In this article posted a few days ago, I suggested it might be time to shut down 90 percent of the Republican Conservative Industrial Complex (RCIC) for a couple of years and instead put the money towards accomplishing real election work. Included in my suggestion was that only essential workers should be kept on the job during that time—and for the record, I would include Steve Bannon’s War Room Podcast on the list of essential workers.
Last time I outlined the first two things I would say to Steve Bannon if I had the chance—here are numbers three and four.
Three: Hey Steve, guess why the process of getting to the bottom of November 3, 2020 is going so slow. It is because MAGA conservatives have not been mobilized in the numbers required to speed things up. The RCIC—even the best parts of it—are not about mobilizing or doing election work—the very things needed to threaten the careers of RINOs and Democrats who are living and breathing speed bumps blocking properly executed forensic audits.
To his enormous credit, Steve continues to encourage engagement. But he needs to add something else that goes beyond attending school board meetings and having people run for GOP Precinct Committeemen. Why?
I have experience with school boards. In Illinois, they are probably the worst level of government in a state that has about 6,000 separate local governing units. Taking them on is a massive undertaking which will require the mass mobilization I wrote about last time.
Regarding the GOP, it is common knowledge that the Republican Party is not going to be fixed any time soon. While it has to be the eventual focus (because that’s where the power is), so many state and local organizations are built to deter participation, not welcome it. As a veteran of the RNC in D.C. and three local organizations in Illinois, it is my view that the critical task of cleaning up the party will take time and require bodies—a lot of bodies—mass mobilization.
Steve Bannon should add to his agenda getting funding for that much needed mass mobilization. Maybe we don’t have to shut down 90 percent of the RCIC, but in case the additional funds needed are slow to be found, transferring dollars from paying for work that does not win elections to work that does win elections is an excellent fallback plan.
Lastly, number four, I would say to him, Steve—you like talking about our side having the “receipts.” The fact is, one thing the Republican Conservative Industrial Complex has produced are the receipts. (Just one example—if Americans knew what just OpenTheBooks.com published we would easily win over 60 percent majorities in most elections. A majority of Americans still do not like corruption and legalized theft.)
The problem is there is a Grand Canyon of space between those receipts and too many voters. The RCIC produces the information but does not spend what it takes or use the proper modern methods to actually reach more people with it. That has been a problem for decades, and I have written about it for two decades.
Thanks chiefly to President Donald J. Trump, today there are enough people learning about the receipts. More people need to be reached—but the new priority has to be recruiting and training candidates, staff, and volunteers, and most of all—manning polling places—getting people involved in the work of overseeing elections to prevent fraud.
To do that in sufficient numbers will require—sorry for the repetition (or as Steve Bannon likes to say, “sorry, not sorry”)–mass mobilization which requires money supporting the effort.
The reason few are even discussing this topic is because those paid to work in the RCIC have other things on their mind—such as their own wonderfulness (I am very serious in saying that). Or maybe they are focused on posting another great policy study or opinion article or producing another video or working with “national coalitions.” (Friends of mine who understand the ground war laugh at the use of words such as “coalitions,” or people offering to serve as an “umbrella organization.” We know none of that involves getting real election work accomplished.)
We have arrived at the point where watching those with the big talk radio shows and podcasts interviewing each other is just plain disturbing. They seem to think them talking to each other in a lovefest session is somehow big political action. It is not. Often, the two people should just get a room.
There is work to be done—a political war to be fought—but their focus is on being entertainers. God bless them though, because they do not understand and probably will not any time soon.
Steve Bannon, on the other hand, is no dummy.
The Ground War ongoing series of articles can be found here.
