A simple(?) plan to fix the Republican party

[William Lang]

Ok, so I have spent the past 3 blogs focusing on what my perception of the problems are, and I may revisit some of that in the future, but as I tell my kids, don't just complain that things aren't going your way, have a plan to change things (which is a very useful suggestion when dealing with 6 year olds or some politicians). So I will break things down in a logical manner.

Leadership:
We need to take a hard look at all of the party leaders, starting at the national level and moving down to the states and finally to the local level. The new leadership has to be dynamic, well organized, ethical, steadfast and committed to changing the culture of the party. I purposely suggested that we start at the national level because this sort of change needs to happen from the top down. This is more than just elected new people, this is a dramatic shift in the culture of the party and it needs to be approached in a disciplined manner.

Platform:
I am not going to suggest specific platform items here, instead once we have a solid national leadership team in place, they need to develop a platform that reflects the values that Goldwater and Reagan brought to the table. Fiscal responsibility , individual liberties/responsibilities, adherence to the Constitution and limited government intervention. If we can craft a platform in which each plank reflects those 4 basic tenants we will have a powerful agenda.

Messaging:
We need to focus on several areas in messaging; relevance, consistency and differentiators.

Messaging Relevance
We must build a message that connects the 4 basic tenants of Republicanism, with the individual planks of the platform and finally to the day-to-day experiences of the voters. A example plank in the platform could be the elimination of the Department of Education, so the message would go something like this. "The Republican Party believes that decisions about what is taught in schools and what programs are best suited for local students. We believe that the Department of Education both is a symbol of the Federal Government overstepping it's Constitutional responsibilities and a vehicle for intrusive regulation that is overburdening state and local authorities. To this end we are proposing that the Department of Education be eliminating, saving each American tax payer $100 per year off their federal income tax, helping reduce local property taxes which are the primary funding source for local schools and allowing local school boards, principals and teachers the freedom to design instructional programs that are best suited for our children."

Messaging Consistency
Every message that comes from a Republican candidate, Republican organization, or surrogate at any level should reflect the 4 basic tenants. The issues, especially at the local level are going to be different, but if the message is consistent then people will understand what Republicans stand for and how it will impact them. Consistency will allow the voter to be more informed about the position of the party thus making a decision based more on fact as opposed to emotion.

Messaging Differentiators
We need to emphasize what makes Republicans different in each and every communique that is issued. Highlight those differences, let people know who and what we are. In the Department of Education message, emphasize that the Democrats want to make everyone a servant of federal government and feel that federal bureaucrats are better qualified to determine what to teach and how to teach it, instead of the local people who see the students every day.

Act Locally
The Democrats are killing the Republican party with local community activities. The local Republican parties/committees need to be out in the community. Not just espousing ideas, but actually doing things. Host luncheons, have charity drives, drive the elderly to the doctor (or at least sponsor the organization that does it). The point is that while the change in the party's philosophy and message needs to be driven from the top, the local parties are the eyes, ears, hands, heart and soul of the party. The message that the Republican party needs to understand locally is that you are known by your acts

Getting the message out:
We need to get our message out through every channel. As mentioned in an earlier post, we need 2 types of spokespeople, evangelist and preachers. We need to have our preachers focus getting the message to the base, building up enthusiasm and a can do attitude among the base. Our preachers should be the party leadership, the talk radio hosts, the television commentators and they should focus on the most effective means of communicating with the base. The evangelist need to be focusing on spreading the tenants of the Republican party. They need to be focused on groups that are not traditional Republican strongholds, like minority voters, unions, homosexuals, environmentalist. The evangelist needs to be willing to focus on specific groups and really work on building a message that makes voting Republican and joining the Republican party a real choice. Evangelist need to emphasize our glorious past and our vision for the future. But getting the message out can not be haphazard, it needs to be a coordinated approach that drives the party message.

Ethics:
Establish a code of ethics and conduct and FOLLOW IT. Even if it means someone who is in a position of power has to resign, or doesn't get support from the party in the next election. This is going to be hard to do because power is seductive and corrupting, but if the Republican party follows the code of ethics regardless of the consequences, it will build the trust of the American voter, and when they get into the voting booth they will know who will "say what they mean and mean what they say."

Chose Your Words and Actions Carefully:
We need to elevate the debate. No longer should Republican or their surrogates engage in the politics of name calling or demonizing. Establish your position, remain consistent with your position and do not fall into the trap of a smear campaign. Again it is about regaining the trust of the American voters. We as Republicans believe that our ideas and plans are far superior to our opponents, thus we don't have to lower ourselves to guilt by association tactics, we can stand on principles and plans. This may cost us some early elections, but in the long run it will make the Democrats seem like shrill children who can't win an argument so they pout. McCain lost points with the voters I know because of the Ailes connection. If you are going to link your opponent to someone "bad" you need to make the voter understand why that linkage is important. McCain made the linkage, but he never drove home why that linkage was a reason not to vote for Obama.

Be STRONG:
If a candidate or party official does not follow the plan then they need to be replaced. This is harsh but think about what you would do with an employee if he refused to follow directions, you would fire him. That is what should be done to people who don't to the line. This is not a dictatorship but once the direction is established everyone needs to do what is required to succeed. That is not to say that there can not be differences of opinion or disagreements inside the party, this is talking about getting off message and not following the rules.

Just one mans opinion.

[William Lang]

I debated a bi-directional approach but logistically it would present a significant challenge since the key is unified messaging. I think the national party has to set the tone from the top then the lower levels can implement quickly but if we don't have a unified message to start with there will be some places that get it and some that end up having to be redirected to the right course of action. I am going through similar type activities with some of my clients and the one lesson that everyone learns is that if your leaders aren't on board and setting the tone then you are in for a rough process.

[Whitehorse (Robin Ray)]

Good ideas William - especially the "act locally" idea. That is something we've been very successful with - getting out in the community & doing things, helping people. It can be done as a group, or by people who are well-known in the community.

[Jason Taylor]

Exceptional. I'd like to share one additional thought with you. Please tell me what you think about it, and how it relates to your impressive plan.

In regards to implementing change from the top down, I believe that as time is of the essence of our movement, neither the top or the bottom can afford to wait for the trickle of change to come their way from the other extreme. Change must be implemented from both ends, and coordinated so that the result is one cohesive party movement, as opposed to a two-headed monster with no consistent flow from top end to bottom end.

Achieving a paradigm shift of equally-directed proportion between multiple independently moving parts would require a level of coordination not feasible amongst 3100 County organizations, 50 State organizations and the National Party. For this reason, I would suggest delegating the changes in the following manner:

The County organizations irrelevance is greatly a result of outdated processes and technologies - they need to move into the 21st Century! They should first undertake an overhaul of their communications technologies, outreach programs and recruiting efforts. This can be coordinated through RTP, so that best practices can be readily shared and implemented. (By the way, if you haven't checked out the Code Red group, you should. They have phenomenal things going on there which will directly and significantly support this type of effort) Also, this will provide real input, collaboration and support from the grassroots - truly the bottom of the bottom of the chain.

While they are doing this, the National Party really needs to pool its resources to create the message, one which I believe should be very much in line with what you are suggesting. I believe that this should also take place on RTP. Imagine the "Top Flight" Republicans sharing the constructive process with the grassroots. Not only is it a great way to ensure that their message is one that comes from and resonates within the hearts of the constituents, but it also sends a tremendous message about the Leadership's understanding of their responsibilities and commitments to the rest of the Party, all the way down to the grassroots.

As the counties come on-line with the new, updated programs, they can increase participation through their new outreach and recruiting programs. No need to wait for an election anymore, because the political process is now moving at internet-speed. As new Republicans log on, they will have access to both the means of contributing to the pool of ideas which bears the future Party policy, and the resources to properly learn, understand, and internalize the conservative ideal.