The Tea Party and Advocates of Limited Government Should Oppose Reince Priebus for RNC Chair


Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin
January 6th, 2011


We have about a week to mobilize opposition to Mr. Reince Priebus, frontrunner for RNC National Chairman.

So take five minutes of your time to review the below information, write a polite letter to your RNC Committee members (or ALL of the members), and then forward this message to others who care about our principles.

I received this note from someone in Wisconsin yesterday: “Having experienced the power exercised by Priebus to reject my application to join the Marathon County GOP, I can testify fist hand to how tyrannical a party he would run if in charge at the RNC level. It would be catastrophic for the RNC for him to get the chair. He must be stopped.“

Who can stop him? The grassroots, that’s who. Here are some reasons to oppose Mr. Priebus. Below you will also find a sample letter, RNC Contact Information, and related links of interest.

1) The election results in Wisconsin had little to do with Reince Priebus. Wisconsin’s economy suffered under a long period of Democratic control. Voters — led by the 60+ Tea Party groups in the state — were ready for a change. Priebus happened to be in the right place at the right time. Check the 2008 election results in Wisconsin and you’ll see why Priebus had little to do with the 2010 results.

2) Mr. Priebus is not loyal to anyone except Mr. Priebus (and Paul Ryan). This is evidenced by the fact that Michael Steele appointed Mr. Priebus to an important, high-profile post in the RNC, yet Mr. Priebus repaid his friend/ally by stabbing him in the back. This type of behavior does not seem like that of a leader.

3) Mr. Priebus’s employer actively supports Obamacare and has lobbied to receive federal stimulus funds for its clients. Erick Erickson at RedState as well as numerous other authors have exposed Priebus’s support for Big Government. Priebus himself admits he supports REAL ID, a national identification program that will expand surveillance and government power.

4) Mr. Priebus is not qualified to be National Committee Chair. In 2004, he lost his bid for State Senate. In 2007, he became Wisconsin GOP Chair and happened to lead the GOP to success in the 2010 election. The 2008 election was a disaster for the Wisconsin GOP — also under Priebus’s leadership. He became a lawyer in 1998. Look at the other candidates for RNC Chair and you’ll discover why Priebus’s resume just doesn’t add up.

5) Mr. Priebus does not support the Tea Party. He will use the Tea Party to his own benefit, but there is no evidence that Priebus has shared values with the Tea Party.

6) Mr. Priebus will change Republican National Committee rules to strengthen GOP party bosses to the detriment of primary voters and Tea Party activists. Priebus supports a top-down approach where party bosses decide which candidates should receive support rather than a grassroots, bottom-up approach where voters decide which candidates have earned their trust.

7) Mr. Priebus believes in a GOP “unity pledge” and hopes to use his authority to boot out those who disagree. “A Republican must believe in something,” says Priebus. I don’t think we should leave it up to Priebus to decide who should and should not participate in the Republican Party.

8.) Mr. Priebus re-directed Wisconsin GOP donor monies to his favorite candidates, a clear misuse of donor money. Two candidates for Governor and US Senate in Wisconsin (Scott Walker and Ron Johnson), despite having GOP primary opponents, were endorsed at the 2010 GOP Convention by party insiders — four months prior to Wisconsin’s primary. Wisconsin has a tradition of allowing primary voters to pick its nominees. Under Priebus, this system fell apart — to the detriment of grassroots conservatives and Tea Party voters whose candidates were not given support by party insiders. The establishment candidates selected were given over $700,000 in monies directly sent to the state GOP. Can a state Republican Party redirect money directly to candidates in a contested primary without consent from its donors?

9) Mr. Priebus is not a good spokesman for the Republican Party. His performance in the RNC debate was lackluster and awkward. The audience barely responded to a word he said.

10) Mr. Priebus is the choice of the political establishment — the same people who got our country and our party into this mess. Look who is supporting him.

11) Mr. Priebus will use RNC money to lobby for REAL ID, a de facto National ID card that many states have already opted out of. He admitted this in the ATR/DailyCaller RNC debate.

12) Mr. Priebus is an unapologetic advocate of pre-primary State Party and potentially National Party endorsements. This policy will strengthen party bosses and disempower grassroots activists and Tea Party voters. It also will increase the likelihood that non-conservative establishment candidates will be chosen in GOP primaries, and, as a result, General Elections.






Sample Letter


Dear RNC Committee Member,

Thank you for your service to our party. As an active GOP voter and contributor, I am asking you to oppose Reince Priebus for RNC Chair.

I am very concerned about the consequences of electing Mr. Priebus. We need to maintain the broad political spectrum support that we have gained in the past year through the Tea Party movement. Mr. Priebus is an establishment Republican who would unnecessarily marginalize the Tea Party and grassroots conservatives. His performance in the recent RNC Debate showed not only that he isn’t concerned about grassroots conservatives, but also that he could potentially embarrass the party as its representative. Additionally, a litmus test to be a Republican is absolutely unnecessary at such an important time for our country.

I also urge you to look into his record in Wisconsin. Yes, there were electoral victories, but could the over 60 grassroots Tea Party groups and the right climate (Democrats controlling every level of government, resulting in job loss and overregulation) have been more of a factor than anything Mr. Priebus himself did? The 2008 results in Wisconsin, when Mr. Priebus also served as Chair, were not impressive by any stretch. You’ll also find that his resume pales in comparison to the other candidates for RNC Chair.

The rule changes Mr. Priebus oversaw as GOP Chairman disenfranchised Wisconsin Republican primary voters and the GOP’s pre-primary endorsement did not sit well with the Tea Party groups in the state. As you know, Tea Party groups communicate with each other and once the word spreads, Priebus is going to do more damage to the RNC than his talents are worth.

Mr. Priebus is the wrong choice for the RNC and for grassroots conservatives — especially the Tea Party. We need to capitalize on the gains we have made. Let’s focus on cutting taxes and spending and putting our constitutional principles into practice. A top down approach for the RNC will not achieve our goals — not now.

Thank you for your consideration.

Cordially,
[YOUR NAME]