surf
01-05-2009, 02:47 PM
:) i sent this to the local district chair a few weeks back and received his response today
Hi Justin,
I'm writing to give you some perspective on what the "Campaign for Liberty" members would like to see from our local GOP and what the goals of the organization are for the local GOP.
In a nutshell, it can be summed up by two words: small government.
I attended the King County GOP meeting earlier this month and heard nary an individual mention downsizing the Federal, State, or local governments. Instead we were told of the atheist plaque and the rehashing of last years Christmas tree escapade at SeaTac. This message may fire-up certain elements of the local GOP, but in the grand scheme of a pending depression and massive government debt, an atheist plaque seems to be a rather obscure focal point.
I see the new membership in the GOP as resolute in the call for lesser government interference in people's lives and greater personal autonomy. Autonomy tends to be a universal desire among those that do not have power to alter, through law (i.e. politicians), personal freedom.
Small government belief used to be a prerequisite for carrying the GOP mantle. It appears that this is no longer the message the GOP wishes to convey – particularly on the national level. When Senator McCain suspended his campaign and returned to Capital Hill to ensure passage of the "Wall Street Bailout" package, he not only lost my vote but also lost a chance to become the next President of the United States. Representative Reichert, on the other hand, undoubtedly won his seat because he voted against the bailout, twice.
The message needed to grow the GOP is similar to what the Campaign for Liberty embodies. Stealing a quote from a successful libertarian candidate, the message the GOP should be trumping to differentiate the Republicans from the Democrats is "small government is beautiful."
Conversing with my peers in precinct 48-0950 I have found that "small government" is a message that resonates with independents, democrats, and is incredibly popular among those that vote republican. Many of the fellow republicans in my district desire a return to the message of Ronald Reagan – eliminate government agencies. A man I know that has voted Republican for over 40 years reflected glowingly of Reagan's call to eliminate the Department of Education, followed by a certain amount of disdain that President Bush grew the DOE and introduced, "No Child Left Behind." He still voted for Senator McCain, but was less than enthusiastic about his selection.
I agree that gaining legislative influence should be a goal of the GOP. But to what lengths is the GOP willing to waiver from what should be its message of less government to attain this power? Prosperity is inversely related to government growth and influence (only a Keynesian would dispute this), yet the candidates the GOP routinely endorse do not practice this.
Rob McKenna spoke of the importance of the "message" the GOP sends. Personally, I think the actions speak louder than words, and right now the actions of the GOP officials do not reflect the message of the party or the wishes of the party membership.
To sum, the Campaign for Liberty is not something to be afraid of as its actions mirror the "message" of the GOP. If we want to see the Republican Party grow, it is my opinion that the "message" to be promoted is that small government and personal freedom will lead to greater prosperity. On a precinct level, if you are willing to endorse the small government and personal freedom concepts, I will help you get closer to your goal of 180 PCOs.
Thanks for your time,
Tim
His response
Tim,
Happy new year! Thanks for your thoughtful email. Amidst the busyness of the holidays I have taken some time to consider what you said, and we are in agreement on the GOP tenant of smaller government.
I accept with enthusiasm your challenge to work on this at the precinct and district level, along with being a voice to the county and state GOP as well. I humbly ask you to work with me, side by side, as fellow Republicans and PCOs, to lead by example and get this work done.
We should talk in the not-too-distant future, both about your involvement and the involvement of your fellow CFL colleagues. In the mean-time, I am now asking you to consider a request I've been thinking about for some time.
As the 48th District GOP our 180-precincts, and the community within our district boundaries, are our responsibility. That is our playing field, and that is our charge. Beyond that I believe we influence best through leadership by example. What I mean by that is this: what we do successfully here is replicable elsewhere in other districts across the state.
Here is my request. I would like you to consider being one of two or three point people for the 48th on what's happening with the size and scope of government in Olympia, and make recommendations on how we can effect change and disseminate information (educate our people). Jamie walker and Chris Johnson are the other two people who have come to mind, as they have both expressed a similar passion and enthusiasm.
Here is what we know. Brian Sonntag, our Democrat state auditor, has recommended to the Governor and her Democrat controlled legislature 434 specific audit recommendations on which they have enacted -0- of them. There is also a committee responsible for oversight called the Joint Legislative Audit Review Committee (JLARC), and we need to be in regular contact with the appropriate players to learn what they are (or are not) doing with audit recommendations, cutting the size of government, lessening the tax burden, etc., to get us out of this economic mess we are in.
Would you be willing to help take on this responsibility? If so, we can sit down and talk and go from there on what we think that might look like and what we will do with the information we learn along the way.
Please consider my request and let's talk soon!
Best,
Justin
Hi Justin,
I'm writing to give you some perspective on what the "Campaign for Liberty" members would like to see from our local GOP and what the goals of the organization are for the local GOP.
In a nutshell, it can be summed up by two words: small government.
I attended the King County GOP meeting earlier this month and heard nary an individual mention downsizing the Federal, State, or local governments. Instead we were told of the atheist plaque and the rehashing of last years Christmas tree escapade at SeaTac. This message may fire-up certain elements of the local GOP, but in the grand scheme of a pending depression and massive government debt, an atheist plaque seems to be a rather obscure focal point.
I see the new membership in the GOP as resolute in the call for lesser government interference in people's lives and greater personal autonomy. Autonomy tends to be a universal desire among those that do not have power to alter, through law (i.e. politicians), personal freedom.
Small government belief used to be a prerequisite for carrying the GOP mantle. It appears that this is no longer the message the GOP wishes to convey – particularly on the national level. When Senator McCain suspended his campaign and returned to Capital Hill to ensure passage of the "Wall Street Bailout" package, he not only lost my vote but also lost a chance to become the next President of the United States. Representative Reichert, on the other hand, undoubtedly won his seat because he voted against the bailout, twice.
The message needed to grow the GOP is similar to what the Campaign for Liberty embodies. Stealing a quote from a successful libertarian candidate, the message the GOP should be trumping to differentiate the Republicans from the Democrats is "small government is beautiful."
Conversing with my peers in precinct 48-0950 I have found that "small government" is a message that resonates with independents, democrats, and is incredibly popular among those that vote republican. Many of the fellow republicans in my district desire a return to the message of Ronald Reagan – eliminate government agencies. A man I know that has voted Republican for over 40 years reflected glowingly of Reagan's call to eliminate the Department of Education, followed by a certain amount of disdain that President Bush grew the DOE and introduced, "No Child Left Behind." He still voted for Senator McCain, but was less than enthusiastic about his selection.
I agree that gaining legislative influence should be a goal of the GOP. But to what lengths is the GOP willing to waiver from what should be its message of less government to attain this power? Prosperity is inversely related to government growth and influence (only a Keynesian would dispute this), yet the candidates the GOP routinely endorse do not practice this.
Rob McKenna spoke of the importance of the "message" the GOP sends. Personally, I think the actions speak louder than words, and right now the actions of the GOP officials do not reflect the message of the party or the wishes of the party membership.
To sum, the Campaign for Liberty is not something to be afraid of as its actions mirror the "message" of the GOP. If we want to see the Republican Party grow, it is my opinion that the "message" to be promoted is that small government and personal freedom will lead to greater prosperity. On a precinct level, if you are willing to endorse the small government and personal freedom concepts, I will help you get closer to your goal of 180 PCOs.
Thanks for your time,
Tim
His response
Tim,
Happy new year! Thanks for your thoughtful email. Amidst the busyness of the holidays I have taken some time to consider what you said, and we are in agreement on the GOP tenant of smaller government.
I accept with enthusiasm your challenge to work on this at the precinct and district level, along with being a voice to the county and state GOP as well. I humbly ask you to work with me, side by side, as fellow Republicans and PCOs, to lead by example and get this work done.
We should talk in the not-too-distant future, both about your involvement and the involvement of your fellow CFL colleagues. In the mean-time, I am now asking you to consider a request I've been thinking about for some time.
As the 48th District GOP our 180-precincts, and the community within our district boundaries, are our responsibility. That is our playing field, and that is our charge. Beyond that I believe we influence best through leadership by example. What I mean by that is this: what we do successfully here is replicable elsewhere in other districts across the state.
Here is my request. I would like you to consider being one of two or three point people for the 48th on what's happening with the size and scope of government in Olympia, and make recommendations on how we can effect change and disseminate information (educate our people). Jamie walker and Chris Johnson are the other two people who have come to mind, as they have both expressed a similar passion and enthusiasm.
Here is what we know. Brian Sonntag, our Democrat state auditor, has recommended to the Governor and her Democrat controlled legislature 434 specific audit recommendations on which they have enacted -0- of them. There is also a committee responsible for oversight called the Joint Legislative Audit Review Committee (JLARC), and we need to be in regular contact with the appropriate players to learn what they are (or are not) doing with audit recommendations, cutting the size of government, lessening the tax burden, etc., to get us out of this economic mess we are in.
Would you be willing to help take on this responsibility? If so, we can sit down and talk and go from there on what we think that might look like and what we will do with the information we learn along the way.
Please consider my request and let's talk soon!
Best,
Justin