Changing Times for the Cook County GOP

Changing Times for the Cook County GOP

Ok, it’s time to start making some noise again.

The Cook County Republicans are going to be appointing a new leader. Godspeed to Lee Roupas, who has had to deal with a wide variety of conflicting personalities through some very tumultuous times.

I would offer some advice to those who will choose the person to lead us into the 2012 elections and to the one who is chosen:

Select someone with high energy. This will be needed to keep up with not only Democratic Party’s flurry of activity, but also the GOP’s own menagerie of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Candidates and supporters will need someone who can motivate and inspire them as we go into one of the most critical election cycles in our lifetime. This also applies at the Township level.

Agree to disagree. Not all of us agree with each others positions, and that is ok. There are those whose personalities clash on a regular basis, and that is ok, too. But please, for the sake of the political family, keep the dissention and discontent behind closed doors. Remember the words made popular by Ronald Reagan, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican”. While this is not always practical, there is no need to air the dirty laundry of the party in a public way. Keep it in the “family”. Do you inform members of the public every time you have a personal family problem? Point made.

Select a TRUE Republican. Within our own party, we have too many who are content to go along to get along. These individuals need to be called out and re-educated. If they are not willing to change their thought process, perhaps they need to jump ship now. Our new leader needs to be able not only to recognize this, but be willing and able to take them to task. Part of the problem with our own voting base arises when voters say it doesn’t matter who you vote for, they all do the same thing. Our party needs to stand out, and in a good way. Voters need to be able to tell the difference by actions, not party labels.

Support your candidates. This does not only mean monetarily. Your candidates, at all levels, need you to step up and show them that the party is behind them. Show up at their events. Be aware of what they are doing. Offer guidance when necessary and a shoulder when needed. We all get tired. We all get busy. But there is nothing worse than feeling like you are out there on your own.

Spend Wisely and Support each other. Don’t waste campaign funds on smear attacks with accusations that cannot be supported with fact. Exploit true facts, back them up, and beat them into oblivion. There’s plenty out there, folks. Use it.

When candidates are running for different offices, in areas that merge, campaign staffers need to get together and see how they can best utilize their resources. While the economy is tight, some campaigns are not as well funded as they need to be. This should not prevent good candidates from winning elections if they pool their resources. Get your candidates together and make something good happen. Think outside the box. Remember this when someone tells you “That’s not the way we’ve always done it”. Whatever “it” is obviously hasn’t been working or there would be more GOP victories in Cook County.

With a little more effort, the Republican Party in Cook County can be productive in 2012. (If they want to be…)