Kingrandy66 wrote in response to my prior column that "the fundamental problem with the Republican Party is that it is a top-down organization: You give us marching orders, and expect us to execute them with military precision. But for most Americans (and, an increasing proportion of rank-and-file Republicans), there's nothing left in it for us." The writer cites Lincoln, TR, Goldwater, Reagan, the party’s history regarding civil rights, and woman’s suffrage as evidence of the party’s historical legacy.

But, as Kingrandy66 concludes "I understand and appreciate Reagan's quip: ‘The Party left me.’ Politics is about enlightened self-interest, and real folks like me have no interest in the Party as [it is] now configured. I refuse to send one more dime or take one step for the Party unless and until it makes some radical changes in the way it does business. And as the numbers appear to show, I am not alone."

And that there is the problem. What Kingrandy66 complains about "marching orders" in a top-bottom hierarchy, the experts call "strategic association," or in plain talk, Republicans are denied a "meaningful opportunity to participate" in the affairs of their own political party. If you are asked to join something, anything, you expect that joining means involvement and participation. People don’t join civic or political affairs just to receive barked orders. Only the military does that.

We can cite scores of academic research by leading scholars from both the left and the right about how the GOP does business. I have yet to find a single research paper, report, or anything to validate the GOP’s, as Kingradny66 puts it, "way it does business."

And Kinggrandy66 is not alone. A New Jersey Republican county chairman recently noted that the problem with the GOP is that people are living too long. Turnover in leadership, changing of the guard from one generation to the next is being delayed because simply turning 65 no longer means one’s getting infirm.

This writer has scoured the academic analysis as to what’s wrong the GOP. There is a political culture, the customs and norms, that make up both of our political parties. Contemporary historians trace a switch in party culture, although gradual, finally culminated in 1968. The GOP once the party of reform, became the party of insiders. Access to power replaced the power of ideas.

Assimilation and outreach, once the mainstay of Republican politics, is definitely no longer the GOP’s strong suit. For example, despite 65% of African-American voters label themselves as conservative or moderate, yet 90% routinely vote for liberal Democrats. The GOP can’t even capitalize upon the fact that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a life-long Republican.

And the Republican Party way of doing business is equally short-sighted as finances are concerned. In the last Presidential election cycle 24% or $464 million raised by Presidential and congressional candidates was spent outsourcing to approximately 600, Washington, D.C. consultants the traditional volunteer functions performed by Republican precinct committee people. There are now hundreds of survey, fund raising and robo-calling firms willing to sell our GOP candidates services which used to be done by grass-roots volunteers. Why?

Throughout the 60s and perhaps well into the 90s, the GOP was able to hobble along by relying on dumping millions into television to package itself, to make itself saleable to voters, despite disenfranchising budding conservative activism. Breakout exceptions occurred obviously first with Goldwater, then Reagan, and lastly, Newt Gingrich’s "Contract with America."

But the Internet is changing how Americans participate in politics, just as it is changing how Americans get the news, do their shopping, and about everything else. We don’t use "US Snail" we email. We don’t pull out a volume of Encyclopedia Britannica, instead we read it online.

As regular readers already know, things will start changing this Thursday. You, the loyal readers of Townhall.com will get the first glance into Republican Party’s future on the Internet. Thursday will be the first day conservatives can retort "Move Over, MoveOn" as the liberal Internet social networking powerhouse will get its first conservative challenge. Kingrandy66, starting Thursday, you will be the one giving the "Marching orders" to the GOP.

Peter J. Wirs is currently the Chairman & Co-Trustee of the Republican Leadership Trust as well as the incoming President of the National Conference of Public Officials.
 
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