This week I attended the Sacramento GOP Holiday Party. Like many readers, I’ve found that some organization parties of this nature can be mind numbingly dull events, where members basically feel obliged to attend, each the much dreaded rubber chicken, and make an Irish exit as soon as the lights go down for the speaker. Other Republican events over the last few years have been full of backbiting and grousing, filled with a negative mood about the state of the Republicans generally.
This was not one of those dinners. The room was full, the food (tri-tip) was great, and the speaker, Gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, gave an energetic, funny, and rousing speech. You could feel the energy in the room, and the readiness for the fight ahead, when Whitman paused for a few seconds then said the words many of us have been longing to hear for so long from our GOP candidates (paraphrased) “the state government doesn’t have an income problem, it has a spending problem”. Indeed.
I’ve spent most of my political life active in the San Diego and Orange County Republican Parties, and even though I’ve lived in Sacramento for nine years, never really participated here. The mood I got from the attendees was that the Sacramento GOP is a growing party, and a party committed to taking the fight right to the Democrats. This is a good thing, in that this year it looks like Sacramento will be ground zero, or one of a few ground zeros. I’ll certainly get more involved in what feels like a living, excited organization.
Kudos to the Sacramento GOP team, led by Chairwoman Sue Blake. Sign me up as a precinct captain, even though I live in Curtis Park and am probably the only Republican on the street.
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:00 am
Duane, I agree the bunch in Sacramento is lively. Enjoyed working along side many ground pounders in Sacramento, since we came north in “87. And, you could do better than precinct captian! Why not sign up to chair a Victory Squad HQ on election day like I did when attending a “volunteer orientation” in the fall of ’88 and met long time LA friend leading the Sacramento efforts.
December 4th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Sacramento GOP needs to do more voter registration. Once a month over 1,000 new citizens are sworn in downtown at Memorial Center. Democrats have FOUR booths with voter registration forms and people to greet them…GOP is 90-percent a “no show”. Sac GOP needs to target this event, and more registration outlets.