1.) Shaun Kenney just recently released a memo with an 8 part plan of how to completely revamp the RPV. It is a very creative idea, and I hope it spurs others on to thinking of ways to rebuild this party, and then I hope we see actual change as a result.
2.) While I was thinking about the Rebuild the Party movement, I remembered an issue of the Cuccinelli Compass sent out right after the general election this November. The e-mail included a very creative proposal by Ken Cuccinelli for developing technology and internet tools for the Republican party in Virginia. It is a plan I hope Jeff Frederick and the RPV embrace as we move on towards 2009 and reclaiming our state.
Dear Fellow Republican:
Well, the daze is wearing off and I’m already hearing from grassroots conservatives everywhere that they’re ready to start fighting their way back. I have also been pleasantly surprised to hear a general commitment to the two things we need to win: a Republican Party focused on core principles and grassroots campaigns.
Let’s get to it!
An Idea to Add to the Grassroots Arsenal
Looking at just one small area from this year’s election, it is generally considered that the GOP was out-teched in this election cycle, and my own observation is that such a conclusion is accurate. I’ve had an idea for many years that I’ve discussed with a few individuals and I want to now throw it out to all of you as food for thought. It’s just one idea, but I hope it might spawn many others.
The idea is to create a Virginia Internet Republican Committee. It would be very similar in structure to a unit committee (e.g., Fairfax County Republican Committee) or an auxiliary (e.g., the Virginia Federation of Republican Women). The idea would be that VIRC members could be members of their local unit committees but would also participate in the VIRC.
This is an idea that I’ve passed on to some of our GOP party leadership and I wanted to share it with all of you. Do with it what you will.
The concept is to establish the VIRC statewide and recruit membership from all over the Commonwealth. Meetings would generally take place via electronic means, such as conference calls, over the Internet or a combination of the two.
The initial purpose would be to recruit a critical mass of members so that VIRC could be self-sustaining. Terms of membership would need to be defined and put into the Party Plan. For example, annual dues might be $5, payable to the RPV via credit card – of course. Membership would not be anonymous, full information would be provided. Note that membership should be considered to include those too young to vote.
The strategic goal and the main reason to undertake a cutting-edge effort such as VIRC would be to offer another outreach opportunity to expand the GOP’s membership, volunteer and voter base, and, critically, to do so in a way calculated to massively increase our “in house” technical talent available to candidates and the party generally (e.g., for sustained efforts on blogs and in communication in general).
Presumably, those attracted to join the VIRC would be technically saavy, and would themselves work on how to expand the quality and utility of the VIRC. E.g., developing template websites, running a committee in which motions and voting takes place on line, mastering technology for the benefit of all campaigns (e.g., seeking out or developing automated, home-based, Internet-calling systems for GOP candidates), learning technology and testing it prior to introduction to GOP campaigns, expand our base of volunteers with high-level database skills, expand our base of volunteers capable of running Internet social sites (e.g., a candidate’s Facebook page) etc. This list is just a set of examples, there are many others.
While not necessary, initially, it would be best if this effort were voted on/approved/endorsed by the State Central Committee of RPV, but VIRC would not need voting power on SCC or other formalities to start. It would take the limited commitment of some individuals already within the GOP fold to get the effort started. We have plenty of such folks available to us. Getting several volunteer commitments to participate in managing the effort would avoid the VIRC becoming a burden for RPV staff, while maintaining strong connections between RPV/SCC and VIRC. Perhaps make such volunteers an ad hoc committee of SCC.
After a period of relatively informal experimentation (a few months), SCC may consider the effectiveness of VIRC vis-à-vis the effort required to deal with VIRC and decide to cancel the effort or take it to a more formal level, e.g., giving the Chairman and two elected SCC reps seats on SCC. Additionally, the relationships and/or connections between members of VIRC and their local GOP units could be addressed after an initial period with a variety of member experiences.
In short, I believe that VIRC could help us expand the GOP while also adding to our base of technical expertise within our party ranks.
