RebuildtheParty.com Relaunches and Announces Endorsements from Two RNC Chair Candidates

[Patrick Ruffini]

Today we're unveiling a refreshed look for RebuildtheParty.com and new networking features that let you get involved directly in the fight! Here are some highlights:

RNC Candidate Scorecard: Our new site now breaks down where all the declared candidates for RNC Chairman stand on the Plan for the Future. And the good news is that two out of four have already endorsed the plan! Former Tennessee Republican Party chairman Chip Saltsman endorsed us in his memo sent to RNC members as has Michigan Republican Party chairman Saul Anuzis. Anuzis talks about his enthusiasm for the plan on his campaign website and confirmed his endorsement via e-mail.

Our Team of Endorsers: If you signed on as an endorser and gave us permission to use your name, we're now listing your name on the site. See your name in lights here!

Join Our Action Network: Using the powerful Ning social networking platform, we're throwing Rebuild the Party open to you -- and your friends, your groups, your blogs, and your photos and videos. Since launching, we've seen an incredible groundswell of support from people wanting to self-organize to rebuild the party, and we hope this new platform provides a launching pad for just that.

Featured Ideas: Over 1,300 ideas have been posted to Ideas.RebuildtheParty.com. We've highlighted the ones that relate directly to Rebuild the Party's core mission of modernizing our infrastructure here, and invite you to vote on them for possible inclusion in the Plan for t... From the ideas submitted so far, we can see that there will be a vibrant debate over where the party should head ideologically in the next few years, and we don't intend to stifle that debate by promoting any one such idea over the other.

[Rubicon]

In our effort to "Rebuild the Party" we cannot allow ourselves to latch onto one point & try to make it fix all of our problems. However, I think most here already know that. There is no "one" fix. Additionally, many of what are described as our "problems" are really our attributes. Social conservatives have their own agenda, just as free market conservatives do. But, they all know through give & take, we can build a coalition of Republicans who can find a candidate we all can vote for comfortably.
No one group can dictate our overall policy. A former poster pointed out numerous obstacles, in their opinion. Yet those same obstacles can also be transformed into attributes. Many Republicans have socially conservative views. Perhaps some more than others. But, the party platform must end up as one we all can look at & at least 80% or more endorse & support. (Not all Democrats support their parties stated platform positions & we can bring in some of those whose positions are either not reflected in the Democrat's platform, or whose positions have been minimized.)
We must look at all of the issues & come to agreement on how we wish to respond to them, through policies that reflects accepting & working with each constituency. Many Republicans are opposed to abortion. Yet we must recognize there are also many Republicans who want abortion to be legal, in at least some circumstances. Morally, making compromises may revolt some of us. Yet we must realize the party is not here to solve ALL of our social problems. There is only so much the party can do. We must discover if there is ANY room at all on this issue. Then we must articulate that in our platform. Its a tough issue & we must have honest, yet reasonable & responsible answers so we can move forward. The free market cannot solve ALL fiscal problems. However, most of us feel it is the best way to solve our problems in the long term, by adapting short term fixes leading to those long term goals. We realize there must be some regulation... all we want is for regulation to be minimal & to be concise. Reams of pages of bureaucratic babble will not solve our problems or avoid future problems. Short & sweet will do much more. And we must dispel the myth that we are for no regulation at all. We must also look at controversies like illegal aliens. And lets be real here, that is exactly what they are. Compassion tells us to be nice & make it easy for them to assimilate. However, the process we have now makes assimilation a non issue & unchallenged acceptance the priority. Simply put, either we are a nation of laws for all, or we are an anarchy. If we reward law breaking with benefits, all we will have done is encourage additional law breaking & future law breakers. We must also get off the wagon that we cannot stand up for ourselves, without looking mean. A fence would slow down many illegal alien entries. BUT, it would also slow down illegal drug smuggling, illegal or stolen property movement, gang movement, & human trafficking movement (other than illegal aliens looking for work), that plague America. The savings on drug enforcement alone might pay for half the fence, annually. Yes, it is ugly. However, so is the carnage we have had to deal with by doing nothing or by making token efforts.
Many businesses depend on illegal alien labor. Why? Why have we made it so hard for them to temporarily import what they need & then send them back when they're work is done? What paperwork have we imposed on employers that causes them to circumvent the system? There must be a reasonable compromise that works for all of us.citizenship is prized among conservatives. In fact most see American citizenship as the world's "gold standard". Giving away citizenship & the right to vote it entails to those who have broken our laws & flaunted that for years, seems unfair. Asking illegal aliens who really want to immigrate to go home & apply, seems unreasonable to some. OK, so what's the reasonable alternative that is reasonably free from abuse? The documentation issue is seriously flawed. We cannot even get voters to show ID when they vote w/o the ACLU screaming discrimination & racial prejudice. We need something we all can feel is going to work well. Not perfect, but well enough that we would capture at least 80 to 95% of those who should never be admitted.
Perhaps illegal aliens do register in their local communities. Perhaps they go to state capitals. But there must be a way.
The point of all of this babble is we need to get down to issues & the details they involve, so we can propose solutions that a majority can understand and endorse!

[Paul Franklin]

Ah, so IceNine the liberal troll says all we have to do to succeed is get rid of those pesky social conservatives, who support the founders beliefs and instead swerve towards his brand of liberal anti-intellectualism, and start believing people like Al Gore and wacko atheists who are hostile to science and skeptical of reason.

Oh and we should not be too conservative, because that would be bad (LOL).

OK thanks IceNine, we will take your post with a small grain of salt and keep rebuilding the party to defeat you.

[Rockefeller-Republican1028]

Hello its nice to meet intellectual republicans, I am 21 and am of mixed race like our president-elect;I happen to be a republican instead. I supported Obama not because he was black or his "mandate" of "change" but to every fiscal conservative with socially liberal leanings of the GOP intelligentsia it wasnt John McCain who was the scare it was Sarah Palin with her flaunting anti-intellectualism and drastic stupidity on current affairs to basic geography. I am becoming concerned about the decline of the party due to the religious right/ex-dixiecrat constituency that has vitiated our party since the 1970s. Its amazing how the party of Lincoln is now the party of the Old Confederacy. The hope is that the old generation is becoming marginalized in fewer numbers (I mean did you even look at the GOP convention compared to the Dem Convention? ) and/or dying out, those of my ilk who would be considered liberal "elites" by the southern/heartland constituency who also believes that the party's salvation belongs to being ultra anti-tolerant and thus that is their definition of conservatism and patriotism with no palatable feedback on economics or foreign affairs but just a medieval like religious inquistion for domestic policy and jigostic rhetoric with diplomatic understanding of the world. The party is being held hostage by ex-dixiecrat bigots and if the New England/New York/California constituency doesn't take it back it will forever fall in the ranks of dead American political parties. Is there any chance in this current GOP civil war that either fiscal conservatives and moderates can grapple their party back? I can only draw on history to note the Democratic partys struggle with getting rid of the dixiecrats and now the debacle is happening all over again with the party of Lincoln. I mean does anyone even know that Senator Prescott Bush( father of H.W. Bush and the disgrace of a president I dare not mention) funded Planned Parenthood and American Birth Control and was an early advocate of the United Negro College Fund? But he also was fiscal conservative, so in your opinion how does the party reach out to younger voters of all races and creeds who will make up the majority of this country and will become increasly socially liberal but will at least want some fiscal responsibility/rejecting Keynesian demand management, but will never vote along republican lines as long as the Sarah Palins and Pat Robertsons still hold breath in their divisive ignorant bodies. How do they reach them, what is the future in your opinion?

[AJL]

I have been reading the posts and most of what is being talked about is rhetoric and style with little actual substance. Why not talk about what being a conservative really means and give an example that makes sense to the sheeple? What about doing something viral and post the be-jeebers out of it on the internet...but make it well, funny and ultimately, true. It does not require as much money or effort than you may think.

I do production as my business and have done enough advertising to understand how to put over a message. If you want to 'rebuild" the party, my suggestion is to start talking about what "The Party" is all about and get everyone on the same page FIRST.

Don't focus on the current personalities in the GOP but go for the actual philosophy. Then, those that are in agreement with being conservative will recognize themselves and start aligning their philosophy and energy toward the goal that is now common in the party.

Be strategic. Or as Elvis once put it, "A little less talk and lot more action."

[UnderCoverGuy]

God bless you all. We've tried to get the Republican Party to listen for years to these type of ideas (RedState, HotAir, TMR, LGF, and other political sites). After the past elections I guess they finally woke up. Now is the time to get their attention even more.

And I see that Michael Steele isn't listed as "officially" endorsing the plan. However, I've been watching his official website and his campaign and he has these same ideas as well already enacted. The nice thing that I like about Michael Steele is that this is more than a plan to him. He has been putting these concepts into action instead of only being a plan. That is somewhere that we need to change. We need more than a plan, we need action.

Thanks for everyone’s help in bringing the party around.

[Gigione]

Desade wrote a excellent post to what the Republican party needs to focus on. We have deviated so much our party its unrecognizable...what happened? We need to get back to our roots. Don't crucify me but I do have to say Ron Pauls message struck a chord in alot of people including myself.

[Unc G]

Whitehorse,

I am not sure I understand the term "intellectualist grousing." An intellectual (from the adjective meaning "involving thought and reason") is a person who tries to use his or her intelligence and analytical thinking, either in their profession or for the benefit of personal pursuits. Maybe you meant to use the term "liberal grousing" since the Echo chamber has redefined the term liberal to mean "wimpy commie."

You dismiss IceNine's arguments as "stale." Why not "modern classics?" When you fail to address the points made, labels do not advance the discussion.

Conservatives has plenty of time to learn how to start formulating arguments instead of continuing to call liberals names. Isn't that the purpose of a blog? You seem to be stuck on tactics and image projection rather than an honest appraisal.

I consider myself non party affiliated but I am always looking for improvements in either party.

[Whitehorse (Robin Ray)]

Good points desade. Limited government does not mean no government - government does have a role in keeping the economic playing field as level as possible & ensuring equality of opportunity.

We do have the correct message - what we need are leaders who can communicate this message boldly & have the record of holding to this message. McCain is a great patriot, war hero, & has served his country admirably. He, however, could not run on a limited government agenda because in too many cases he's promoted & voted for big government solutions & intrusions. Our candidates must not only talk the talk, but walk the talk.

[desade]

I agree with the need to "rebuild" this party. However, I also believe that the values and actions of existing Republican politicians are only self effacing(?), and lack being responsible to those who elected them in the first place. That being said, the first business should be to return the party to its birth, and produce a manifesto of what it truly means to be a Republican. Religious rights? Conservatism? Fiscal responsibility? Our message doesn't exist, and without a solid mantra to voice, who will listen? It's great to provide a list of what to do to gain in elections, but with what message? Trust me, I want this to succeed because this country cannot survive with only one party. But we need to start somewhere, and I'll give my own thoughts as a starting point:

1 - Government: Keeping government out of the economy is critical, but at the same time, oversight of corporations who "screw" the country for the benefit of the corporate elites, should be called on the carpet. Fair taxation by eliminating deductions that the average citizen can't deduct would be a start to show everyone THIS party believes in fairness and honesty.

2- Congress - No more pork barrel additions to budgets by Congressional Republicans. Show complete restraint and do what is in the best interest for those who elected them into office. Close the door to lobbyists and refuse to accept their "written legislation" that benefits only who they represent. Let the Democrats continue to be bought. WE, as Republicans, need to take a higher stand to move this country to a land of equals. A corporation has no vote, and our candidates must pledge to not give in to self preservation. I firmly believe voters, shown the REAL truth, would continue to elect proven honest politicians, who turn away from "easy" money. AND their doors on the hill should always be open to individual voters, and not patronize their concerns. We need to stand up and return to our roots, and be the party of the people.

3- Health Care: We can, as a party, provide real health relief for all Americans. Not "national health care" but real reforms in the market, gently "nudging" pharmaceuticals to reduce costs. Doctors should be given some shield from false accusations, ultimately reducing costs. Just like other industries, the bad eggs will be weeded out and should be punished. And the rest will provide the type of cost effective health care we all deserve. Eliminating unnecessary testing, just to protect oneself from lawsuit, would reduce it further. We as a party can show America we care, not for ourselves or corporations, but the very people we want to put us in office.

4- Foreign Policy: We are the strongest country in the world, and we shouldn't take second seat to anyone. Working WITH our allies, our true allies, is in our best interest. But looking the other way for the sake of oil (i.e. Saudi Arabia), shouldn't be a basis for policy. We can work to make the world a safer place, staying strong in our beliefs, standing up to "bullies". Our allies will back us if we show them the truth, and gain their continued trust.

5- Education - The party should push to educate our young to become self thinkers, and challenge the NEA to stop dumbing down our younger population. Since when has studying to pass "mandated" tests become more important than teaching reading, writing and arithmetic? Our schools have become "test learning" facilities, not free flowing venues of thought and ideas. Challenging the norm, debating the issues, learning to "add" without a calculator, and even real American history. Money doesn't make that happen, but parental participation and student involvement. We are falling so far behind the rest of the world with creative thought in our kids, it's becoming pathetic. Then we all wonder why no one cares.

Sorry for the winded comments, and I did cut them short the best I could. We need to START with what we stand for, agree to that, and get the message out by every avenue available.

Thanks for allowing me the time.

[Whitehorse (Robin Ray)]

IceNine, those talking points against "social" conservatives & religious people are quite stale. I am in the grassroots & count myself as a "complete" conservative - not just so-con, not just fis-con, not just nat def-con, not just smallgov-con - all of it. Go to most any church & one will see many well-educated people who are able to apply their education outside of academia.

Absolutely nothing else should be removed from conservatism - We have to restore what's missing. For all the intellectualist grousing about social conservatives, social conservative issues (not just SSM & Abortion) won handily at the ballot box in 2008 - even in states won handily by Obama. Strong national security - no semi-cogent argument exists to water that down.

What's been missing are fiscal responsibility & limited government conservatism. We get that back without fading any of the other "colors" of the conservative Republican platform, then we will again win elections & have the opportunity to put into place sound & good policy for our country. Republicans win when they are BOLD COLORS conservative - not the big government pale pastel crowd trying to be a better Democrat.