Why the Republican’s Will Lose the Kentucky Governor’s Race in 2008 (and probably more and more house seats).

On Friday April 6^th I decided to get a little more involved than just reading about stuff in the paper (or more accurately a dozen of my favorite blogs). I had pondered things for some time and decided to become active in assisting in the political process. I was a little disappointed in the pathetic showing that Steve Nunn made in the election for House Representative. Since his failed bid for the Governor’s seat in 2003 he just wasn’t there. So it was little surprise when he also lost his bid to keep his seat in the House. I don’t recall him making any speeches, although he might have. If the gauge of activity was yard signs, he was a no show in our end of the county. I am not sure who will run against Bell the next term, but I decided that I would get more active and help that person out.

So, on April 6^th I wrote to the Kentucky Republican Party online expressing an interest in becoming more active. I shared that I could help campaign, pass out stuff, whatever was needed. I shared that I lived in Barren County and wanted someone to contact me so that I could see where there was a need. I immediately got a great automated reply. In that reply I was told “With your help, we'll bring new faces and new voices into the Republican Party and maintain our majority for years to come.” How refreshing!

Two months later I haven’t received a thing. I got a nice post card from E. Fletcher telling me why I shouldn’t vote for Northup. I got a couple of automated replies from Ron Lewis on some correspondence that I have sent. But from the Republican Party of Kentucky or locally I haven’t received a thing.

I understand that people fall through the cracks. I am in a business that deals with thousands of people every day and I know that a few people have had to call us twice to get an issue resolved. But it seems to me that if you are putting out a plea for help that there should be some system of accountability to make sure that those people are getting a follow-up. An e-mail from the chairman of the Republican Party of Barren County would have been nice. An invite to their next monthly meeting, fund raiser, or something like that would have made me happy. Something automated from the state that just told me what was going on with elections would have at least acknowledged that they knew that I was out here. But the silence tells me so much.

At the federal level I get e-mail almost daily. A lot of it is asking for money, but some is telling me what is going on.

Soon the election is going to ramp up hard and there will be a bunch of Republican’s who wanted to help but never got the call. We will watch from the sidelines with sadness as the Democrats take more seats.

Where I am going with all of this is the frustration of our party that still lives like everything is going to just happen on its own. The Green Party is the most active group out there, they are passionate about what they believe and rally their people to participate. The Dems do a fairly good job as well, particularly on key social issues. But where are the passionate Republicans?

I am here, waiting for someone in leadership to step up.

Maybe that’s the problem, maybe I need to step up.