Stockholm Syndrome and the GOP

By Russ Weeks

     Having had the privilege of being the Republican Party gubernatorial nominee in the 2008 election, I had the opportunity to travel this great state, visiting every county, talking with rank and file members about the future of our party. I was able to talk to many members of the Democrat, Independent and non-affiliated parties also.

The most striking difference I observed in talking with non-Republicans was, even though they were in tune, philosophically, with what I stood for and wanted to accomplish, some said they could not vote for me because I was a Republican. Agreeing philosophically could not overcome the fact that I was not of their grandfather’s  party. When I would reply that their grandfather’s party had now become the Republican Party, they would just sort of smile and the conversation would shortly come to an end. I may have planted a seed that will reproduce later, but that did not help me then. Almost all voiced displeasure with the current, and a lot of the past, Democrat administrations but that would not overcome the fact that I was a Republican. We must find a way to convince these type of Democrats that the Republican Party more closely reflects their values. The words “Democrat” and “Republican” do not mean today what they did in Grandpa’s time.

Since the November 4th election, I have had a lot of time to think about my experiences, and the military part of me was trying to analyze my opponent's strategy and “army.” When you keep losing so many battles, copying and improving on the better parts of your opponent’s actions is a good idea. The following are my observations and recommendations.

1. Fundraising. The Democrat Party has more money to spend than the Republican. Some of their success in this area is that they have been in power for so long, they have amassed a very large following that will pay them for “access”. They are also very good at getting contributions from their members. We Republicans must become better at fundraising.

2. Press access. Most of the print and electronic media are in tune, philosophically, with the Democrat Party. To be successful in future elections, the Republicans must learn how to gain better access. A Republican may have the better ideas, but without money for advertising or a sympathetic publisher/editor, the idea will be lost. We should come together and approach our local newspaper to allow a “View From The Other Side” or “The Loyal Opposition” type column to run in their op-ed section. I have had good luck by approaching talk radio shows to let me give my side of an issue.

3. Party Discipline. Too many Republicans today, for many reasons, do not support their party. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Get every Whig to the polls” (Whig being the forerunner of the Republican Party). If you would look at past elections and compare the difference in the totals, and apply the number of Republicans who did not vote, that is where we are losing a lot of elections. The Democrat Party is very adept at getting out the Democrat vote. In my opinion, Get Out The Vote (GOTV) is the key to winning elections. The question  must be asked, how many Republicans donated to or otherwise supported the Democrat when there was a Republican also running? Our party will always be in second place unless Republicans support and vote for Republicans. No Excuses!

Too many Republicans, leadership included, suffer from “Stockholm Syndrome.” We have been beat up so many times, some have started to identify with those who are doing the beating. This must stop. Our party contains too many “Republican In Name Only” (RINO). This also must stop. Until we start acting as true Republicans, we will continue to be the number two dog on the sled team, and in that position, the view is always the same.

Russ Weeks is a former State Senator who was the 2008 GOP nominee for governor.