the irish lass

McClintock Urges Party Unity

I received a letter from Senator Tom McClintock today, addressed to Members of the California Republican Party.

January 27, 2006

Our party is facing some very serious issues as we enter this election year.

The Democrats continue to outperform Republicans in crucial swing precincts, and the GOP has yet to match the manpower that unions provide Democrats on Election Day.

Despite the valiant efforts of many dedicated Republican volunteers across the state, the November special election showed us that our party's grass roots network is almost non-existent in many counties, while the Democrats raised their turnout higher than most predictions.

Our party's primary focus must be to rebuild out Get Out The Vote infrastructure, recognizing that our ability to compete in November is tied directly to our willingness to build this grass roots army now.

That's why, when I hear rumors that some delegates are planning to use the upcoming Republican Party convention to attack the Governor and his proposals, all I can do is shake my head.

Like many of us, I too have disagreements with some of the Governor's proposals. These differences, however, do not justify the abandonment of our party's responsibility to work tirelessly to reelect this Republican governor and to elect our GOP candidates to statewide and legislative offices.

For this reason, I view any effort to attack Governor Schwarzenegger as an attack on my own candidacy and those of every Republican seeking partisan office in 2006.

The measure of an effective statewide party is not our ability to pass resolutions scolding our own. Rather, it's whether we wisely use the next ten months to organize and train a grass roots army in fifty-eight California counties.

That's why I strongly urge the party to take the following advice for our February convention:

1. Our party has endorsed this governor for re-election. While I am not in favor of pre-primary endorsements for any partisan race, once the endorsement is given, it must not be rescinded. Let's leave this issue alone.

2. Put aside the plans that would cause strife and division among our party and instead focus on those things that unite our party and divide the Democrats.

3. Focus every minute of every hour at this convention on planning to recruit, train and deploy a vast grass roots army that will successfully impact our election results in November.

There is much to do, and precious few months in which to do it. Let us not waste the little time that we have.

Please join me in calling for a productive, united convention that will lead to the Governor's re-election as well as the election of our statewide ticket of talented Republican leaders. And join me by rejecting any misguided effort to divide us by rescinding the party's endorsement of our Governor.

I believe it is critically important to all of our Republican candidates to have an effective, unified party convention that sets the course clearly toward building and equipping our grassroots army to deliver a great Republican victory this November.

I will highlight this is my keynote address during the Saturday luncheon. I look forward to seeing you in San Jose.

Sincerely,

Tom McClintock

P.S. Please return by fax the enclosed reply confirmation so that I will know you support my efforts to unite the convention, support our Governor, and oppose any effort to rescind the party's endorsement.

Tom McClintock apparently wants us to act like Reagan Republicans not like a rightwing version of the Daily Kos Deaniacs. I wonder if we will be able to do it.

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