Closeted Conservatives. What can a couple poor Deplorables Do?
Tues. 1/17/18 I went to a “round table” of 2nd District Republicans of Michigan. This is an official Republican group comprising the Counties of the 2nd Congressional District of Michigan. Mike Hewitt is the Chair for that and his idea was to have the 2nd District meetings held in different places around the District so those not able to travel so far could make it. He hoped new faces might turn up. Good idea.
Even here in this friendly environment I found things got complicated too quickly. That is the way of the world. That is also what Conservatives are fighting against when you hear them talk about smaller government and more local control. The meeting was a classic example how fast things get complicated even by those trying to un-complicate them.
The contradiction is formed from the idealism of no government and a government that can get something done. We talked at the meeting about that very thing.
It's a direct function of size. Most everyone there was an elected official of one stripe or another. Most understood the “compromises” that are necessary to get something done in the political world. We all understand that. Things need to get done on the Macro and the Micro level.
We also understand Dictatorships are much easier.
While nothing was accomplished on the formal side, some meetings of the minds and networking was accomplished. I too felt buoyed up some that others were struggling with the same problems I was. The purpose of the meeting after all was to explain the process and purpose of the 2nd District, and that was accomplished.
My main take away was a reinforcement that for things to get done at the local level, the local people have to take the lead and that from the 2nd District on up the chain, there has to be a willingness to help those efforts out - or at least get out of the way. But above all people have to help themselves - they should be encouraged.
The local efforts, where the “Politics really is Personal” idea proves one on one efforts are what swings elections and are what needs the most help. It is also the most labor intensive. The state Party has had the right idea but perhaps should shift more of its focus on actually helping, teaching and learning from those who are already doing it and how to help them.
We need to stay away from the one size fits all approach and let the local who are trying tell the Party how it can help.
How do we translate "Plolitics is Personal"?
Bottom Up Politics. You are the foundation upon which all else rests. When the foundation moves all else shakes.
Like I meant to say my main take away was that if I wanted something done I needed to do it or at least organize it myself and not expect any help from the state/national party. If I got some then great, but not to spend my time bitching about not getting any help.
That is wasting my time and effort.
I would like to aim at a type of “strike force”. I think we need something to keep those fired up doing things. I harken back to the idea of the Tea Party and being on line organizing something all the time to help the cause and keep people interested. A protest rally here a support rally there. Picking a candidate then getting 2 people who would get 2 more and then 2 more to march in a parade for a favorite candidate. Easy stuff, yet effective stuff.
Out doing the competition. Not letting them have their way that is what I want.
At the 2nd District Round Table Tuesday, Joan and Richard Runnels of modest means, passed out a printed page of things they had done themselves to help Republicans in their (Lake) County during the last election. Lake County is one of the poorest counties in the State. No one gave her handout much credit including myself. Mostly everyone sat around making excuses why things couldn’t get done at the State level. The biggest excuse was that it cost a lot of money.
As I was trying to get ideas for my next blog, I remembered the handout the Runnels had handed out. I dug it out, unfolded it and read it. I was sorry I hadn’t read it fully at the meeting. But upon reading it I did have some questions.
I called up Joan the next day and asked her if she had gotten any help from the State Party money wise. She said they had promised to help them, but the Runnels never saw anything from them. They spent their own money doing all of the things listed below.
It was because of the work of people like the Runnels that we won Michigan. Sure the State Party did it’s best with the high tech stuff, but it was the Runnels in their own neighborhood where votes changed from Democrat to Republican.
Here is the list. I only made some grammatical corrections as I saw fit.
{1. Door to door campaign starting July to election.
2. Buying several ads in newspaper.
3. Purchased campaign signs for several candidates.
4. Robo calls were made for candidates.
5. Put on meet and greets for 3 candidates.
6. Used my home for a pick up location for yard signs and advertised in newspaper where to pick up signs.
Summary of results.
Hard work turned our democratic county around and we elected a Republican Sheriff, kept our Republican prosecutor, elected a New Republican clerk, 5 Republican commissioners and Republican Road Comissioner.
First time in over 25 years a Republican majority in Lake County.
This is grass roots politics.
Joan Runnels, Lake County.}
Some background, the Runnels were voted out of the Republican County Party. Thus forcing them to go the way they did. While they were not the only factor in turning Lake County Red they have had a large impact. It seemed they were the only Republicans in Lake for a long time before the “Uprising”.
Apart from inter-party rivalry, I agree this is the work that needs to be emulated and copied. This is where the State Party needs lend it's hand.
This is the type of thing that the State Party needs to facilitate. A little money here and there and maybe we can start keeping people interested in helping out. The talk at the Round Table was that to hire office help for each district would be too much. Here is a clue, people can and want to help themselves. They could use a hand as needed.
Joan and Richard did their own office work. They set up the North West Conservative Alliance so volunteers would have a name and place to gather around. No membership dues. I also asked Joan if they raised any money from other concerned people in Lake County, she said no. The (NWCA) meets on the 1st Thursday of the month, around 6:30pm at Pompeii’s a pizza place in Baldwin?
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pompeii's/@43.8913599,-85.8585039,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xa5b8f1e52c732222!8m2!3d43.8945144!4d-85.8519379
Which takes me to larger issues.
The natural progression in the life of humans as they grow and mature is for them to start out idealistically and gradually over time and the maturing process become more conservative. Many books have been written about this and you can get lost in the weeds easily while losing sight of the reality of the situation. Or losing sight of the more realistic motivations people are ruled by.
To paraphrase Winston Churchill. "If you are young and not a liberal you have no heart, if you are old and not a conservative you have no brains."
But to boil it down, simple self-interest is the key motivation. Whether it be the childish “I want this” to the concept of saving and doing without for your children; this is what I mean by self-interest - the good and the bad.
Because of this “latent conservatism” and relying on self-interest I see a possible great future for Republicans to be able to make inroads in previously thought to be Democrat strongholds – with what I’m calling “Closeted Conservatives”. That is of course if the Republican Party can see it as in their best interest to do so.
For some in-depth study of politics and further research check out the article below.
Great article about the history of the Democrat and Republican parties and the way they have changed over the last 80 or so years by Seitz-Wald and Patula titled “Democrats left in the Lurch”, January 18th, 2017. This is written with an eye towards what the Democrats need to do to rebuild their party.
http://www.nbcnews.com/specials/democrats-left-in-the-lurch
This however is chocked full of what Republicans should do now and in the future. Just use your imagination a little. It also is full of overlooking the main problem for the Democrats and that is their condescension and unwillingness to face reality.
People didn't vote for Hillary in Michigan because she didn't make enough campaign stops. It was her "Better than You" attitude brought out so succinctly with her witty remark that people not voting for her were a basket of deplorables.
Nice cartoon of what the Dems and Hillary think of "Fly over Country People.
I will be researching this article for info in the future. It is nice to read something in depth for a change.
Hillary tried and Joe Biden lamented about the loss of “white working class America” of which I’ve previously blogged. Hillary was always talking about helping the middle class and Joe when looking at a Trump rally lamented. “We lost because of awful lot of hard-working Americans who live in areas where we did not pay much attention to,” he said (a little disjointedly) at a reception. “Barack Obama won these people. They are not racist. They did not vote for the Democrats this time.”
What did they expect, they made White Middle Class working people especially men so Politically Incorrect and beneath them, why would they expect them to vote for a Democrat who called them deplorable.
How do we translate "Plolitics is Personal"?
Bottom Up Politics. You are the foundation upon which all else rests. When the foundation moves all else shakes.
That is wasting my time and effort.
I would like to aim at a type of “strike force”. I think we need something to keep those fired up doing things. I harken back to the idea of the Tea Party and being on line organizing something all the time to help the cause and keep people interested. A protest rally here a support rally there. Picking a candidate then getting 2 people who would get 2 more and then 2 more to march in a parade for a favorite candidate. Easy stuff, yet effective stuff.
Out doing the competition. Not letting them have their way that is what I want.
At the 2nd District Round Table Tuesday, Joan and Richard Runnels of modest means, passed out a printed page of things they had done themselves to help Republicans in their (Lake) County during the last election. Lake County is one of the poorest counties in the State. No one gave her handout much credit including myself. Mostly everyone sat around making excuses why things couldn’t get done at the State level. The biggest excuse was that it cost a lot of money.
As I was trying to get ideas for my next blog, I remembered the handout the Runnels had handed out. I dug it out, unfolded it and read it. I was sorry I hadn’t read it fully at the meeting. But upon reading it I did have some questions.
I called up Joan the next day and asked her if she had gotten any help from the State Party money wise. She said they had promised to help them, but the Runnels never saw anything from them. They spent their own money doing all of the things listed below.
It was because of the work of people like the Runnels that we won Michigan. Sure the State Party did it’s best with the high tech stuff, but it was the Runnels in their own neighborhood where votes changed from Democrat to Republican.
Here is the list. I only made some grammatical corrections as I saw fit.
{1. Door to door campaign starting July to election.
2. Buying several ads in newspaper.
3. Purchased campaign signs for several candidates.
4. Robo calls were made for candidates.
5. Put on meet and greets for 3 candidates.
6. Used my home for a pick up location for yard signs and advertised in newspaper where to pick up signs.
Summary of results.
Hard work turned our democratic county around and we elected a Republican Sheriff, kept our Republican prosecutor, elected a New Republican clerk, 5 Republican commissioners and Republican Road Comissioner.
First time in over 25 years a Republican majority in Lake County.
This is grass roots politics.
Joan Runnels, Lake County.}
Some background, the Runnels were voted out of the Republican County Party. Thus forcing them to go the way they did. While they were not the only factor in turning Lake County Red they have had a large impact. It seemed they were the only Republicans in Lake for a long time before the “Uprising”.
Apart from inter-party rivalry, I agree this is the work that needs to be emulated and copied. This is where the State Party needs lend it's hand.
This is the type of thing that the State Party needs to facilitate. A little money here and there and maybe we can start keeping people interested in helping out. The talk at the Round Table was that to hire office help for each district would be too much. Here is a clue, people can and want to help themselves. They could use a hand as needed.
Joan and Richard did their own office work. They set up the North West Conservative Alliance so volunteers would have a name and place to gather around. No membership dues. I also asked Joan if they raised any money from other concerned people in Lake County, she said no. The (NWCA) meets on the 1st Thursday of the month, around 6:30pm at Pompeii’s a pizza place in Baldwin?
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pompeii's/@43.8913599,-85.8585039,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xa5b8f1e52c732222!8m2!3d43.8945144!4d-85.8519379
Which takes me to larger issues.
The natural progression in the life of humans as they grow and mature is for them to start out idealistically and gradually over time and the maturing process become more conservative. Many books have been written about this and you can get lost in the weeds easily while losing sight of the reality of the situation. Or losing sight of the more realistic motivations people are ruled by.
But to boil it down, simple self-interest is the key motivation. Whether it be the childish “I want this” to the concept of saving and doing without for your children; this is what I mean by self-interest - the good and the bad.
Because of this “latent conservatism” and relying on self-interest I see a possible great future for Republicans to be able to make inroads in previously thought to be Democrat strongholds – with what I’m calling “Closeted Conservatives”. That is of course if the Republican Party can see it as in their best interest to do so.
For some in-depth study of politics and further research check out the article below.
Great article about the history of the Democrat and Republican parties and the way they have changed over the last 80 or so years by Seitz-Wald and Patula titled “Democrats left in the Lurch”, January 18th, 2017. This is written with an eye towards what the Democrats need to do to rebuild their party.
http://www.nbcnews.com/specials/democrats-left-in-the-lurch
People didn't vote for Hillary in Michigan because she didn't make enough campaign stops. It was her "Better than You" attitude brought out so succinctly with her witty remark that people not voting for her were a basket of deplorables.
Nice cartoon of what the Dems and Hillary think of "Fly over Country People.
I will be researching this article for info in the future. It is nice to read something in depth for a change.
Hillary tried and Joe Biden lamented about the loss of “white working class America” of which I’ve previously blogged. Hillary was always talking about helping the middle class and Joe when looking at a Trump rally lamented. “We lost because of awful lot of hard-working Americans who live in areas where we did not pay much attention to,” he said (a little disjointedly) at a reception. “Barack Obama won these people. They are not racist. They did not vote for the Democrats this time.”
What did they expect, they made White Middle Class working people especially men so Politically Incorrect and beneath them, why would they expect them to vote for a Democrat who called them deplorable.
I’m half expecting some of the non-governmental unions to start backing at least some of what Trump is trying to accomplish. If you are a union guy, what's not to like about bringing jobs back to America? Especially with his ideas of renegotiating NAFTA and getting out of TPP. He has already before being sworn in put pressure on Companies to come back and to create American jobs.
I know a lot of the rank and file voted for Trump. From my experience Biden was right. I saw it wherever I knocked on doors.
But above that even, we had a real candidate who people felt they knew and were ok with what they were getting. Maybe he wasn’t the most polished and maybe he wasn’t this or that but people knew what they were getting. He spoke to truth.
I know a lot of the rank and file voted for Trump. From my experience Biden was right. I saw it wherever I knocked on doors.
But above that even, we had a real candidate who people felt they knew and were ok with what they were getting. Maybe he wasn’t the most polished and maybe he wasn’t this or that but people knew what they were getting. He spoke to truth.
With Hillary and the rest of the political class in general they knew from experience what they were getting and it was BS. They had enough and were ready to go off the reservation. Middle America had a choice this time and they got excited about it.
The Republican Party needs to keep them excited about it if they really want to change Washington. By their action they will be judged.
Regards, Bob Carr
Live Dangerously, Tell the Truth
glhotdogs513@gmail.com
231-728-3455
The Republican Party needs to keep them excited about it if they really want to change Washington. By their action they will be judged.
Regards, Bob Carr
Live Dangerously, Tell the Truth
glhotdogs513@gmail.com
231-728-3455
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