Stepping out of the Race

I am writing today to announce my decision to withdraw from the race for Party Chairman. This comes after a great deal of careful consideration and discussion with close friends and family. I congratulate Ron Weiser for his strong and successful campaign. I wish him well in his new role as chairman and pledge to do what I can to help strengthen the party and deliver victory in 2010.

I am stepping out of this race, but not out of the political arena. I intend to do my part to help make the party stronger and more unified under the banner of "less government, low taxes and individual responsibility." I will be sending newsletters and blogs to let you know what those "rascally Democrats" in Lansing are up to; things you aren't likely to read about in the newspaper.

I am happy to report that I have been offered a position that allows me to fight for some of those basic freedoms that all Republicans believe in and which our constitution protects. I will share the details of my new assignment soon. Until then, thank you to everyone who encouraged me in this race. Over 900 of you endorsed the effort. I will always be grateful for that.

I pledge to uphold the values and ideals that you hold dear and I encourage you to stay engaged in the pursuit of returning the Republican Party to its rightful place as the party of limited government and personal responsibility. God bless all of you. If you have any questions or input, please call me at 269-806-4626.

UPDATE: Troy Rolling is running for Grass Roots Vice-Chair of the Michigan Republican Party. Please watch his video here and consider supporting him for Grass Roots chair. I wholeheartedly endorse his candidacy and look forward to the new life he can help breathe into the Republican Party.

Stepping out of the Race

I am writing today to announce my decision to withdraw from the race for Party Chairman. This comes after a great deal of careful consideration and discussion with close friends and family. I congratulate Ron Weiser for his strong and successful campaign. I wish him well in his new role as chairman and pledge to do what I can to help strengthen the party and deliver victory in 2010.

I am stepping out of this race, but not out of the political arena. I intend to do my part to help make the party stronger and more unified under the banner of "less government, low taxes and individual responsibility." I will be sending newsletters and blogs to let you know what those "rascally Democrats" in Lansing are up to; things you aren't likely to read about in the newspaper.

I am happy to report that I have been offered a position that allows me to fight for some of those basic freedoms that all Republicans believe in and which our constitution protects. I will share the details of my new assignment soon. Until then, thank you to everyone who encouraged me in this race. Over 900 of you endorsed the effort. I will always be grateful for that.

I pledge to uphold the values and ideals that you hold dear and I encourage you to stay engaged in the pursuit of returning the Republican Party to its rightful place as the party of limited government and personal responsibility. God bless all of you. If you have any questions or input, please call me at 269-806-4626.

UPDATE: Troy Rolling is running for Grass Roots Vice-Chair of the Michigan Republican Party. Please watch his video here and consider supporting him for Grass Roots chair. I wholeheartedly endorse his candidacy and look forward to the new life he can help breathe into the Republican Party.

Action Plan for the Party Chairman

Presented here, in brief, bulleted form is a list of things I believe describe the day-to-day role of the state party chairman. It is not necessarily an exhaustive list.

"As party chairman, I pledge to:

• Work hard and be accountable to the people who put me in office, the delegates and rank-and-file members. I will earn my pay.


• Have a clear message and mission for every candidate to carry to the electorate. It will be a message that is true to core Republican ideals and that can win at the ballot box. 


• Spend the bulk of my time talking to and listening to the financial and grass roots supporters of the party. 


• Hire a capable director to manage day-to-day office affairs in an efficient and responsible manner. Office staff will be responsive and proactive. Every job will be evaluated for its effectiveness in delivering a quality product and winning elections for true Republicans. Every employee will be required to re-apply for his/her job. 


• I will meet with every district and county chair, face-to-face, by July of 2009. We will field a quality candidate in every house and senate seat in 2010. Identification process will begin immediately with a goal of having the best candidate for every district by fall 2009. 


• We will continue to upgrade technology to maximize our ability to reach voters and raise money. 


• Working with the vice-chairs we will build the youth and coalitions across the state with the goal of motivating and delivering foot soldiers in every county, every district." 

The key to victory is quality, consistency and ubiquity. Across this state, voters need to see a brand of high quality that is the always reliably consistent and easily recognized everywhere. We need to market our brand just as effectively as McDonald's. The "Quarter Pounder with Cheese" is of the same quality and consistency in every store, and you can find one anywhere. If voters know what we stand for, know that our message will not change and see that message everywhere they go, we will greatly improve our chances in 2010.

 

Are Republicans Losing Their Courage?

"Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! " - Ronald Reagan, June 12, 1987

On his program Monday, Rush Limbaugh made mention of a recent retreat held by the Senate Republicans. He said this, "As I mentioned to you on Friday, the Senate Republicans had a retreat, and they all came out of it demoralized. They were told, "Do not be confrontational, be moderate, and remember the plight of northeastern Republicans." It appears the Republicans have lost their nerve.

It didn't used to be this way. This party was founded 153 years ago by individuals who had the courage to take a stand. Read their 1856 platform here. It started with those who felt slavery was an injustice and needed to be stopped.

From there, you can find countless examples of courageous leadership provided by Republicans. It was the GOP that worked to pass the Thirteenth Amendment, which outlawed slavery, the Fourteenth, which guaranteed equal protection under the law, and the Fifteenth, which helped secure voting rights for blacks. The Republican Party also played a leading role in securing women the right to vote. In 1896, Republicans were the first major party to favor women's suffrage. When the 19th Amendment finally was added to the Constitution, 26 of 36 state legislatures that had voted to ratify it were under Republican control. The first woman elected to Congress was a Republican, Jeanette Rankin from Montana in 1917.

The Republican Party is the party of Ronald Reagan, who fired the air traffic controllers, called the Soviet Union the Evil Empire and told Gorbachev to "tear down this wall." We are the party of Newt Gingrich who crafted the "contract with America" and passed all ten items in the House in the first 100 days. This is the party of George W. Bush who called North Korea and Iran "the axis of evil" and kept us safe for seven years. And now, the best we can do is "be moderate"?

Unfortunately, we have done no better at the state level in recent years. We have failed as a Republican caucus to stay united and hold firm on taxes, spending, expansion of government and unbridled growth of union-led government schools. And we wonder why we keep losing seats?

I believe that Republican and independent voters are looking for courage and consistency in their candidates. They have grown weary of elected officials who fail to keep their commitments because they are weak in the knees, lacking the intestinal fortitude to follow through on the promises they made while running for office.

Legislators should spend less time thinking about their next election and more time standing for the principles of the Republican Party even if it means losing. In doing so, those legislators will blaze a trail of truth and conviction that will ultimately lead to victory for a new generation of principled candidates who will then have the mandate to carry out the real Republican agenda.

Meanwhile, Republicans in the Michigan House and the Senate need to circle the wagons and stand for something. I would encourage the House members (who are in a 67-43 seat minority) with something Samuel Adams said, "It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men."

Tell me what you think. Feel free to e-mail me at JackForChair@gmail.com.

What Will Your Party Chairman Do?

"The challenge of statesmanship is to have the vision to dream of a better, safer world and the courage, persistence, and patience to turn that dream into reality."

- Ronald Reagan, March 8, 1985

The central question to how Republicans are going to win elections in 2010 is, what do we stand for and how can the chairman help get that message out?

It is instructive to read the Republican Party Platform. It is a lengthy document which you can read in its entirety here. I pulled out some of the key platform statements for you to read...

From the Preamble
This is a platform of enduring principle, not passing convenience. We offer it to our fellow Americans in the assurance that our Republican ideals are those that unify our country: Courage, optimistic patriotism, driven by a passion for freedom. Devotion to the inherent dignity and rights of every person. Distrust of government's interference in people's lives. Dedication to a rule of law that both protects and preserves liberty.

Spending and Taxation
Republicans will uphold and defend our party's core principles: Constrain the federal government to its legitimate constitutional functions. Spend only what is necessary, and tax only to raise revenue for essential government functions. Republicans advocate lower taxes, reasonable regulation, and smaller, smarter government.

Parental Choice in Public Education
Parents should be able to decide the learning environment that is best for their child. We support choice in education for all families. We call for the vigilant enforcement of laws designed to protect family rights and privacy in education.

Second Amendment
We uphold the right of individual Americans to own firearms, a right which antedated the Constitution and was solemnly confirmed by the Second Amendment.

Civil Rights
We oppose discrimination, we reject preferences, quotas, and set-asides, whether in education or in corporate boardrooms.

Right to Life and Traditional Marriage
Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. Because our children's future is best preserved within the traditional understanding of marriage, we call for a constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage as a union of a man and a woman.

Property Rights
At the center of a free economy is the right of citizens to be secure in their property. Every person has the right to acquire, own, use, possess, enjoy, and dispose of private property.

Energy
We support accelerated exploration, drilling and development in America, from new oilfields off the nation's coasts to onshore fields such as those in Montana, North Dakota, and Alaska.

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It is my belief, especially after serving six years in the legislature, that this party is not unified on the core principles. We have demonstrated over the last few cycles that "a house divided against itself cannot stand." With all due respect to the excellent individuals who have been in this race, issues of fund raising, grass roots activism, technology, and organizational management all are secondary to this first step: unity under the core principles of the the party.

Too many times our House caucus was unable to work as a unified body. The results are self-evident; we have lost seats in the House for three consecutive election cycles. But, it is never too late to rebuild and restore. I am sure you can think of examples from your own life experiences where you were part of a team that was unified in purpose. Was fund raising a problem? Was there a shortage of motivated volunteers? Were the tools available to get the work done?

I am committed to doing what needs to be done to bring together a strong, unified, and motivated party, ready to fight and win races from governor to county commission in 2010. My intention is not to offend anyone, but we must have a unified team with a winning message or we will not move forward as a party. We will only continue to decrease to the point of irrelevance.

Let's stand for something! Let's be ready to fight! And, let us never back down or give up any ground to the liberal press, the Democrats or anyone who would seek to water down our message.

Get campaign updates and news at JackForMichigan.org

The list of endorsements has grown to over 800 names!

You can see the full list by going to the web site. Each name is listed only once. Please check to see if your name is on the list and spelled correctly. If you are an office holder in government or with the party, please let me know. If you would like to add your name to the list of endorsements for state party chairman, please drop me a line here. If you have any questions, please call me at 269-806-4626 or email me at JackForChair@gmail.com.