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Another Perspective
Reorganizing the Community
A party in retreat should feel obligated to try out some new ideas that might broaden its appeal.
(Page 2 of 2)
These advocates will open offices in the district to field inquiries and requests from constituents. They will advertise that they are there to help people from the district obtain assistance from Washington, D.C. Republicans in Congress will liaise closely with those individuals, helping facilitate their ability to be helpful to individuals.
For the most part these advocates will reflect their neighborhoods. Now you suddenly have a large caucus of blacks and Hispanics “representing” those districts. If word gets out they are really helping people get things done, you now have good will for the party being spread out among a large group of “advocates,” giving a whole new impression of the party.
Traditionally, the majority party lets the minority party’s representatives look good to their constituents by using clout to get things done. Yet in recent years Democrats have become much less gracious when they have control.
Republicans, when taking control, figure they gain nothing by clipping the wings of Democrat Congressional offices. They will only be badmouthed for being mean to minorities. But if they are providing their own direct assistance to those constituents, they need not fear being branded insensitive. They can make it harder for Democrat representatives to pull strings and set things up so people quickly learn it pays to approach their advocates.
PUBLIC RATIONALE: Why should districts without a Republican Congressperson not have access to the services available to the majority party?
ANTICIPATED ATTACKS: This idea is so obviously dangerous to Democrat domination of their “home territories” there will certainly be concerted resistance. They will call it an outrage against the Constitution, undermining the election of representatives. They will try to convince citizens not to use the services of these advocates.
PRICE TAG: $40 million guarantee first year. This includes $35 million in salaries to these advocates, assuming about 200 at 174,000 per.
Fundraising will rely heavily on major visionary donors of the Pickens – Koch – Adelson – Marcus class at first. Once it becomes a visible success, website donations and Viguerie-type small-donor fundraising should become a key factor.
Eventually most of the advocates can be spun off into self-financing entities in the way a sitting Congress person manages a campaign fund.
FINAL THOUGHT: “In the box” thinking has not made a dent in these problems. It is time to not only go out of the box, but to blow the damned thing up and rethink approaches on all fronts fearlessly.
About the Author
Jay D. Homnick, commentator and humorist, is a frequent contributor to The American Spectator. He also writes for Human Events. Here he speaks at the Rally for Religious Freedom in Miami on June 8, 2012.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (14) | Leave a comment
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MarkJeff| 2.6.13 @ 9:23AM
You know, a caller to Rush made what I thought to be a good approach to the low-information voters: using tax credits and vouchers (without calling it that), campaign on "giving them things!" You have to fight stupid with stupid, while actually not giving up your principles!
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Pecos Pete| 2.6.13 @ 10:32AM
Mr. Homnick: Well done!
KennesawJack| 2.6.13 @ 10:44AM
I like it! Actually, I like anything that will give the Obamabots fits and this certainly sounds like it will do that.
lsudolemite| 2.6.13 @ 10:54AM
So how will these advocates respond to the community when they universally view the solution to their plight as ever more entitlement crack? And when they know the Dems will always be their best dealer? What actually constitutes "getting things done" and "services"?
cicero| 2.6.13 @ 11:24AM
Oh, this is a really great idea. Since the Republican/Conservative movement cannot compete with free stuff for people who refuse to work, offer them free stuff for not working, but out of another pocket. Why not just try to run on principle? Last time I looked, there were still more workers paying taxes that takers paying none. True, one or two more election cycles like the last one, and that may change. However, throwing gasoline on the fire is not going to bring it under control.
The Rs will not get the votes of the black community. They are as hapless as the Jewish community. They will get that portion of the Hispanic community who have assimilated, and who vote on the same issues as their conservative mates. The young Hispanic community appears to prefer free stuff to earned stuff, so they are beyond reach.
The Rs have to articulate their principles, and fight for them. Hiding them, and thinking they can trick the idiots to vote for them won't work. Those Rs who stayed home because their candidate was not conservative enough was foolish, to say the least, and cost the conservatives a chance to pull the country's fat out of the fire.
Turk| 2.6.13 @ 11:43AM
Jay An excellent idea! You and I jousted over Robert E. Lee some time ago. The Carl Rove/Country Club crowd will trash it!
mike 3/505| 2.6.13 @ 1:03PM
Mr H,
First of all, mega-kudos for the effort....an 'out of the box" one at that. Ithink it would be worth a try, with one caveat: All "help" given by our hired "communinty infiltrator," needs to be based on conservative principles. As another poster indicated, we don't need to be seen as yet another source of "free stuff." The liberals will always beat us with experience on that one.
KennesawJack| 2.6.13 @ 2:41PM
Agreed.
Claudia Monteverdi| 2.6.13 @ 1:33PM
Dear Jay, shocked, absolutely shocked that you avoided the obvious:
Vota Presidente Republicano 2,o16
Beyonce and Jay Lo
Claudia Monteverdi| 2.6.13 @ 1:40PM
Jay, Jay..you are too damned smart for the Jindal GOP..we are the party of stupid, remember? Here's what ya do.....promises, promises, instant wealth, spread it around, throw off your chains, kill the man, teayvon's my son, the cambridge cops are fascists, bury arizona...catchin on?
Controse| 2.6.13 @ 3:14PM
And your plan Mr. Homnick weans the huddled masses off of the Big-Government teat how? I mean after all isn't that what differentiates the Republican Party platform, principles, guiding philosophy from the forces of darkness? The idea of a shadow congressional representative's office is great but let's use it to teach the founding principles of our freedoms and self-sufficiency not to use it as an alternative channel to better keep the handouts coming.
GobBluthe| 2.6.13 @ 9:29PM
""This keeps the number of black and Hispanic elected Republicans embarrassingly low.""
There are more elected GOP Hispanics than Dem Hispanics.
PCC| 2.7.13 @ 1:28AM
Here's another out-of-the-box idea: How about stop talking about "the entrepreneurs and job creators", whose votes the GOP probably already has and whose employees usually refer to as "The Boss" (or worse), and focus the message on the 10 guys stacking the shelves instead, where there are 10 times more potential votes, by the way.