VA GOP GOBs & the Future – Part I
By E M Barner | Monday, December 1st, 2008 | PoliticsIs a post-collegial Good Old Boy network killing the Virginia GOP?
Business leaders know the primary characteristics of a healthy organization:
• Innovative – respond to changing conditions
• Centered – remain committed to their core principles
• Renewable – grow their leadership from within through a merit-based proving process
• Competitive – capitalizes on its unique advantages to retain an edge in the marketplace
Virginia’s grand old party has many strengths. It is the party best aligned with the principles of hard-working Virginians. Virginia Republicans are blessed as well by many competent candidates – past, current and future – who have risen through our ranks.
So, what’s the problem?
Is it that RPV hasn’t paid enough attention to the blogsphere?
The blogsphere is increasingly relevant as traditional media viewership declines and more people seek news and analysis online. And, it is true that its Democratic cousins rather have the edge on the GOP in this respect. But improving official recognition of or interface with the Republican blogsphere is hardly the GOP’s greatest concern.
Is it poor fundraising?
Anemic fundraising is a serious concern for the GOP in Virginia. But rising revenues follow, rather than precede, other indicators of organizational health. Without a popular product and a strong team, no organization can hope for a vigorous balance sheet.
Is it Jeff Frederick?
This charge has rung hollow at every repetition. People who never supported Frederick are using the occasion of John McCain’s loss to attempt to depose him. It’s a petty move, but hardly unexpected given the sometimes vindictive personality politics that is played in this Commonwealth. Frederick has had six months on the job – hardly enough time to ruin or rebuild the Virginia GOP. Given how much turnover the state Republican party has experienced in the chairman department, this blogger thinks it is time to give stable leadership a chance.
So what IS the problem?
Leave your comments and check back for Part II – coming soon.
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About the author
E M Barner, the blogger formerly known as DCH / De Civitate Hominis (“concerning the city of man”), writes from a Northern Virginia perspective. Barner has been active in Republican politics and policy since 1994 – as a grassroots volunteer, party leader, and professional.
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7 Responses to "VA GOP GOBs & the Future – Part I"
Those so-called “Republicans” once in office FAILED to ACT in accordance with the Republican Party principles and the GOP leadership resulted in abhorrent bills such as HB 3202 and huge increases in state taxes, spending, and debt.
The GOP has been taken over by RINOs and political strategists that have deluded themselves into believing what Mark Warner recently said about the last election – it was a endorsement by voters of pragmatism over “ideology”. Actually the opposite of a pragmatist is a person of principle.
Senator-elect Mark Warner know that – but he doesn’t want to speak the truth in a manner that reveals the lack of adherence to party principles.
To many true Conservatives, principles matter.
So, until the GOP comes to grip with this truth, the GOP will continue to decline – continue to lose elections – and continue to fade into irrelevance in Virginia.
You talk about fund raising? Money follows power. The GOP is no longer in a position to offer political power to those special interests that seek to buy their own special influence and access.
The GOP party leadership needs to stand for more than simply “winning elections”. Right now the GOP isn’t even accomplishing THAT goal.
When I was in my first semester of college I wrote an analysis paper regarding the Iraq Study Group Report. The central thesis was that we so grossly failed to follow the Art of War and that nearly all of the reports suggestions could be found within the Art of War’s text. Principal among these is that you never destroy an army unless you have too. Now in regards to the GOP, it is easy to chart a path back to power by using the same exact book that is over 3,000 years old. Consider these two quotes and then apply them to our current situation.
“Thus achieving one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the true pinnacle of excellence. Subjugating the enemy without fighting is the true pinnacle of excellence.”
“Thus the highest realization of warfare is to attack the enemy’s plans”
“In antiquity those who excelled at warfare first made themselves unconquerable in order to await the moment when the enemy became conquerable…thus is can be said a plan for conquering the enemy is known, but yet not possible to implement”
“The small enemy that acts inflexibly will invariably become captives of the larger enemy”
Funny, what has lacked in the GOP is producing results when the GOP is in power (majority) – why the GOP is failing is due in a large part to the GOP’s failure to GOVERN. That is why the GOP “base” no longer supports the GOP.
The decline of the GOP is also due in a large part to the system of government largess that has steadily grown a majority Democratic Party base by the socialist government redistributing the wealth to those targeted social-economic groups that will continue to vote for the Democratic Party because they continue to get “free stuff’ and avoid paying federal income taxes.
Here we have “The Art of War” being quoted as a path forward for the GOP.
This tactic fails to understand the reality that Conservatives expect those they elect as Republicans to GOVERN according to Conservative principles.
If the GOP wants to win back their “base”, they need to actually ACT like principled Republicans and not Democrat-light “Moderates” or “Centrists”.
The “Art of War” is a tool for use in winning battles and wars, thus analogous to winning political campaigns.
My point is that clearly simply winning elections is not a strategy for sustained success for the GOP. If the GOP wants to regain and HOLD power they need to stop acting like Democrats once they win elections.
Instead I still here the GOP political strategists sticking with their failed “big tent” centrist strategy.
The GOP is playing a fool’s game if they believe they can out pander the Democratic-Socialist Party.
Understand the Art of War can be applied to governence as well. If you had read the book in its entirety you would know this. Also applicaple to this predicment would be Rene Descartes discourse on method. We should not take anything as true unless verifying it ourselves first. We take the words of our electeds and media as infallible. We need to instantly call out any and all inpropriety as soon as it is seen and not stop until we get to the bottom of it. This country has suffered unspeakbale crimes for far to long and it is time we said enough.
Max you are such a moron. Instead of reading the Art of War, written by a chinese general three thousands years ago, and trying to find parallels between some old essay on war and what we face today in this hyper-complex ssociety, how about reading some modern conservative thinkers who actually have something to say about the problems and issues we face today. You really are an idiot, Sk8er boy.
[...] couple of days ago, I posted on the state of the GOP. Yesterday, Shaun Kenney did a much more masterful job on the subject than [...]
NJR it is exactly these types of short sighted attacks that have gotten us where we are today. So one can not learn from reading three thousand year old literature? I suppose we should then stop reading Plato, and the other Greek classics. Is Shakespeare still acceptable or is he dated now too. Please leave these personal attacks at the door and be constructive.
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