The End

2012-01-22T15:57:00.005-06:00

The time has come.

The time has come, that is, to put the final nail into this blog's coffin. As you may have noticed, it has been well over two years since I have posted regularly. I actually had someone comment a few months back on this blog, pointing out the fact that I had moved on. As I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that I had done just that. I have told myself at various times over the last 2+ years that some day "down the road", I would resume posting regularly on this blog. It has become obvious to me at this point that will not be happening. I never like to completely close any doors and never say never, so I won't say for certain that I will never be back. If I were betting man though, I would probably not take the bet of that happening.

With that said, I intend to make this blog go away at some point in the near future. Thanks to all who have read what I have had to say in the past, I do appreciate your time.

EIC

The Future

2008-11-14T20:40:00.006-06:00

EIC comrade Grant Young over at Questions, Comments and Insults has laid out his plan on how the Grand Ol' Party in Iowa can turn things around - I urge you to check it out if you haven't already. Here's my take on what he had to say:

Message and Branding
No arguments here, the Republican "brand" has certainly taken a lot of hits the last few election cycles. I will disagree with Grant in that we have been "out-messaged". I believe that we have always had the stronger message, we have just gotten rather sloppy in conveying that message. It certainly doesn't help, as Grant pointed out, that at times our side has voted on the wrong side of an issue. It makes it hard to defend someone when you don't agree with the way they voted yourself.

Bold Messaging
We do need people who not only are effective communicators to spread our Conservative message, but also people who are not afraid to do so. The past few years I have on many occasions gotten this vibe that our party has become the Underground Railroad of politics. It's not hard to see why necessarily - I'm sure most of you out there have been in a situation where you are the sole Republican co-mingled with a room full of Bush-hating libs and are made to feel like a dunce and evil incarnate all at the same time. Take the time to think out why you are a Republican, and prepare yourself to battle in the arena of ideas with mis-informed Democrats when the occassion arises.

And Before You Start Foaming At the Mouth...
We do need to become a more inclusive party, but not to the point where we compromise our beliefs by trying to pitch too big of a tent.That means that fiscal conservatives / social moderates need to learn how to co-habitate with the people who are social conservatives first, and vice-versa. I realize it can be a tough balancing act but a party divided will yield results similar to those that we just experienced. All in our party need to form a symbiotic relationship that is mutually beneficial to all.

Kill 'Em With Kindness
I've found that nothing pisses off most diehard Democrats more than being cordial to them and forcing them to try to respond in a civilized way. Personal attacks can very easily turn off casual voters, but I am of the belief that presenting facts about an opposing candidate does not equal "negative" campaigning. In the end Grant is right though, the positive message must not be overshadowed by the negative, which will quickly turn people away.

Technology
Amen to that, brother. I have been stressing for some time now that we need to get with the times and utilize technology, not shun it. I think all 99 County GOP Central Committees should work towards having some sort of web presence to direct their constituents to. Many counties in Eastern Iowa have begun to do this, but I know there are still many that have not. It doesn't take much, just something that let's the people in your county know that the GOP is alive and kicking in their neck of the woods. It amazes me at times when you start to get people that live within a few houses of you crawling out of the woodwork when they discover that you share the same beliefs as them.

G brings up another good point - don't just forward me or anyone else a dozen messages daily, because odds are they will just get deleted which wastes both of our time. I guarantee you, if you add even just a single sentence at the top that is a reaction to to what you are forwarding I am 99% more likely to actually read it. Reading peoples' thoughts on an issue to me is much more interesting that simply reading a press release from the RNC, RPI, ICA, or any other group.

Everyone and Everybody
This goes back to the need to learn how to be more inclusive. AGAIN...before accusing me of trying to pitch too big of a tent, we need to hold and defend our values and don't become a party who has no identity because we become too inclusive.

Oh yeah, anonymous bloggers, who do think you are? Cowards!

Be A Part of the Solution
It's not enough to say that we are opposed to Democrat positions on anything and everything, We need to clearly spell out why and what our counter-proposals are. We are the party of ideas, and we need to let everyone know what those ideas are.

Have Fun
This is an area that we have severely lacked in. I guarantee you... getting together with a small group in a more social environment and talking to them mano a mano is much more effective than cramming 1,000 people in an auditorium to listen to someone tow the party line. We need to establish that personal touch, which can only be accomplished at the grass roots level. We have become the perceived party of stiffs in business suits out of touch with Joe Blue Collar, which for the majority of us is simply not the case. Perception is reality, and we need to change that perception. Let people know that contrary to popular belief, we are in fact human.

Money, Money, Money
This headline make me think about Ted Dibiase. I heard it said many times the past couple of years that money does not equal message. True, but the economic reality is that you need some money, doesn't have to be huge, to get out that message. There is a lot of low cost or "free" media options these days, but never dismiss the importance of having a little green in your coffers.

99 County Strategy
This should be a given. The way I see it, too many people sat on their hands this cycle feeling that RPI should swoop in and save the day. Granted, RPI had what seemed like very little presense this year compared to '06, and I have certainly had my issues with them. Ultimately though every county should decide their own fate. How can we expect to sell our message of self-reliance when we consistently sit and wait on the state party to save the day. I'll break it down even further, we need to concentrate on organizing at the precinct level, which living in a small population area I can tell you can be rather difficult but goes back to the need for networking at the grassroots level. There is certainly a need for guidance and leadership at the state level, but it becomes rather easy to become too dependent on it.

What's At Stake
No doubt, we will have a Primary to decide our Gubernatorial candidate in '10. Whatever the outcome, pull together! Don't take your ball and go home or we will yearn for the good ol' days of 2008.

Leadership
The election of a new RPI Chair will tell us a lot as to what we can expect at the state level. I hope for someone with great organizational and communication skills but ultimately I proceed toward the future expecting nothing and hopefully will be pleasantly surprised by a change in a direction in Des Moines. More importantly we need leadership at the county level that can help their constituents see that local races are every bit as important as national races though they get comparatively very little media coverage. Consider today's county and other local races to be the breeding ground of tomorrow's state and national races.

Conclusion...
Grant has some great ideas/ thoughts, and I am sure others will share their insights. Before you micro-analyze where we have gone wrong, stop for a minute and reaffirm to yourself what it is exactly that you are fighting for. I know all too well how easy it can be at times to let the body politic consume a great deal of your thought process during a day. While I am not in any way dismissing the importance of all that we believe in, remember that there are other things in life too. In the words of Ferris Bueller - "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around once in awhile, you could miss it".

Stop and look around once in awhile, and remember exactly why it is that you have chosen to get involved. Speaking from experience, it can be the best motivator.

~EIC

Eastern Iowa Conservative

The End

The Future