speciallyblend
03-18-2015, 09:43 AM
:toady:Hello Folks alot has happened this week in Colorado, for those that do not know. The Establishment was removed from chair,co chair and secretary. Here is a post and comments on it from colorado activists,
TONIGHT, FIRST ON KNUS! On the Jimmy Sengenberger (https://www.facebook.com/JimmySengenbergerPro) Show I will be joined by the brand-new Colorado Republican Party Executive Team in their EXCLUSIVE first post-election radio interviews. Chairman-elect Steve House, Vice Chairman-elect Derrick Wilburn, and Secretary-elect Brandi Meek will all be on the show!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/rlccolorado/permalink/10153208079448179/
Today was a good day for the Republican Party and Liberty in Colorado.
Tomorrow is our first day under new party leadership and it is important that we all start off on the same foot. Even under new leadership, there are functions that are appropriate for the state party and functions that should be handled by all of us, the grassroots. The Colorado Republican Party is not, and cannot, be the vehicle by which we hope to accomplish our entire agenda.
The new state party leadership was elected, in part, to move our party in a different direction. To usher in an era of accountability and transparency. To build a party capable of supporting Republican candidates up and down the ballot. Lastly and most importantly, they were elected to be fair. It was said, repeatedly, that we all wanted a party that would not intervene in the primaries. We do not want our party picking winners and losers. Now that we’ve won, our integrity demands that we support fairness in our party.
If we hope to win elections in the future, we must broaden our appeal and our voting base. I don’t say this because I need a catch-phrase to sound popularly cliché. I say it because it’s true, but allow me to be more specific. Our state party can’t afford to alienate the establishment Republicans, the social conservatives, and every other brand of Republican in the state. The party must be neutral in the primaries, leaving the voters to decide which brand of Republicanism they want representing them in the general election. Every district is different and the voters of each district should choose for themselves. The state party is then obligated to support the winner. Obviously the party will have to allocate limited resources in the most effective manner but they are not picking winners and losers.
What we should all demand of our new party leadership is that they build capability and capacity. That they build an infrastructure to support Republican candidates in a general election. In this, we must hold Steve House, Derrick Wilburn, Brandi Meek, and the rest of our party officials accountable. They cannot fail us. We’ve worked too long and too hard to allow them to fail us and the party. I, for one, expect to see action and soon.
As for furthering the Liberty agenda, that is our responsibility. That’s not the party’s job. If we want to pass Liberty-oriented legislation, we have to do the work. If we want principled officials elected, then we have to do the work. We will have opportunities for cooperation with the state party but we cannot expect them to do it all while we just show up at the rallies.
That said, there are several things that we need to start now, separate from the party. If we want to advance Liberty in 2016, these are areas where we need to focus:
1. We must define the political terrain for 2016. We cannot allow the Democrats to dictate the issues discussed. There are opportunities to put constitutional amendments on the ballot that will accomplish this while also advancing the principle of individual liberty. A perfect starting point is education.
2. Outside of the Republican Party, we need to build a relationship with the Libertarians. Rapprochement based on shared values is the perfect starting point for a way ahead. While we may have disagreements, there are many more issues where we see eye to eye.
3. Recruiting, supporting, and electing candidates who support individual liberty. This may mean running candidates in the primaries against incumbent Republicans and supporting recall efforts in as little as three months. Elected officials and candidates without principles must understand that their actions, and their votes, have consequences.
The electorate is changing and I believe a message based on individual liberty can be broadly successful in the Centennial State. It is our responsibility to ensure that it reaches the voters. Passivity and timidity only empower our opponents, both inside and outside of our state party. If you would like to help in any way, please message me. The movement has already begun. We can do this. We just have to have the courage to see it through.
update, comment, https://www.facebook.com/groups/rlccolorado/permalink/10153216454008179/
There are two themes that have begun to spread on social media following Steve House’s victory last Saturday. The first is that the ‘Tea Party’ has taken over the Colorado Republican Party. The second builds on the first to conclude that, and I’m paraphrasing here, ‘hard-line conservatives will begin using purity tests on some Republicans with the intent of purging them from the state party or removing them from office.’
I love breathless hyperbole as much as the next social media enthusiast but this seems to be a purposefully partisan interpretation of the facts. What happened last Saturday is that duly-elected delegates exercised their right to cast ballots in the election for state party chairman. And Steve House won. There was no violent overthrow. Steve didn’t appoint 46 additional voting members under ethically dubious circumstances like Democratic Chairman Rick Palacio. The voters wanted change and that’s the way the majority voted. That’s it.
Is Steve House different than Ryan Call? Absolutely. Has he pledged to be more responsive to actual Republican voters? Yes. Are there many voters who care about the Constitution, fiscal responsibility, and their individual liberty? It seems obvious that there are. Lastly, why are some Republicans using the term ‘Tea Party’ derisively? Last I checked, the one in Boston is still fairly popular and the modern one should probably be credited for giving House Republicans their largest majority since 1929.
As for the so called ‘purity tests’, is the argument that voters shouldn’t care how their elected officials vote once in office? That statement is ridiculous on its face; of course the voters care. If they didn’t, logic would hold that they wouldn’t have voted in the first place. Now if a Republican candidate runs for office, is elected by the voters, and then reneges on promises made, should the voters simply tolerate their deception in order to be polite? Of course not. The burden of fidelity is not the voter’s to bear. That particular burden falls on the elected official. And as in all relationships, once someone’s been unfaithful, the relationship is usually terminated by the one who was betrayed. This’s not unusual, in fact, it’s typical everywhere but with elected officials.
There are many Republicans among us who say we must continue to support elected Republican officials no matter what their voting record is because anything less will mean a Democratic victory. These same Republicans would also have us all believe that the use of normal democratic processes is somehow subversive. That holding elected officials accountable for their votes demonstrates a radical political agenda. They want to label those of us who simply don’t agree with them as malcontents and troublemakers. These people are wrong and they’re damaging the party and our brand.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the party has a responsibility to maintain its neutrality. It is a machine meant to support all Republican candidates and the platform voted on at the convention. It does not pick winners and losers. It doesn’t do so because it must appeal to as many Republicans as possible. The party's task is to build majorities and achieve victories.
However, those of us who identify as ‘Tea Party’, ‘Liberty Republicans’, or anything else not viewed as adequately mainstream by the establishment do not share in that responsibility. We are independent political actors who willingly affiliate with the party machine, we are not governed by it. We will do exactly what we feel is appropriate as measured by our own system of values. And if there are more of us than there are of those feeding the two themes above, we’re going to win. And we did.
the gop establishment better listen ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNdOsL4Xe7Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNdOsL4Xe7Q:toady::eek:
TONIGHT, FIRST ON KNUS! On the Jimmy Sengenberger (https://www.facebook.com/JimmySengenbergerPro) Show I will be joined by the brand-new Colorado Republican Party Executive Team in their EXCLUSIVE first post-election radio interviews. Chairman-elect Steve House, Vice Chairman-elect Derrick Wilburn, and Secretary-elect Brandi Meek will all be on the show!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/rlccolorado/permalink/10153208079448179/
Today was a good day for the Republican Party and Liberty in Colorado.
Tomorrow is our first day under new party leadership and it is important that we all start off on the same foot. Even under new leadership, there are functions that are appropriate for the state party and functions that should be handled by all of us, the grassroots. The Colorado Republican Party is not, and cannot, be the vehicle by which we hope to accomplish our entire agenda.
The new state party leadership was elected, in part, to move our party in a different direction. To usher in an era of accountability and transparency. To build a party capable of supporting Republican candidates up and down the ballot. Lastly and most importantly, they were elected to be fair. It was said, repeatedly, that we all wanted a party that would not intervene in the primaries. We do not want our party picking winners and losers. Now that we’ve won, our integrity demands that we support fairness in our party.
If we hope to win elections in the future, we must broaden our appeal and our voting base. I don’t say this because I need a catch-phrase to sound popularly cliché. I say it because it’s true, but allow me to be more specific. Our state party can’t afford to alienate the establishment Republicans, the social conservatives, and every other brand of Republican in the state. The party must be neutral in the primaries, leaving the voters to decide which brand of Republicanism they want representing them in the general election. Every district is different and the voters of each district should choose for themselves. The state party is then obligated to support the winner. Obviously the party will have to allocate limited resources in the most effective manner but they are not picking winners and losers.
What we should all demand of our new party leadership is that they build capability and capacity. That they build an infrastructure to support Republican candidates in a general election. In this, we must hold Steve House, Derrick Wilburn, Brandi Meek, and the rest of our party officials accountable. They cannot fail us. We’ve worked too long and too hard to allow them to fail us and the party. I, for one, expect to see action and soon.
As for furthering the Liberty agenda, that is our responsibility. That’s not the party’s job. If we want to pass Liberty-oriented legislation, we have to do the work. If we want principled officials elected, then we have to do the work. We will have opportunities for cooperation with the state party but we cannot expect them to do it all while we just show up at the rallies.
That said, there are several things that we need to start now, separate from the party. If we want to advance Liberty in 2016, these are areas where we need to focus:
1. We must define the political terrain for 2016. We cannot allow the Democrats to dictate the issues discussed. There are opportunities to put constitutional amendments on the ballot that will accomplish this while also advancing the principle of individual liberty. A perfect starting point is education.
2. Outside of the Republican Party, we need to build a relationship with the Libertarians. Rapprochement based on shared values is the perfect starting point for a way ahead. While we may have disagreements, there are many more issues where we see eye to eye.
3. Recruiting, supporting, and electing candidates who support individual liberty. This may mean running candidates in the primaries against incumbent Republicans and supporting recall efforts in as little as three months. Elected officials and candidates without principles must understand that their actions, and their votes, have consequences.
The electorate is changing and I believe a message based on individual liberty can be broadly successful in the Centennial State. It is our responsibility to ensure that it reaches the voters. Passivity and timidity only empower our opponents, both inside and outside of our state party. If you would like to help in any way, please message me. The movement has already begun. We can do this. We just have to have the courage to see it through.
update, comment, https://www.facebook.com/groups/rlccolorado/permalink/10153216454008179/
There are two themes that have begun to spread on social media following Steve House’s victory last Saturday. The first is that the ‘Tea Party’ has taken over the Colorado Republican Party. The second builds on the first to conclude that, and I’m paraphrasing here, ‘hard-line conservatives will begin using purity tests on some Republicans with the intent of purging them from the state party or removing them from office.’
I love breathless hyperbole as much as the next social media enthusiast but this seems to be a purposefully partisan interpretation of the facts. What happened last Saturday is that duly-elected delegates exercised their right to cast ballots in the election for state party chairman. And Steve House won. There was no violent overthrow. Steve didn’t appoint 46 additional voting members under ethically dubious circumstances like Democratic Chairman Rick Palacio. The voters wanted change and that’s the way the majority voted. That’s it.
Is Steve House different than Ryan Call? Absolutely. Has he pledged to be more responsive to actual Republican voters? Yes. Are there many voters who care about the Constitution, fiscal responsibility, and their individual liberty? It seems obvious that there are. Lastly, why are some Republicans using the term ‘Tea Party’ derisively? Last I checked, the one in Boston is still fairly popular and the modern one should probably be credited for giving House Republicans their largest majority since 1929.
As for the so called ‘purity tests’, is the argument that voters shouldn’t care how their elected officials vote once in office? That statement is ridiculous on its face; of course the voters care. If they didn’t, logic would hold that they wouldn’t have voted in the first place. Now if a Republican candidate runs for office, is elected by the voters, and then reneges on promises made, should the voters simply tolerate their deception in order to be polite? Of course not. The burden of fidelity is not the voter’s to bear. That particular burden falls on the elected official. And as in all relationships, once someone’s been unfaithful, the relationship is usually terminated by the one who was betrayed. This’s not unusual, in fact, it’s typical everywhere but with elected officials.
There are many Republicans among us who say we must continue to support elected Republican officials no matter what their voting record is because anything less will mean a Democratic victory. These same Republicans would also have us all believe that the use of normal democratic processes is somehow subversive. That holding elected officials accountable for their votes demonstrates a radical political agenda. They want to label those of us who simply don’t agree with them as malcontents and troublemakers. These people are wrong and they’re damaging the party and our brand.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the party has a responsibility to maintain its neutrality. It is a machine meant to support all Republican candidates and the platform voted on at the convention. It does not pick winners and losers. It doesn’t do so because it must appeal to as many Republicans as possible. The party's task is to build majorities and achieve victories.
However, those of us who identify as ‘Tea Party’, ‘Liberty Republicans’, or anything else not viewed as adequately mainstream by the establishment do not share in that responsibility. We are independent political actors who willingly affiliate with the party machine, we are not governed by it. We will do exactly what we feel is appropriate as measured by our own system of values. And if there are more of us than there are of those feeding the two themes above, we’re going to win. And we did.
the gop establishment better listen ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNdOsL4Xe7Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNdOsL4Xe7Q:toady::eek: