I’m angry.

Right when we should be organizing to kick Dem derriere in 2010, a small group of people (who like to think of themselves as elite) put together a poorly written plan called Arizona Victory 2010 and try to foist it on the Arizona Republican Party in secret just prior to the state convention in January.

Worse, none of them are on the executive committee of the party (exceot one) and all of them are lobbyists, from outside of Arizona or work for one of the candidates!

Take a look at what got posted Monday to an Arizona-based, libertarian-leaning website (link provided below the quote):

The Arizona GOP will be taken over by the Agenda of “New American Century” with a teleconference vote of Arizona’s GOP leadership Dec 30th,… and there is nothing the rank and file Republican Activists and Elected Officers of the party can do about it.

http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Article/063261-2009-12-28-declare-your-independence-with-ernest-hancock-morning-december-28th-2009.htm

Notwithstanding the obvious libertarian objection in the quote above, the concerns to Republicans, conservatives and AZGOP party grassroots activists should be obvious.  There are so many issues I dont even know where to start.

First, where the heck did freedomsphoenix get a copy of this from?

http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/001/Media/Arizona_Victory_Plan_Draft_for_ExComm_091218.pdf

Second, note the stakeholder list, it’s the same old McCain crew trying to take over the party again and spend all the party’s money with no accountability and with no representation from the grassroots PCs and State Committeemen.

Third, note the cryptic comment about “holding the governor’s office”.  Given the “stakeholder” list that includes no elected Republican party officers except for one, does that mean that they will be supporting John Munger against Jan Brewer?  Does it mean that they will throw Dean Martin under the bus if he ends up filing to run?

Fourth, is creating a “division” of the Arizona Republican Party which behaves like a PAC even legal?

Fifth, why would we as a party permit the state party to incorporate the “worst of” into our Victory Plan?  This plan includes the “worst of” Karl Rovian holdovers like Allan Philp and the “worst of” top-down authoritarian-style party management apparatchiks like Shiree Verdone and Lisa James.

Sixth, the plan appears to give this list of unaccountable and unelected “stakeholders” the power to spend party money in primary races, essentially giving them the power to anoint party-supported primary winners and losers not just as the federal level but also in state house and senate races. 

Seventh, have the teaparty movement and the New York race taught us nothing?  Protecting the same old retread candidates who brought us TARP (and yes that includes some Arizona Republican elected officials) and who voted for the largest spending programs ever (at the time under Bush) is not acceptable to the large and growing conservative independent voters who left the Republican party over the very shenanigans this group of “stakeholders” is trying to pull right here in this very “Victory” plan!  Should a “Victory” plan not try to incorporate those teaparty voters as part of our plan to win in 2010?

Bottom line….. this is a bad plan. 

State party officers, if you are reading this hopefully and presumably in time before voting on it today, it’s time to go back to the drawing board and come up with a plan that heals the party, not further divides it, as we enter this vital 2010 election cycle. 

Please go back to the drawing board and come up with a plan that energizes the base to go out and do the groundwork.  Please come up with a plan that takes the teaparty movement into account and brings those conservative independents back to us – a plan that will bring us fiscal conservatism and smaller government, both at the state and federal level.  A plan we can all live with and a plan that will ensure Victory for Arizona Republicans in 2010.