Hell Yes We're Rocking The Boat

Rocking the boat.
Republicans lost in 2006 and again in 2008. I think it is time to rock the boat. If you don’t want to get any water on your new suit: change clothes. If you don’t want to, or if it’s beneath you, find another job.

After I read the following linked article in Politico by Mike Allen and Andy Barr, I decided that the people who were complaining the most about Michael Steele were the ones who are looking for or afraid of losing their jobs in the GOP hierarchy. The professional politicos think he’s rocking the boat. Indeed he is rocking a boat. Their boat.
-----link-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19588.html
---------------
It’s human nature I guess. I too would be a bit miffed if someone came in and didn’t hire me, or fired me. Especially if it was a transition from GW’s first to second term then I would expect things would remain the same and only the leadership to change. But it's not and I would expect a clean sweep. From the article it seems plain that Michael Steele feels he has a mandate to change the nature of how the party relates and interacts with it's activists. Because of the last two election cycles I will concede him that mandate.

That’s right, a mandate. Not only do winners get mandates, the losers have an even more immediate one. Winning back what they lost.

He feels that the whole structure needs to be looked at and remade to enable us to win in 2010. I heartily agree.
-----quote from article-----
“He said he’s re-examining the whole structure with an eye to streamlining it and will have most of his team in place by the end of March.”
--------------
If he was just pulling in for gas and checking the tires I'd say that's too long, but he's not. Michael's doing a complete overhaul. I'd say that would be pretty quick.

He also said in the piece.
-----quote-----
"I want to be about the business of putting in place a good infrastructure that will enable me to go out and build a better brand, stronger brand, for the GOP."
---------------------------
So what does this new brand look like? Well the next two snippets out of the article tell what Steele’s consultant thinks.
-----Snippet-----
Back at headquarters, Dyke said the transition teams are reviewing all the party's big functions -- communications, political, administration, technology, strategy. “Their task has been to look at every line item in the budget, every organizational chart, every position, and recommend a structure and a mode of operating that reflects the necessary change to meet a new campaign environment and a minority status without control of the White House, House or Senate,” he said.
“People on the outside haven’t seen it done this way before,” Dyke added. “The unknown is fearful. ... It is not smoke and mirrors. At the end of this process, we’ll have a much more effective, more targeted, more focused, more efficient party.”
--------------------
Chairman Steele makes a valid point. I don’t think that changing what you’ve done in the past that resulted in loss is such a bad thing to do. Remember to do the same thing over and over expecting different results is a definition of insanity. Doing it that way does take more time.

I’m glad to see him doing it. I will wait and judge his results.

What I get excited about and the type of thing I see in Steele that I think is good for this party is the bottom up philosophy. The idea that the national party is there not to tell the State parties what to do, rather to help them do what they feel needs doing. Kind of a Republican thing, like letting the parents decide what is best for their children. The next logical step is to have the State party help the County parties etc.

Another quote from Steele is a case in point. This time using the term “service” in a department title. The new emphasis is obvious. Everyone will be reminded that they are taking orders from the Bottom Up.
-----quote-----
Steele said, “because I want to orient the thinking for those who work in that department that they’re in the business of providing service to the members of the RNC — our state party leadership around the country.”
----------------
Then the article quoted him saying something right after my heart. What I’ve been talking about for a long time. To paraphrase, we need to stand firm on our core ideas and base our actions on them. Build solutions to problems around those ideas and continually reinforce the idea in people’s mind that those ideas work and will work for them. Show by example how our solutions will work for them.
-----quote-----
Asked how he would win back swing voters with a frankly conservative message, Steele replied: “How did Reagan do it? How did Obama do it the other way? You’ve got to say what you stand for and then make it very clear to people that when it comes to those things that matter to them, what you stand for works for them.”
-----------------
I would have been more direct than that and that is why I’m not a politician. I would of said when asked that question. Do not imply that being frank in your opinion or Conservative in your message won’t work.

Reagan was frank and conservative and both the message and the messenger were trusted. Why not ask me how I planned to win those swing states by being slick and devious or by downright lying like the Democrat Party did. Both ways have been proven to work. I just prefer the frank way. As long as there is that choice in the minds of the voters I’m happy to leave the choice up to them.

Going hand in hand with this flap over Michael Steele’s reorganizing the party is the idea that the party itself is trying to get away from the corruption of it’s core values brought about by it’s acceptance of money from “Big” business.
-----link-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19585.html
--------------

Big business long ago found out that it is easier and more profitable to go along with and help government get Big. No matter who is in power, a back door way to get rid of competition from the smaller companies; especially those who lack the money to lobby.

Some may call it a symbiotic collusion. I call it parasitic. The bottom line is that the bigness of both damages the freedom of the small business person. The essence of Free Enterprise is corrupted when the deck is stacked against the small businessman vs. the corporation.

In the political fight against the money and volunteers the Democrats get from the Big Unions, the Republicans were left to rely on large donations from the corporate world. What they found out was that the corporate world wanted to be on the side of the winner and that to insure that they often would hedge their bets by donating to both parties.

The infrastructure (bureaucracy) built around the steady money from Big business is exactly what Mr. Steele has in mind to change I believe. That infrastructure is what fosters the “same old same old”.

A growing group in the Party started to feel that needed changing. Michael Steele was one of the candidates for the National Chair that promised change.

The Republican National Committee Woman from my own home district Holly Hughes was one of the early supporters of Michael Steele as National Chair.

At our State Republican Convention she wore a label and made a pitch for small donations. A new program of a dollar a day was started. She is working hard on that. The leadership under Michael Steele is looking for smaller donations. He is looking for more PEOPLE who make the donations regardless of size.

Our State Convention Keynote Speaker was Haley Barbour. He talked of now as being the perfect time to do what we need to do, rearrange our party from the bottom up. (his idea not mine lol) He also told about how while he liked big donations, he loved small donations more. The reason he said came from his experience that the person or corporation that gave you $5,000 usually would give your opponent the same, while the one that donated 20 bucks you knew would give you their vote. The other was a toss up. The bottom line in an election is not how much money you end up with but the number of votes.

I talked with Holly Hughes at our Lincoln Day Dinner and said I was glad she backed Michael Steele. She was happy I noticed. I will have to try and see what she and the Michigan Party are doing with the small donation idea.

We do have to rock the boat and get the deadwood out. We have to be seaworthy and skimming right along when the good ship Obama yells “Abandon Ship”. We must be ready to pick up as many fleeing the sinking ship as possible. We must be willing to welcome them all aboard.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.