The Purpose of State and County Central Committees
Ohio is no longer a world leader due to ineffective parties with no vision and no plan.
Why is it critical that we elect REPRESENTATIVES to our County and State Central Committees that engage with the public?
Burying your head in the sand and denying that you have a problem is not a good way to deal with your issues. But, unfortunately, that is what too many County and State Central Committee members do….. and that is the reason why Ohio is dying a long and slow, painful death.
Ohio’s Republican leaders want everyone to look at Ohio with rose-colored glasses and bear none of the blame for the abhorrent condition of Ohio.
VISION
The Ohio Republican State Central Committee (ORSCC) - is supposed to define what the party stands for and that it is not just lip service. They have been neglectful of their duties. Of course, if you have leaders that are out of touch with reality then they will see no need to have a vision for Ohio. Such ORSCC leaders seldom show up and make an appearance at local County Central Committee (CCC) meetings. They are not informed and act erudite in the face of being so poorly informed. Many ORSCC members believe they are not supposed to take a hands-on approach in the management of the party. There is a belief that they hire a chairman and let that chairman run the show and that they are only to give their opinion - but in most cases, they are actually a rubber stamp for the party. This thinking has led to no vision and no plan to guide the State of Ohio out of mismanagement.
This is not to suggest that Democrats could do any better - but should just being better than the Democrats be our goal?
A vision could be something like:
Over the next decade, Ohio Republicans will chart a course to develop the economical plasma gasification of waste and subgrade coal. And, the efficient and economical extraction of rare earth elements, aluminum, and elements that produce High Strength Light Weight Steels from coal and coal ash.
Over the next two decades, Ohio Republicans will chart a course that will allow Ohio to become a world leader in rare earth element processing and the production of semiconductors - with the goal of surpassing China’s production of rare earth elements.
Over the next two decades, Ohio Republicans will chart a course to become a world leader in the advanced manufacture of aerospace and nuclear products and subassemblies.
Within the next three decades, Ohio Republicans will chart a course to lead the world in low-cost, resilient, and clean energy.
Within the next four decades, Ohio Republicans will chart a course to be a world leader in the production of assembly-line-built modular nuclear reactors.
Within the next 5 years, Ohio Republicans will chart a course to have the lowest amount of opioid-related deaths in the United States.
Within the next four years, Republicans will eliminate the State of Ohio Income tax.
Within the next eight years, Ohio intends to be one of the top ten states in the lowest per capita of spending
Within the next three decades, Ohio Republicans will chart a course to retake control of Ohio’s major cities and breathe new life into them by lowering unemployment and reducing the entitlement state…..etc..etc…etc..
A vision lets the people and registered Republicans know what you are trying to accomplish in the long-term and in the short-term. There are tangible objectives and goals for Ohioans to measure the parti’s success.
This necessarily takes away from Republican candidates for simply doing what they want. This helps to coordinate activities and elect those that want to realize the vision.
Republicans are at war with the Democrats for the soul of this State and county. No war has ever been won by a general that told their soldiers to “just go out and do your own thing.” On the contrary, there is a war plan that is developed that allows everyone on the team to work together and focus energies to win.
A vision normally charts a course for the next 50 years and it is normally a very long document on the order of 40 - 100 pages. A vision is developed first and then goals are developed from that. County leaders need to develop a county vision
PLATFORM
A platform is developed from the vision and goals of the party. A platform is a set of specific policies that a party intends to pass or repeal that will allow the party to realize its vision. It is in this way the party holds the candidates accountable and focuses its efforts to move conservative legislation down the political football field.
Where the vision is the hundred thousand foot view - the platform gets into the details of exactly how the party is going to implement their vision. Normally, a State or County platform is for a much short time frame and only includes policies they intend to pass into law within the next 2 or 4 years. For instance, for the vision of “Over the next two decades, Ohio Republicans will chart a course to become a world leader in the advanced manufacture of aerospace, nuclear products, and subassemblies.” platform plank goals could be:
(Year 1) Forming a State initiated for-profit public benefits consortium based on technology sharing (similar to NASA). The consortium has exclusive use and distribution rights of developed technology within Ohio and the developer has exclusive use and distribution rights outside Ohio.
(Year 1) The State offering an accruing technology investment tax credit for Consortium investors to jump-start the Consortium.
(Year 2) The gift of State land for four advanced manufacturing technology centers.
(Year 4)A grant to be made available to fund in part the world’s largest vacuum chamber electron beam welding center.
(Year 4) A grant to be made to establish the world’s largest hot isostatic press and powdered metallurgy center.
So the ORSCC would create the vision and then each plank within the platform would have a committee that would invite in experts to help members develop specific policies. Support would only be given to those Republican candidates that support these policies. The ORSCC would have platform committees and have summits with industry leaders. These summits would educate Republicans on new technology.
Summits could be composed of trade associations, technology development partners, businesses, non-profit organizations, and institutions of higher learning. ORSCC members should be actively participating in developing Ohio’s future.
ETHICS
One thing that can kill a political party quicker than anything is being rocked with scandal. It is inherently necessary for a political party to be run as professionally as possible and set an example for the entire organization.
As a member of the Central Committee, you have bylaws - those laws are supposed to be followed. Bylaws are legally binding documents that keep everything fair and transparent. If you are allowing anyone to ignore the bylaws - or trying to distort what they commonly mean - then as an ORSCC member you are not doing your job. Routine audits to ensure the organization is not being robbed or taken advantage of are important to maintain investor (donor) confidence. County and State Central Committee members are supposed to have regular interactions with local media in their district to explain any problems that are happening within the party and what is being done to resolve those problems. Being tight-lipped and secretive only serves to make the organization more suspect.
THE REALITY OF THE MORE
For the vast majority of ORSCC and CCC members, we find that the members do not know what their jobs are. They have no frame of reference and don’t know that they are the overseers of the party and are supposed to be giving their employees direction. Many members look at themselves as their job as your representative is to only give their personal opinion on all issues and ignore the input and everyone else. This is why it is so hard to get to contact and talk to your Central Committee members.
The party wonder why it cannot raise money in an off-season? If you leave it up to the candidates to decide what the party stands for then people will primarily only donate to the candidate. They won’t give to the party until they know who the candidate is because without a platform - the party stands for nothing. Let’s say however that the party stands for advanced manufacturing and have a platform plank establishing the world’s largest Hot Isostatic Press (HIP) to develop the next generation of nuclear reactors and the spaceframes for the next generation of space shuttle…..and, the party is only giving money to candidates that promise to pass this legislation - guess what? You’ll magically start getting donations and involvement in the party and the party will start more significantly dominating politics in Ohio.
Today, many in the party are just rubber stamps that let party funds be misspent on foolish endeavors and are so incompetent as to not even keep their financial books in an auditable form. This is not the chairman’s fault - this is the fault of those hiring the chairman.
Ohio can be so much more with a vision and a plan - unfortunately so many in the ORSCC are so wedded to their ways that they believe that they cannot be taught or educated. Drug use, overdose deaths, violent crime, and child sex trafficking can be laid at the foot of CCC and ORSCC members.
The expansion of Ohio’s ghettos is not due to bad candidates - it is due to poor party management.