Posted on 03/24/2008 2:47:07 AM PDT by Jet Jaguar
At a time when the GOP presidential nominee will need more assistance than ever, a number of state Republican parties are struggling through troubled times, suffering from internal strife, poor fundraising, onerous debt, scandal or voting trends that are conspiring to relegate the local branches of the party to near-irrelevance.
In some of the largest, smallest, reddest and bluest states in the nation, many state Republican organizations are still reeling in the aftermath of the devastating 2006 election cycle, raising questions about how much grassroots help the state parties will be able to deliver to presumptive GOP nominee John McCain.
The state party woes are especially ill-timed since McCain will face a Democratic nominee who may be considerably better funded and organized, and since Republicans will be facing an energized Democratic party that is shattering primary election turnout records.
“After twelve years of being in power, you tend to get fat and lazy, and in some cases arrogant with respect to your positions,” said Saul Anuzis, chairman of the Michigan Republican party. “There is no doubt that we have had people who have gotten caught up in both illegal activities and immoral activities and none of that helps the party as a whole.
“If you go back to 2006 most people would agree that not only did we lose our brand, that we damaged our brand significantly,” Anuzis said. “We are clearly rebuilding.”
Nowhere is that clearer than in two of the nation’s largest states, California and New York.
According to figures compiled by the California secretary of state’s office, the number of registered Republicans there has dropped by roughly 207,000 since October 2006. At the end of January, California’s Republican party was in the red, with $3.2 million cash on hand but more than $3.4 million in debts. California Democrats, by contrast, had $5.5 million in the bank and just $83,000 in debts.
Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has clashed with conservatives in his party, used Hollywood terminology to paint a dire picture last fall at a state party convention.
“We are dying at the box office,” Schwarzenegger said. “We are not filling the seats.”
In New York, the situation is equally dismal. After a devastating 2006 election cycle marked by a Democratic statewide office sweep for the first time since 1938 and a Republican nominee who failed to win even 30 percent of the vote, Democrats are now within two seats of wresting a state Senate majority from the GOP, which would give Democrats control of the whole of New York government for the first time since 1934.
A January 2008 state Board of Elections report shows the state Democratic party took in $491,302 and had closing balance of $1.4 million. Republicans, by contrast, took in $26,000 and had a closing balance of $395,000.
In the separate “housekeeping” accounts that the New York parties use to pay for headquarters and staff and general party-building activities, Democrats reported receipts of $454,000 to the Republicans’ $66,000.
Few expect that either New York or California will be competitive in the presidential election. But in considerably smaller and more competitive New Hampshire and Arkansas, for example, the state Republican parties are just beginning to dig out from under the 2006 landslide.
In New Hampshire, where the state GOP has been driven by a dispute between moderates and conservatives, the state Democratic party took in four times as much money as its Republican counterpart in 2007. At the end of the most recent reporting period in February, the state GOP reported just $64,000 cash on hand to the Democrats’ $159,000.
In Arkansas, where Republicans lost the governorship in 2006 and are outnumbered in the state House and Senate by 3-1 margins, state GOP Chairman Dennis Milligan said he is facing defections and malaise.??
“Independent conservative individuals just said they were fed up and they said there is no difference [between the two parties],” Milligan said. “We have sent out the message that we are now different. We know it did not fall down in one day and it won’t be rebuilt in one day.”???
Even in some of the reddest states in the nation, Republicans have faced dispiriting news. As if Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ easy 2006 re-election victory wasn’t insult enough in heavily Republican Kansas, she won with a running mate who was more than a little familiar to the state GOP—Mark Parkinson, the former state Republican chairman, who switched parties to run as her lieutenant governor.
Just four years earlier, Parkinson had exclaimed that “any Republican who supports Kathleen Sebelius for governor is either insincere or uninformed.” Sebelius is now frequently mentioned as a prospective vice presidential nominee.
Most recently it was the Alaska Republican party airing its dirty laundry.
Just over a week ago, at the state Republican convention, the lieutenant governor shocked his party colleagues by announcing a primary challenge to veteran Congressman Don Young, who is under federal investigation. The state’s senior senator, Republican Ted Stevens, is also under federal investigation.
At the same event, GOP Gov. Sarah Palin, who is at odds with the state party, called for changes in leadership in the wake of a series of scandals that have tainted the party. An attempt to oust GOP Chairman Randy Ruedrich fell just short.
“We are not a unified group as we once were,” said Republican John Harris, the Speaker of the Alaska House. “Between Congressman Young and Senator Stevens, and our governor seems to throw out comments periodically about the ethical operation of the state … internally, that fuels the fire constantly.”
“Democrats don’t have to do that much to keep it alive. We keep it alive ourselves,” he added. “That breaks down morale.”
While Alaska Republicans were battling among themselves at their convention, roughly a dozen Republican state chairmen met in Las Vegas --the first gathering of its kind in recent memory, according to one of the chairmen who attended.
Formally, the purpose was to exchange ideas on “improving each state party’s performance,” said Sean McCaffrey, the executive director of the Arizona Republican party.?? But there was widespread concern expressed over the direction of the party as a whole.
Even that effort to strengthen the individual state parties fell short of the mark. With the exception of Florida, no Southern chairmen were in attendance. Many, it seems, were uncomfortable with the symbolism of meeting inside a Las Vegas hotel the same weekend as Palm Sunday.
“That’s a real problem with the Republican party that they went to a casino on Palm Sunday,” said one GOP state party chairman, who refused to come due to the timing.
“Here we are the values party,” the chairman added. “You’ve got to walk the walk here. If you don’t, you’re going to lose. You can’t disaffect your base.”??
And the GOP has done this since Reagan.
Ditto.
prisoner6
The party really lost ground when they kept pushing for amnesty.
This shouldn’t be possible... unless we represent a lot more of the vote and the donations than they admit.
No. You are not.
Do you want to know why?
Well Arnold, don’t expect to bring in the Republicans if you play the part of a Democrat.
Republicans are tired of going out and working for professing Republicans, getting them elected to office who then go on to govern like tax and spend Democrats.
I know you have to win to govern but you can't forget what got you there in the first place.
the republican party is running a quasi-republican in juan mccain and then wonders why???
Yes....republicans WILL vote for mccain in november....the alternatives are intolerable...but support Regan type support of the policies.....NO se puede!!!!
There’s already one liberal party. Why fund another?
The GOP is a disaster. The RINOS have ruined our core principles and the news media have co-opted the party in order to destroy it.
So then why do people not understand if you hold your nose and vote for McPainintheass, you continue to give the GOP this realistic hope they can alway stick a RINO up for election? They surely know the majority of the quasibase will vote for him.
The same people who vote for the lesser of two evils instead of saying enough is enough, are the ones who create the Rinos!!
No! McPita is NOT better that Hillary or Obama! He's worse because he destroys conservative values from within.
The liberals and RINOs who have taken over the Republican Party have said they can ignore conservatives. Now conservatives are ignoring them. Let them raise money from illegal aliens. McCain cares more about them than he does about conservatives.
After the 1980 Senate elections, there were 13 Republican Senators from blue states (2000 election definition). Now there are none.
After the same 1980 elections, there were 11 Democrat Senators from red states. Now, there are 13.
Candidate recruitment, or the lack thereof, is a major party health indicator. Even in states where Bush got >60% of the vote in 2000, there is essentially no statewide Republican organization worthy of the name.
It's a big, big problem.
LLS
I mailed one of these to the GOP also....
gee I guess bridges to nowhere, earmarking and bending over for the RATS and MSM isnt working.
I guess the conservatives are leaving the republicans to their own designs? It doesn’t matter to the republicans because all they need to do is step left and pick up the democrats whose candidate loses the nomination. The conservatives are keeping their money (and hopefully their powder) dry.
He led the RINO charge.
Specter instead of Toomey.
Schwarzenegger instead of McClintock.
The Kennedy immigration bill.
The prescription drug boondoggle.
The lack of ANY positive PR for the Iraq war, and taking too long to start the surge.
The not firing back at the Clintons in the early days in office, the looking weak by not stomping Gore's ass into the ground when Gore tried to sue his way into the White House after losing the election.
Harriet Miers.
Negotiating with Chia pet.
Pressing for a Palestinian state.
Applauding and encouraging outsourcing whilst our competitors engage in competitive mercantilism.
Supporting trade with China and turning a blind eye to intellectual property theft and substituting deadly ingredients in food and medicine.
Applauding the weak dollar policy.
Supporting the imprisonment of our own border patrol agents.
Putting up with that loathsome excresence Norm Mineta in charge of TSA, which is itself an abomination.
Bleating about "the economy will be strong long term" as the average Joe Sixpack takes it in the shorts.
Doing NOTHING to help control rampant speculation in oil prices and mortages -- as the chickens come home to roost just before the elections.
Doing nothing to groom a Republican successor as a Presidential candidate.
Not disciplining McCain and the gang of 14.
Not taking rhetoric and speech lessons in order that he comes across as a Harvard MBA instead of a third-grader.
...OTOH he is a shreddin' mountain biker.
Cheers!
bttt
The party pushed for amnesty to further foster the North American union and to try and avert the sub-prime / banking meltdown and the recession.
Some of these local governments in red states look like Berkeley. It would help if conservatives got involved in their local governments and cleaned up the neighorhoods they live in first. At local meetings the audience is filled with leftists and hardly a conservative in sight. There’s more to government than just the whitehouse.
There’s much blame to go around.
I would suggest the GOP is dying and should die because of the anti conservative principles they now embrace as they move further left following the lead of the marxist democrat party.
Conservatives, unlike democrats, support conservative issues and hate those that destroy our country with liberal doctrines and lies, and the GOP is becoming liberal as time goes on.
[...announcing a primary challenge to veteran Congressman Don Young, who is under federal investigation. The state’s senior senator, Republican Ted Stevens, is also under federal investigation.]
This brings the memory of Tom Delay to mind, who was unjustly charge and investigated for crimes he did not commit and how the stupid republicans did not support him when they should have and allowed the democrats to continue their lies and deceits without rebuke, now the dems have found that they have but to make charges against the pubs since they do not stand together when a man is charged unfairly. They let the dems slaughter Delay.
And the result of their trechary of Delay has led to the same tactic used against others also. Indeed, the chickens have come home to roost.
Uh, what? I must have missed this one.
Frankly this would be fine if all the Conservative voters leaving the GOP woud all show up at the voting booth to vote for all Conservative candidates on the ballots...but I think too many will keep their butts home.
I wonder if anyone has learned a lesson from this debacle. I will gladly vote for EVERY Republican I can for the rest of my life.
If we had 3 more RINOs in the Iowa House, we would not be in this fix.
If we had Nussle (who some considered a RINO) in the governor's mansion, we would not be in this fix.
Shame on ANYONE who helped this happen.
I don't like RINOs either, but they still count toward the necessary numbers need to control either a House or Senate.
IN normal times I would have sent money to the RNC by now, this year I thought it prudent to spend it at the local hunting supply outfit....
The party became so concerned with just winning, that it lost its soul.
I know you have to win to govern but you can’t forget what got you there in the first place.
http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/
Hmm. The moderates don’t send money or work for the party? Whodathunkit?
I might have to vote for John McCain this year, but I am not workin’ for him and I am not giving him money. I might give money to my rep, Nathan Deal. He’s a good conservative.
I also contributed to Fred, twice.
And to the NRA.
But not one cent for the GOP.
so that they can vote in the illegals...winning is good when you do the right thing with the power...
So there! NANA NANA BOO BOO
With all due respect, ma’am... Jim Jeffords.
The ones allegedly on our side who enable the other side are as bad if not worse than an overt opponent.
Republicans must have the goal of obtaining the majority, even if it means accepting some RINOS.
I am truly angry at the conservatives here in Iowa who may have set out the last election because they thought that whatever Republican may have been running in their district was not conservative enough. Shame on them for helping to give us the disaster we have here now. They're just as guilty as those who voted Democrat. They did nothing to help.
And he’s loving every minute of it.
Soros sure is getting his bang for the buck ,, he’s got both parties reeling..
The problem is that conservatives have shown that willingness, and party leaders and certain officeholders have taken advantage of that to use our votes to implement the other side’s agenda. Even Bush is asleep at the wheel on illegals, gives money to Pali terrorists, kowtows to the Chinese and the UN, and championed a massive new entitlement program.
Conservatives have done our part time and time again, but an endless series of betrayals by those in whom we placed our trust has served to demoralize us. And this is the result.
We have done what you say we should do. We’ve done it. And the result has been the opposite of what we want. Thus, people don’t donate anymore, people stay home on Election Day.
And now, as a final(?) insult, they have given us John McCain as a standard bearer. It takes me all of ten seconds to name ten vital issues on which McCain opposes us.
Somehow, in some way, we need to force a change.
“Yes....republicans WILL vote for mccain in november”
Not I or many I know.
Ding, ding, ding!
I recall McCain endlessly promoting CFR. Amidst his numerous lies, two things we can be sure of - he loved CFR and he is in a frenzy for amnesty for illegal aliens, even opposes barring of terrorists from this country.
Not bad. I agree with most of that, except the anti-market screeching. I think I’ll edit those parts out and send it to my discussion group. You should mail it to the GOP.
That specifically is what put an end to my blind loyalty to the GOP. I contributed to Toomey, and he would have won if not for direct financial and political intervention straight from the top. Same thing happened with Chafee, too - I forget the challenger's name, not the most conservative guy, but not an all-out lib like Chafee.
What did they expect after the party insiders and leadership stood by and all but ignored a violent illegal invasion of millions, and in many cases, aided and abetted it.
How do you plan to do it?
The first step is to articulate a platform, and establish a threshold for candidates - if a candidate doesn’t agree with more of the platform than he opposes, then he’s not an appropriate candidate for the party.
I can’t write out a whole political platform and strategy right here, but that’s a good start. I’d bet that people around here with more direct experience in the political game can offer lots of good advice on this matter.
How are you going to enforce that each candidate govern according to the platform? That is the question, as we already have the platform we want.
I would bet that most Republicans couldn’t tell you what is in the official platform. Although we have one, it is ignored; the actual platform, in practice, is “obtain political power”, full stop.
If necessary, we strip party membership from those officials who prove they oppose the party’s goals.
How do you do that?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.