Michigan Update

Letter:

Dear Friends,

Like many Republican candidates and activists around the state of Michigan, I've taken the past few days to recharge my batteries and spend some much-needed time with family. We have probably all given much thought to this election past, yet even with the benefit of hindsight there are no simple answers to last Tuesday's results.

But one thing is clear. Michigan Republicans must pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, retool, reorganize and prepare now to succeed at every level in 2010.

The reasons for our defeats in 2008 are many. No one incident, person or group is solely responsible for what occurred. But, as in the words of President John F. Kennedy, "Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan."

However, our reality is that we must all own this defeat. We must learn from it. We must take away lessons from an election where we failed to reach key constituencies necessary for our Party to succeed. We must now resist the temptation to point fingers at one and other, but instead reach out and seek answers to what we might have done differently.

We must also express our appreciation for the positive things that occurred in this election. We should thank Chairman Saul Anuzis for swimming hard against the tide to develop an outstanding network of Victory Centers that reached hundreds of thousands of voters. We should congratulate Chuck Yob, John Yob, Glenn Clark and the entire McCain leadership team for standing strong even after the national campaign organization decided to pull out of our state. We must acknowledge our appreciation for the candidates who, at all levels, stepped up and ran good campaigns even though the deck was stacked against them.

Two candidates among the many who ran deserving of special recognition are Congressman Tim Walberg and Congressman Joe Knollenberg. In the short time that Tim Walberg was in Washington he made many friends by virtue of the power of his intellect and commitment. He will be sorely missed. And, as for Joe Knollenberg, he is one of the most decent, honorable, considerate men I have ever known. He has spent sixteen years representing Oakland County in the US House of Representatives and each and every day he put the interests of his constituents first. He is a great friend and I am proud to have worked with him. He fought for all of us and he and his wife, Sandie, will be remembered in Washington as the ultimate team. Always there. Always ready to lend a hand. Always putting others interest before their own. God bless them as they start a new chapter in their lives.

And let us never forget the generosity of our many donors and the tireless work of the thousands of grassroots volunteers who did the hard work of our Party. They are the heart and soul of the GOP. They are core of our future successes.

But where does all this leave the Michigan Republican Party and where do we go from here?

We are on the verge of selecting a leadership team to take us into 2010. Many individuals have unique skills that must be harnessed if we are to take advantage of the opportunity the next cycle may present. This talent is one of our greatest resources.

Like others, I have been approached to run for Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party at the February state convention. I am honored to be considered. We have a great opportunity to elect a much-needed Republican Governor and recoup the ground we lost in Lansing and Washington, DC. I am confident we will have the right environment for victory and we must be ready to help our candidates take full advantage of the prospects that may present themselves.

But let me be clear. Neither I nor anyone else who would accept the great responsibility of Party leadership should be saddled with the kind of rancor and division that is often associated with defeat. It only leads to further animosity and will do us no good. We need to move beyond all that and I am confident people of goodwill can achieve this goal.

My plans are these -- be a leader. I intend to help our Party prepare for the future by working with GOP activists in my community, my county and across the State of Michigan. I intend to help shape a message that reflects the direction our candidates want to go. I will work at the grassroots level to rebuild the infrastructure to empower local organizations to be dynamic forces in their respective communities. I plan to go back to the well and ask our donors to step up again, while reaching out to bring many more people into the process.

In short, I hope to work with you to put the Michigan Republican Party back in the business of winning elections. I propose to focus and build on our many strengths, but recognize our shortcomings, to make 2010 a positive and productive year for all of us.

I can be reached at paul@weldayforchange.com or by phone at 248-476-8462. Please let me know what you think. I hope to hear from you and I look forward to working with you as we put Republicans back on the road to victory in 2010.

Yours truly,

Paul Welday