Van Gundy Will Revitalize GAGOP Infrastructure and Keep Us Red

Van Gundy Will Revitalize the GAGOP Infrastructure To Keep Us Red

As an active member of my local County Republican party, a founding member of a grassroots activist group as well as Vice President of a Republican women’s group, I have had the occasion to attend at least four or five forums with all four candidates for the office of Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party: former State Sen. Seth Harp, Current GAGOP Sec. John Padgett, former DeKalb Young Republican Chairman, Alex Johnson, and current 2nd Vice Chair of the GAGOP, B.J. Van Gundy.

I am well-acquainted with each ones platform and “talking points” as it were. Harp, Padgett and Johnson have made mention often in those debate forums of wanting to hold candidates accountable, vetting candidates, and supporting candidates who possess our Conservative beliefs.

While I would agree that all of those are indeed worthwhile goals for our State Party to pursue, I would argue that the most pressing agenda for any incoming GAGOP Chairman should be the restructuring of the some of the framework that supports all of our crusades for issues and candidates and is the foundation for our party’s success moving forward.

Without this very necessary and long overdue “remodel”, as it were, of this state party infrastructure, it will not matter what happens or doesn’t happen with any particular candidate as we start the campaign season of 2014 or in future ones like the next Presidential election of 2016.

B. J. Van Gundy is the only candidate who has laid out specific detailed plans to strengthen the GAGOP’s foundation.  If elected Chairman, he has a 100 Day Plan wherein he would initiate GOP organizations in the 28 counties where currently there is none. 

To this observer, who was not heretofore aware of that fact, such a deficiency is a glaringly huge crack in the whole state party foundation!  This is a serious disconnect between local Republicans and their state leadership- to have some segments of this state left largely in the dark without a basic framework from which to implement Republican strategies and campaigns is a recipe for failure.

He would also see that websites are set up for those many county GOPs that still don’t have one. Mr. Van Gundy believes that serious technology upgrades are required if we want to keep Georgia “Red”. One of the most glaring deficiencies of our state party, as it was across the country with the Republican Party in the election of 2012, which saw Barack Obama win second term, was the serious failure of the GAGOP to match the Democrats use of cutting edge technology in communications and campaigning.

Van Gundy insists that, “if you need a computer geek to get us on the right track for that cutting edge technology, more than any of the other three candidates, I am that geek!”

Van Gundy also wants to make the State Executive Committee a more active group of people, who have real duties, with a chance to contribute to and strengthen the party by working in areas of their own expertise rather than simply show up to meetings to case votes on often minor technical questions or on issues that are not of a substantive nature. 

As you can well see, BJ Van Gundy is not about keeping that “same old, same old” attitude in Georgia Republican politics!

The current 2nd Vice chair of the GAGOP very much looks to the future with his ideas and plans and perhaps that is one of the reasons why he has captured the endorsements of so many prominent young people. Both Will Kremer, the newly elected Chairman of the Georgia College Republicans and Meagan Hanson, the incoming Chairman of the Georgia Young Republicans are supporting BJ.

He also has the endorsement of such outstanding figures in state politics as Layla Shipman, current GOP Chairman of Floyd County who was both the National and Georgia Young Republican Woman of the Year.  He has made great efforts to reach out to minority groups in his campaigning as well and was recently endorsed by Harold Booker, a former President of the Morehouse College Republicans.

With all due respect to the other gentlemen who are running against B.J. Van Gundy for Chairman of the GAGOP, what good is it to talk of liberty, free markets, grassroots, personal responsibility and the Constitution, if the very party’s structure is not conducive to actually helping candidates, who share those beliefs, to win elections?

Alex Johnson speaks of open communication between the state leadership and the local GOPs. That is fantastic, but Van Gundy wants to make the exact technological changes necessary to achieve that as well as allot 20% of state GOP money to allow local parties to have some autonomy in decision-making.

John Padgett talks a lot at debate forums about his considerable experience in the GAGOP in the past-where he chaired this county, was on the committees of that district, and his extensive business experience. But, what about our youth? Does Padgett have the ability to reach out and communicate with them in the way that B.J. Van Gundy so obviously does?

Mr. Harp has said that he is the only one who has ever ran for office, that he has run five times, been successful every time and that he knows what it takes to prepare candidates and guide them.  That may well be true, but Van Gundy sees the need for the GAGOP to encourage more participation from everyone at the state level, insisting that all of the state committee members get involved as well in reaching out to GOP grassroots leaders across the state and working together with them to prepare and help guide candidates to GOP victories.

I would like to ask the question, “What good does it do to talk about a building’s looks- the paint job, the furniture inside, the drapes on the windows, the paintings on the walls-while the foundation is slowly sinking?” B. J. Van Gundy’s 100 Day Plan envisions sweeping changes in the State Party infrastructure that will provide for a much-needed regirding of that sinking foundation. He offers concrete and practical solutions to shore up our state GOP, to provide the basis for a successful team effort going forward into the upcoming election season.

I respect and value some of the ideas of the other candidates running for Chairman, but my vote as a delegate to the state convention in Athens on Saturday, must go with the man who is being the most realistic, the most practical, and the most forward-thinking, in regards to what the priorities are for our state party. And that man is B.J. Van Gundy!