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.