The rise of local Republican Party organizations with strong volunteer precinct programs has coincided with the decline of the grassroots ground capabilities of most of the Republican affiliated clubs. There could be cause and effect to some degree, but the decline of grassroots oriented clubs probably began in the mid 1990’s. Many organizations were able to bluff about their capabilities for a while (a bluff I think most GOP insiders wanted desperately to believe because there were no alternatives). Many of the clubs essentially became speaker’s bureaus or lunch clubs with a Republican affiliated theme – noble and important aspects of any community and any political party, but generally not the means of accumulation of political power. Others deteriorated to the point of meaninglessness. A fewer number continued to run viable ground organizations, or mutated into something altogether different.
Generally, I believe for a political organization to have real pull it has to be able to demonstrate either the capability of raising and spending reasonable amounts of money (examples: California Republican Assembly, New Majority, or San Diego County Lincoln Club) or it must be able to field an army of grassroots activities either bit by bit everywhere in the state (Republican Women Federation) or all at once on races that the organization targets. And the organization has to deliver, consistently.
For a number of years one club that I would have placed in the "meaningless" category was the California College Republicans. More interested in internal titles and convention fights than in building real political power by delivering grassroots workers, many chapters were moribund at best. Meaning: if I was running a campaign in a given area with a College Republican Club I would expect virtually nothing from them, or expect that their fratricidal fights would actually be a nuisance and time absorbing to younger staff who would invariably get mixed up in it all.
Over the weekend College Republican* President Stephen Puetz, a staffer for Assemblyman Mark Wyland, demonstrated the rebirth of his organization in very practical terms. Puetz delivered nearly 100 College Republicans from throughout California and the West for a three day precinct walk for Republican Mayoral and San Diego City Council candidates. By "nearly 100" I mean nearly 100 individuals 
who were present and working for at least 2 of the 3 days Friday through Sunday. In practice this meant that these young folks covered well over 10,000 households, knocking door to door. And the CRs were normal – not the odd, lazy eyed, mole with a long stiff hair in it, coat and tie wearing, boring as all hell folks that I’d-rather-watch-Golden Girls-repeats-than-talk-to types. Better yet, they were sophisticated organizationally.
Let’s put this in context: I don’t think 100 GOP legislative staffers out of the 500 odd folks on the payroll showed up for the 53rd AD campaign, and I give credit to Paul Hegyi and our leadership for working hard to get them to take a few vacation days. I know we didn’t have more than a dozen legislative staffers come down for the target Horton race. And Puetz and his leadership team got 100 some odd workers to San Diego for local City Council and Mayoral campaigns. For 3 full days.
I give former College Republican President Michael Davidson much credit for the energy and organizational skills he brought to rebuilding the state CR network. Puetz has picked up the ball right where Davidson left it and is running full charge forward. Long term observers: put him on your radar.