On the day of the swearing in of the first Democratic Governor in 16 years in the Commonwealth, Mass GOP chairman Darrell Crate reminded us of perhaps the biggest reason we lost the corner office this year, sending out a letter to let us know that, well, the election of the new State Party Chairman has been 'Postponed'.
Here it is....
Good Afternoon, I write to inform you that tomorrow's meeting will be postponed until January 16, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. I regret to send this message but a couple of members have made it known that they intend to challenge the validity of the meeting. The issue involves the mailing of the notice. As you know, notices must be mailed ten days in advance of a meeting. In my four years as Chair, the staff has followed the same procedure and notices have always arrived in a timely manner. I'm told the procedure for the mailing on the 4th was no different-- it was mailed from Boston on December 22, but apparently not postmarked until December 28, no doubt due to the holiday delays. This morning, we conferred with our Legal Counsel and Parliamentarian regarding the rules. They informed me that, in their opinion, a challenge to the validity of the meeting would have merit. While I have no doubt the majority of the members would agree that notice was properly given, it would be an unwise use of members' time and the Party's money to convene a meeting against the advice and counsel of our legal team.
There is no doubt that every member of the committee was fully aware of it far beyond 10 days in advance of January 4th. I notified all members who have email (95% of you) on December 15th when the meeting would be held. Nevertheless, those for whom process is a priority insist upon challenging the validity of the meeting. The election of the next Chairman is of the utmost importance and any shadow of a doubt ought not be cast upon the vote. Process is meant to move our Party forward in a positive direction and not to unnecessarily delay it due to technicalities. I believe the latter is occurring in this case and it should prompt members to consider changes to the By-Laws in the future.
I regret if this is an inconvenience for members and I look forward to seeing you on the 16th (FYI…the exact location is still TBD at this hour, but it will be in the Metro-West area of the state). Finally, in addition to this email, and in compliance with the By-Laws, we will be mailing a notice of the 16th as well. I look forward to the continued honor of serving as Chairman for an additional 12 days!
Thanks, Darrell
Well, to be honest, this isn't a surprise as the Mass GOP is embarrassingly disorganized at this point. As we prepare for what I'm sure will be one of the most mind-numbing periods in our commonwealth's history, and at a time where the Massachusetts Republican Party needs coherent leadership more than ever before, we are given none.
A few days ago I wrote a
piece on how Republicans in the commonwealth are in a state of denial and only through our coming to terms with that will we be able to regain our bearings and begin the arduous work of rebuilding the GOP in Massachusetts.
When one is an alcoholic, one must come to terms with their addiction before kicking it fully, however they also need to be proactive in insuring that it doesn't ever happen again. In the spirit of this, I offer the following 10-point plan towards reconstructing the party in Massachusetts.
A TEN POINT PLAN FOR A REPUBLICAN RECONSTRUCTION IN MASSACHUSETTS
1.) A complete and total house cleaning of the epic sort on the state committee-- Their job is to recruit candidates and help them win elections. They have failed across the board. When you fail in most jobs, save for teaching, you get fired. The same should hold true here. Republicans should seriously re-evaluate their state committee member's ability to 'get the job done' at the local level. Seeing as we failed to win a single seat in the state legislature in this cycle, I feel it appropriate to call for the resignation of every current state committee member effective immediately.
2.) A Departure from the Departure Politics of the MA Republican party in the last 16 years-- None of those in power over the past 16 years have been committed to growing the party in this state primarily because they were more concerned with personal growth, OUT of the state. Year after year, messiah after messiah, It was all the same old rhetoric but not a word of it produced one net gain in the legislature over that period of time. The current strategies being employed by the state party are flawed and have therefore, failed. Why? Because many on the state committee and in the party upper echelon are also worried about their political lives after Massachusetts.Those in power and in positions of authority and influence in the state party are products of both those in power during this period and the plans they hatched. The underlying issues for their lack of success is irrelevant. Regardless if they were put there and received little to no guidance once they got there, it's time for a change. We need to completely re-think the way that not only ourselves, but outsiders as well, view our party and what our overall purpose will be in the future.
3.) Improve the responsiveness of the state GOP through de-centralization of the state committee. By this, I mean de-centralizing the current system almost entirely. The Eastern Part of the state is well, almost an entirely different state than the western part. In order to effectively meet the challenges of this highly diverse political landscape, we must undergo an organizational overhaul to better fit the needs of small communities. This will allow the politics of our campaigns to become more 'local'. The state party should exist to provide general (heavy emphasis) policy guidelines and act as a central pool of resources for the various regional committees that do the ground work, no more, no less.
To localize this argument, imagine if you will, a regional Republican arm in Hampden County. Longmeadow, Wilbraham, Agawam, West Springfield, Springfield, Chicopee, Southwick, Ludlow and Sturbridge town committees would all fall under an umbrella of accountability to a regional committee. Volunteer lists from the various districts would be pooled. Fundraising lists, too. Consultants, polling, mailings, media releases, you name it. This regional organization would be responsible and more responsive to the needs of it's constituency than a centralized state party in Boston.
Regional Committees could be set up in Berkshire County, Franklin/Hampshire Counties, Hampden County, Greater Worcester, Cape Cod, etc. These committees would all work within a large concentric circle of sorts with the state party. The local town committees would interact in concentric circles with the regional committee and so forth.
These committees should not only be state party supported, but state party funded as well. Office space, working officers, etc. I'm not talking about a loose conglomeration of Town Committee chairmen. I'm talking about a formalized, official regional committee.
4.) A commitment to developing a platform that is universally congruent with Republican values and concerns of voters-- We need to look at what we feel being a Republican means. Once we establish this, then we pick our stances on the many issues facing the state. Once this is accomplished, we choose issues which we feel resonate most in a general sense, with ALL voters in Massachusetts, not just the ones that come to our coffee talks.
My picks? High taxes, social conservatism and anti-corruption.
TAXES-- What has been mother's milk for the Republican party nation-wide for years, wasn't this cycle. People have simple forgotten what it's like to have 19% interest rates on their houses and high taxes. Over the break I watched Rocky II with my father. I'm a young buck and was greatly taken aback when I watched the scene where Rocky and Adrian buy their first house. The realtor talks about the interest rate on the mortgage 'only' being 19% I gasped '19%"!? Are they kidding? My father replied; welcome to life under Carter and the Democrats'. It was this type of fiscal atrocity that spawned the Republican Revolution to begin with. Massachusetts voters will get a swift reminder. After a year or so of the Patrick administration, taxes will again be on the table again, in a big way.
MAINTAIN REASONABLY CONSERVATIVE STANCES ON SOCIAL ISSUES-- Our state is chalked full of socially conservative Democrats who, despite what the make up of the Judicial branch may suggest, will grow tired of the hyper-progressiveness of the current governor. As evidenced by the recent passage of the gay rights petition in the constitutional convention, liberals and the Democrats haven't figured out how to politically deal with the backlash. Opportunity looms.
Many Democrats in this state are socially conservative. Many are second and third generation Democrats who are Democrats mainly because their parents were. There are many socially conservative Independents. We have a large population of ethnic catholics like Italians, Portuguese and Hispanics, that while they may not altogether be in line with the Republican party on social matters, they lean Republican because of the strong social conservatism within the Pope Benedict Catholic Church. This is the one group we can skim numbers off of on the other side of the aisle. It's the one area where we can begin to pick up "I's".
The question is not whether we should proceed with speaking to these groups, but rather HOW we do it. This constitutional convention has taught us that lambasting (rightfully so) off the wall justices resonates with voters. Many Democrats didn't vote FOR the petition because they wanted to, but rather because they HAD to. Framing the debate by placing the onus on the change agents in this case (Democrats advocating for a CHANGE in marital rights) to make the argument effectively. In the short term, they will (and have to date) struggled to effectively do so.
While they struggle with formulating a message that doesn't label us as possessing a psychological form of dementia (see Def. of Homophobia), we need to try our hardest to not shoot our foot off. The radically conservative Republicans, while I may agree with them, have no clue how to market water to a well. They should be re-positioned into areas where they can help, not harm us on these issues. Careful management of this will win the day for Republicans.
GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION-- Simply put, this may be the biggest issue in Massachusetts today that Republicans should completely and totally dominate. Tommy Finneran is going to plead guilty. He's the former speaker of the house and a Democrat. Billy Bulger. Need I say more kids? He's a 'D', too. How about locally? Michael Albano? Democrat. Angelo Puppolo? Democrat. Chris Asselin and family? Democrats. See the trend?
Voters in Massachusetts are looking for responsible public officials and I feel that we can fill that void. Railing against the deep corruption that permeates throughout the Massachusetts Democratic Party will not only score points, but easy points with voters. Municipalities may be more open to these calls on behalf of Republicans. Pittsfield has struggled with corruption. Springfield has struggled with corruption. Taunton, Lowell and Worcester have as well. Here's where we can make some serious in-roads.
Combining a universally sound but small party line enables us to use three popular stances to our advantage state wide but due to the sheer lack of depth in the platform, allows a candidate to focus more on non-partisan local issues, thus erasing the Republican v. Democrat dichotomy that exists in today's local state races. By positioning ourselves as candidates of character over all else, we win half the debate before stepping onto the stage. Inter-weaving a small yet impactful state party platform and gaging strong stances on local issues is vital to our success.
5.) "Just Run" Mantra needs to "Just go away"-- Many in the state party have and continue to relentlessly advocate for folks who have an "R" next to their name to run for everything. The idea is that the more you run, the better you'll do because you'll increase your 'name recognition' and as a result, your policy stances will begin to better resonate with voters over time. Sure, name recognition is great, but it's also a two-way street. It can be just as bad as it can be good. People losing by more than five points should no longer be considered for office. Our persistence in running them and encouraging their candidacies raises serious questions as to the standards we have for our public faces as a party.
Perhaps my biggest issue with the hopefully outgoing GOP leadership is that I question whether or not they view politics as anything more than a game? Like Tiddly Winks, Clue, or Coke/Pepsi. The decision to run a political campaign is one of the most difficult decisions a person can make in their lives. It exposes themselves, their family and friends to harsh scrutiny in the name of gaining more power. It can effect their businesses. People won't shop at certain establishments if they dislike your political affiliations that much. Wal-Mart anyone?
We need to have effective and highly persuasive state committee members willing to really hit the streets to find the best qualified and financed candidates available and convince them to run. Once they've made the decision, we need to make EVERY SINGLE EFFORT POSSIBLE to support the ever living heck out of them.
The formula is simple. Serious Candidates = The perception of a serious party. It's just like any small business. If you're employees on the store floor look professional and present themselves well, your business is likely to be more credible, or at least that's the assumption that is made. Therefore it is, in the mind of the consumer, a better choice to spend money at your business as opposed to another establishment that has less-professional looking employees who don't present themselves well. Same goes for politics. If the people we're running have been wiped clean multiple times or look like they've rolled off a mountain somewhere, it brings into question much more than just whether or not we're serious. It brings into question our sanity as a whole. Most dangerous of all, it makes voters question whether or not they should 'invest' (see vote) in our candidates. We need to do more to look the part. People will need to become 'OK' with running fewer, but stronger candidates. In party building, more doesn't always equal better. More often than not, less is always more.
6.) Think small in the big picture-- This runs nicely off my previous point. This one is very simple! If we run 10 well financed candidates in 10 districts where real data suggests we've got a legitimate shot at winning, we'll pick up seats. No matter how small the effort may be in scale, it is what it is, a head to head win and a gain of seats. Those wins will be bigger wins in the future. Small gains in the long run end up becoming big gains. A three seat gain one year can manifest itself into an 8-10 seat gain in the next cycle. In sum, We need to learn to walk before we can run. Fewer, well financed and well supported candidates stand a far better chance of winning than many, semi-well financed, poorly supported candidates would.
7.) Stop accepting failure and those whom wallow in it perpetually-- I heard someone at a recent state committee meeting talk about how The Martinez campaign up in Chelmsford 'resonated with voters' despite losing by an embarrassing 22 points. That's a drubbing. There's only room for winning in the game of campaign politics. Everything else is a waste of time. While it's not a nice thing to say, we need to come to terms with the fact that it's the RIGHT thing to say. Democrats are playing to win. So should we.
If that wasn't wild enough, another person said we lost this year because we were 'unlucky'? Is that implying that if we had WON we would have therefore been LUCKY!? This rationalizing of a gang rape is dangerous and should be tamped out. When we lose, we acknowledge it, look at what went wrong and try to avoid it in the future by taking proactive steps to prevent it. You'd figure things would be basic enough. If you're here to play fun time campaigner, run for President of a knitting group. Stay out of real politics.
8.) Realise that campaigning for a majority doesn't end when the last ballot has been counted-- Our task to build a Republican Majority is a far greater task than I think even I understand. For political change to occur in this type of political climate, a cultural change needs to happen. We need to change the way people think about not only the Democratic Party in Massachusetts, but our party as well..... all at the same time.
In order to do this, it will require an ongoing, continuous campaign that does not stop until our goal is accomplished. Candidates are recruited all year. Mailings are sent out every week, not just in September, October and November of every election year. We need to be visible by appearing on TV, making sure our events and what's being talked about at them is highlighted in the local media. We need to do more open houses and really emphasize WHY it's important and what it means to be a Republican and or a conservative. WHY it's important to vote Republican in national, state-wide and local elections. Our membership drives need to be continuous, ongoing and relentless. 49% of the population is unregistered. I call them free agents. Let's begin negotiating.
9.)Play as a Team-- God forbid Massachusetts Republicans showed everyone that we all played for the same team. This one should be a no-brainer but even this has slipped off the radar screen in recent months and plummeted into obscurity.
While working with some campaigns this year, I repeatedly phoned other campaigns in the region asking them to share volunteer lists, fundraising lists and doing whatever I could to share information within the candidate community. Not one campaign was willing to do this. Going along with the regionalization of the party, we need to pool our resources at the regional level. Volunteer lists, fundraising lists, voter lists, etc., should all be in one place and accessible to all who need them. Candidates stumping for other candidates. Elected officials SHOWING UP for more than a campaign announcement would help too.
To succeed in an undertaking as grand in scale as this one will need to be, we need to function as a team. This is the one area that needs to be the exception to the new rule I developed of 'less is more'.
Which leads to my 10th, final and most important point...........
10.) Making the Republican Party a Republican Community-- The Republican Party needs to be more than just a political party, it needs to be a community of people who share the same values and are interdependent. Networking ourselves with each other to advance the greater goal. There are numerous ways to cultivate and maintain this vision.
How about a Membership card with discounts at local establishments owned by fellow Republican Party members? Keep our money Republican money. Keep our goods Republican goods. We need to build a Republican community of people who help each other out in most communal aspects of their life. An old supervisor, a Democrat once told me, 'everything in your life will be dictated by the relationship you have and build with others'. She's right. Building that sense of community from within and being open to bringing in new members of a greater Republican community will be the only way we will ever earn a majority and maintain it.
While at first glance, this may seem extreme or even flat out odd to some reading, I, too would consider it strange only if it weren't for the Democrats, who ARE doing this right now, as I write and you read. Democrats shop at the same places. They attend the same seminars. They buy the same products. They have similar tastes in music, literature and other forms of entertainment. This is the only Democratic principle we should strive to emulate. In doing so, we open the door to a new Massachusetts. A Fiery Red, Republican Massachusetts.
Despite a nagging skepticism,I remain hopeful, that the Republican party has a bright future in Massachusetts so long as we are willing to come to terms with our failures in the past. The party is drunk on bad ideas right now. It seems like instead of admitting we have a problem and correcting it, we're just trading hard liquor for beer. If we were cigarette smokers, we'd be trading Marlboro Reds for Ultra lights. We need to put people in power who realise the party's shortcomings, but also have the vision and the perseverance to usher the party into a new chapter in it's history.
Therefore, I dub today "D-Day" as it is the most important day in our party's history. Our backs are against the wall and we need to perform well despite every conceivable obstacle one could imagine to exist is in front of us.
"Man is not a the creature of circumstances. Circumstances are the creatures of men."-- Benjamin Disraeli, Vivian Grey, 1826
