National Federation of Republican Women Board of Directors Meets During its 75th Anniversary
The National Federation of Republican Women Board of Directors met and conducted business in Washington, D.C. March 8-9, beginning the celebration of its 75th anniversary by first attending a special Legislative Day on Capitol Hill on March 7.
Meeting in the Capitol building for Legislative Day, courtesy of United States Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers and the staff of her office, NFRW members were addressed by approximately 30 members of Congress, including Senator Paul Rand who, hours before, had completed a nearly 13 hour filibuster of John Brennan's nomination as CIA Director. Attendees were then free to visit with their elected Representatives and Senators.
On Thursday evening, donors to the NFRW's Capital Regents and Regents program were treated to a special dinner at which CNN guest commentator Alex Castellanos spoke regarding the need to move the Republican Party forward by being the Party of new frontiers. At their Friday luncheon, the NFRW participants heard from conservative messenger and author of Frederick Douglass Republicans: The Movement to Re-Ignite America's Passion for Liberty, KCarl Smith. Smith detailed the importance of patriot and author Frederick Douglass's example in Republican politics from being a Republican abolitionist as an escaped slave to being an advisor to five Republican United States Presidents.
Earlier in the day, Newt and Callista Gingrich appeared for book signings and the former Speaker of the House of Representatives addressed the NFRW members. Participants were also treated to a video produced by Lisa Roper, assisted by Kim Chambers, both from the Texas Federation of Republican Women, that featured U.S. House and Senate leadership and other elected members who wished the NFRW "Happy Birthday" in honor of NFRW's 75th Anniversary.
Resolutions Passed by the NFRW Board of Directors
At its annual Spring Board of Directors meeting in Washington, D.C. last week, the NFRW Board of Directors passed three resolutions dealing with mandatory health care policy, government access and immigration reform. (Webmaster's Note: You can read the resolutions online at NFRW.org, with your member password - no point in linking to it, since you can't get in without the password)
Republican women leaders from across the country gathered for the meeting and expressed outrage that President Obama closed the White House, denying school children and other Americans access to the "peoples' house" in his effort to score political points on the sequester. With support and encouragement from former United States House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, who addressed the women, the board of directors passed a resolution calling on the president to immediately open the White House to all Americans.
Board meeting attendees also adopted a resolution in support of the Hobby Lobby family-owned business which is currently before the United States Supreme Court in a lawsuit filed to stop mandatory provisions of Obamacare. As a Christian family, the Hobby Lobby business owners object to the government's new mandate that their business must provide abortion-causing drugs as part of their health care insurance in violation of their religious beliefs. They have been forced to go to court to avoid being required to contradict the Biblical principles upon which their company is founded. If Hobby Lobby refuses the Obamacare mandates, they face government fines of up to $1.3 million per day.
The Texas Federation of Republican Women introduced, and the NFRW Board of Directors passed, a resolution on immigration reform, a topic which Texas members spent almost a full year studying and researching with experts, businesses, land owners, law enforcement and recent immigrants. The resolution first calls on the federal government to expedite provision of resources necessary "to finally secure United States borders." The resolution also urges federal officials to provide resources necessary to reform the current immigration system and create a guest-worker program that documents workers and their families and requires them to pass health and criminal background checks, to be self-supporting, including the purchase of health and other required insurance, to pay taxes and demonstrate a working knowledge of the English language. Finally, the resolution calls for criteria to be established for a legal residency program or path to citizenship for young people illegally brought into this country through no fault of their own if they demonstrate English fluency, a knowledge of American civics, comply with all health requirements, have no criminal record, graduate from an accredited high school and pursue a college degree, trade certification or enter into military service.
A Look at the Operations of the 2012 Obama for America Campaign
On Tuesday, March 5, NFRW President Rae Chornenky and NFRW Political Director Maria Jeffrey attended a breakfast meeting at which Patrick Ruffini, an expert who has shaped digital strategy for national candidates in each of the last three elections, carefully analyzed the digital, technological, and analytic operations of the 2012 Obama campaign. Ruffini first highlighted the differences between the Romney campaign and the Obama campaign in voter contact strategy. Republicans simply made voter contact during the campaign but Democrats were gathering and analyzing data received from those prospective voters, and entering feedback about their views and opinions into a national database. As a result, the Democrats were able to better analyze what effective appeals to make when contacting potential voters.
Democrats had over four times as many people in field offices as Republicans and over twice as many field officer teams running neighborhood centers. More Democrat field workers were paid than Republicans. As a result, the Obama team had better access to information in local neighborhoods about what was going on with voters. This access allowed Obama workers to delve into voter localities, after televised debates for example, to examine what opinions were and what - if anything - had changed in voters' minds.
Because the Obama campaign's ground strategy covered more area with more paid volunteers and utilized information from potential voters more effectively, the campaign was able to predict with better accuracy what percentage of the early vote it had secured. Indeed, less than 10% of the people called by Republicans were actually contacted voice-to-voice as opposed to having a phone message left for them. Democrat field workers made multiple contacts and made voice-to-voice, fact-to-face contacts.
Ruffini urged that in re-evaluating the use of social media, Republicans must be aware that of the 18 - 29 year old demographic, 50% did not give a phone number but 80% had Facebook phone apps. Forty percent of traffic to the Obama website came from mobile devices and not only was a large use of text messaging made, but that also allowed voters to easily store credit card information with their mobile devices so that they could contribute frequently by simply pressing a button. The Democrats worked hard collecting cell phone numbers and using mobile phone technology to reach out to and communicate with young voters. Ruffini also noted that Democrats "carpet bombed" online computer advertising and pop-up ads appeared everywhere online.
In terms of messaging, Republicans did ask what issues voters trust Republicans on but never went to the next step and asked which of those issues really mattered to the voter. Republicans did not prioritize enough, Ruffini argued, where it was clear that issues involving small businesses and entrepreneurship are what voters trust Republicans with but health care, for example, was what truly mattered most to them. Finally, it was suggested that greater effort be invested in training campaign workers in explaining policy so that they are prepared to say, "This is what the Republican candidate is doing and proposing concretely."
