Video VPOD #1
By JR Hoeft | Sunday, March 8th, 2009 | PodcastsIn this inaugural episode, I discuss RPV’s efforts to remove Jeff Frederick as party chairman.
I’m looking forward to your feedback on my commentary…as well as the video. Help me make this better.
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JR Hoeft
Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.
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13 Responses to "Video VPOD #1"
Well said, Jim. You nailed it. Jeff Frederick was elected by those who recognize the founders’ vision for our nation and believe that Jeff Frederick has a record of adherence to those principles. Too bad the party hasn’t come up with others who do the same. When they do, Republicans will win again.
THE MESSAGE
1st Annual Jerry W. Kilgore Winter Gala
Reception starts at 6pm
Dinner at 7pm
Dancing at 8pm
Music provided by “Class Act”
Individual tickets $35/couples $65
===================================================
Please join the Hampton Democratic Committee for a Candidates Round up and Hampton YD’s Kick off!
Come mingle with elected officials, and the 2009 Democratic Primary Gubernatorial, Lt. Gov, Atty General, House of Delegates ; Constitutional officer Candidates. *all candidates have been invited!
Sunday, March 8,2009
3pm-5:30 pm
The Hampton History Museum
120 Olde Hampton Lane
Hampton Va 23669
Minimum contribution- $12.00
Students:$5.00 (student proceeds will be donated to YD’s)
I don’t think the problem is with the GOP “message” and whether our leaders stick to “core principles” (itself a bone of contention these days), but rather, the lack of elementary political competence. Too many of our candidates have a campaign style aimed at the GOP “Base,” often offending less-partisan voters in the process. Because of the excessive emphasis on ideology and principles, meanwhile, the very ideas of building a winning coalition or tackling real-world problems are viewed with suspicion these days. Frederick exemplifies both of those pathologies, and the party’s current approach to elections and legislating is just plain dumb.
Let’s remember what the Contract with America was. It was developed with the help of Frank Luntz, a pollster, and all of its commitments were super-majority popular.
1994 was not run on ideas that only appealed to Republicans. It was not a “rallying of the base.”
It was a focus on only those things that we believed that the nation supported by a large margin.
We can cling to our “core principles” all we want, but if we want to run on them, and win, it would greatly help if the American people agreed with us, and when they don’t, that’s an issue we agree to drop.
Republicans have to act like Republicans to win elections. Our politicians talk the talk but don’t but don’t walk the walk. Republicans have traditionally stood for limited government, low taxes, a balanced budget, free markets and it has traditionally been Republicans who end wars, not start them.
The Bush/Cheney administration began with a balanced budget. Then they declared war stating Iraq had weapons of mass destruction only to later say Iraq had no WMD and had nothing to do with 9-11. Then there were the bailouts lead by the Republican majority in the house. Add the Patriot Act and Real ID designed for tracking, surveillance and control of law-abiding citizens. It’s the Republican Leadership that trampled on the Constitution and to add insult to injury, Bush called the Constitution a “G..D… piece of paper”. Now our SCC wants to over-turn the people’s choice for RPV Chairman. Wake up!. Stop trying to solve all of the nations
with bigger government. Hear the people when they say “NO BAILOUTS”
and leave it to the free market. You cannot solve a failing economy with more debt. Why must government always feel they have to do something? The people need to be self-reliant and self-governing. WE the Republicans politicians and elected officials wake up and understand what the founders, even Reagan, understood, we can win elections.
“Why must government always feel they have to do something? The people need to be self-reliant and self-governing.”
Because the ones who propose to do something get elected and re-elected.
The tide turns when the majority starts to resent the benefits going to those who screwed up that are not only paid for by the majority but aren’t available for the majority to use.
Andrew, I agree there’s nothing wrong with the message. I do disagree with you that not sticking to principle isn’t an issue. I’m not saying that you have to be “hard core” and drive your favorite issue down everyone’s throat. What I’m saying is that if you legislate against many core princples found in your own party’s creed then how do people really know who the heck you are? How can you be trusted to be a man/woman of your word? Do I trust somebody like that with my tax dollars and my freedom?
A lack of elementary political competence? Careful…..I might agree with you. Seeing McDonnell attack a large part of his own party in hopes that those more likely to vote Democrat will suddenly see him as a better pick than a real democrat is hardly a good move. How many seats were lost BEFORE not even a year of Jeff Frederick? How do you blame THAT incompetence on Frederick?
If you’re talking about building “winning” coalitions as teaming up with amoral socialists, forget about it.
I guess I agree with Brian to a large degree on the Contract with America. However, I would like to point out that even if it wasn’t designed to rally the base, it certainly DID. The same approach can be used so, that the many components in the RPV feel included rather than excluded rather than you just run politically to the left. That Revolution in 94′ was hardly a “Lefty” platform.
Admit it, the media lambasted Newt and the contract. They called it the “Contract ON America” they hated it so much. (Partly I admit just because it was effective) That wasn’t running toward the “Left” hoping to out “Left” a real “Lefty”.
There is a true difference between not running hard on certain values of fellow Republicans and publicly attacking them. If the Democrat strategy is to divide and conquer, they are certainly doing a marvelous job of it. Take an honest look at who is publicly isolating whom. Take a look at what party has fellow party members making fun of the beliefs of other party members. Talk about building coalitions? Looks like a destruction of coalitions to me.
Ironically, there is more agreement on GOP principles than most of us acknowledge. The tragedy is many on our side are using that as a wedge issue against each other, magnifying small differences, thus making us weaker. I dearly wish our had leaders had stuck with the CWA after Clinton won the showdown of lat 1995, giving the public a clear vision. Instead, we got sidetracked by sleaze, vitriol, and pork-barrel spending, e.g., Tom DeLay. Newt and Luntz are among my heroes.
I agree with much of Donna’s critique of Bush II, who deserves much of the blame for intra-GOP warfare and confusion over what “conservative” means. Hopefully, we won’t be led astray by “compassionate” Big Government conservatives again.
The suggestion that we might make an alliance with “amoral socialists” is preposterous, perfectly illustrating my point about how winning strategies are regarded with suspicion in the GOP. Thank you (ironically), Britt.
As for McDonnell, all I’m aware of is a mild comment on the desirability of new RPV leadership. How is that an “attack [on] a large part of his own party”?
A perfect example of “divide and conquer” is how Rahm Emanuel set Rush Limbaugh up as de facto GOP leader, which Rush was only too happy to accept, and to which the actual party leader (Steele) felt obliged to respond, clumsily. If Rush wins this unnecessary turf war, the Dems will have ammunition to justify passing the “Fairness Doctrine” limiting free speech on the radio, and then we’re all screwed. Don’t take the Democrats’ bait; lighten up before it’s too late!!
Remember, anything that wasn’t super-majority popular in polls was discarded from inclusion in the Contract with America. Was that abandoning principles?
No, Brian, It wasn’t. It united those inside the party and pulled in swing voters.
Winning coalitions were formed and nobody in the GOP base was called an idiot for stating he believed in creation and no fiscal conservatives were labeled as extreme 5% people that don’t get political reality.
It gave nothing to the socialists in the far left of the Democrat party and somehow there was a “winning coalition” formed. Exactly why the Contract WITH was derided as the Contract ON America by the Dems.
I agree with Jim’s VPOD. We have had some pretty weak candidates running who lack credibility and strength of leadership. I don’t care if Karl Rove had been our RPV Chair, the election results would not have been any different in Virginia. To blame Jeff for the mess that has been at RPV over the last 5-10 years is just a way for the Republican Party to stay in denial over the core problems that exist in our Party. If Jeff is actually guilty of something then let’s look at the charges. But if Jeff is being used as a scapegoat so that the Virginia GOP doesn’t have to address their flaws, that turkey won’t fly!
Our problems are a result of weak leadership by those Republicans who hold public office. Must I list them all? We haven’t the time or space. 1) A House Speaker and Senator Majority Leader who passes $1.4 billion tax increases and makes our Democrat Governor look like a hero, 2) An attorney governor and GA who think that taxation without representation is a grand idea, 3) A GA who has given up on free market principles and has decided to tell restaurants how to run their business, 4) a Republican GA who forced HPV vaccinations on our daughters, 5) a Republican controlled GA who has had an insatiable appetite for spending, 6) candidates with no message (Kilgore on death penalty??, Gilmore on ?? [I guess “drill baby drill” at the very end), McCain on a new theme weekly.
The list goes on and on. Don’t tell me we are courting the base. This kind of garbage doesn’t court anyone except for hard-line Party voters who just look for the “R” after the name. It is like the GOP has been aiming for a segment of society that doesn’t even exist! The proof in this is that you had more people voting for the Marriage Amendment than you had voting for our Republican candidates. When our GOP candidates actually have conservative ideas, we win! What we have lacked is any sort of fresh solutions. The last time we ran on any sort of exciting ideas were with Allen’s welfare reform, abolition in parole, economic development, reducing the size of government. Or how about Gilmore’s tax cut? Did we win on those ideas…ahhh yes. Have we had any since? NOPE.
This Party will not start to thrive again until we actually look deep inside and determine if we still value and believe in the Republican Creed. If we don’t believe in the Republican Creed, why do we even bother running candidates? We could just merge with the Dems and be one big happy family and save us all a lot of work. Either we believe in what we say or we don’t. I’m ready to stand beside a candidate with some principle and integrity. I’m tired of the squish. They gotta go…they are KILLING our Party. Who wants to vote for a candidates who stands for nothing? Be hot or cold if you want to win, because the voters will spit out the lukewarm candidate.
BTW, the CWA was successfull because it was conservative principles that resonated with the masses. They weren’t Dem-lite principles that the majority supported. When we have conservative solutions (and not just jargon) we win elections because our ideas are better. The CWA is proof of that.
Nice first VPOD cast Jim!!!
Jim,
Glad you’re trying the VPOD. I think it’s a good thing to do, but I have a couple of style points. Try get back a little further from the camera and try to sit at a 90-degree angle to the lens. And if you’re in a close-up shot, don’t talk with your hands. One kept popping into the picture.
Hope the feedback is helpful.
Chris
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