Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
Below, member Duane Oyen calls for the ousting of RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. And to that, I say nonsense.
Politics is a practical business, so let's ditch the cranky emotions and look at the hard facts. The RNC was broke when Priebus took over. He and his team are doing an excellent job of bringing it back into action; raising new money, paying off the large debt, hiring solid staff and being very aggressive in the media.
I'm watching private tracking in Wisconsin, a state I know well from doing a successful Governor's race there. If we lose, it will be for a lot of reasons the head of the RNC simply cannot control. Scapegoating chairman Priebus is unfair and self-defeating. Millions of dollars have been spent on the GOP side in the Supreme Court race. Wisconsin is a tough swing state and Gov. Walker should be congratulated for winning a vital policy battle that frankly cost him some real political capital in his state. That kind of big victory on a tough issue doesn't translate into automatically winning the next local election. And the fact is Priebus' record in Wisconsin as party chairman was outstanding. If it had not been for Scott Walker's strong campaign and the support of the Wisconsin Republican party, there would have been no Republican governor this year and no win on this issue in the first place.
So enough with the knee-jerk "off with their heads" stuff. If this one battle is lost, the professional move is to learn from it, adjust, improve and win the next battle. Which is what the GOP will work to do, and the quickly improving RNC Chairman Reince Priebus is a big part of that.
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Oct '10
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
Exactly. Everybody just calm down. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. Let's make sure that we win the most important battles.
Aug '10
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
I'm not sure about firing Preibus just yet, but it is clear that the GOP is an abject failure at communications and messaging. And they are also abject failures at supporting courageous leaders like Governor Walker.
The GOP leadership is pathetic. It's the Tea Party alone carrying the GOP leadership's dead weight. Every last ounce of it.
Aug '10
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
Yes, and if he cannot deliver on a single race in a single state (or even make a good showing, let's be reasonable) - then how can we expect him to do well with 468 + 1. I mean seriously. It is just 8 months away after all.
Once the Wisconsin Fleebagging debacle started this was one place he ought to have been thinking of practicing for the big game. The minute the Dems began chanting Kloppenberg he ought to have come to the conclusion this was a good opportunity to be practicing his Jedi-mindtrickery.
Politics is a practical business, sure - I am kind of unwilling to part with my Benjamins to an organization that was self deluded into ponying up $900K to Dede Scozzafava only to have her endorse the Democrat.
Get on the ball, GOP.
May '10
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
Is there some reason they don't just pass the law again? That would render the court election moot, on this issue. Just seems like the obvious thing to do, and would take it off the table instead of dragging it out until the next election.
Jul '10
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
I stopped giving to the RNC when George H.W. Bush broke his tax pledge. Let the big money donors shovel money to them if they wish - my paltry donations go directly to deserving candidates.
Sep '10
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
It's nice to see the GOP believers fight amongst each other. All of this is inside baseball and pretty meaningless. They are arguing over the color of their uniforms. The RNC can raise more money or not, it doesn't matter if they don't know what to do with it.
Their rallying cry:
Vote for us! We're Not Democrats!
Aug '10
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
I thought Priebus was a poor choice to begin. I am not persuaded otherwise. All I get is requests for money. It sounds to me like Mr. Murphy is already seeing defeat in Wisconsin. If so, it is the fault of the RNC for weak/no support for a brave Wisconsin governor. I dont take the theme of win some/ lose some. It is important for us to win some/win some with this regime!
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
I'm with Mike Murphy on this one. Priebus did a splendid job in Wisconsin. Scott Walker has stirred up a hornet's nest, as did John Engler some years back in Michigan. He may lose a battle or two along the way, but when the dust settles all will be well.
Jul '10
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
John Engler? Now there's a blast from the past. Remember when he was Michigan's great conservative hope? Tax cuts, welfare and education reform, privatization of state services?
Amazing what 8 years of Jennifer Granholm hath wrought.
May '10
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
I find my self in a strange position fighting Mike Murphy- I am usually accused here of being a RINO, blah blah. I actually normally tend to agree with the long view, cool head approach. I am arguing against long term patience in this case.
Being 20 miles from the border with colleagues who live in Wisconsin, I have seen enough locally to see a unique situation, less about standard horserace politics than about policy. If we can't sustain this simple, essential, and basic reform, if we can't even explain it coherently to back up those who made courageous votes, it will mean very little to have some kind of 2012 war chest. Why bother electing people if nothing improves?
Sometimes seminal battles in a long war dictate the flow for extended periods. This is one of those battles. The least defensible unions have drawn out the long knives and gone all in; if they win the early rounds, more than one state senator may well rethink his vote; I have heard of several who are doing so already. We may well lose a re-vote.
Who would donate to RNC after that? Not me. For good reason.
Oct '10
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
Mike Murphy:
That kind of big victory on a tough issue doesn't translate into automatically winning the next local election.
A lesson we should take to heart, and soon, because we're about to supersize that problem. When we really get down to the business of slashing deficits and debt, it's going cause a world of hurt. Republicans had better start defending austerity a lot more persuasively, if they expect to remain in office long enough to institute real change. Throwing money at campaigns will not be enough, if you can't convince Joe Blow that he needs to give up that deduction -- or that his daughter's third grade teacher is bleeding him dry.
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
Kenneth
John Engler? Now there's a blast from the past. Remember when he was Michigan's great conservative hope? Tax cuts, welfare and education reform, privatization of state services?
Amazing what 8 years of Jennifer Granholm hath wrought. · Apr 4 at 3:44pm
Amazing, indeed.
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
Duane Oyen: Being 20 miles from the border with colleagues who live in Wisconsin, I have seen enough locally to see a unique situation, less about standard horserace politics than about policy. If we can't sustain this simple, essential, and basic reform, if we can't even explain it coherently to back up those who made courageous votes, it will mean very little to have some kind of 2012 war chest. Why bother electing people if nothing improves?
· Apr 4 at 3:58pm
Duane, what are you hearing about the judicial election tomorrow? Does the polling indicate a clear winner? What's your sense of it?
Jul '10
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
Mike Murphy:
Politics is a practical business, so let's ditch the cranky emotions and look at the hard facts. The RNC was broke when Priebus took over. He and his team are doing an excellent job of bringing it back into action; raising new money, paying off the large debt, hiring solid staff and being very aggressive in the media...
If we lose, it will be for a lot of reasons the head of the RNC simply cannot control. Scapegoating chairman Priebus is unfair and self-defeating.
Well Said and I wholeheartedly agree. We need to be practical and level headed in this situation.
Unfortunatly this is where you lost me. What have the republicans EVER done to indicate that they EVER learn anything? As I recall they had to be dragged kicking and screaming into 2010 in the first place.
Oct '10
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
Mike's post makes perfect sense if the point of the RNC is to perpetuate an RNC with money (to spend on political operatives). From the outside I rather hope it's more than that.
May '10
Re: Fire Priebus? Nonsense!
Peter Robinson
Duane Oyen: Being 20 miles from the border with colleagues who live in Wisconsin, I have seen enough locally to see a unique situation, less about standard horserace politics than about policy. · Apr 4 at 3:58pm
Duane, what are you hearing about the judicial election tomorrow? Does the polling indicate a clear winner? What's your sense of it? · Apr 4 at 4:39pm
Boy, I wish I knew, Peter. My contacts are anecdotal, which, combined with the situation, suggest bad things, as John McCormack suggests in TWS.
Again, I hold Mike Murphy in high esteem, but I think that this is not a pure standard political operative horserace question, and if Priebus doesn't see the strategic significance here, he is blind, in the wrong job.
I see this one as a seminal strategic issue- and one where we need to protect the elected officials who are taking the big risks to do the necessary thing. If they get their heads handed to them for no benefit, I don't expect much progress from Rep. Ryan's program either. The "courageous" politicians who so strongly supported Bush's SS reform will hide from Ryan as well.