#TCOT how to energize a local GOP

We started with a post last week: Who is running for GOP chair in Porter County?

It's been one of the most commented and trafficked posts so far for our site, but alas it's the same 115 people who read every day, not exactly a grass roots movement. Let me expand the question and hopefully the input to all of #TCOT if possible. I've used the Top Conservatives on Twitter hashtag in the title, so it will be easier for the 2,000 members of that movement to notice and come here to interact with us.

I'll even go so far as to propose the ideas from two perspectives:

• Republicans Rock - a regular reader and writing contributor here, has suggested that the local GOP isn't the problem at all. That the problem is the lack of involvement by conservatives in Porter County, they have opinions and in some cases give some money, but won't give time to attend meetings, help with events, make calls and the rest. RR has proposed that we need a new chair who can gather in more active members, one who has the experience doing, not just ideas or theories. And lastly RR has recommended that the new leader "not" be a potential candidate for office, so they can focus on party first.
  

• Daltons - I have suggested the problem is the GOP, and it's approach. Sorry to say it so bluntly since some of my best friends are the leaders, but they aren't the problem the organization myopia is. There are two spheres of influence in our county, the county seat of Valparaiso ... and the rest of the county. There are numerous special interest activist groups (pro-life, gun rights, smaller government, anti-growth, business, compassionate, christian right, farms, anti-labor, job creation, homeschool, and more) I'm sure every local community has similar situations. I propose we need a leader who can do the impossible

1. Bring together all these regions and activists to work together instead of fighting each other, did you know that Dem Bob Harper speaks at the Right To Life banquet every year? Did you know that Republicans lost a House seat that straddles Porter and Lake counties, not because of Lake, but because Portage didn't even know who he was?
   
2. Use web, blogs, social media, technology to greatly increase the number of people involved and the ways they can interact, don't protect operate in the open and transparently
   
3. Communicate regularly and personally about daily and weekly issues affecting conservatives, draw attention to items of concern regularly not just at elections
   
4. Raise $250,000 in small monthly increments annualy from activists in the county, for overhead, mainly online. Raising money for campaigns although difficult is a lot easier than raising money for overhead. Activists won't give $10 a month unless they feel like they are engaged, will be heard on hyper local issues, and matter to leadership.
   
5. Decentralize leadership using township structure, keeping all precinct positions full all the time, and letting hyper local issues have high importance. Be the bottom up party, not the classic smoke filled room top down party.
   

So, I've laid out five points, you feel free to do so as well please in the comments section. RR, if I've misquoted your position, please feel free to restate and I'll be glad to revise your position. We're in this together, and Porter County needs a viable and healthy two party system. What is going on next door in Lake County is the result of the GOP disappearing little by little and only one party remains ... with all it's problems and no accountability.

To those of you joining us from elsewhere, what are you seeing work in local GOP? Love to get some new and fresh thoughts.

Lastly, if you are one of the people looking to be our next chair, and for the record not a single one has deigned to leave a comment so far, then your comments and positions would be important too.