Former City Council Member Andrew Eristoff sent this detailed letter to his email list yesterday. I don't think he would mind me posting it here in its entirety. It's worth a read for any Republican -- urban, suburban or rural -- who's interested in the future of the party in our state. Of course, his sentiments aren't totally new. As frequent poster Stu Mirsky noted to me this morning, it's very similar to some ideas a group of us tried to get going back in 2005. But, this isn't the time for credit-taking or finger-pointing -- any and all participants who want to fix what is broken should be welcomed with open arms.
The Morning After: An Open Letter to New York's Republicans
Re: Rebuilding New York's Republican Party
Dear Fellow New York Republicans:
It’s finally happened. After years of tactical retreat and ideological compromise, New York’s Republican Party has lost its 43-year majority in the State Senate as w ell as seats in Congress, the State Assembly, and numerous local offices. The once proud New York Republican Party -- the party of President Theodore Roosevelt and national leaders like Thomas Dewey, Nelson Rockefeller, Rudy Giuliani, and George Pataki -- has ceased to exist as a viable political organization.
More than an embarrassment, the Republican Party’s self-immolation is a disservice to all New Yorkers regardless of party affiliation. New York’s voters deserve a functioning two-party system that fosters competition and viable electoral choices. We Republicans have failed them.
What now? Some GOP “leaders” will shrug their shoulders and hoard their remaining patronage crumbs. Others will wait for some celebrity or deep-pocketed Republican candidate to rescue the party. Still others will give up, leaving politics or switching sides.
But some of us will stand and fight to rebuild our party.
How? First, the current statewide Republican leadership should step aside. This isn’t about bitterness or blame --- indeed, some good people have tried their best --- but leaders have to set an example of accountability.
Similarly, New York’s 62 Republican County Chairs should ask themselves whether they are prepared for the hard work that lies ahead.
Second, we need new leadership with a single goal: a complete, back-to-basics overhaul of the New York State Republican infrastructure.
The focus must be on rebuilding our capacity to compete for local offices like County Legislature and Town Council, and with it our “bench” to compete for higher offices in the future. Most important, the work of rebuilding our party must be independent of any one office-holder or candidacy. This is not a part-time agenda for a lobbyist, a sitting County Chair, or a serving elected official. It’s a total, 24/7 commitment.
Third, we need to understand the causes of our state party’s long-term decline.
Yes, we suffer from association with the national party. Yes, demographic shifts and long-term economic woes have led to increased Democratic enrollment in traditionally Republican areas. Yes, yes, yes? .
But let’s move beyond the convenient excuses. We Republicans need to acknowledge that we have lost sense of purpose, and thus our ability to inspire and lead; that, in a futile attempt to retain power, our leaders routinely compromised principle to the point that we no longer stand for anything; that we haven’t always done the best job when in power; and, finally, that our party has its fair share of hustlers and sleaze merchants.
In short, we need to rebuild our Republican brand. Instead of relying on celebrity or self-financed candidacies --- an expensive approach that has no lasting benefit --- we must give voters a reasonable expectation that every Republican candidate is part of a coalition of principle that is ready and able to govern.
What principles? Here are a few ideas to spark the debate:
1. A competitive tax structure. The Republican Party must champion a tax structure that makes New York a competitive place to live, work, and create jobs. To pay for broad-based reductions in New York’s extremely high nominal tax rates, we should seek the elimination of the complicated array of existing “targeted tax incentives” that deliver nothing but campaign contributions to elected officials, full employment for Albany’s lobbyists, and an unfair allocation of low effective tax rates to the well-connected. And we need to cap local property taxes before angry local taxpayers torch the State Capitol.
2. Honest and efficient government. Voters should expect the best from Republicans in public office. To that end, we need to support enhanced legislative financial disclosure, restrictions on conflicts of interest, and merit selection for judges. We should fight for transparent budget-making and performance management. We need to make the case for reining in New York’s out-of-control spending without protecting partisan sacred cows like more-school-aid-regardless-of-performance. And, to show we’re serious, we should call for an immediate 50% reduction in the bloated internal budgets of both the Legislature and the Executive Chamber.
3. Only the local government we need. New York’s 3,000 governmental units are crushing our taxpayers. Even if it means slashing Republican patronage positions, we should push to consolidate school districts as well as local government units and services. And we need to champion real local government mandate relief.
4. Strong environmental stewardship. Theodore Roosevelt’s party should never cede the mantle of environmental stewardship to the Democrats. As a matter of both good public policy and politics, we must stand for vigorous environmental enforcement, protecting open space, urban redevelopment, climate action, and investment in renewable energy and mass transit.
5. An open political culture. The Empire State’s government is a national joke. Part of the problem is that competing special interests with bipartisan relationships such as public sector unions and health care providers have embedded themselves into our decision-making institutions and processes. Indeed, they have eclipsed the major political parties in both money and raw power. The result is gridlock, with our elected leaders unwilling and/or unable to take up and resolve major issues. Despite the short-term political risks, Republicans must blow the whistle on this corrupt system and support reforms that will open up our state’s political culture: campaign finance reform, ballot access reform, and nonpartisan redistricting.
6. A safe and secure New York. As Mayor Rudy Giuliani said, the most important “civil right” is the right to live safely and securely. No voter should ever doubt Republicans’ commitment to giving law enforcement the support, tools, and leadership it needs to do its job without threatening our civil liberties.
Fellow Republicans, it’s time to get serious about rebuilding our party. We can’t ride out the storm, waiting for a Republican Messiah. We can’t continue compromising our principles for patronage crumbs. W e can’t continue ignoring the causes of our long-term decline. And we can’t give up.
Let’s get to work.
Sincerely,
Andrew S. Eristoff
Manhattan Coordinator, McCain-Palin 2008
Former Chair, New York Republican County Committee
Former Member, New York City Council
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written by Stuart W. Mirsky , November 06, 2008
Makes a lot of sense to me. Something's got to be done to change the status quo which has only brought us disaster, exactly as many had been predicting for years. I remember quickjustice warning us this was coming back in the days when we were having those post summit meetings to do much the same thing that Andrew Eristoff is advocating here. If this is a serious proposal then many of us should respond to Eristoff and start this process because the sooner we can get it off the ground, the better.
On the other hand, perhaps it is already being done in other quarters . . . in which case we ought to be coordinating our efforts and not working at cross purposes. Back in '05 when a number of us tried this, we didn't make a lot of headway, no doubt because there were no heavy hitters with major contacts in our number. Maybe now things look serious enough that some of the more established GOP pols and operatives realize this needs to be done, too.
SWM
written by Robert Prol , November 06, 2008
I know of many Republicans in Rockland County who refuse to work for the organization because of the petty personal politics and lack leadership we are presently afflicted with. It's the leader's way of the highway.
written by Jay Golub , November 06, 2008
Eristoff was Chair of NY County's GOP for about a year when I was in the NY County GOP organization as one of a number of VP's.
At the time, a few of us - who weren't part of the Upper East Side lineage created by Sen. Roy Goodman - wanted to see almost exactly what Andrew is proposing above happen - Principle over back-room dealmaking and Issues over patronage. Both privately, and then publicly, these issues were discussed.
Unfortunately, topics like these were taboo when Eristoff and his Goodman associates were running the NY County GOP. These issues were not only rejected, but were criticized publicly.
I may be cynical, but why would the same ideas Eristoff is proposing today make effectively no sense to him just a few short years ago - when HE was in charge? The incompetance and - I would argue - the intentional ineffectiveness of the State GOP has been no secret to anyone who has been involved in Republican politics over the last decade.
This letter further confuses me when Andrew holds Theodore Roosevelt and Rudy Giuliani in the same esteem as Nelson Rockefeller and George Pataki - the likes of Pataki and Rockefeller are THE PROBLEM with the NY State GOP and the EXACT perception and reality that Republicans need to move away from in the future.
Yet with that being said, it's nice to see Andrew making some statements like this publicly. He certainly has never shown himself to be anything but a bright guy. So I will try to remain hopeful that this sentiment is spreading within some part of the GOP establishment and I would welcome having him on the side of reform.
Real change is needed - a new direction is required.
We'll know that this letter means something real once he and others start to reach out to the grassroots and potential "new blood" that's already out there to carry a revised banner positively forward.
It's too bad the GOP had to get to this depth to force change, but maybe there's "hope" for the future just yet...
written by ellene wundrok , November 06, 2008
we do not donate or join the organisation either because of the PPP in queens but we do have leadership - it is corrupt and petty and closed.
i would not even admit i was part of the city council, coordinator of mcCain-pailn or chair of anything republican. the above message is lame, sounds like all the other reforms that didn't work.
we need to publicly denounce and name the masqueraders of the republican party and rout them
mcCain should not have been our candidate, very nice but not the guy for the 21st century. romney probably should have been up , appears to be principled and knowledgeable and newer might have beat obama handily. oh well. new people are not going to join our party unless they SEE our cahnges and that means publicly showing bold changes in the party not the government - how can we change government when we are hardly represented any more? maybe eristoff means well, i don't know, but that article is lame.
who let the unprincipled bloomberg use the party to get in and then reject? no one asked me. who tried to shove lauder down our throat? if we don't stop being bought by the money these guys yeild we will never get back to being a party of principles.
written by ellene wundrok , November 06, 2008
will you please put a spell check on here?
written by Daniel Peterson , November 06, 2008
Eristoff has the right message in that we have to start locally, at the grassroots, but he doesn't make any suggestion on where to begin. Some of us may know where to begin, but others do not.
It does start with the county committee and something the non-partisan organization, Grassroots Initiative, has been trying to jump start since 2005.
We need to increase our county committee base. We need at least one representative for every Election District throughout the 5 boroughs. And these reps need to know who which of their fellow neighbors are registered Republican and who need to know about local candidates to vote for.
I've been involved in local politics since 2004 and honestly, it's the same talk year after year. Hopefully enough people will wake up now that the GOP holds nothing significant in this state anymore.
written by Robert Prol , November 07, 2008
The problem is that the moth balled leadership won't get out of the way, in fact they spend their efforts in solidifying power instead of moving our party forward.
Ramapo is a good example of how bad they are. They tried to shake down the candidates for 10k each, then provided nothing but a few hand painted signs for the election cause. Reda reportedly instructed other Republicans to not attend fundraisers for the candidates, then brought in an additional candidate. When questioned about this, the answer was that the new candidate had lots of money and was due the right to run.
They then endorsed Rudy before the primary, and wouldn't consider any differing opinions. Rudy was unelectable, he is a big statist who would not have played well on the national scene.
The Republican Party leadership sunk any hope of winning the Ramapo election. Yup, I have an axe to grind.
written by alice Lemos , November 07, 2008
now. And the meetings (which I used to attend) were a joke. People just rubberstamp what the chairman says while they salute each other. Pathetic. Then they wonder "and then there were none". I took a look at some of the guys at a "rally" the other month and wondered, "who are these people?"
written by Daniel Peterson , November 07, 2008
The roles of county chairs are different in each borough. In Manhattan, the role is mainly for fundraising and chairing executive meetings. It's the Executive Director who is in charge of building the party. in Queens, I'm not sure how responsibilities are arranged. But the person in charge of running the District Leadership should find out what those DLs are doing with their county committee. I have to say, I've come across DLs that run club organizations and only care about those members in the club, not all the committee members in the district. Its sort of like, If you're not with our club, then I don't care about you. That's Bull S. A club and the county committee needed to be treated separately.
written by Robert Prol , November 07, 2008
The challenge in Rockland is that the county chair is also the "number two" (double entendre?) for the state committee
written by Chance Haywood , November 10, 2008
I agree there needs to be new leadership for the party at all levels. Which is why I've decided to force my way into the party leadership. I'm no longer willing to watch as people like Jay Savino run ballot filler candidate campaigns, put a democrat on the republican line, and do nothing to build the party from the ground up.
As for the person who state the Manhattan Chair isn't responsible for building the party that is patently untrue. If you are the head of the party it if you job to make sure the party's future is secure.
As for how we gain ground on the democrats it will take more than just grassroots base building. We need to reposition our platform to be consistent though out so that we can actually attract voters. I've yet to have a single republican explain logically to me how they can support the PATRIOT ACT or bans on same sex marriage in a way that doesn't make them look like a hypocrite. Seriously how does a two men being married to one another infringe on your liberty and freedom?
written by ellene wundrok , November 11, 2008
doesn't infringe on freedom & liberty - infringes on the pocketbook. we already pick up the tab for spouses when the family gets into trouble (which we should) and pick up the tab for spouses of municipal employees and some private , why should we add more people to the redistribution llist. in this case for people who historically have more income? the untruths are rampant in the gay community - they CAN visit each other in hospital- just register as next of kin, they CAN inherit estates, just make a will like the rest of us, etc etc etc. they are being stopped because most citizens don't want their children to be 'tought' what is considered an alternative lifestyle. don't simplify a very complex problem. i have no dog in this fight.
written by Jay Golub , November 11, 2008
I agree chance. Being against Gay marriage may be a position a candidate in the GOP could believe in strongly, but such a fight should not be a macro-issue for the Republican Party. The GOP's reliance on the social issues has hurt the GOP and, effectively, the country.
Republicans need to get back to being anti-federalists. The rest of the issues will fall in place...
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