A Wake Up Call for the New Jersey GOP
By Ken Mercer
July 19, 2001

Let's be honest. Most conservative Republicans like myself stereotype Northeast Republicans as someone who would rather sip tea with Hillary or Ted than champion a solid position on a hard issue. Their priority one is getting on the political fast track. Supporting the principles, values and character built by the grassroots into the Republican platform fall to a far, distant second.

We Texans talk tough. So here is our perception — a Northeast Republican would be labeled a Democrat in any other state that national election strategists now classify as "Bush Country."

Stereotypes are often unfair. However, political perception is the name of the game. This means that it is the responsibility of Northeast Republicans to change that political portrayal.

Well, the primary election of New Jersey proved the image held by the rest of Bush Country wrong. It is not the grassroots Northeast Republican voters who are character and value challenged. It is the Northeast GOP, or in this particular case, the power brokers of the New Jersey GOP.

Hello, Marriott operator? Wake up call please for the New Jersey GOP.

In June, Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler won the New Jersey Republican primary

for governor without the support of the New Jersey GOP party leaders. The Pachyderm power brokers backed two different candidates with less than stellar conservative credentials.

Their first candidate resigned under allegations of less than appropriate behavior. So instead of then backing the conservative, the New Jersey GOP supported Bob Franks who fit the aforementioned Northeast Republican stereotype and mold.

Why support the moderate Franks? The state GOP believed that Bret Schundler, a proven conservative Republican mayor elected in Jersey City, a Democratic stronghold, "lacked the name recognition and geographic base." Translation -- Schundler is a conservative.

Bret Schundler ran a textbook grassroots campaign. Instead of meaningless, who has the best smile advertisements, he ran on the pro-family, pro-business, planks of the Republican platform. That's right. Schundler is a Northeast Republican who believes that abortion is wrong, school choice is a viable option, Americans have a right to own weapons, marriage is only between a man and a woman, and that less government is far better than more taxes.

An evangelical Christian, Schundler saw the opportunity to awaken a sleeping giant previously held at bay by the New Jersey GOP. He instantly became the champion of the socially conservative and the most politically active GOP voters.

Reports state that Schundler built an e-mail army of 35,000. An army that multiplied as each e-mail recipient forwarded campaign messages and critical position stances not reported by the New Jersey media to like-minded voters and activists.

The grassroots victory for Bret Schundler is a major defeat for the New Jersey GOP. Hopefully, this is an important lesson learned for the Northeast GOP in general.

No criticism is fair without an alternative or solution. My proposal is straightforward. New Jersey should follow the tried and true political model of the Texas GOP. Rebuild your party from the grassroots, all the way to the top. Don't pay just lip service to the grassroots. Allow a proportionate "seat at the table" from the Precinct Convention to the National Convention.

That's right -- change the party rules! Dilute the current power network and then allocate power fairly from the bottom up. No, change is never easy unless you have a quick win as a result of that change. This effective grassroots strategy allowed Texas to grow from a traditional Democrat State in 1990 to a key Republican stronghold winning all twenty-nine elected statewide offices in 1998 and 2000.

This could only happen by allowing attendees at the Precinct Convention a voice is who will attend the Senatorial Convention. Delegates to the Senatorial Conventional petition and stand before a fair, unbiased, Nominations Committee to attend the State Convention. The nomination slate is read and ratified by the entire Senatorial Convention Delegation.

Finally, these elected Delegates to the State Convention, break out into each Congressional Caucus to meet, nominate and elect Delegates and Alternates to the National Convention. This slate, built from each Congressional Caucus, is then read and ratified by the entire State Convention Delegation.

No more dark, closed, smoke-filled rooms that come out with "the list" of who will go to the next Convention level. No more stealth speeches of how you need and want grassroots involvement to grow the GOP. The visible action of delegating the power speaks volumes louder than sugarcoated, empty promises. Suddenly the people control the party, and not vice-versa.

To the New Jersey GOP, wake up and smell the coffee. Republican character, values and integrity do count. They also win. Come to Texas, let's have taco or two and strategize how in 2004 New Jersey will join "Bush Country."