Battle Lines

There is a battle going on today for the leadership of the GOP. At least two candidates for the GOP Chair have attempted to address what many activists feel is the biggest problem within the GOP - a lack of a clear coherent message and an effective means to get it out. First up is Michigan GOP Chair Saul Anuzis. He has been busily promoting his "Blueprint for A GOP Comeback" which I encourage all Republican activists to read. Two of the things that I find to be the most interesting and encouraging about Mr. Anuzis is his desire to listen to the activist base and his use of the internet. Mr. Anuzis has even signed on to the plan put together at "Rebuild the Party".

Second is former Lt. Governor Michael Steele of Maryland. Lt. Gov. Steele has spent the last 3 years quietly and not so quietly advancing conservative causes. He has quietly been going into minority communities to listen to their concerns and to share why conservative values match their values closest. He has not so quietly been trumpeting conservative causes as a political commentator on the Fox News Channel. He is starting to release (in chapters) his "Blueprint for Tomorrow" which I would also encourage you to read. In chapter 1, Lt. Gov. Steele echoes what many activists, voters and critics of the RNC (including Mr. Anuzis) have long said - the GOP brand is tarnished, our current strategy is NOT working, we are lagging in the use of new technologies AND we must have the integrity to stick to our principles! (Chapter 2 can be found here) Star Parker has a phenomenal column up at Townhall today on the RNC Chair race and in it she asks three very straight forward business questions.

The three most important management questions, according to famed management guru Peter Drucker, are: What is our business? Who is the customer? What does the customer consider value?

What is the business of the RNC? Some might say it is to get Republicans elected. I'd say that's inadequate. Clever marketing techniques can move product in the short run. But if customers are not happy, they don't come back.

I would say that the drop off in volunteers and fund-raising and voters has shown that the customers are "not happy".

Who is the customer? The RNC must genuinely view the full spectrum of the American electorate as its target market. What business can possibly grow by only focusing on customers who have already bought its product? Only going after low-hanging fruit is not a business plan that any venture capitalist would finance.

Republicans must get their message to the many diverse communities that make up our great country that they have ignored. Yes, I am certainly talking about black and Latino communities.

The base, while important (as John McCain), will not be enough to win elections. You have to talk to folks outside of the base and find out what is important TO THEM. I got a really great taste of that this past year when I did some door knocking for the old home district. We got the radical idea to ask voters what was important to them (as opposed to telling them what was important). As a result of that, the old home district knew long before the rest of the country did that the pending housing crisis was the most important issue to the voters and we were able to capitalize on it this year! This is common sense people - not rocket science! Which leads to....

What does the customer consider value? Customers buy products they believe will make them better off. Although some voters are motivated by ideology, most are seeking a secure, comfortable and safe life.

Bill Clinton had it 100% correct when he said "It's the economy stupid!" Like it or not, voters vote their pocketbooks above all. They value a government that works for them, not bailing out big business. They value a government that is concerned about moving the country and the economy forward. They value ideas and optimism and they certainly do not value conspiracy theories about whether the child of a 19 year old American citizen born in 1960 is eligible to be President of the United States - whether that child was born in Hawaii or in Kenya! If the customer does not value your product, no amount of pushing it at them will change their minds, in fact it will have the opposite effect! It will chase more and more of your customers away - is that really what the GOP and the few remaining followers that they have really want to do?

The race is going to boil down to ideas - who has them and who does not. Hopefully the elected National Committeemen and Committeewomen have the common sense to realize that the status quo is not working and the do something dramatic to fix it.

PS - I would love to have links for the other 7 candidates. I know that Mike Duncan has a website and I will be perusing that soon, but what about the other challengers. If you know of links to the other candidates plans send them to me at ll at the domain ladieslogic dot com.