Krusty, you asked for it……………..

……………………. now you’ve got it. I have been silent about the SCC results because any detailed discussion would require public disclosure of the “play book” and other confidential information. I’d rather not provide the Dems with any intelligence about our activities; they seem to have experienced sufficient success without it. (Overlooking, of course, Tom Harkin’s espionage in 2002). However, I would like to share some thoughts and correct certain misconceptions before they become established as fact.

First, what the SCC is doing is rewriting the playbook, to the extent we can, and creating, if you will, a New Republican Order. Most of the readers are sufficiently politically informed to understand that the SCC has continuously deferred direction of the party to campaigns over at least the last five years. In the last cycle, our little remaining relevance was pretty much entirely eliminated. However, now that the prairie has burned it will re-grow and the SCC can return to its de jure role in relationship to the rest of the Republican Party.

Second, we recognize that what we have been doing hasn’t worked. The SCC has been privately very concerned about the direction the Republican Party has been headed for the last few years, but simply powerless to do anything but start a civil war in an election year to address our concerns, which would cause a disastrous defeat. Well, the downward trend became decimation and the disastrous defeat we feared but all hoped to avoid is upon us.

Now would seem to be the time to revisit methodologies, would it not? Or, one could think the last ten years are a historical anomaly and that continuing the same behavior will produce different results. Since most of us on the SCC think repetition of behavior in anticipation of different results is the operational definition of insanity we are going to try a different approach. What is going to happen? Will we lose virtually every contested state wide election (that doesn’t involve a strong incumbent like George W. Bush and Charles Grassley) up and down the ballot; drop 20 or so House seats and 10 Senate seats leaving only small minorities in both houses, coupled with losing the registration battle for seven years in a row thereby intensifying the downward spiral? That sounds like the Iowa GOP effort 96-06 doesn’t it? When it is broke-fix it!

Third, more specific changes will become much more visible in the next three or so weeks. This is a comprehensive, top to bottom reformation of the Republican Party in Iowa. I don’t mean the entity on East Ninth Street, I mean the entire party. The Hub (SCC/State Party) has weakened terribly, causing the Spokes (campaigns and office holders) to lose the geometric integrity that is necessary for the Wheel (the people who vote Republican) to turn, so we are in a rut. We cannot emerge from the rut unless we fix the entire wheel because all of the parts are integrally and inherently interdependent. This is a very big job and we certainly need every one who comes to the table with a good faith offer to help. Our current lack of electoral fortune certainly would seem to put most ideas at least on the floor for discussion.

However, since rumors are already floating, I will address some I have heard and seen on Krusty and elsewhere. So, to address specific rumors:

A. Leon. Leon was “excluded” from the Friday presentations because he was a candidate for CoChair. While no other candidates were disclosed, it was at least hypothetically possible for him to have faced an opponent. While Leon would have crushed any opponent, and certainly would have had my vote, logic would dictate a consistent protocol for candidates for both Chair and CoChair. One of the changes we want to make is the creation of proper protocol so as to make for greater institutional stability and integrity. Leon was not “excluded” through any nefarious purpose. Frankly, no one thought about Kathy’s voting status before Friday, but since she wasn’t going to be a candidate for CoChair this oversight didn’t have any practical impact. I suspect this will be fixed by way of resolution so as to not be replicated in two years. As for Leon, we can only gain from enlarging his profile throughout the state.

B. Mileage. We voted to index the mileage reimbursement to the federal rate. That is a practice most businesses who desire a quality, loyal labor force employ so it seems like a pretty good idea. The NRO will certainly require greater sacrifice and effort by members and staff so indexing the reimbursement rate seems like a way to encourage participation by people who would otherwise be excluded for financial reasons.

C. Dinner tables. First, the tables are one per District, not one per member. The tables are not for our personal use, but to employ as part of a much more comprehensive recruiting and marketing strategy. For example, find the young mayor of a small town who doesn’t have a ton of money but seems interested in getting involved in Republican politics; have a SCC member seek out that mayor and get them involved with a dinner and picture invitation; possibly gain some fresh blood. This is a pretty basic marketing strategy that is employed by most successful sales operations.

D. The “Ad”. This is where we have a different perspective than that of some purveyors of conventional wisdom. It is pretty clear that the voting public doesn’t know the political philosophy of the Republican Party. Almost every county or district meeting almost every member of the SCC members attends is filled with a very clear demonstration of this intellectual and ideological ennui`-and those are the hard cores. It is the rare average voter who knows the ideological beliefs that define Republicans much less the reasons for holding this set of beliefs. This is not a litmus test but recognition that something unites all Republicans. So while no one expects unanimity of thought there are common principles and we need to define and defend those principles. The ad is a start. More is to come. We think a clear unified message will recruit more Republican voters and activists.

Here’s the premise and the conclusion. We have little Republican energy in Iowa, nothing around which to rally and ineffective activities for those who do rally. This is not an attack on anyone but a recognition of the very real facts on the ground. As my wife frequently says, "its not how you spilled the milk but how you clean it up". We do need radical change in many ways, so I say let us simply embrace the NRO and move forward together rather than cling to past glories like Ozymandias, who, after all, oversaw nothing but the lone and level sands.