GOP State Parties Are Crumbling
Written by Sam on March 24th, 2008In Arkansas, where Republicans lost the governorship in 2006 and are outnumbered in the state House and Senate by 3-1 margins, state GOP Chairman Dennis Milligan said he is facing defections and malaise.“Independent conservative individuals just said they were fed up and they said there is no difference [between the two parties],” Milligan said. “We have sent out the message that we are now different. We know it did not fall down in one day and it won’t be rebuilt in one day.”
Even in some of the reddest states in the nation, Republicans have faced dispiriting news. As if Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ easy 2006 re-election victory wasn’t insult enough in heavily Republican Kansas, she won with a running mate who was more than a little familiar to the state GOP—Mark Parkinson, the former state Republican chairman, who switched parties to run as her lieutenant governor.
Just four years earlier, Parkinson had exclaimed that “any Republican who supports Kathleen Sebelius for governor is either insincere or uninformed.” Sebelius is now frequently mentioned as a prospective vice presidential nominee.
Most recently it was the Alaska Republican party airing its dirty laundry.
Just over a week ago, at the state Republican convention, the lieutenant governor shocked his party colleagues by announcing a primary challenge to veteran Congressman Don Young, who is under federal investigation. The state’s senior senator, Republican Ted Stevens, is also under federal investigation.
At the same event, GOP Gov. Sarah Palin, who is at odds with the state party, called for changes in leadership in the wake of a series of scandals that have tainted the party. An attempt to oust GOP Chairman Randy Ruedrich fell just short.
“We are not a unified group as we once were,” said Republican John Harris, the Speaker of the Alaska House. “Between Congressman Young and Senator Stevens, and our governor seems to throw out comments periodically about the ethical operation of the state … internally, that fuels the fire constantly.”
“Democrats don’t have to do that much to keep it alive. We keep it alive ourselves,” he added. “That breaks down morale.”
While Alaska Republicans were battling among themselves at their convention, roughly a dozen Republican state chairmen met in Las Vegas –the first gathering of its kind in recent memory, according to one of the chairmen who attended.
Formally, the purpose was to exchange ideas on “improving each state party’s performance,” said Sean McCaffrey, the executive director of the Arizona Republican party. But there was widespread concern expressed over the direction of the party as a whole.
I think some of these people running the party are so incompetent that if they shot a gun at the air they would miss. These guys are sitting around scratching their heads trying to figure out what is wrong as if it isn’t staring them straight in the face. Evidently someone needs to send in Captain Obvious because it isn’t sinking in.
When Reagan ran on small government policies he won two landslide elections. When the Republican Party orchestrated a nation wide push for conservative policies in 1994 they won in a huge landslide and even won in areas where Republicans were heavily outnumbered by Democrats. This is not rocket science.
I wish I could have gone to this Las Vegas meeting because it wouldn’t have taken long to point out the problems. Stop protecting corrupt incumbents! Stop putting up big spending, big government RINOs! Hold their feet to the fire! If they don’t deliver on the party principles then get rid of them and put up someone who will. Stop backing spineless wimps who won’t stand up to the destructive policies of the Democrats and neocons like Bush. Stop debt spending! Stop expanding government! Stop the Federal bailouts! Get a set of cahoneys and tackle the ballooning entitlements that are eating up 40% of Federal spending and make the American people understand that it has to be done! If you aren’t willing to do these things then don’t come looking for my support.
Enough is enough already.
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PM
“These guys are sitting around scratching their heads trying to figure out what is wrong as if it isn’t staring them straight in the face. Evidently someone needs to send in Captain Obvious because it isn’t sinking in.”
The problem is basically irreconcilable. When the primary purpose of most of these GOP politicians is to be re-elected, line the pockets of their cronies and political allies, repay their lobbyist friends and be liked by the MSM then you have a fundamental problem dealing with the GOP voters which despises those very actions in the Democrats.
On certain issues like larger government spending, real tax reform, immigration and corruption the GOP is at polar opposite ends from the stance taken by their core supporters. This is not a sustainable position for either the politicians or the voters.
Because the party has essentially come to support itself more than any single issue of importance to the people who put them in power you are seeing a divergence that has only been kept in check by most conservative voters fears of a Democrat majority that can pass its agenda through congress and the Whitehouse with ease. One day that fear will subside and the party will be purged of the men who have poisoned and crippled it.
On certain issues like corruption, spending, immigration and limited government a litmus test by the voters is the only thing that will keep the GOP from completely imploding. Like they say: In a republic you get the government you deserve.