AZ GOP Needs Resurrected
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| By: Shawnna Bolick |
Yes, I am FED UP!
In fact I am also disappointed with the lack of leadership at the helm of the sinking ship (a.k.a. our great country of ours), yet the good patriots in Arizona haven’t fully woken up, either: we are lacking a quality leader to drive the Republican Party into 2012 right here in our backyard.
The Arizona Democrats were smart enough to elect a young, successful entrepreneur to lead the Democratic Party against the Republican Party in 2012.
They know how to fundraise, get out the vote and attract the younger population into the party with welcome arms.
What do the Republicans have to show for in the first quarter? I am told a newly installed paper towel holder in the AZGOPHQ. While our enemy is out there taking things to the next level, we’re not even ready for training wheels and stuck with the tricycle.
The “sheeple” donned their brown shirts and marched onward right off a cliff when they elected the current Republican state chairman.
Now, I touched briefly on the tea party earlier in this rant. The tea party is a movement, not a political party that is comprised of all different political types that want to focus on driving home sound fiscal policy.
It has an organic feel to it, yet there are some controlling types out there that want to reign over this group and exert their power even though they often state “We the People.”
Where do you fit into this?
Well, if you live in Arizona and you are either a precinct committeeman or a state committeeman you should be involved in PC training in order to start laying the groundwork for 2012. Yes, you wonder how we’ll be able to compete with the Democrats when we have only raised a small amount of money through a small donor pool.
Well, I am told our party has a magician and a musician. Maybe we could get the magician to make the musician disappear and then we could actually bring in the A-team get things done in a more professional manner.
Okay, back to reality.
When you kick the business community out of the fundraising machine you are really surrounding yourselves with the Neanderthals of the party who do not know the importance of raising money to help off-set the costs associated with PC training, getting out the vote, robo calls, MAIL, etc. The Democrats elected Andrei Cherny to run their machine and I bet if they had brought in someone like tea party extraordinaire Michelle Bachmann they would’ve raised at least a million dollars! I am hearing the AZGOP raised somewhere in the ballpark between $2,500 and $15,000. That’s a huge margin and also P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C!
Even if the state GOP raised $15,000 that is small change compared to the Democrat event where David Axelrod swooped into town and left many greenbacks behind along with even more pledges to give in the future.
If you believe this is not possible, then maybe you should continue to participate with the tea party movement and not the Republican Party which was founded on limited government, traditional American values, personal responsibility, free enterprise and a strong national defense. I think more of us need to raise our pitch forks right here in our backyard and demand a leader that can lead us taking back the White House, the U.S. Senate, claiming that new Congressional seat, and reclaiming other Congressional seats we deem within our reach. We need to hand the power back to the people of this country, especially in Arizona and get Washington out of our lives, but to get to that next stage we need to demand stronger leadership at the helm of the party to drive us past the finish line in 2012.
If you’re fed up too I charge each of you to say “You’re Fired” as the Donald would say to the AZGOP. It’s time to bring in the A-team and close this deal before it’s too late. This is the time to rebuild not a time for monkey business. We had enough of amateur hour last election cycle when we handed the race over to Grijalva instead of sending Ruth to Congress. Get activated, and demand change.
Reprinted from Facebook with permission of Shawnna Bolick.
My Advice to all who are dissatisfied with AZ GOP Leadership Belly up to the bar...Boys and do something about it. Put Operation Clean Sweep into play. Ask for a new election. The person that nominated Morrissey was not A STATE COMMITTEEMAN or a PC at that time. My opinion election should be a redo..Follow the rules only a credentialed person can participate only a state committeeman can be credentialed to participate at a state election. NEW BALLGAME...be
There were at the time I was given permission to reprint 68 comments. The majority wanted to see Tom Morrissey ousted as GOP Chairman. The names of those who commented have been redacted. Several of the posted comments are below.
1. you know nothing of the Drex does or that I do in the AZGOP, nor will we stand on our soapbox to list a resume, so I would stop why your ahead.
2. Shawnna, I knew there was a reason why I liked you! You cited so many reasons why I am not involved in the AZGOP.
3. Totally agree with everything you said Shawnna.....which is why I like you too!!!!!!!
4. that's not the point. And because I'm new, like so many of the people, I'm telling you what we're seeing and what we don't like. If you have a right to say it, so do I.
5. If expressing dissatisfaction is considered cowardly and unacceptable, you're going to end up with a very small party.
6. I think it was your point, that all we are doing is complaining and not being proactive in making a difference. This was your point no? Unless I misunderstood this line: "instead of actually trying [action] to change anything, you're all just going to point out [talking] all the problems."
7. I mean what's the point of complaining and undermining the leadership. If you believe that he is not legitimate, than do something other than just bitching about it.
8. So that was your point. Hence my comment: "you know nothing of the Drex does or that I do in the AZGOP, nor will we stand on our soapbox to list a resume, so I would stop why your ahead."
9. For the sake of the State and the Country, I hope we all pull together. I look forward to working with everyone here.
10. For the sake of the State and the Country I hope we can get leadership that is qualified and effective in beating the Dems. I was at the State meeting and nothing said there from our State Leadership left me with the impression that they a...re up to the task. I have sat quietly by and let our new Chairman do what he could do....but the stakes are too great in 2012. I am working in my own community and will not stop but our State needs strong leadership to meet these challenges.
11. It's easy to close ones eyes and be lead around, totally ignoring the missteps of the GOP. To point them out is to try to correct those mistakes and to ignore them is dooming the party to repeat them. H....... you should drop this. there is no wrong in pointing out the clear inability to have a productive agenda in AZ. For that to happen we need a leader, and sadly we do not!
12. I think putting my fingers in my ears and singing "Henry the 8th" as loud as I can works with my children but not so much as head of the AZGOP..... So I think I will run for Mayor.
13.Excellent post, Shawnna. Sad to see that some are so resistant to a bit of constructive criticism.
14. I have an idea...overthrow the GOP Establishment and return it to its roots. Then throw a little bit of the Founding Fathers into it. Come out with a strong message that people can get behind.
15. Robert Messenger The GOP needs a strong message/platform. Then they could reach more people effectively.
16.The GOP has a strong message/platform. What we need are strong and effective leaders who can build from that.
17.- the whole concept may not be realistic but it can happen with the right leadership.
18. Show me the leader and I may follow.
19. Shawnna Bolick Wow! I go into a meeting for 2 hours and come out and lots of responses. Actually, I wasn't backing anyone for chairman. I was only backing Bill Cheatham for County Chair. I didn't get involved in the state election. What I'm seeing is that we have Andrei Cherny and his fundraising machine and the GOP has virtually nothing to show.
20. So much boils down to strong effective leadership. Look at Christie. People love him. He is a leader! He has a solid plan and KNOWS where he is taking New Jersey! I think that it's been so long since we've had strong effective leadership that people have no idea just how effective we could be if we raised the bar and expected more from those who want to lead.
21.You cannot win the messaging war without money to pay into and for the channels which will deliver the message. The business community thrives on efficiency and functional systems and abhors inefficiency and dysfunctional systems. ...Business leaders aren't going to waste their time with leadership that doesn't demonstrate an ability to deploy capital effectively. If the AZ GOP demonstrates competence, efficiency, and a functional system, it will get the dollars it needs to deliver its message. There was a tremendous amount of work put in by people this year to try and reform the systemic problems in the party (and I cannot take credit for this effort any more than being more than being an outside, bit player just trying to do his part to keep the party from going off the rails before the most important presidential election of my lifetime ... the AZ party is heading the way of the Nevada folks that blew the chance to beat Harry Reid by ignoring quality of candidate), but those efforts came up short as the establishment leadership worked to co-opt the tea parties, used immigration as a wedge issue, and was very, very shortsighted after Bruce Ash dropped out of the state chairman race. I am sure most of them regret not throwing in with Graham or even Hermanson, but it's too bad they did not have the good judgment to do so at that time. I am pretty much an outsider to party politics, but I have spent a lot of time recruiting PCs and serving on my LD's board as treasurer. I also run the www.sbabg.org blog and facebook group, which I think, frankly, does a lot more good in the battle to limit government than party politics does ... Especially when people like Boehner and Hal Rogers screw up so bad like they have last week and this week ... some weeks it's embarrassing to be a Republican.
22. And, by the way, I have nothing personally against Tom Morrissey and I am sure he is a very nice guy despite any personal problems he might have had in the past. I don't think it was very fair to him to have been drafted and pushed out jus...t three or four days before the election. He did as well as he could with no forethought ... and, unfortunately, we are witnessing what "no forethought" results in. So I don't think Morrissey is a bad guy. I just don't think he's the right guy, but I do hope and pulling very hard that the direction gets changed quickly. For my kids' sake. 2012 is a vital year in helping determine what kind of America they will grow up in ...
23. As a political fundraiser, I have been watching this unfold as well. I have also gathered some of the best fundraisers I know and have offered to help. The reason this particular GOP leadership is struggling has less to do with "fund-raising know how" and more to do with political infighting. Many are in the background right now working on tactical approaches to a broad scale fund-raising plan.
24. Because McCain's choice didn't win, all his friends/employees who used to work for the party or help in some way have left it behind. And even continually attack the new chairman. Elections have consequences. Also because Morrissey had them. ..."nerve," to support JD last year McCain's people won't help. It's unfortunate with that so many new to the game, the experienced ones depart instead of helping and showing the new people how it works. But then again its always been about McCain and not country or party.
25. this has nothing to do with McCain. I supported JD...so did others on this thread. Arizona Republicans DESERVE solid, capable, effective leadership that will run a professional and successful organization. Period. There are so many good, hard working small "r" Republicans who worked so hard for the cause. We deserve the BEST! We should settle for nothing less.
26. We do need and deserve better leaders and we had better get our heads out of the sand and start supporting people who are better.... NOT the JD's and McCain's of the Party or the Paul Ryans who impress with a glance and the show is over! Brewer fits that bill well also..... without direction... TRUE DIRECTION!
27. Stretching back to Reagan's first term, I'd guess that I have 'better' Republican credentials than virtually any Republican Party member in AZ. I left the R party (in 1986) after Reagan informed me I was a libertarian (in philosophy). He ...openly fancied himself a libertarian and described it this way ..."because you don't back off of principles, and because you hold government to the same standard of moral accountability as you would any individual". I later found that to him, it was the highest compliment he had ever paid anyone in politics. That being said, the Republican Party is 'different' from the Democrats only by matters of percentages and degrees. It's a cesspool, and even if you 'clean up' a cesspool, it's just going to fill up again with the same thing. The ONLY way to 'reform', or 'clean up a tainted Political Party...is to get rid of every single one of its current members.
28. through any political party is a pipe dream. The BEST way to resurrect the AZGop is to drive a stake through its heart. Just like the Democrat Party, it's a distraction from the point of our unique form of governance. Anytime we try to preserve a political party--we undermine individual rights and property ownership. The protection of these things is all government is supposed to tend to.
29.This is a time that we have to swallow our pride and think only about freedom, liberty and the risk our country is facing under Obama's leadership. I appreciate the passion in the messages above. Focus or harness this passion and we would...d/will create momentum which will protect our nation from the steady landslide into socialism. Shawnna and others hit it on the head that good leaders are able to bridge differences, unite resources, inspire to action and protect the republic of the United States of America. The fibers are unraveling and the numbness caused by the free handouts is drowning out the battle cry to maintain the principles that made this nation great...Limited government, low taxes, personal accountability and individual freedom. The Republicans must have victory in 2012. 4 more years with a lame duck President, not worried about reelection will be a devastation. We must educate ourselves, recruit people for the cause, raise money to communicate....focusing on victory for 2012!
