Brutally honest observations from the herd

By: Passionate Pachyderms  on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 11:01pm ·

 

With all due respect to New RNC leader Reince Preibus who only recently  stepped up to try and save the day, and who in all fairness deserves the benefit of a little time to push the reset button, and clear the screen..

 

 

There is no doubt the Republican Party is failing massively to capitalize on momentum built and delivered to them with a beautiful RED bow from the TEA party folks, and from all that is going on, not only in Wisconsin, but throughout the country.

The Grand OLD party should be taking full advantage of the positive wave of support gleamed from our Governor Scott Walker’s brave actions, but instead, it remains what appears to be a combination of silent, disoriented, confused, and complacent, making frustrated Republicans crazy from the inactivity and lack of forethought.

 I’d love to say that what Huffpo and other liberal leaning main stream media outlets are saying about the absence of GOP leadership and direction is complete dribble, but the fact is, many of the points being made are at least in part, valid.

Regular GOP members from county parties across not only Wisconsin, but the entire country are concerned about the lack of support and effective leadership within the GOP at every level.  Newly elected office holders, as well as  returning elected officials report having had little or no support during recent campaigns from state or local levels, let alone from the national level.

Time after time, I’ve listened as great Americans and passionate conservative individuals tell me different versions of the same story, those in leadership positions, or holding leadership “titles” are not leading within the party.  In most cases, the stories begin with a legacy of years, sometimes decades of perpetual  Republican “Good ole Boy” and/or “family” controlled politics. 

 

In years past, the Good ole Boy network seemed effective enough I suppose, or  perhaps to a large degree it appeared that way because Republicans really weren’t paying a whole lot of attention.  Every now and then we’d go out, fill in a ballot, or pull a lever to re-elect the same individuals, very often having no clue what those we were electing were doing, or perhaps more importantly what they were not doing, and how it might affect us down the road.

But then along came Obama, the Stimulus, Bank Bailouts, auto industry bailouts, the healthcare Bill, ballooning debt, and Huston we have some serious problems.

Finally, we began to awaken, and when we did, we found that our president, Senate and Congress where more concerned with taking vacations and going golfing then they are governing our country or doing the people’s business. We looked around in disbelief and just like that, the sleeping giant was wide awake and ready for action,

 

But instead of finding a Republican party poised and ready to take charge and lead the way, armed with a battle plan Americans could get behind and have faith in,  the party was silent.  Our concern, gave way to anger which led to TEA Parties across the country, and the GOP did nothing.

 

 

 Millions of Americans told the GOP what needed to be done,  showed them how to do it, provided them with thousands of places to do it, and even gave them a readymade army of voters willing to get the job done.  The GOP failed to listen, and  failed to pay attention. As a result many individuals who, in the past had volunteered, paid dues, donated to campaigns, maintained memberships, and considered themselves to be strong conservative Republicans stopped doing any of it, not because they left the GOP, but rather because they felt as though the GOP had left them.

The people got angry,  found their own candidates,  many of whom were elected, and went to do a job no one else was getting done, They handed the Republican party a majority in Congress, and a significantly larger presence in the senate, and still, countless Republicans continue  to wait for their party to lead, so far it hasn’t happened.

Our current Republican Good ole’ Boy / Family Congressional Representatives are thinking about turning their backs on the elected officials  the People  sent to Washington in November, and throwing them swiftly under the wheels of the nearest moving bus because they refuse to play by the Good ole’ Boy / family game rules.

The act of throwing their own under the wheels of moving busses isn’t exclusive to National politics though, it’s an activity that often begins shortly after ones political career does, and from there, once started, playing the game appears to be a skill one perfects as time goes by and higher office is obtained.

The U.S. Senators are far too busy running from lobbyist to lobbyist  in search of the best K street deal they can broker, or horse trading for the most impressive committee seat, to have time to see the people they represent, let alone actually hear, or help them.

On the State level, GOP offices are understaffed, overworked, and very often too worried about kissing the bu.. I mean babies of wealthy donors in hopes of a large financial contribution, to do the little things that build cohesiveness, loyalty, or support. Things like,  enforcing their own rules, constitutions and by laws, acting on objections, complaints, and points of order raised by those who’s boots are actually “on the ground”, let alone having the time, or energy left over to do anything that resembles LEADING.

There is ZERO continuity, little to no support, no clear message, no obvious line of communication, nor hint of organization, so it’s no wonder a third party becomes more of a viable option for 2012 by the minute, one that will actually represent, or:: Gasp:: Dare I say, work with, listen to, and LEAD The People.

There may be exceptions to this trend, but unfortunately such complaints have become more the rule then the exception to it.  

 

 

The point is, with all that is happening, with the opportunity that has been handed the Republican Party on a silver platter, then spoon fed to them at virtually EVERY level by the Tea Parties and their supporters, this should not be happening in ANY STATE, nor in ANY county party.

The GOP must do a better job connecting with, listening to, and recognizing those who are doing the work and actually wearing the boots on the ground. People step up to help for different reasons, but mostly they do it because they believe in the organization they are stepping forward to help. How likely is it then, that they will continue to give their time, energy or money to an organization that just keeps ignoring them at every turn?

The Grass roots TEA party movement has gotten as far as it has in a very short period of time. They did so while recruiting, and getting good candidates elected to national, state, and local offices, and while gaining extraordinary support from record numbers of Americans willing to fight for our Constitution, Freedom and the American way of life. The question then becomes, why hasn’t the Republican party been willing or able to do it?

 

The message Americans are, and have been sending is simple. “Lead, follow, get on board for the ride, or get out of the way”, pick one,  then get off the track and let those who are willing and able to get things done, without four day weekends, two or three week vacations, without 70 games of golf, private jets, book tours, or K Street deals, get it done.

 

The whistle is blowing and the train is leaving the station. The American people want leadership and they know this is our last chance to make sure that this time, it’s the RIGHT leadership for America.