
No it can’t. That’s the point. Any local power now in your party is merely illusory. You’re like Charlie Brown to their Lucy when it comes to ever getting to kick the football.
BS. In politics, every group savages its own members at times - but, at the same time, they always have their eye on their major enemies. They like 'purity' in their group.
AMEN! Great post! I’ve been wanting to get more involved politically for a while, but didn’t know how or where to go about it. Your post is a great help and I look forward to following your advice.
Bookmark for when I’m not pwning n00bs on Halo.
lol
Skimed? Snozze?
Speak English much?
Obviously you haven't "been there." And you obviously haven't given more than a passing thought to the meaning of the words "free political association."
ALL political parties operate under the same rules, federal and state. All have a similar party structure, and anyone can move to occupy that party structure.
Even the Supreme Court has recognized that political parties have a right to whatever process they choose. I am the chairman of what is already the third-largest political party in America, a party whose process puts the lie completely to your claim. Are you saying that the First Amendment right to free political association is now gone? Because it would have to be for your (unthinking) claim to be valid.
The fact that others do it does not mean it is not dysfunctional behavior. It is a sign of weakness and lack of focus on priorities -- that's why it is so prevalent in university departments.
For the record, I think you’re a good guy, with good motives. I think you simply haven’t thought things through.
Get back on a uncompromisingly principled political basis, and then perhaps you will be more fit to offer practical advice concerning which way we should go.
Because, unfortunately, the throughly corrupted Republican Party has reached the point where even your best efforts to gather up and motivate decent people in your little corner of it can only in the end be used by unprincipled people to forward an agenda that you profess to hate.
Sorry - you know not about what you speak. You've not 'been there, done that' and I have. It is local power that drives what happens in a state - whether the state is liberal or conservative.
It is local power that determines the makeup, and numbers at the county level. It is county strength that decides state party leadership. OF COURSE... if the local districts are defunct, the state is defunct - and therein lies the problem of disinterest and lack of knowledge that this post speaks to.
Even in lefty states like CA and NY, they still send delegates to national conventions. I am proud to say that in CA we have one of the most conservative members in the RNC - national committee woman Barbara Alby. I've known her for decades, and worked hard with her in the state party structure.
She is up against far less conservative members from supposedly conservative states - states where conservative activism is typically much lower than it should be, at the local level. In spite of that, she continues to fight for the conservative cause - as fools at the local level ignore the political implications of their complete lack of interest in participating in the process.
'EternalVigilance'?? I think not. Tell me when you have gone to your first local party meeting - and after you have finally voted there.
I know what you are saying, but many of us refuse to support anyone for control of the committee or organization unless that person is willing to help and has a history of doing the real work. The guy who thinks he can step into running the operation when he’s never worked the operation gets no support from me.
Baloney. I've served at every level of the Republican Party structure up to and including my state central committee, and have worked on countless campaigns from the most local up to the presidential level in every region of the country. I've helped rebuild local and state party structures in many states. The gains we made were extremely short-lived though, unfortunately, because of the ongoing corruption of the national party and the ever-increasing compromise of the party's leaders. We did the work, and they either pissed it away or handed the accrued power over to the other side, one way or another.
I went to my first Republican Party meeting many years ago. I ran for precinct chairman and won. My opponent in that minor party election is now a sitting Congressman.
Again - you have your eyes only on what you see on the boob-tube regarding the national level. As if that less than one percent at the national is representative of the whole of the GOP.
The tens of thousands of conservatives in the party across this nation are not thoroughly corrupted. Yes a few at the top are - but that in no way represents the huge majority which you choose to ignore.
I'm finding you to be more than a bit presumptuous. Fact is, I don't watch television. Don't even have one in the house that does more than play videos for the kids.
I'll refuse to vote for or support certain Republicans. Those who've done something that would hurt me personally will never get my support. However, I try to forgive as much as possible to keep the Democrats from gaining power.
Are you being rhetorical or are you asking me directly? Because I’m working my butt off for the conservative in the NJ guv primary. The RINO is lying through is teeth about him.
What are YOU doing?
OK... The ax you grind is personal.
That's fine with me - but that in no way is reason for others to walk away from their own duty to the process. Eternal vigilance begins at the bottom of the political ladder, and just because the system fails at times in not reason for anyone to relax that vigilance.
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