FLASHREPORT

I read today's article about the State GOP having to eliminate funding for local County party operations and it confirmed to me what I have believed in every cycle since 2002 - the State Party literally has nothing to do in 2008.

There is no statewide election.  Neither side will contest the Presidential race in California.  There are maybe five State legislative seats that could change hands either way - although none of them have in the past two election cycles.  Some in leadership have to pretend to like what the Governor is doing although nobody really does.

This isn't the fault of current or past State GOP leaders, and this isn't, and never had been about social issues.  California's demographics have stampeded right over the top of the GOP and there is nothing we can do about it.  Although the citizens of the State showed in 2003 that they have a pain tolerance level, and Gray Davis exceeded it, they don't seem to be nearly alarmed at what the current Governor has allowed to happen to State finances.  The GOP won't be able to use financial mismanagement as an issue because "our guy" is at the heart of it.

So what is the State GOP to do?

The Party, if it can get out of debt, needs to do two things:  1) pick key mayoral races in the State and play hard; 2) find out where local unions are wreaking havoc and come in to defeat them.  There are at least three opportunities to do this in Fresno alone.

Talk to many conservative donors in local races and you will find their money all over the place, especially to Democrats.  Why?  Because no one has their back in the fight.  So they give generously to both sides.  The Democrats threaten business owners, and the State GOP could be a big dog in local political fights.

It's a model that Ron Nehring, State GOP chairman, is familiar with.  As an Executive Committee member, I don't know what the Party's strategy is for 2008.  I can, however, tell you this:  old approaches and formulas won't work.  We aren't relevant Statewide, so we shouldn't waste scarce resources on elections we can't win.