Shaun Kenney | Politics and Religion in Virginia's Public Square


Thursday, January 01, 2009 TNR: The Solution for All Problems Facing the Right... Patrick Ruffini has the solution for what ails the party. Guess what? They're all logistics, folks: Face it, Barack Obama's web team did not beat John McCain. John McCain (and the GOP baggage he carried) beat John McCain. If McCain and Obama had swapped their web development teams, Obama still would have won. Consider that you are constructing a building. While the building can't be built without the right tools for the job, it takes a lot more than tools (even neat hypothetical power tools like the "rightroots") to get the job done. It takes people, and lots of them. Carpenters, plumbers, electricians, delivery drivers, equipment operators, investors, supervisors -- and someone in charge to make key decisions and direct the operations. Without people to operate the tools, the tools themselves are relatively worthless. It takes architectural drawings and blueprints. Without a coherent plan which everyone can follow, the result will be a disaster. The Republican Party could build a socially conservative and fiscally liberal house. Alternately, the GOP could decide to build a socially tolerant but fiscally conservative house, or even a socially liberal and fiscally liberal house. However, fiscally conservative fixures built upon a socially conservative foundation only lasted a generation or so. It might be time to rethink the concept of fusionism. It should also be noted that if the leaders provide reasonable plans but immediately deviate from them, the workers will quickly lose confidence in their bosses. It doesn't matter whether it is a project manager substituting a lower grade steel or a congressman voting for an increasingly bloated federal budget. Eventually the workers are either going to stay home or find work on a liberal or libertarian project. It takes a winning plan. It takes people willing to work together to develop the plan. It takes leaders -- but many of them will emerge from those developing plans or working to make the plan reach fruition. Then we can start purchasing tools. Otherwise, we are putting the cart in front of the horse. I'll stop there. The rest follows as a long digression about nuts-and-bolts campaigning, but mostly on substance and much on getting away from style, echoing many of my comments about the Virginia Republican Party earlier in December. Definitely worth the read, because radically few people in Virginia are getting this job done on the right. posted by Shaun Kenney \| 1/01/2009 06:17:00 PM \| 1 comments 1 Comments: At 1:18 AM, Doogman said... Well, they'll always have you. (and me as time permits). Post a Comment Home
	RedStormPAC $ JEFFERSONIAD POLL: Whom do you support for Virginia Attorney General? 1) John Brownlee 2) Ken Cuccinelli View Results About ShaunKenney.com is one of Virginia's oldest political blogs, focusing on the role of religion and politics in public life. Shaun Kenney, 30, lives in Fluvanna County, Virginia. Contact E-mail RSS/Atom Feed The Jeffersoniad Archives March 2002 April 2002 May 2002 June 2002 July 2002 August 2002 September 2002 October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 April 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009