The Chairman Debate: Go on and be pissed.

This afternoon, I plan to attend the RNC Chairman debate hosted by the ATR (while I applaud the forum, I am still wondering why Grover Norquist has become the de facto arbiter of all things conservative).

The word from some in the press is that "everyone is pissed."

“Some people are p-ssed off at [Americans for Tax Reform President] Grover [Norquist]. Some people are p-ssed off at the Conservative Steering Committee. Some people are p-ssed off at [current RNC chair] Mike Duncan. Some people are p-ssed off at social conservatives. The social conservatives are p-ssed at leaders in Congress,” said a Republican consultant who has worked with the RNC. “Everyone is basically p-ssed.”

The busy upcoming week begins with a debate hosted by the conservative group Americans for Tax Reform on Monday, a set of meetings hosted Tuesday by a group of RNC members calling themselves the Conservative Steering Committee, and finally a special meeting of the full RNC on Wednesday.

Just three weeks later, the 168 RNC members will meet again in Washington to elect their next chairman — an officer tasked with enormous fundraising and managerial responsibilities, and with the potential to be an important carrier of the Republican message.

While those on the other side may have a hearty chuckle at our expense, I believe - in this instance - being pissed off is actually a good thing. I say this because when people are pissed, they tend to be more vocal and engaged in changing things - which is exactly what we need as a party.

The fundamental question facing the party is whether it wants to continue the top-down formula that progresses from the corner of 1st and D SE down to the regional political operation, then to the state party, to the counties and eventually (hopefully) to the partisan activists in our neighborhoods; or whether the party should embrace a true grassroots effort which builds the party into a national conservative movement from the ground up.

I am of the opinion that the latter position is the strategy in which we can overcome the obvious shortcomings we have encountered over the last two election cycles. I believe the men running for RNC Chairman have recognized (to varying degrees) the need to empower and engage activists. Which tactics they would employ, and at what levels, are what they need to explain and debate the merits of - and it is this type of debate I hope to see this afternoon. In fact, there are several points I hope to hear addressed. They are:

1. In a Democratic controlled Washington, how will the GOP provide opposition under your chairmanship?
2. How will you debate the issues facing Americans or will you defer to the Republican leadership in Congress?
3. How will you train activists at the local level?
4. How will you engage activists at the local level?
5. How will you recruit candidates for office at the local level?
6. How will you engage affiliated groups and coalitions in order to create and spread a conservative movement?
7. How will you reaffirm the conservative values of the GOP and make our candidates the true conservative alternatives to Democrats?
8. How will you embrace the Internet as a means of grassroots activism?
9. How will you guarantee the voice of younger Republicans (under 40) is heard at the full national committee level?
10. How will you use the talents of younger Republicans in ways more meaningful than phone banks and poster-making?

Thankfully, the debate will be webcast. It is very important that everyone who is not a member of the "Gang of 168" to watch this event. Everyone who cares about the future of our party should take notes today, then call your state's chairman, national committeeman and committeewoman in order to tell them who you think is the best choice to lead the Republican Party. This is imperative as our elected state chairmen and committee members are, in fact, our representatives to the GOP - not those whose political friendships supercede our wants - and they should be informed that they will be held accountable when it comes time to re-elect them.

By calling your chairman and national committee members and expressing your wants for the future of the party, you will begin the process by which the national party will become more engaged with its local supporters. By becoming an activist, you can help the Republican Party reclaim its mantle as the conservative party in the United States, and you can help craft a new conservative movement in this country that begins in our neighborhoods and could lead to a new, Republican, occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

My advice is to go on and be pissed. Be pissed at where we are at. Be pissed at how we have fallen. Be pissed if the powers-that-be dismiss the desires of local activists in favor of personal politics.

Be pissed, but be activist and be engaged.