Traits The RNC Chair Should Possess

Unless Republicans truly have become Democrats where failure is rewarded, the current Republican National Committee Chairman must move along. The Republicans need new blood. Preferably, they need new, younger blood.

Quickly now. Who is the current RNC chairman? Now, who is the DNC chairman? That’s right Howard “The Scream” Dean. Hey, at least you know his name. Name recognition would be a nice start for the Republicans.

Here’s my list:

Charismatic–Please, can we have someone who can interview well on TV?

Smart–The party chair has to be one step of everyone else.

Tough-minded–Politics is a bloodsport. The chair has to have the spine to make tough decisions during tough times.

Personable–Possess the ability to tell someone to go to hell and after the conversation the person is excited about the trip.

Uses New Media and Embraces Technology–Hello! This is the new fashioned days, people. Social media is not a fad. It will be here in one form or another. Hell, if social media was good enough for Paul Revere, it should be good enough for the RNC chair. (Here’s how the candidates do.)

Excels at Fund Raising–This is raison d’etre, non?

Committed To Conservative Candidates–People who know who they are and why they’re not Democrats.

I don’t know who best fits these traits. I like Michael Steele and Saul Anuzis. (As an aside, Steele’s web page is messy. It really needs to look better. Anuzis’ is great. It is obvious he understands new media.) Friends of mine really like Ken Blackwell.

If I had to pick right now, I’d pick Saul. But I’m willing to be persuaded. Also, I’m a bit biased as Saul is from my home turf and I think he understands the economic, social, and other concerns based on his location. But that would be true, I suppose, of Ken Blackwell, too, since he’s from Ohio.

Cross-posted at RightWingNews.com

Posted in Political Animals | 2 Comments »

A Conservative Does TV, Twitter, Facebook, Ning, Wordpress, IM, Email, Radio and Drinks In 48 Hours–UPDATED

Recently a Republican strategist, Michael Leahy made a Blog that includes the top Conservatives on Twitter. For once in my nerd life, I’m on the list. The people on this list range from strategists, to Republican national chairmen wannabes, and to bloggers like me.

Why is this list important?

Well, Twitter is just one new media that is bringing people together for all sorts of reasons. Let me tell you what happened on Monday that will illustrate the evolution. So, I have a friend on Facebook who I met at a conference who was going to be on the Strategy Room–a user driven news show by Fox News that features a round-table of experts and pundits (watch, it’s the best news commentary on TV and that is no exaggeration–you can stream it live here)–so, I thought I’d watch.

Then, in a fit of self-disclosure, I tell my Tweet people on Twitter that I’m watching Strategy Room. Well, turns out that one of my Twitter followers, Facebook friend, and now real friend, Sid Burgess, manages Twitter for Strategy Room. He Tweets me and we discuss the show in real time. And I send a tweet to the show, they read it on-air and link my blog on air.

Meanwhile, talk show host Hugh Hewitt is getting the hang of Twitter, himself, and talks about it on-air with Saul Anuzis, the Michigan Republican chair who is running to head the RNC. Well, Saul and I had become friends on Twitter and discovered that I had lived within blocks of him when I lived there. Small world. (Michael Steele also going for it. Here’s his transcript. I met Michael at the AFP/Samsphere conference in Austin in August.)

Very small world. And that is all to the good. Information is POWER and the quick exchange of information amplifies the power exponentially. So, two days ago, I knew that I would be coming to Philadelphia and met up with politically active blogger Skye (blog here, Twitter here) and her friend Rich. We had never met before, but we knew much about one another through mutual friends and through the new media. (By the way, the pomegranate martini was very good on my very empty stomach. Yum!)

One of the problems Republicans have had is their absolute recalcitrance when it comes to embracing the new and advanced. It was to our demise this last election. Barack Obama used and embraced all forms of new media. So did DNC chair Howard “Crazy Man” Dean. Crazy like a fox, that guy. So did Ron Paul followers. Republicans who ignore this new phenomenon are going to suffer not only losses generally, but losses personally. The interconnectedness, sharpens a person, ads value and helps people get involved in meaningful, concrete ways.

For example, there are a couple new Ning sites that conservatives who want to make a difference need to join. Here are a couple of my favorites: 1. Smart Girl Politics–this is a grassroots organization that is putting together a structure to get active locally, you don’t have to be a girl to join 2. Rebuild The Party–this group started post-election as a response to the devastating losses this election 3. Team Sarah–this group started out to support Sarah Palin but now is over 60,000 people strong and is also a grass-roots effort 4. #Dontgo–Started by Chicagoan Eric Odom–this site was a response to keep our congressmen working while the Democrats were intent on leaving Americans to high oil prices. The site has expanded, is working on state efforts and has a petition and some other activities to join.

Bottom line, the new media are ways to connect people who share beliefs and values and bring them together. Numbers mean power. Locally, many Republicans are technologically retarded. This ignorance extends up to the very top of the political structure and needs to change.

Ultimately, the purpose of these social networking sites isn’t to be an echo chamber but a think tank that serves as a catalyst for real action. On Sunday, I’ll be having lunch with real people who I’ve Twittered and IM’d, who are real friends and who are making a real difference within the conservative movement. These people started out as friends on Facebook, and then Twitter. Now, we are conservatives from Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York meeting to share ideas and to get to work.

I understand that these media are not for everyone and that people may not want to get involved extensively. But how difficult is it to sign a petition? How hard is it to go somewhere and read what others are doing? And remember, Obama won with money. Cold. Hard. Cash. Sure MoveOn had George Soro’s big coffers. But Obama had thousands of supporters giving an average of $100 each. That’s not much for a whole election campaign. Many more donations were in the $5-$10 category. You can do that. I can do that. And together, we can encourage a more responsive political class and ignite a more enthusiastic electorate who will finally get to see their conservative ideals personified in their government officials.

Hey, a girl can dream.

UPDATED:

I forgot to add this review by Eric Odom (Tweet him here) of Google’s Friend Connect. Yet another way for people to hook up–and I mean that in the very best way.

And some of you might object to new media social technology because you’re not a geek. But here’s the thing: it’s not just a geek thing anymore. Dr. Mark Drapeu (who I follow–here–and who follows me) says:

But ultimately, I think that the real winner is you. If your words are compelling, if you add value to conversations, people will listen to you, talk with you, and chat about you. Whether you plan it or not, you will build a personal brand – and I think personal brands are great for entrepreneurial personalities. Jim Long, a Washington DC-based cameraman for NBC, is also on the most-followed list. Why? Not because he’s a celebrity. Because he is a nice person with a cool job that takes him to interesting locations, and he has embraced Twitter as a great way to interact with people. Gary Vaynerchuk, a wine expert, uses the force of his personality and intellect to evangelize about his wine business and other topics he is passionate about. These two people, and many more less well known, use Twitter to execute against their resume, to enhance what they already do using new social technologies. And if you have interesting things to say, you can do it too.

I very much encourage you to get involved in the Twitterverse and the social communities. You will find people who share your interests, who challenge your point of view and who will ultimately, and best of all, become your friends.

Cross-posted at RightWingNews.com, SmartGirlPolitics, The Houston Chronicle and will be seen on Facebook and Twitter feeds

You can friend me at Facebook here and tweet me at Twitter here.

Posted in Political Animals | 11 Comments »

The Fight Is Never Over, Ever

During the last leg of the campaign, I was tired and disgusted with the political nonsense. I was appalled at the lack of curiosity by both the press and the electorate. The salacious smears against decent people made me think that no rational person would ever want to serve his or her country. The ignorance and vitriol being spewed made me think that voters could be sold anything anyway, so it didn’t matter.

What was the point of being involved? One vote hardly seemed enough of a message when one educated vote was canceled out by someone whose breadth of understanding about the issues could be encapsulated in Sarah Palin’s daughter’s uterus.

And today, the Congressional Visitor’s Center opens and with it some nameless, faceless bureaucrat plasters propaganda up all over because Congress critters were more worried about office placement then the content of the ideas they’d be sharing with the world. In addition, the new $620 million dollar (9x over-budget of course) center is created to keep the “smelly” people, the BOSSES of these ostensible public servants and the ones who paid for this politically correct and self-aggrandizing shrine, out.

Relax for a minute, or ten, or a year, and those in the government will create something bad for Americans and make Americans pay for it, to boot. My brother told me, “they count on you getting tired”. Indeed.

With the vast amount of information, misinformation, and sheer enormity of the government now, it takes armies of interested people to pay attention and alert others to what is going on. And still, it’s impossible to sustain the battle-readiness mentality. For years now, really since Clinton’s presidency, it has felt as if there is an all-out war and it has felt like conservative ideas, even when we’ve been are in power are losing.

The government has gotten gluttonously bigger funding all sorts of suspect projects. Americans seem to not mind as long as they’re getting their share.

The conservative-libertarian movement must get across to the populace that government giving means loss of liberty. The government owns those it subsidizes. Citizens become slaves.

America’s Founders rebelled against taxation without representation. Well, we are represented, alright. And the representatives need to be held to account. The glad-handing, you-scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-yous-on-the-back-of-the-taxpayer mentality must be stopped.

We can’t afford to get tired. We have to continue to fight and we need to unite against leaders whose primary goal is self-service while insulting the smelly people who put them in power to begin with.

Posted in Political Animals | 3 Comments »

Fred Thompson Was My Man, This Is Why

With resignation I watch Barack Obama assemble his leadership team. He won. He gets to do the fun stuff.

What is more irksome this time around is that Republicans passed on a winner to pick a guy who had so many clear deficits. I wanted Fred Thompson. This is why:

H/T Erick Erickson of Redstate

Posted in Political Animals, Show Me The Money | 9 Comments »

Obama’s Cabinet Human Shield–UPDATED

My brother and I were discussing Barack Obama’s team. We were also discussing Obama’s propensity to throw unhelpful people, and ideas for that matter, under the bus. Where George Bush didn’t seem to know when to cut his losses, Barack Obama will cut even those closest to him, if their presence is a problem. Even grandma.

I’m not so sure I’d want a place in an Obama cabinet. To me, they will form a human shield he’ll employ whenever a policy turns out stupid. He hired “the best” and if the best screwed up, it won’t be his fault, it will be theirs’.

A note about Hillary Clinton. She is a junior Senator from New York, a worker bee, and by all accounts diligent. Will she end up taking up State? My brother is convinced she has to, that it’s her best chance at power. My thoughts immediately turned to Colin Powell. Everyone is expendable. Would Barack Obama dump Hillary Clinton? Why wouldn’t he? If he thought her presence harmed him, he would. Does she want her political career to be at the leisure of this president?

There is more drama surrounding the Clinton-Obama dance than King Lear. If I don’t miss my mark, Michelle Obama hates Hillary, and Bill hates Barack. I do not use the word “hate” lightly. When the Obama camp accused Bill Clinton of being racist, that did it. Interestingly, both Barack and Hillary seem to share a common trait: the willingness to subsume personal feelings for power. Hillary has spent a lifetime building that muscle and Barack had to learn quickly to survive Chicago.

So, will there be trust between staffs? Will Clinton adhere to Obama’s policy positions? I actually think Obama makes a good guess about Hillary. She has put up with an outrageous political partner her whole adult life–enabling, covering for. This is old territory for her. It is also comfortable. She will spend the remainder of her career second fiddle (who is Joe Biden, again?) to a powerful, charismatic man.

UPDATED: A fly in the ointment already?

Posted in Political Animals | 5 Comments »

Homeless in NY “Big Government” Style

Why in sam hill would the New York government stop churches from housing the homeless? Rob Port says “big government strikes again”. CBS reports:

With temperatures well below freezing early Saturday, the churches must obey a city rule requiring faith-based shelters to be open at least five days a week — or not at all.

Arnold Cohen, president of the Partnership for the Homeless, a nonprofit that serves as a link with the city, said he had to tell the churches they no longer qualify.

He said hundreds of people now won’t have a place to sleep.

The Department of Homeless Services said the city offers other shelters with the capacity to accept all those who have been sleeping in the churches. The city had 8,000 beds waiting.

I know I’m dull-witted, but I don’t get it. Why would the government prefer to spend tax dollars when private money will take care of it?

Wait, a minute. Maybe the churches offer nicer, friendlier services and the government needs to justify it’s pathetic existence and use up that budgeted money and they view the churches as competition. Imagine. The government monopoly eliminating competition and using your tax dollars.

If you’re homeless in NY, you’re going to do homeless the government way or you’re going to freeze to death. Big Brother is harsh.

Posted in Political Animals, Show Me The Money | 1 Comment »

Cling To Your Guns Gun-Clingers

There has been tee-heeing about “gun nuts” stocking up on guns and ammunition as though it was absurd to believe that Barack Obama, who voted for anti-gun legislation as a state senator would never try to get the same sort of legislation passed as President. Little things like this heighten people’s anxiety:

Do You Now Own, or Have You Ever Owned, a Gun? The Politico reports on a curious addition to the Obama transition personnel questionnaire for potential appointees to the new Administration.
Tucked in at the end of the questionnaire and listed under “Miscellaneous,” it reads: “Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun? If so, provide complete ownership and registration information. Has the registration ever lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage.”

Paul Light, professor of public service at New York University, said there was no such question for potential appointees when President George W. Bush took office in 2000.

“It kind of sticks out there like a sore thumb,” Light said.

He expressed uncertainty over why it was included but surmised it was out of an abundance of caution, a desire to avoid the spectacle of a Cabinet-level or other high-ranking appointee who is discovered to have an unregistered handgun at home.

“It’s the kind of thing that, if dug out, could be an embarrassment to the president-elect,” Light said.

So, the government is already asking questions about guns to their appointees. Can Americans expect this sort of question the next time they renew their license? Or, can they expect certain kinds of guns to no longer be available soon?

Given the gun-obsession of the president-elect, it seems perfectly rational to stock up. By the way, should Senator Obama achieve his utopian dreams of a world where there are no guns, there will just be a huge black market for these things and formerly law-abiding citizens will be forced to go against the law to maintain their rights.

Cross-posted at RightWingNews and The Houston Chronicle

Posted in Political Animals | 4 Comments »

Change=Uncertainty

I can’t help but thinking that if Barack Obama specified what “change”, specifically, he believed in, the markets would calm down.

Posted in Political Animals | 2 Comments »

Mike Huckabee Needs To Go Away….

…from politics.

This guy. Have the Republicans ever had such a bunch of weak candidates? Every singe one of them had glaring deficiencies and yet, because they ran for president they think the country is lost without them.

Now, Huck is professing his Palin-envy. Well, get on board sonny because every politician besides Barack Obama envies her. She’s a star.

That reminds me. I wrote a post in April about the candidates. Here’s what I said about Huckabee:

Mike Huckabee: He’s a loon with a TV evangelist grin, but boy can he smile. His post-loss speech in New Hampshire was euphoric hope–like Obama but pasty, white, and Boomerish.

I still feel the same about him. There is something sinister and smarmy about this former minister and I just wish he would stay in entertainment.

As an aside, here’s what I said about McCain:

John McCain: He marches to his own little drummer who doesn’t know the conservative rhythm. Of course there’s McCain-Feingold that nifty little piece of legislation who’s chief beneficiary was George Soros, but there’s this other little thing: his only consistent conservative feature is his military stance, which I admit I admire. It’s not enough.

Posted in Political Animals | 3 Comments »

Jonah Goldberg On Kathleen Parker’s “G-O-D” Shame

Kathleen Parker revealed her hip happeningness yet again today:

As Republicans sort out the reasons for their defeat, they likely will overlook or dismiss the gorilla in the pulpit.

Three little letters, great big problem: G-O-D.

I’m bathing in holy water as I type.

To be more specific, the evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn’t soon cometh.

Simply put: Armband religion is killing the Republican Party. And, the truth — as long as we’re setting ourselves free — is that if one were to eavesdrop on private conversations among the party intelligentsia, one would hear precisely that.

Jonah Goldberg responds by saying, “Quite it Kathleen”:

I don’t know what’s more grating, the quasi-bigotry that has you calling religious Christians low brows, gorillas and oogedy-boogedy types or the bravery-on-the-cheap as you salute — in that winsome way — your own courage for saying what (according to you) needs to be said. Please stop bragging about how courageous you are for weathering a storm of nasty email you invite on yourself by dancing to a liberal tune. You aren’t special for getting nasty email, from the right or the left. You aren’t a martyr smoking your last cigarette. You’re just another columnist, talented and charming to be sure, but just another columnist. You are not Joan of the Op-Ed Page. Perhaps the typical Washington Post reader (or editor) doesn’t understand that. But you should, and most conservatives familiar with these issues can see through what you’re doing.

Besides being patronizing and noting a problem (which has at its core a very debatable premise), Ms. Parker lacks solutions. In part, I agree with her assessment about the God talk, but her obvious prejudice, and that of her media pals is an even bigger problem for Republicans. That is to say, that the description Ms. Parker writes of conservative Christians is a classic caricature and reveals her ignorance of the diversity that makes up that constituency. Because of her narrow-mindedness, she cannot formulate helpful solutions for addressing this typically Republican voting block. Likewise, it is obvious that the Republicans, and the conservative movement generally need to reach other constituencies–ones who tend to vote Democrat.

How?

Perhaps Ms. Parker could gather her formidable wit and way with words and formulate a solution rather than destroy what isn’t really a problem. Dehumanizing, demeaning, and really, demonizing the whole base of the Republican party seems counter-productive for someone who is in the same party. When the foundation crumbles, the house will fall on Ms. Parker, too. Unless, of course, she’s really not part of the house anymore, if she ever was, and has already moved in spirit (and one could say, in body, considering her employer) to another home. If that’s the case, she should admit to herself and to her readers her new home.

David Frum, Kathleen Parker, Chris Buckley, David Brooks and the rest, have become experts at demolition. They need to refocus their efforts and consider what it will take to rebuild their house. Or have they already moved and don’t know it?

Cross-posted at RightWingNews.com

Posted in Political Animals | 8 Comments »