Republicans are destined to lose congressionally in 2008. It’s inevitable. By writing such a thing, you’d assume I am a closet Democrat. Nope, just being realistic.

Why the pessimism? The party has no focus on any local activity. Sure, when you go to RNC.org, there are links to local ‘stuff’ but there is no strategy. Did you know that the DNC has something called the ’50 State Strategy’?(1) True. As quoting Howard Dean “Election by Election, State by State, Door by Door, vote by vote….we’re going to lift our Party up and take this country back for the people who built it.” (1). I find that a compelling statement. I look at Mr. Dean as one of those ‘far left’ types that shouldn’t get traction with the average voter. However, from his quote, he intends to outwork the Republican Party for every single vote! If his statement be serious, it appears he might be deserving of these votes. Too bad is ideology stinks.

I assume by now you get my point, we are doing nothing for the local races. From that, we will congressionally get what a Chris Farley character iterated as a ‘hot cup of jack squat’.

Is the Republican Party really that lame when it comes to the localities? To be sure, I went to the RNC site for my State of Illinois.(2) What are the resources available to me? A few headlines from national news and information about my state party leadership. I thought maybe the menu link to volunteer might be useful but, alas, it was just a web form. How underwhelming.

What do the Democrats have available to them? Neighborhood Leader DVD FAQs, Neighborhood Leader canvassing tips, Neighborhood Leader house party logistics, Neighborhood Leader sample house party agenda and Talking Points. The Democrats are coming to the fight with strategic weaponry akin to hammers, swords, guns and spears.

We Republicans decided to walk in to the kitchen and grab a butter knife. The Democrats are going in for the kill and we are going in looking for another piece of Grandma’s fine silver.

I’ve been told that when presented with a problem, it is appropriate to offer solutions. The first thing is to stop cleaning the tarnish from Grammy’s silver and start arming up with weapons for resources. That said, I need stuff to help me organize. What helps me connect with other Republicans in the area? Sure, the RNC site does have a nifty tool to connect with others in the area but what are we connecting for?

We need a single and simple message to sell. We need to be able to materially connect with others not via a random listing but in a coherent and purposeful manner. We need tools available to all of us that reflect that single and simple message.

For cry eye, we needed a strategic plan! We need tools to execute it. I need to be able to turn to someone that asks why I’m a Republican and be able to reiterate a simple message. Perhaps I can tell them a message that I’m a Republican because we are ‘Standing for the Growth and Future of All Citizen’ and provide material support for that assertion.

We can’t just continue to keep picking at the carcasses of the Obama/Clinton gaffes in the hope that this will win us support at large. Then again, all I hear is capitulation to the certain seat loss in November with no real reaction to this. Republicans have become very lazy in a political sense and are deserving of the ‘cup of jack squat’.

Thus, we may have visions of miracle election fairies delivering us from plastering in the 2008 cycle but like many fantastical things, will not become a reality. Lest we at least try.

(1) A 50 State Strategy. Retrieved March 30, 2008 from Web

site: http://www.democrats.org/a/party/a_50_state_strategy/

(2) IL State Party. Retrieved March 30, 2008 from Web

site: http://www.il.gop.com/StatesPage.aspx