ANTELOPE VALLEY – While 2013 is called an off-year in the state elections cycle, the Antelope Valley Republican Assembly is gearing up for an aggressive new round of campaign activity throughout the year.
Under leadership of new AVRA president Phyliss Reily, officers and directors of the grass roots Republican Club emerged from their 2013 Planning Retreat on Jan. 5 with an ambitious to-do list designed to swell the ranks of conservative volunteers, build a deeper pool of Republican candidates, increase GOP voter registration and motivate conservatives to vote in all elections.
With the theme, “Everybody can’t do everything (except moms) but everybody can do something,” Reilly challenged the AVRA leadership team to lead by example in the key tasks of membership recruitment and voter registration. She called for a positive attitude, saying, “We need to be realistic and optimistic.”
Drew Mercy, AVRA vice president for communications, said that disappointment in a very narrow loss of the 36th Assembly District seat to a Democrat must be tempered by the fact that the area’s Republican state Senate and congressional candidates convincingly defeated liberal opponents in November.
Among the initiatives emerging from the planning session were changes in organizational structure to emphasize and expand committee work, redouble voter communications projects, upgrade online and social networking technology, and actively recruit and train potential conservative candidates.
One proposal, to open a year-round Antelope Valley Republican headquarters office, was put into action within 48 hours after the planning meeting, when Mercy reported that an available location was already being arranged. Details on the opening will be announced within the next few weeks.
Taking part in the planning retreat were: Reily; Drew Mercy; Lauren Mercy, vice president for events; Betty Gunn, vice president for membership development; Matt Himlin, treasurer; Susan Champion, secretary, and members of the AVRA Board of Directors Anita Rinker, Sarah Tyndall, Karen Wilson, Joe Donahue, Larry Grooms and Josh Mann.
Reily and her leadership team will be installed at the annual AV Republican Assembly banquet on Thursday, March 14 in the University of Antelope Valley Ballroom.
For more information on AVRA, visit www.avgop.com or email avragop@gmail.com.
(Information via press release from the Antelope Valley Republican Assembly.)
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Erick says
I know I’m late on commenting, but one thing I don’t get is how they mention that Steve Knight and Buck McKeon were able to beat liberal counterparts. Sure they were Democrats. But what on earth makes them liberal? To me they weren’t really liberal. They may have had liberal views here and there, but it goes into how the Republicans believe that the Democrats are just all the same.
William says
To all you republicans and tea partiers, who simultaneously talk down the economy at every turn or improvement in an indicator while complaining about the vary same economy and blaming it on President Obama ignoring how fiercely the obstruction and craziness of the tea party republicans in Congress is, listen up.
Y’know how when you stub your toe or hit your thumb and for a while you notice how you keep bumping it over and over.
Well, if the most sensitive part of your entire being is your wallet, don’t be surprised if it keeps getting bumped. It’s not happening the same way for everyone. Some people and I don’t mean the super rich are adapting fairly well to this struggling economy because they’re smarter than you are.
People who’ve lost everything, their jobs, their houses, their pensions, their health care don’t complain as loudly as you do because your taxes might go up a little. You are disgusting.
Raptorman says
I’ll tell you what’s disgusting, people with their hands out beyatching about those who pay the bills!
Not Enthused says
I know, I know, let’s run Ron Smith again for Assembly! He’s conservative, and in the off-election, Republicans run strong. We don’t need to actually CHANGE anything to better appeal to moderate voters, just manipulate our election cycle analysis and hope they vote for (R). That’s what all of our paid experts say so it must be true…
William says
In a related issue, several red states are working on changing the way the Electoral College votes are apportioned such that, if they had been in place last time, Romney would have won.
If they can’t cheat they want to change the rules and vice-versa. Years ago, I thought illegal immigration was a priority as it was impacting so many sectors of our society.
But, with the election of President Obama the republicans along with their tea party are a bigger threat to our nation. They are willing to destroy the economy so that the President’s term is failure. They said so. During his first inauguration, they meet to plan his 1 term presidency and then obstructed and refused to cooperate or compromise on everything. It’s a wonder a post office got named in the last 4 years.
And, they LIE. They lie like they breathe and just as easily.
Raptorman says
Lackey would have been a better choice.
Palmdale_Steve says
There is a good article on a site called “Fox and Hounds” on how Deputy Dog Smith lost, not sure I buy all the points made but it’s an interesting read. The comments are enlightening also. TRex makes and temperance in the comments by the way.
http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2012/12/the-final-indignity-how-republicans-lost-a-safe-seat/
Message to the R Poo Bahs Lord-High-Everything-Else of the AV R party:
“It’s the candidate”, and Ron Smith was not a very good candidate or for that matter not all that good a person.
Raptorman says
He was awfull as a candidate. Just playing to AVRA and Drew Mercy only gets you so far. We’re not all Baptist ya know. Although, I’m saying this and I am a Baptist!
We're OK just confuse them says
As long as the Republicans can confuse the disenfranchised by staging their sham elections when no one votes (APRIL?) and run minorities like Rex’s “deputy mayors”, they will do just fine.
William says
Hmmm. Rearranging the deck chairs……
And, the Titanic still went down.
“…and actively recruit and train potential conservative candidates.”
‘train’ the candidates. SIT. STAY. HEEL. ALWAYS VOTE NO.
Here’s a doggie treat GOP potential candidates. Look at how well Ron Smith was trained and look at what happened.
Forward says
” … Republican Club emerged from their 2013 Planning Retreat on Jan. 5 ”
This is why they call them RETREATS —
Even the captain jumped ship.
Alex says
I hope the fearless baliff does not misunderstand “building a deeper pool of Republican candidates” to mean “building a deeper to pool to bury certain Republicans.
Palmdale_Steve says
So did the local AV Republicans pledge to start ignoring the Social Conservative nonsense spewed by Ron Smith, Sarah Palin and the other “nattering nabobs of negativism” which attempts to makes CA Republican brand the same as the Southern Bible belt social nonsense brand?
By the way, how’s that working for the R Brand here in CA. Nothing like a Majority in the Assembly for D’s, no R’s wining state wide office in 10 years to show how bad the social conservative branding of the Republican party has been in CA is there?
Here’s a thought, try turning back to the values of Barry Goldwater which embraces the Libertarian point of view and keeps government out of people’s bed room.