The following article was originally posted on The Bull Elephant website.
Many Republicans are still in a state of shock after the humiliating defeat in the last election, not helped by the fact that about a half a million conservatives sat at home. Now we have a nightmare of a socialist administration, and we will pay a dear price for this.
It is time for some political self-reflection and a good place to start is the Republican Party of Virginia. I talked to several political activists and in describing the state of RPV they used descriptions like “total disarray,” “needs to be rebuilt from scratch,” “We have people in the party acting like Democrats,” and “We will never win another election because of RPV.”
I have always kind of wondered what RPV did. Candidates tend to complain that they only get help with sign distribution and cheaper direct mail rates (How much of that goes in the trashcan?). Furthermore, candidates really have to rely on their own networks for the hard work of volunteers and raising money.
Virginia Republicans are up against a real machine with the Democrats based in downtown Richmond. Seemingly unlimited money, dozens of paid staff. Said John Reid, former candidate for lieutenant governor and now hosting the popular podcast, “The Reid Revolution,” “The Democrats run their party like a company with franchises,” and he is right.
So where do we go from here?
Jim Herring, a former DJ who runs housing communities, said we need to rebuild the party; that 80 members of State Central, our governing body, is way too many members to be efficient and make decisions in a timely fashion. In a phone interview he mentioned that many people aren’t sure of the role of the Republican Party of Virginia and there needs to be change. “We need to start paying the chair and there should be more communication from the party and State Central and the infighting between the grassroots and establishment must stop. Attacking Republicans hurts our brand.”
Herring pointed out that RPV’s party plan, which is forty-years-old, has been amended 50 times, indicating something is not structurally right. (The US Constitution is 250-years-old and has been amended only 27 times.)
He also said another change needed is RPV needs to be the center of communication: send out talking points once a week; have pre-made memes; stories to copy and paste; things people can use on social media. “They need to arm us,” he added.
On a lighter note, Herring spoke highly of our new Chairman Jeff Ryer, saying he has a proven track record and knows what he is doing. “I am hopeful with the new chairman. He is very articulate and will bring us together and give structure to RPV. We need an inspirational leader right now to bring people together,” likening his role to the coach of a football team.
Tim Anderson, an attorney and gun shop owner, also believes the state chairman should have more power to make executive decisions and RPV should be run like the military. He agrees Chairman Ryer will do a great job, but he needs “more consolidated power so it doesn’t take three months to make a decision (on the part of State Central.). Said Anderson, “Chairman Myer needs to have the ability to quarterback the party.”
Reid pointed out RPV needed more structure to help with the Get Out the Vote efforts, providing voter lists to people interested in different issues whether it’s guns, abortion, or business. (He joked there are local restaurants that have more staff than RPV.) His advice to Chairman Ryer was to “restructure the RPV and make it more effective, more grass-roots oriented. To reach out to people across the state with solid messaging for the regional folks who understand the heartbeat of their community.”
Reid also pointed out we needed messaging not tied to President Trump since he will be out of office in two years.
Virginia is ground zero for the takeover of America. Look what has happened in California, New York, and New Jersey,” said Reid. “Virginia is the lab to take over the Southern states.”
