Friday, November 28, 2008

What He Said

There's a lively discussion on The NextRight blogs about the future of the Republican Party.

Well, actually, there's a raging policy discussion everywhere you find 2 Republicans gathered together - nobody likes to lose, and we all are pretty much agreed that there are some systemic changes that need to be made.

But what changes? Soren Dayton has a post indicating that the cure will include more bottom-up activity - in other words, listen to the "little people".

Whether you like Sarah Palin or not, it's clear that her extraordinary ability to relate to that group is unparalleled. The party needs to capitalize on that by using her in the national headquarters (no, I don't think she needs to be the head - she has a state to run). But, whoever gets the job of leader of the RNC needs to have her number on his/her speed dial. Set up a national series of meetings over the next 2 years. That'll have two results:

  • She can raise the money for some local committees. That will help build the locals, provide training for the new kids in organizational activities (i.e., recruiting, using new media to bring in newbies, and GOTV in the next Congressional elections). She is a proven draw, and that will add the curious, but not identified.

  • She relates to that very group we want to expand - the right-leaning, but non-affiliated. Use the famous Palin ability to talk to "da pipple". Find out what their concerns are, and WHY. It's a great chance to do the "in-the-field" polling - BEFORE it's needed. The RNC doesn't have a good sense of what people want - or the party wouldn't have run nobody's choice - otherwise known as J. McCain.


We need to utilize the new media before we get blown out again. So, we also need to make sure that we fund some experiments using them.

  • Work with likely conservatives on campus (Econ & Business professors) to sponsor student activities. Our base students need to be thoroughly versed in the history of the conservative movement, its philosophical roots, & the Gramscian & Alinskian tactics and strategies. Train them to be the foot soldiers that will work for conservative groups in need of assistance.

    Additionally, make sure ALL these campus activists are versed in the new media. They should all be blogging, networking with those who do, and building their alternative media Rolex (OK, that's an outdated term - the kids all use Contact Lists on their cells).

  • Exploit the power of the web. Get the names and emails of those who attend the events, yes, but also go back to that person, and find out:

    • Do they use their cell phone as a text device?
    • Do they Twitter?
    • What are their social networks? Facebook, Meetup, AIM, or other gathering places?


    Then, DON'T just file and forget. Use that list, and have regular events and activities throughout the year, EVEN in off-years. We should be training these local people to engage their acquaintances in conversations, leading to eventual invitations to join in activities.

    Not a party - these will be people not committed enough for that step. Just a local activity that will expose them to the conservative message, and also provide them a congenial group to spend some time with. This needs to be a relationship-building activity.

  • Divvy up the work at the local level. These days, few families can afford to have an unemployed adult. Even housewives are busier than they used to be - many are on the run non-stop, even those who have kids in school.

    So, it makes sense to plan on organizing tasks around a distributed model. More people doing less, rather than the reverse. That's not an insurmountable obstacle, given the power of computers to schedule and track.

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