Introduction to the UCRP "Grassroots" Debate

The Utah County Republican Party (UCRP) has been dealing with some pretty major internal rifts over the past five years or more. One of these wedges concerns the interaction between regular party members, party officers, and public officers:

• Who should receive the delegate seats at convention?
• Who should be members of the party's governing bodies?
• Who should determine the agenda for the party (For Central Committee Meetings, Executive Committee Meetings, Conventions, etc.)?
• What part should publicly elected Republican officers have in shaping the direction of the party?
• What is the best way to run the party?

In my studies of the governing documents of the county and state parties, I have developed a decided opinion on this issue:

To be an effective force for good in our community/state/nation/world, we need all the different perspectives we can get. What good is a platform if the party structure is so weak and dispersed that the party's message isn't communicated to the public nor the ideals passed into law through energized and connected policy leaders?

My opinion puts me at odds with several of my fellow Republicans from Utah County - including state and federal legislators, party leaders, and friends. While many of them have some good arguments, I tend to see the other side of the argument. Because I see the same situations differently, I tend to come to different conclusions.

I plan to explore these situations, complexities, arguments, and conclusions in future posts over the next few months. My hope is that members of the Utah County Republican Party can come to this blog to learn first hand about a viewpoint that may not be proclaimed as loudly as the "grassroots" side. Then, when these issues are presented in Central Committee or Conventions, everyone can make an educated vote that will help determine the majority opinion, hopefully bringing some more peace to our party.

Stay tuned for more ....