Resisting McCain-ism is a key to GOP growth in NC?

Folks, it really is time for a change. Obama won his election because everybody knows it; and because we weren't able to convince them in time that most of the change he offered was false.

The change I am talking about is in fundamentally changing the GOP to at the same time create a close access to power for all the members; while developing a lasting reputation for nominating principled Conservatives.

You probably know that Democrats outnumber Republicans in NC by a very wide margin. You may also know that this situation comes originally from a series of riots in Wilmington in the 1860's.

It is not hard to deduce that in order for a Republican to get and stay elected in NC, they have to win the votes of Democrats. Nor is it hard to figure which Democratic votes they need to win: The Blue Dog Democrats of the south, of conservative and anti-federalist principle who never forgave the Republican party for the Civil war.

To get and keep those votes, we have to create and build a genuine reputation for nominating the kind of conservatives, that these Blue Dog Democrats like to vote for.

I give you for consideration Senator Jesse Helms. Agree or disagree, he was one of the most principled Senators in memory. Certain quirks in personality or voting records set aside, Senator Helms held a platform nearly identical to Senator Robert Taft, Senator Barry Goldwater, and Congressman Ron Paul. While I find Senator Helms's former focus on race to be abhorrent, he is an example of a successful Republican in NC; and I believe it is not because he was a racist, but because the Blue Dog Democrats knew that they could trust him to put principle ahead of politics when it came to smaller government and less government interference in people's lives; states rights over Federal; and conservative on spending.

If we seek out and find the kinds of strict constructionists heavy on principle Republicans, re-build a reputation for principled candidates and office-holders, and continue to elect Constitutionalists into office over the next 10 years, then I believe we can grow GOP membership in NC tremendously from the grassroots of Americans, who still believe in the Republic that they learned about in school.

I believe the key to Republican growth in North Carolina, is in our legislative posture on the Constitutional Republic. We should have been the first ones to resist McCain, in order to demonstrate for our Blue Dog Democrats, that we are able to police our own.

Our primary goal in the GOP over the next 4 years must be to find and recruit principled Constitutionalists to run for public offices; and our secondary goal must be to use new media to connect these candidates and office-holders directly with the Republican grassroots.

This two-pronged approach, drawing people into the party through greater political access in the grassroots; while shoring up a hard reputation for nominating Constitutionalist Conservatives in principle, should over time restore the Blue Dog trust in the NCGOP, and win back a regular faction of voters while at the same time growing our own voter base, especially amongst the Internet generation; who will love the thought of affecting the debate on local legislation, from their iPhone's on a business trip.