Chris Maiorana has an excellent blog called "2012 Won't Be About Money and Organization". It should be required reading for anyone interested in our country and the political process. http://tinyurl.com/nk8l94
Much teeth-gnashing in certain segments of the blogosphere this morning over the "importance" of organization and money in the 2012 GOP primary. It's clear that these bloggers believe that these are the most important things when it comes to running for President.
And during the 1980s and 1990s that might have been true, but 2012 will prove otherwise. The 2012 race will be about ideas and the rise of individuals and their personal networks. Money and organization are always important to spreading ideas and reaching voters but if they were the most important thing, Mitt Romney would have won the GOP nomination in a walk.
The DC media which handicaps every aspect of the run and does much to shape it, doesn't see this yet. They are still framing the race through an older lens. So Mitt Romney looks tough to beat today. But if you look back, starting I would submit in 2004 with Howard Dean, we have seen glimpses of what the future holds in terms of politics and frankly for the Mitt Romney's of the world.
Howard Dean's contribution was online fundraising to an extent but I believe his greatest contribution and the one that shaped much of what Obama did online, was his reliance on a devolved campaign infrastructure built on the strengths and weaknesses of outside groups locally organized. The campaign gave the football to its supporters and they ran downfield with it calling many of their own plays. In Iowa this strategy finally backfired on Dean.
Barack Obama's team, took Dean to the next level. They brought the groups within the campaign structure so they could harness the energy these groups created and carefully direct their actions. They provided tools to their supporters justlike Dean but each tool had a purpose in their overall strategy. The effort was grassroots in its breadth but conventionally top-down in its direction. A perfect blend and I suspect something that is hard to replicate.
So what will 2012's evolution be? The one that is the difference maker for the next winning presidential campaign? And is it something that can be bought and paid for?
In my opinion, the campaign that most effectively harnesses individuals and leverages their personal networks not as financial bundlers but as spokespersons for their ideas will win.
With social media being ubiquitous now and even moreso in 2012, it's these influentials and their networks that will carry the day. Very localized groups will still be there in the mix and very important, but you will see these online influentials rise in importance to campaigns, existing wholly outside of a traditional campaign structure, their strength derived from their use of social media platofrms like Twitter and Facebook.
And really that is a back to the future moment for politics. These new influentials are the old precinct workers of early 20th century neighborhood politics. This time around though, with the help of technology, their precincts are national and interconnected; with viral communication tools at the push of a button.
Mark my words, @socialmediamaven's network of friends that he shares his political views with multiple times a day for FREE between now and Jan 1 2011, is more important in terms of actual votes come Iowa Caucus Day than a $500,000 bundler for Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, etc who helps fund a micro-targeted GOTV plan for the Des Moines area...
So while I enjoy a good money and organization story every now and then, I worry and think about more how to reach these new influentials where they eat and sleep...on the strength of my clients ideas not their warchests...
Posted by Chris at 3:37 PM
Reposted with permission of Chris Maiorana
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
A Letter to Bret Baier and "The Hill"
Note From Paradise: This is a letter from Marilyn of Colorado to Bret Baier and "The Hill" News Magazine. Republicans everywhere should read Marilyn's letter and keep it for a resource in how to respond to the biased liberal media. It is time for we Republicans to fight back. Well done Marilyn!!
Hello Mr. Baier,
As usual i enjoyed your report yesterday.
But I was wondering about a remark from the Hill reporter. She said there
was no leadership for the Republican Party. Has she looked? I remember a
time when reporters went out and found stories. Perhaps its the rising cost
of everything that keeps her sitting at her desk. Dunno that!
With your permission here is my report to her - smile!
It is the "off year" and from the GOP national chair to state chairs to the
county chairs all are busy doing typical "off year" tasks like plotting and
planning and training central committee members and checking our voters
lists twice and having fund raising events. Precinct primaries loom!
hummmm! Just so the she and the world will know we think we have super
leadership and are excited about our candidates stepping up at all levels
for the 2010 elections.
It is great that our retired official republican players and in-seat governors
continue to find time to travel and speak on our behalf during the off year
election cycle but she is certainly welcome anytime to come check us out.
Thank you for all your information. Keep up the good work please
Marilyn, Colorado
Hello Mr. Baier,
As usual i enjoyed your report yesterday.
But I was wondering about a remark from the Hill reporter. She said there
was no leadership for the Republican Party. Has she looked? I remember a
time when reporters went out and found stories. Perhaps its the rising cost
of everything that keeps her sitting at her desk. Dunno that!
With your permission here is my report to her - smile!
It is the "off year" and from the GOP national chair to state chairs to the
county chairs all are busy doing typical "off year" tasks like plotting and
planning and training central committee members and checking our voters
lists twice and having fund raising events. Precinct primaries loom!
hummmm! Just so the she and the world will know we think we have super
leadership and are excited about our candidates stepping up at all levels
for the 2010 elections.
It is great that our retired official republican players and in-seat governors
continue to find time to travel and speak on our behalf during the off year
election cycle but she is certainly welcome anytime to come check us out.
Thank you for all your information. Keep up the good work please
Marilyn, Colorado
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Fact Checking The "Stimulus" Spending Bill By John Boehner
May 27, 2009 | House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) | Permalink
Today, the Administration is releasing yet another report on its trillion-dollar “stimulus” spending bill – one that Democrats claim will produce only half the jobs at twice the cost of the House GOP’s better stimulus solution. It’s been a full 100 days since the bill became law, and the Administration is pulling out all the stops to put a positive spin on the legislation, which has been increasingly panned by media and state and local officials as wasteful and inefficient – basically, anything but the “timely, targeted, and temporary” bill Washington Democrats promised earlier this year. As the Administration marks the 100th day of the “stimulus” spending bill, let’s take a closer look at some of the claims Democrats made about the legislation earlier this year – and how those claims stack 100 days later:
Claim: The President claimed that the stimulus “…will save or create 3 million to 4 million jobs over the next two years.” (Remarks by the President in Elkhart, Indiana, WhiteHouse.gov)
Fact Check: “State officials have complained about the difficulty of obtaining grants for construction projects, while economists question administration claims that the effort already has saved or created 150,000 jobs.” (Adriel Bettelheim, “Tinkerbell Effect, Part 3: Obama’s Job Creation Efforts,” CQ Politics, May 27, 2009) The Associated Press reported that: “The early trend seen in the AP analysis runs counter to expectations raised by Obama, that road and infrastructure money from the historic $787 billion stimulus plan would create jobs in areas most devastated by layoffs.” (Matt Apuzzo and Brett Blackledge, “Stimulus Watch: Jobs, But Not Where Needed Most,” Associated Press, May 11, 2009)
Claim: The President claimed that it would contain, “[n]ot a single pet project. Not a single earmark.” (Remarks by the President at his first press conference, WhiteHouse.gov)
Fact Check: The “stimulus” “contains dozens of narrowly defined programs that send money to specific areas or cater to special interests.” In fact, the “stimulus” contains “$50 million for habitat restoration and other water needs in the San Francisco Bay Area” and “$62 million for military projects in Guam.” (Michael Grabell and Christopher Weaver, “In stimulus bills, earmarks by any other name,” ProPublica, Feb. 5, 2009)
Claim: The President claimed that the stimulus “…contains an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability, so that every American will be able to go online and see where and how we’re spending every dime.” (Remarks by the President at his first press conference, WhiteHouse.gov)
Fact Check: “Although President Obama has vowed that citizens will be able to track ‘every dime’ of the $787 billion stimulus bill, a government website dedicated to the spending won’t have details on contracts and grants until October and may not be complete until next spring — halfway through the program, administration officials said.” (Matt Kelley, “Details thin on stimulus contracts,” USA Today, May 6, 2009)
Claim: The President pledged that “nearly 400,000 men and women will go to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges.” (Remarks by the President, WhiteHouse.gov)
Fact Check: So far “a full 99.7 percent” of money allocated to the Transportation Department remains unspent, according to The Washington Post. Perhaps an aide to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) said it best: “To some extent, I think the administration oversold the transportation aspect of this…It was sold as the heart and soul of the package, and it really just isn’t.” (Matt Apuzzo and Brett Blackledge, “Stimulus Watch: Jobs, But Not Where Needed Most,” Associated Press, May 11, 2009)
Claim: Then-Senator Obama promised that was he would, “not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days.” (Organizing For America, “Obama’s Stance on Ethics”)
Fact Check: Congress passed the stimulus bill on Friday, February 13; the President signed it in Denver on Tuesday, February 17 – less than the five day review period promised by the President. This troubling trend has continued throughout the year. Just last week, for example, the President waited only one day before signing the Defense Department weapons acquisition bill after Congress passed it and waited two after Congress passed the “Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Act” before his signature made that bill law (Stephen Dinan, “Obama ducks promise to delay bill signings,” Washington Times, May 26, 2009); in fact, as of March, “Of the nine bills Mr. Obama has signed so far in his term, he has signed six of them less than five days after Congress sent them to him,” including the trillion-dollar “stimulus” bill. (Stephen Dinan, “Obama to sign lands bill before 5 days of comment,” Washington Times, March 30, 2009)
REPUBLICAN LEADER PRESS OFFICE
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH)
H-204, THE CAPITOL
(202) 225-4000 | GOPLEADER.GOV
Today, the Administration is releasing yet another report on its trillion-dollar “stimulus” spending bill – one that Democrats claim will produce only half the jobs at twice the cost of the House GOP’s better stimulus solution. It’s been a full 100 days since the bill became law, and the Administration is pulling out all the stops to put a positive spin on the legislation, which has been increasingly panned by media and state and local officials as wasteful and inefficient – basically, anything but the “timely, targeted, and temporary” bill Washington Democrats promised earlier this year. As the Administration marks the 100th day of the “stimulus” spending bill, let’s take a closer look at some of the claims Democrats made about the legislation earlier this year – and how those claims stack 100 days later:
Claim: The President claimed that the stimulus “…will save or create 3 million to 4 million jobs over the next two years.” (Remarks by the President in Elkhart, Indiana, WhiteHouse.gov)
Fact Check: “State officials have complained about the difficulty of obtaining grants for construction projects, while economists question administration claims that the effort already has saved or created 150,000 jobs.” (Adriel Bettelheim, “Tinkerbell Effect, Part 3: Obama’s Job Creation Efforts,” CQ Politics, May 27, 2009) The Associated Press reported that: “The early trend seen in the AP analysis runs counter to expectations raised by Obama, that road and infrastructure money from the historic $787 billion stimulus plan would create jobs in areas most devastated by layoffs.” (Matt Apuzzo and Brett Blackledge, “Stimulus Watch: Jobs, But Not Where Needed Most,” Associated Press, May 11, 2009)
Claim: The President claimed that it would contain, “[n]ot a single pet project. Not a single earmark.” (Remarks by the President at his first press conference, WhiteHouse.gov)
Fact Check: The “stimulus” “contains dozens of narrowly defined programs that send money to specific areas or cater to special interests.” In fact, the “stimulus” contains “$50 million for habitat restoration and other water needs in the San Francisco Bay Area” and “$62 million for military projects in Guam.” (Michael Grabell and Christopher Weaver, “In stimulus bills, earmarks by any other name,” ProPublica, Feb. 5, 2009)
Claim: The President claimed that the stimulus “…contains an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability, so that every American will be able to go online and see where and how we’re spending every dime.” (Remarks by the President at his first press conference, WhiteHouse.gov)
Fact Check: “Although President Obama has vowed that citizens will be able to track ‘every dime’ of the $787 billion stimulus bill, a government website dedicated to the spending won’t have details on contracts and grants until October and may not be complete until next spring — halfway through the program, administration officials said.” (Matt Kelley, “Details thin on stimulus contracts,” USA Today, May 6, 2009)
Claim: The President pledged that “nearly 400,000 men and women will go to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges.” (Remarks by the President, WhiteHouse.gov)
Fact Check: So far “a full 99.7 percent” of money allocated to the Transportation Department remains unspent, according to The Washington Post. Perhaps an aide to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) said it best: “To some extent, I think the administration oversold the transportation aspect of this…It was sold as the heart and soul of the package, and it really just isn’t.” (Matt Apuzzo and Brett Blackledge, “Stimulus Watch: Jobs, But Not Where Needed Most,” Associated Press, May 11, 2009)
Claim: Then-Senator Obama promised that was he would, “not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days.” (Organizing For America, “Obama’s Stance on Ethics”)
Fact Check: Congress passed the stimulus bill on Friday, February 13; the President signed it in Denver on Tuesday, February 17 – less than the five day review period promised by the President. This troubling trend has continued throughout the year. Just last week, for example, the President waited only one day before signing the Defense Department weapons acquisition bill after Congress passed it and waited two after Congress passed the “Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Act” before his signature made that bill law (Stephen Dinan, “Obama ducks promise to delay bill signings,” Washington Times, May 26, 2009); in fact, as of March, “Of the nine bills Mr. Obama has signed so far in his term, he has signed six of them less than five days after Congress sent them to him,” including the trillion-dollar “stimulus” bill. (Stephen Dinan, “Obama to sign lands bill before 5 days of comment,” Washington Times, March 30, 2009)
REPUBLICAN LEADER PRESS OFFICE
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH)
H-204, THE CAPITOL
(202) 225-4000 | GOPLEADER.GOV
Eric Cantor comments on 100 Day Stimulus Report
"One hundred days after the President signed the ‘stimulus’ bill, we unfortunately continue to read about waste, delays, and job losses. These are not the results America hoped for."
WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) today issued the following statement after the Administration issued a “recovery report” on the $787 billion stimulus bill, one hundred days after the President signed it into law:
“One hundred days after the President signed the ‘stimulus’ bill, we unfortunately continue to read about waste, delays, and job losses. During the debate, well before the President signed the $787 billion spending bill, House Republicans made clear our belief that any stimulus action must be laser focused on jobs. In the hundred days since that misdirected bill was enacted, well over a million Americans have lost their jobs. These are not the results America hoped for.
“Even though the President himself promised to be tough on waste and just last week said that America is now ‘out of money,’ special interest projects inexplicitly are deemed worthy of taxpayer dollars. That is unacceptable, and it’s time for the majority in Congress to get serious about how tax dollars are being spent. Our priority must be on job protection, creation, and preservation.
“I hope that over the next one hundred days, Speaker Pelosi, Senator Reid, and the Democrat majorities in the House and Senate open their eyes to not just the misdirected, but reckless and unprecedented spending that has gone on under their watch."
WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) today issued the following statement after the Administration issued a “recovery report” on the $787 billion stimulus bill, one hundred days after the President signed it into law:
“One hundred days after the President signed the ‘stimulus’ bill, we unfortunately continue to read about waste, delays, and job losses. During the debate, well before the President signed the $787 billion spending bill, House Republicans made clear our belief that any stimulus action must be laser focused on jobs. In the hundred days since that misdirected bill was enacted, well over a million Americans have lost their jobs. These are not the results America hoped for.
“Even though the President himself promised to be tough on waste and just last week said that America is now ‘out of money,’ special interest projects inexplicitly are deemed worthy of taxpayer dollars. That is unacceptable, and it’s time for the majority in Congress to get serious about how tax dollars are being spent. Our priority must be on job protection, creation, and preservation.
“I hope that over the next one hundred days, Speaker Pelosi, Senator Reid, and the Democrat majorities in the House and Senate open their eyes to not just the misdirected, but reckless and unprecedented spending that has gone on under their watch."
Saturday, April 25, 2009
LCM Strategies Shows The Way
The Tolbert Report has a story about my favorite web team LCM Strategies. Partners Chris Maiorana and Linus Catignani do a terrific job handling many political web sites. Of course, since I work for Chris and Linus, I may be a little prejudiced, but I think they are the best bosses in the world. Lots of patience with me, a novice to all this stuff, and a lot of humor. They make the work all worthwhile and fun for me to do. Read the complete Tolbert Report article here . Check out LCM Strategies here.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Congressman James Sensenbrenner: It's Too Taxing to Do Taxes?
Last week I received my W-2 in the mail – a not-so-friendly reminder that my taxes will soon be due. Despite most Americans displeasure at turning over hard earned money and dealing with complex tax codes; the majority of us honor the responsibility of paying our taxes – and paying them on time.
Yet, in the past few weeks we've learned more about Representative Charles Rangel, Chairman of the Congressional Ways and Means Committee – the committee that writes the nation's tax codes – failing to pay federal taxes on his Dominican Republic rental property for the past five years. We've seen Tom Daschle withdraw his nomination as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and also Nancy Killefer withdraw her name to be the chief performance officer for the federal government because of unpaid taxes. And we've watched Timothy Geithner be confirmed as Treasury Secretary, despite not paying his back taxes until after he was asked to serve in the Obama Administration.
I don't doubt the qualifications of these individuals, but I do find it ironic that "Tax-Evader Timmy" couldn't figure out how to pay his taxes, but as Secretary of the Treasury, he will oversee the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Even more ironically, he'll be a part of the likely tax increases we'll see under this administration. It's now become crystal clear to me why the Democrats always want to raise taxes – they are not paying them.
President Obama ran his campaign based on the promise of cleaning up Washington and bringing about change, yet, we've only just begun and we're already seeing more of the same.
I understand that tax codes are complicated and that anyone can make an honest mistake, however, we cannot ask the average American taxpayer to diligently pay their taxes, when our own leaders believe they follow a different set of rules than the rest of us.
While the tax money that Daschle, Killefer and Geithner are finally paying will help in reducing the hundreds of billions of dollars that have not been paid to the IRS, the reality is that it is time to simplify the tax code. As it stands, the federal tax code is too complicated, taxes are too high and the IRS is too powerful.
Not that anyone who has done their taxes needs further proof, but a National Taxpayers Union report based on Internal Revenue Service figures showed that the average taxpayer spent more than a day and approximately $200 in out-of-pocket costs to complete their taxes. Now $200 is a good chunk of any possible tax refund and way too much money for people who are struggling to put food on the table during these tough economic times.
We must make the tax cuts we've made in the past permanent. The marginal income tax rate reductions, child tax credit expansion, marriage penalty relief, and pro-business tax provisions have increased fairness in the tax code and allowed families and small businesses to keep more of their earnings, and as a result, better help the economy recover. Repealing them or allowing them to expire would only counteract the positive economic effects they have had – setting us back even further. Maybe Democrats who avoid paying their taxes wouldn't notice, but the rest of us most certainly would feel – and pay for – the effect.
Yet, in the past few weeks we've learned more about Representative Charles Rangel, Chairman of the Congressional Ways and Means Committee – the committee that writes the nation's tax codes – failing to pay federal taxes on his Dominican Republic rental property for the past five years. We've seen Tom Daschle withdraw his nomination as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and also Nancy Killefer withdraw her name to be the chief performance officer for the federal government because of unpaid taxes. And we've watched Timothy Geithner be confirmed as Treasury Secretary, despite not paying his back taxes until after he was asked to serve in the Obama Administration.
I don't doubt the qualifications of these individuals, but I do find it ironic that "Tax-Evader Timmy" couldn't figure out how to pay his taxes, but as Secretary of the Treasury, he will oversee the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Even more ironically, he'll be a part of the likely tax increases we'll see under this administration. It's now become crystal clear to me why the Democrats always want to raise taxes – they are not paying them.
President Obama ran his campaign based on the promise of cleaning up Washington and bringing about change, yet, we've only just begun and we're already seeing more of the same.
I understand that tax codes are complicated and that anyone can make an honest mistake, however, we cannot ask the average American taxpayer to diligently pay their taxes, when our own leaders believe they follow a different set of rules than the rest of us.
While the tax money that Daschle, Killefer and Geithner are finally paying will help in reducing the hundreds of billions of dollars that have not been paid to the IRS, the reality is that it is time to simplify the tax code. As it stands, the federal tax code is too complicated, taxes are too high and the IRS is too powerful.
Not that anyone who has done their taxes needs further proof, but a National Taxpayers Union report based on Internal Revenue Service figures showed that the average taxpayer spent more than a day and approximately $200 in out-of-pocket costs to complete their taxes. Now $200 is a good chunk of any possible tax refund and way too much money for people who are struggling to put food on the table during these tough economic times.
We must make the tax cuts we've made in the past permanent. The marginal income tax rate reductions, child tax credit expansion, marriage penalty relief, and pro-business tax provisions have increased fairness in the tax code and allowed families and small businesses to keep more of their earnings, and as a result, better help the economy recover. Repealing them or allowing them to expire would only counteract the positive economic effects they have had – setting us back even further. Maybe Democrats who avoid paying their taxes wouldn't notice, but the rest of us most certainly would feel – and pay for – the effect.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Chip Saltsman for RNC Chair
There is no doubt that Chip Saltsman will make an excellent RNC Chair. His work in Tennessee and as campaign manager of Mike Huckabee's Presidential campaign are proof of the outstanding leadership he has shown. His youth and energy are vital to our party, as is his technological expertise. We need Chip to lead the Republican Party into the 21st Century.
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