Michael Steele’s Urgent Memo to the GOP State Chairmen

Friday, February 12th at 12:16PM EST

15 Comments

Recommenders: penguin2 (Diary), nessa (Diary), fpete13527 (Diary), JadedByPolitics (Diary), SE-779 (Diary), discerningconservative (Diary)

URGENT FROM THE CHAIRMAN

From: Michael Steele, RNC Chairman
To: State GOP Chairmen and Chairwomen
Date: February 12, 2010
Subject: Recruiting Precinct Delegates/Precinct Committeemen and Committeewomen

As you know, I promised that our new RNC website, GOP.com, would, by January, 2010, have tools enabling precinct committeemen across the country, in every county, to be able to network with one another — to form caucuses, organize, recruit more precinct committeemen, etc. The RNC wanted to create a template web site and offer it to every state and county GOP committee. That hasn’t happened. Mea culpa. Rather than a top down approach, let’s try a bottom-up approach.

So, I need your help. A quick review of many of the State GOP web sites shows that there is virtually no mention of the fact that our Party is at half-strength in the precinct committeeman ranks. And virtually none of the sites contain urgent pleas, prominently displayed, to visitors of the sites to come into the Republican Party as soon as possible as precinct delegates (as you know, it’s called committeemen, captain, etc. in some states) so the Party can go from half-strength to full-strength going into the 2010 election cycle. Also, there are virtually no explanations as to what a precinct committeeman is and how vitally important they are to the functioning of our “Grand Old Party” — indeed, as you know, because precinct committeemen vote for the leadership of the Party, and directly impact the outcome of the primary elections, they ARE the Party. Some of the county web sites have this information, but dang few.

Here’s one good example of what we need: http://www.maricopagop.org/precinct-committeeman/step-by-step-guide-to-becoming-a-precinct-committeeman-2/. (I’m informed this particular example was accomplished not by the Party officers but by brand new volunteer precinct committeemen who volunteered their time and skills — didn’t cost the Party a cent! And the Party didn’t even ask — the volunteers did it on their own and then presented the new web site on a silver platter to the county leaders.) There are a few other good examples, some of which have been compiled here: www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com (It’s even got a comparison of our Platform and the Democrat Party Platform — we don’t even have that at our GOP.com web site!)

So, here’s my urgent request to you, my Republican brothers and sisters: Please, please, implore your County Chairpersons to prominently place on their web sites, as soon as possible, the following: An explanation to all visitors about the vital power and importance of the precinct committeeman position; how, by becoming one, they can actually “do something” because they will help strengthen and reinvigorate the Party; and how easy it is to become one. Implore them do what they did in Maricopa County, Arizona, if need be, if funds are tight — ask for volunteers from the precinct committeemen ranks. And now you’ve got some good examples for how to do it. I realize that you don’t really have the power to do this, because you know, as I do, that the real power within our Party lies with the precinct committeemen themselves. If precinct committeemen want this to happen at the county level, they can make this happen, as they did in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Let’s get ‘er done.

Thank you.

<<<<<

I can dream, can’t I?

Thank you.
ColdWarrior
Become a Republican precinct committeeman. NOW!

——————–

American first, conservative second, Republican precinct committeeman BY NECESSITY!.

ThePrecinctProject, so you can say, “I became a precinct committeeman before it was cool.”

“[Primary e]lections have consequences, my friends.” — John McCain

15 Comments Leave a comment

I take it he's been reading your emails ColdWarrior!!

nessa (Diary) Friday, February 12th at 1:03PM EST (link)

We’re on it!

“If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams

Contributor to Unified Patriots

teh twitter

Like so many politicians, Steele saw a parade and is trying

Achance (Diary) Friday, February 12th at 1:13PM EST (link)

to run in front of it and make people think he’s the drum major.

In Vino Veritas

You almost had me fooled, ColdWarrior....

penguin2 (Diary) Friday, February 12th at 1:20PM EST (link)

But I think you put this line in there telling me you were having a dream, right?

I can dream, can’t I?

I hope you forwarded it on anyway, and here’s a thought, maybe you can send it to all of the GOP State Party Chairs, under your own respectable titles……

Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God. – Benjamin Franklin
When Good stands up to Evil, Evil blinks. – Vassar Bushmills

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Penguin2, yes, it is a dream -- just to show how easy it would be

ColdWarrior (Diary) Friday, February 12th at 1:30PM EST (link)

with a little leadership to achieve the goal of strengthening the Party from the grass roots up.

But, alas, as I’ve pointed out many times, the incumbent Republicans and the present elected leadership of the Party do not want a change in the status quo because it could mean, even for the conservatives among them, that they, too, would be tossed out in the primary elections. They are ALL TERRIFIED that the “unwashed masses” at the townhall meetings and the Tea Party protests will re-discover basic civics and invade the Republican Party and take it over.

Like has happened in Nevada. Is happening in Arizona and in Utah. And, I hope, in other states.

Thank you.
ColdWarrior
No More Scozzafavas!

In 2012, will YOU become a “voting member” of the Republican Party in your precinct?

Where it all started. Twitter @kaltkrieger
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Attending meeting next week

fpete13527 (Diary) Friday, February 12th at 2:41PM EST (link)

Hopefully will be either on the way or actually become precinct committeeman assistant soon after that.

Meeting is Tuesday before flying to DC for CPAC 10. I really hope I can get to meet you all there to discuss, align, and maybe have some fun too

Thanks for post.

Here is the dirty little secret...the local party officials don't want to put this up

AceInTX (Diary) Friday, February 12th at 10:01PM EST (link)

because it will bring in new people who will upset their apple cart and threaten their comfortable shoes.

I’ve talked about it here before about what I encountered when I got ionvolved in 2000 and all the bitterness and whining about all the “radical right wing riff raff that turned out after 1994″ and created havoc withing district 26.

There was residual anger at the fact that they had lost control of the party for 6 years because people had turned out and participated in the process….the resentment was palpable.

I’tt be that way about the committee man project if we ever allow the comfortable shoe crowd ever gets the reigns back after CW gets done with them…

So let’s make a committment here and now to not let the comfortable shoe crowd to EVER be comfortable in their lethargy again.

and Steele….even though he’s late to the party….needs to be commended as well and this is the first time since he got the nomination that I’ve felt like jumping up and punching the air with excitement at something he’s said or done…

Way to go CW…you’re a heo…and this is well deserved proof of your work…

The “Big Tent” analogy isn’t the correct one…the correct one is a MAGNET…we need to be a MAGNET that draws these independents in who are sick and tired of what’s going on in Washington—Fred Thompson

"I can dream, can’t I?" was my attempt to identify this as satire.

ColdWarrior (Diary) Friday, February 12th at 11:50PM EST (link)

I guess I didn’t snark hard enough. Michael Steele did not do this. This was my lame attempt at satire.

But I hope Steele WILL do this. He should. As should the State and County Chairs.

Thank you.
ColdWarrior
No More Scozzafavas!

In 2012, will YOU become a “voting member” of the Republican Party in your precinct?

Where it all started. Twitter @kaltkrieger
Learn how to GOTV at The Concord Project and at Procinct and Unified Patriots.

I caught that after my reply,

nessa (Diary) Saturday, February 13th at 12:14AM EST (link)

oh well, note to self: Read Everything Carefully. But, in my own defense, I think I can arrange for this to happen in one small NC county.

Contributor to Unified Patriots

teh twitter

Nessa, thanks -- Dare County, NC already has a pretty good guide

ColdWarrior (Diary) Saturday, February 13th at 12:29AM EST (link)

You might want to take a look at it to see if it would serve as a good template for your county. I’ve got a link to it on my little blog.

Thanks,
ColdWarrior

In 2012, will YOU become a “voting member” of the Republican Party in your precinct?

Where it all started. Twitter @kaltkrieger
Learn how to GOTV at The Concord Project and at Procinct and Unified Patriots.

Michael Steele and the "leaders" in the GOP....

JadedByPolitics (Diary) Saturday, February 13th at 8:48AM EST (link)

would no more want Conservatives in those slots then they would want to actually listen to the base. WE are nothing to them but a pain in their collective “progressive Republican” backsides. They are more in tune with Meghan and John McCain then they are with ANY of US on this site!

GREAT snark btw CW!

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Nice job, CW...you jerk, you! Here I am zipping through

eburke (Diary) Saturday, February 13th at 3:03PM EST (link)

your post, my heart started to race, I saw your name is neon, was already forming my attaboys to you in my fertile brain…I’m thinking “wow, this is unbelievable…I can’t believe that *somebody* finally got it through their thick skulls to promote PC participation.”

And then came this line:

“I can dream, can’t I?”

That was cold-blooded, man; and downright not very nice.

“All that need be done for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

Unified Patriots

eburke, sorry. I was just trying to get folks to focus on how easily

ColdWarrior (Diary) Saturday, February 13th at 11:21PM EST (link)

conservatives could take over the Party and how Michael Steele and the RNC don’t even attempt to recruit good people into the PC ranks. Nothing on GOP.com about it that I can find. And it’s like this at most state and county web sites I’ve sampled: no reasons or explanations are posted as to why someone should be a Republican rather than a Democrat and no plea is made to ask people to become actual voting members of the Party. No, instead, there are pleas for money and “volunteers.” They want your money and they want your time, but they don’t want you to know that you can, with a little effort, become a voting member of the Party and have a more direct impact on sizing up the candidates in the primary elections and then help get out the vote for the candidates of your choice.

In the end, though, it’s “we the people” who are to blame. Our apathy and lack of action has gotten us into this pickle. I’m guilty as charged, too. But no more.

Thanks again for all you are doing in Minnesota!

ColdWarrior
No More Scozzafavas!

In 2012, will YOU become a “voting member” of the Republican Party in your precinct?

Where it all started. Twitter @kaltkrieger
Learn how to GOTV at The Concord Project and at Procinct and Unified Patriots.

Aw, I still love ya, CW (in a manly sort of way)

eburke (Diary) Sunday, February 14th at 12:23PM EST (link)

I must tip my hat to you, however. That was masterful set-up…right up to the punch line.

And, as always, you are dead on as to 1) how the ‘powers that be’ never promote this type of involvement; and, 2) how easy it is. For all the money spent, pavement pounded, letters written, articles read…being involved as a ‘Party Member’ was something other people did. I don’t know if I thought you had to ‘be somebody’, or you had to have a “I’m an insider card” or what but having these bozos having to suck up to me know is kinda cool.

Heh. Heh.

“All that need be done for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

Unified Patriots

You got me CW

PrecinctPatriot (Diary) Sunday, February 14th at 3:05PM EST (link)

I was about ready to forward this link to my county chairman…then I read the punch line. I have found one Florida county GOP web site that actively recruits Precinct Committeemen. They will remain anonymous as I do not want them to feel the wrath of the “machine”.
Lucky for our county, our chairman has embraced the concept of recruiting from Tea Party and 9-12 groups. We have 4 in the approval process and are offering training in the PC appointment process every week. Basically these PC candidates are being pre-screened for small government philosophy during the training sessions. No birfers or truthers allowed.

Who is John Galt?

http://thefloridaprecinctproject.wordpress.com/

The fake "Urgent Message" also fooled some libs, too, and the responses are hilarious

ColdWarrior (Diary) Monday, February 15th at 12:11AM EST (link)

I understand in the internet age that it’s difficult to read everything in its entirety, and that’s why I try to be brief. And why I put the “punch line” right after the close of the fake memo.

Well, some libs also got fooled because they didn’t read the punch line — or maybe they did and just couldn’t figure out the memo was a spoof. Here are a couple examples:

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/rnr/1599623859.html

http://thebigotbasher.wordpress.com/2010/02/13/lol-the-republican-party-is-in-crisis-and-can-not-even-run-their-own-party/

And, some Republicans were fooled:

http://caosblog.com/archives/18055

(Even my own Maricopa County Republican Party web site was fooled — they have since pulled the link — I assume they figured it out.)

A contributor to HillBuzz, too, got fooled:

http://hillbuzz.org/2010/02/13/saturday-open-thread-february-13th-2010/ (See comment 41 and the response thereto.)

The silver lining is that some of these posts drove traffic to www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com.

Thank you.
ColdWarrior
No More Scozzavas!
Become a Republican precinct committeeman. NOW!

In 2012, will YOU become a “voting member” of the Republican Party in your precinct?

Where it all started. Twitter @kaltkrieger
Learn how to GOTV at The Concord Project and at Procinct and Unified Patriots.