A Nuts and Bolts Approach to Rebuilding the Republican Party

◼ Jim Brulte said in his candidacy speech to the San Diego Republican Central Committee that he wanted to be “a boring state party chair focused on the nuts and bolts.” He said it wasn’t a matter of new ideas, Republican ideas are fine thank you. Brulte announced he would focus on fundraising, volunteers and candidates rather than on policy and issues. - Fox&Hounds

I had a chance recently to ask Ron Nehring why Brulte singled out San Diego as an exemplar. Nehring referred me to his ◼ 2002 article, Turnaround in San Diego and the Five Point Program he championed to breath new life into a fractious central committee as the incoming chairman....

In his 2002 article Nehring elaborates, speaking of “ideological divisions paralyzing county central committees.” This is unnecessary, he says. There is no liberal way to register voters, no conservative way to raise money, no moderate way to get out the vote, he argues.
In fact, in my brief conversation with Nehring, he said that ideological infighting is most aggressive and destructive where the party organization is failing on the nuts and bolts. Nehring told me that as 2001 incoming San Diego chair he brought in great speakers (Grover Norquist, Ward Connerly, etc.), moved the monthly meeting out of a dingy office into an upscale hotel and instituted a meet and greet social hour. Ideological battles fell by the wayside and precinct work, voter registration and fundraising increased dramatically....