Eyes Forward to 2011

My mother always advised me to move forward in life, focusing on the end result and overcoming adversity along the way. Her advice, to focus on the future and leave the past behind you, is incredibly appropriate for the Republican Party here in Connecticut. As we look to 2011 we must not only learn from the past, but focus on and work for the future. There is much to take away from our disappointing elections in 2010, the most important lesson, as Tip O'Neill wisely said, is that "all politics is local."

So, before we look to 2011, let us take a moment to quickly reflect on the past. In 2008 we saw the National spirit lurch to "hope" and "believe", in a grandiose campaign, with very little behind that positive and optimistic rhetoric; only to then have the tone two years later revert focus to the local scene with a message of individual responsibility and conservatism. While many, on both the left and right, chose to depict a larger National picture with the rise of a new "Tea Party", the truth is that no single party emerged victorious in 2010; rather the locality won as we returned power to the people. Despite the portrayals in the press and by many in the political media, for every Rand Paul there was a Carl Paladino, for each Marco Rubio there is a Christine O'Donnell and the differentiation between them lies solely in the local circumstances and candidates themselves.

As we examine the mistakes of the Republican Party in Connecticut this year, we must look to each individual race and every candidate because the lesson to learn is that counting on a National mood or backlash is taking the easy way out; we all deserve better. While we fielded some great candidates, we the voters allowed the political machine to make choices for us and often, each of us across the state missed our chance to set our own agenda and live by our choices. Let the coming of 2011 be the end of our passivity and trust in the political establishment, for at the end of the day that is the one lesson that is hard to ignore.

Lesson number one: Each candidate for every office must have a story, a narrative, to tell the voters which explain why their ideas and views are the best for all and why they are the candidate we should trust to represent us. In 2010 we failed on this count in practically every race. Where we were fortunate to have strong candidates, we lost control of the message. That is primarily the fault of each candidate, but also of the establishment, as it is their job to ensure there is a consistent message. Linda McMahon is an American success story and a role model for all of us who have daughters. She has built an incredibly successful company which employs women as well as men in it's most senior levels, and she has been involved not only behind the scenes, but also in the actual forefront of the branding of her company. Mrs. McMahon is a pillar of the community, personifies the spirit of charity, and strongly supports education in the community. Certainly she has nothing of which to be ashamed, and yet she lost control of the dialogue. Consequently, our Senator-Elect is a man who has lied to the public concerning his Service in Vietnam, certainly something of which he should be ashamed.

I do not want to postmortem any campaign, however, clearly the message got away from Mrs. McMahon and I only hope she decides to return to the fight and learn from this experience because she clearly is someone to admire, an individual who possesses great leadership skills. I will be thankful should she decide to run again. We must heed lesson one and demand a Chairman who is able to lead our party and promote a consistent, clear message. We have a very powerful and strong platform to take to the voters. In 2010 we lost touch with that, and thus, lesson two is to effectively take the message to the voter.

Living in Connecticut, all of the issues facing the nation are local for us due to our location, industry, business base and demographics. We need to stand up and be Connecticut citizens, not worry about what Nancy Pelosi or Sarah Palin says or does. We are impacted by homeland security, financial regulation, healthcare, and foreclosure; we have the nation’s best schools from liberal arts to service academies all right here in our backyard. We, in a very real sense, are America.

Connecticut republican politics in 2010 can best be described as rudderless. We were against the President, the democratic majority, and in a large way George Bush. Now that we have that covered, can anyone define the platform for which the Republican Party stood? Lower taxes and less government intrusion is kitschy, but as far as real issues and solutions went, we abdicated to the democrats. We have messages, we are the insurance capital of America and if we don't lead on that front then we deserve to lose. We have major urban cities and business from construction to foodstuff to defense and high finance. If we can't lead on the issues important to business then we fail. In 2011 we must demand that our leaders, of either party, clearly define their plan and their views. We need to pay attention and hold them accountable in 2012. Our political leaders must realize that not having a view or plan is not acceptable and it is up to each one of us to ensure that we have leaders that understand what it means to lead.

We are lucky to have a slate of qualified people ready to step up. Rob Simmons is extremely qualified and is a man who understands not only politics but why we are doing all this. Mr. Simmons has fought for us and understands what all those in the trenches of the war on terror are facing. He is truly a great American and I am sure would be a great Chairman. Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele knows the politics of this great state better than most and has served all of her constituents tirelessly for years. He could bring a unique perspective to the office and an understanding of each district and every race. Chris Munger understands what it takes to win, while not well known across the state; he is the one of the few local Chairmen to have a string of winners under his belt. As head of the Stamford RTC, he worked tirelessly to get Mayor Michael Pavia elected and has built an organization that thrives and serves as a model for the rest of the state.

As we look forward to 2011, let us all accept a bit more responsibility tackling the landscape we face next year. As one of our resolutions, I hope we all try to be a bit more involved since these tough times will require everyone to contribute. I hope each of us learns to take a bit more personal responsibility to make sure we are doing all we can. Our politicians need to work harder to have and convey a message. Our party leaders need to be less stubborn and less egotistical and we need to all get a little more involved. My resolution for 2011 is to remember that politics is local, and that all good things begin at home.

I wish all of you the best. May 2011 bring you happiness, health and your families closer together. God willing, all those serving abroad will be safe and our leaders wise. Into the future we all plunge, eyes forward.

Happy New Year,

Chris Meek