Forward-Looking Campaigning
One glaring weakness that the GOP has, both nationally and locally, is their indifference towards the Internet as a tool. Last night, I was channel-surfing when I spotted Shep Smith interviewing Frank Luntz. They were talking about a study that Dr. Luntz did. Here’s the question they discussed and what Luntz’s study found:
Q: Where do people get their political information from?
1) Internet–28%
2) Cable TV–27%
3) TV News– 23%
4) Radio– 7%
5) Newspapers– 6%
Shep Smith went on to praise President-elect Obama’s use of the Internet. Having visited Obama’s campaign website, I know that President-elect Obama used it for everything from fundraising to GOTV operations to event planning. President-elect Obama’s online fundraising was unprecedented. While this study is sobering, it also highlights the fact that we need to find solutions to our problems. Fortunately, some very talented people are working on this. The principles and ideas at this website are this week’s must reading. Here’s an example of how we reform the party:
What’s Wrong — And How to Fix It
Hold campaigns and local parties accountable. As important as it is that we invest in new technology at the national level, we must remember that the RNC’s primary objective is to win races state by state and district by district, not build up its own brand.To pursue this essential mission, individual campaigns must be held accountable for the number of emails they collect and the money they raise online. As much high-level attention must be paid to candidates’ online strategy as with the number of voter contacts made into a particular district or if the right media strategist is working the race. We must end a sense of dependence on the RNC at all levels, in which the RNC simply turns over its lists, and set goals that the campaigns must find creative and aggressive ways to meet:
In target 2010 Congressional races, we recommend setting a standard of at least 5,000 in-district online activists recruited, and a minimum of $100,000 raised online.
In target 2010 Senate races, we recommend a standard of 7,500 in-district online activists recruited and $150,000 raised online for each Congressional district.
There’s one way to guarantee that this goal is met. This link talks about how the goal can be met:
The word among GOP insiders here in Georgia is that Newt Gingrich is considering throwing his name in the hat to be the next Chairman for the RNC.
Newt is best known for leading the charge for the Contract with America. It is this famed Contract that has been credited for the Republican take-over of the US House and Senate in 1994. It is also well believed among traditional Republicans that it has been the abandonment of this contract by elected Republicans that has lead to their downfall.
Newt wouldn’t drag the RNC kicking and screaming into the 21st century. He’d just fire all of the strategists and parasites from the RNC payroll. His next step would be to dramatically upgrade the technology at RNC headquarters.
Newt’s qualifications as a technician are impeccable. His ability of putting an appealing agenda together is unquestioned. Just look and see how popular the items on the Contract With America remain with the American people. Here are the underlying principles behind the Contract:
FIRST, require that all laws applying to the rest of the country also apply equally to Congress;
SECOND, select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
THIRD, cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
FOURTH, limit the terms of all committee chairs;
FIFTH, ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
SIXTH, require committee meetings to be open to the public;
SEVENTH, require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
EIGHTH, guarantee an honest accounting of our Federal Budget by implementing
zero base-line budgeting.
Reform is something that must happen if we hope to attract younger voters. If there’s one thing that’s undeniable, it’s that the young people brought into the system by President-Elect OBama, it’s that they’re idealists. Idealists, by nature, are reform-minded. The combination of returning to the underlying principles enunciated in Newt’s Contract and communicated through the technology recommended by Patrick Ruffini, Erick Erickson and others will attract idealistic voters of all age cohorts.
I strongly encourage activists serious about regaining electoral relevance to join Rebuild the Party ASAP. Complacency isn’t an option. Achievement isn’t the most important thing. It’s the only thing.
Technorati Tags: Reform, Conservatism, Idealism, Contract With America, RNC, Newt Gingrich, Patrick Ruffini, Erick Erickson, Fundraising, Technology, Activism
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
November 7th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
With the performance of the Republican controlled spend, spend and more spending Congress refusing to correct the border situtation, and the political correctness regarding the Islamic threat I was NEVER going to vote Republican again but then came Gov. Palin. I contributed and vote because if the party changes to her way of thinking voters that left will return! We need to get rid of the members of congress that are RINO’s.
November 8th, 2008 at 9:49 am
In 1990, George Bush I and Trent Lott went along with George Mitchell and increased taxes. In ‘92 Clinton and the Dems wrapped it around their necks, then increased taxes again themselves.
This year George Bush II proposed and McCain joyfully followed along with the 700 billion bailout, which the democratic mahjority helped pass. . . then wrapped around both their necks.
Can we not see the pattern here?
This stupid Republican mentality of “Gee, those Democrats are about to do some really bad stuff, but maybe if we work with them, they wont be quit as bad”, has got to end
tout d’suit. It should be painfully evident by now to the K Street idiots afraid of their own shadow and running the RNC, that they are not dealing with their grandfather’s Democratic party, and that you can never, “work with” Marxian leftists.
November 8th, 2008 at 10:39 am
I have a great deal of respect for Newt as a thinker and an organizer. BUT, every time I see his third wife involved in his activities, I cringe. I’m sorry, I can’t help but think “when’s he going to replace her with another younger babe?” I’d be happy to have Newt behind the scenes leading the Party, but his personal baggage makes him unpalatable as a candidate.
November 9th, 2008 at 10:48 am
The bailout did not bail out his campaign.
November 9th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
The RNC must do a lot of soul-searching, followed by a hell of a lot of hard work, if they’re going to come back stronger in 4 years. This will have to include getting caught up with the tech culture in this country.
November 11th, 2008 at 9:48 am
It is not just the Obama campaign website that gave the Democrats their advantage this year on the Internet. It is the countless number of liberal blogs and news sites, like the Daily Kos, HuffPost, and Democrat Underground. These sites not only provided news and content, but provided outlets for fundraising, grass-roots organization, and GOTV. The Conservative blogosphere has to go in the same direction and create a RightRoots network.