A Word From the Chairman:

Shattered is a pretty good title for the book about Hillary Clinton’s failed campaign for President. I thought it would be a quick 10 minute scan but I read it word-for-word, cover-to-cover. Written by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes, the book was a behind the scenes look at the Clinton Campaign. For the most part, it was an objective overview of insights from those involved. For us Republicans, the main issue seems obvious, a flawed candidate who ran a troubled filled campaign. There were a few key takeaways, however, and here are my top 3.

• When you don’t stand for anything, it’s hard to attract support. Although she had a lifetime to figure out what she stood for, the campaign (and the Democratic National Committee for that matter) struggled to define their values and message. The primary message was “I deserve it and he’s an idiot.” Stronger Together was the poll tested tagline that failed to draw the middle of the road voter. 
• You run a risk when you give up on voters. The campaign was driven by polling and analytics. Where to go and what to say was based entirely on voter analysis. A decision was made early on to put the vast amount of resources into the major population centers. Drive voter turnout of the favorable demographics in the urban areas, especially low income and minority. The data was clear that it was a heavy lift to stray from the big cities and persuade the undecided rural voters (in areas like Elbert County) that Hillary was their candidate. The results proved them right. This strategy lead to vast swaths of rural America voting deep Republican red.
• Russia is Fake News! The day after the election the leaders of the campaign huddled at their headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. They quickly agreed that the narrative of how she lost would be none other than Russia! The start of the biggest fake news story since the election. 

Although it is tempting to gloat in the Republican victory, the reality is we lost in Colorado. The changing demographics in the state combined with the all-out assault by the fake news media supporting the progressive liberal agenda means it will be more difficult to win moving forward. We need all the help and support we can to stop the growth of government, defend the Constitution, protect freedom, and elect a Republican Governor in 2018. 

Let me know if you are interested in getting involved and helping out.

Tom Peterson
Chairman
Elbert County Republicans
(303) 229-6710, [email protected]