RNC's Principles for American Renewal

On October 2, 2014, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus introduced 11 principles referred to as Principles for American Renewal. Included with the online introduction of the principles is a section called "What They're Saying." Here's a taste:

Reince's Principles for American Renewal capture the spirit of serious and fast reform, and a refusal to stand by for the last two years of Obama's epic fail bemoaning but not acting. The principles stress a commitment to deep reforms and an ongoing recognition that a free people are best left to decide for themselves how to use their time, their money and their land, educate their children, choose their health care, and worship their God as they see fit.

- Hugh Hewitt, Nationally Syndicated Talk Radio Host and Author

See the principles and more at GOP.com or

Principles for American Renewal

CONSTITUTION - Our Constitution should be preserved, valued and honored.

ECONOMY - We need to start growing America’s economy instead of Washington’s economy so that hardworking Americans see better wages and more opportunity.

BUDGET - We need to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, make government more efficient, and leave the next generation with opportunity, not debt.

HEALTHCARE - We need to start over with real healthcare reform that puts patients and their doctors in charge, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington.

VETERANS - Our veterans have earned our respect and gratitude, and no veteran should have to wait in line for months or years just to see a doctor.

SECURITY - Keeping America safe and strong requires a strong military, growing the economy, energy independence, and secure borders.

EDUCATION - Every child should have an equal opportunity to get a great education; no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing school.

POVERTY - The best anti-poverty pro-gram is a strong family and a good job, so our focus should be on getting people out of poverty by lifting up all people and helping them find work.

VALUES - Our country should value the traditions of family, life, religious liberty, and hard work.

ENERGY - We should make America energy independent by encouraging investment in domestic energy, lowering prices, and creating jobs at home.

IMMIGRATION - We need an immigration system that secures our borders, upholds the law, and boosts our economy.

GOP.com: PRINCIPLES FOR AMERICAN RENEWAL
• Take the Survey
• Watch the Video
• What They're Saying... Read More......

Allen Alley: Rainbows and Moonbeams

"Rainbows and Moonbeams"
By Allen Alley
Was it a “Portlandia” script or an Oregonian front page story? The April 17 article on Governor Kitzhaber and Cylvia Hayes, who spent three hours in a class to learn how to construct a happiness index, could have been either one.  This happiness index, promoted by a Portland State University professor, purports to give a more accurate picture of economic health than the value of all goods and services produced, also known as gross domestic product (GDP).

The happiness index or Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) was promoted at a recent United Nations summit meeting on happiness and originated in that bastion of economic energy, Bhutan.  The Kingdom of Bhutan is a tiny Himalayan country with a GDP per person of $2,600.  Bhutan’s GDP ranks 129th in the world with other economic powerhouses such as Bolivia, Sri Lanka and Mongolia.  In perspective, the U.S. GDP per person is 18 times higher than Bhutan.

Is the Governor really going to model our economy after a third world country?  Are we giving up trying to measure ourselves by the economic measures of successful nations and instead partner with the Bhutanese and the UN to just make up our own happiness index?  Even “Portlandia’s” writers could not have conceived of this plot twist.

A trip to Taiwan in 1982 proved to me that economic prosperity creates happiness and a cleaner environment.  At the time, the streets of Taipei looked like a scene from Blade Runner.  Acid rain literally etched the buildings and stripped the paint off cars and signs.  Swarms of smoke-belching dilapidated scooters were the transportation mode of choice.  It seemed that Taiwan might sink into the ocean under the weight of the detritus of society, and all that would be left would be an oil slick and Styrofoam packing worms.  Then an amazing thing happened.  They became prosperous.  Today the GDP per person of Taipei is second only to Tokyo in Asia and is higher than that of Hong Kong, Singapore and Seoul.  Once they became economically prosperous, they did not want to live in squalor.  They had the community wealth to clean up their environment, and they did. 

Oregon’s economic report card is apparently so stubbornly awful that rather than creating an environment where prosperity can flourish, Governor Kitzhaber is going to change the grading system.  Now our economic F will be waved away, because we try really hard and have nice parks.

Global economic competition is brutal.  There are no bonus points for effort or style.  You either succeed or fail, and lately Oregon has been failing.

Since 1995 Oregonians have been getting poorer relative to other Americans.  We have slipped 10 places in state personal income ranking from 22nd to 32nd.  At the same time our neighbor to the north Washington rose from 16th to 13th.  In 1995 an Oregonian earned $750 less than the average American in personal income, today we are $3,700 behind.  That means the average family of 4 in Oregon is $14,800 a year poorer than the average American family.  So either we have to have significantly higher taxes or settle for inferior schools, roads, and public safety.  We cannot fill potholes with happiness.

Governor Kitzhaber, we need to embrace GDP and rededicate ourselves to creating an environment where it actually increases.  We must maximize access to the assets that make Oregon a potentially great place to build prosperity.  Open and expand our ports.  Use our natural resources.  Go out and actively promote Oregon timber as the greenest building product on earth.  Keep power rates low.  Manage the Columbia River to extract more economic value for Oregon.  Embrace hydro power as the renewable, CO2 free, source of clean energy that it is.  Create an environment where we feel our state is a partner in prosperity, not an impediment.

It’s difficult to attain long-term happiness without some measure of security and prosperity.  Gone are the days when a barter economy could provide all of the goods and services we need.  Besides, much of the capital created in Oregon comes from trade with other states and nations.  Happiness is a result, not a thing that can be traded.  Oregonians cannot pay their mortgage with moonbeams, and even the governor is unlikely to convince the public employee unions to accept rainbows rather than raises.

Here is the link to the op-ed on the Oregonian website. This op-ed was received via email, which also included a link to the ORP donation page. Read More......

Reince Priebus Wins Race for RNC Chief

WASHINGTON --Reince Priebus was elected chairman of the Republican National Committee on Friday after Michael Steele dropped his bid to stay atop the party for another two years. Read more at Fox News... Read More......

Bob Tiernan: It's time for me to "Pass the Torch"

Sorry! This is old news that I didn't get posted in a timely fashion. --bc
TO: Oregon Republican Party Central Committee
FROM: Bob Tiernan
SUBJECT: It’s time for me to “Pass the Torch”
DATE: January 2, 2011

It has been a tremendous honor to serve as your Chairman these past two years! We have accomplished so much and I am proud of all of our joint efforts. However, I have decided it’s time for me to “move on”.

It has been a very tough decision to decide not to run again. I have invested a lot of my time, energy and have put together a great team---- and we now have a very strong party organization. But….Simply put, I told myself many months ago, that if I could find another Republican leader to run for Chairman who could carry on with all the accomplishments, and build on those accomplishments, it was time for me to “move on” and get back to my Consulting business, and a new assignment in the Navy Reserve.

I have personally notified each member of the Executive Committee of my decision and I will be sending out a press release tomorrow morning announcing that I will not be running (see attached).

We have accomplished much these past two years…..but it could not be done without your help. Just to name a few of our accomplishments:

• Opened a new “state of the art Republican headquarters” in the heart of Portland Metro area
  
  
• Extinguished over $200,000 in past vendor debt (Party is now debt free)
  
  
• Hired an extremely talented and experienced staff (Brandon Danz – Executive Director, Julia Miller – Chief administrative officer, Greg Leo – Communications director, Kevin Hoar – Field Director, Mark Krsak – Office manager)
  
  
• Implemented a complete State Party re-organization plan
  
  
• Paid off loans previously incurred by the Party (remaining loans are in a structured pay-off plan)
  
  
• Launched an aggressive communications program, featuring improved Press Relations and an aggressive outreach
  
  
• Acquired state of the art technology, including a New Web-site (with twitter, face book,) VOIP phone systems, and a new and improved “voter vault”.
  
  
• Convinced the RNC to invest over $500,000 dollars to help Republicans get elected in last election cycle.
  
  
• Increased the State Party’s role in aiding targeted state legislative, Congressional and statewide campaigns.
  
  
• Streamlined the Oregon Republican Party Platform

Again, all of this was done with a great staff, especially Brandon, Andrew, Julia (and NO she is not my daughter!), Greg, Polly, Kevin, and Mark. I would also like to thank a GREAT Executive Committee, especially, Tim Smith, Denny Morgan, Darlien France and our 5 Congressional Chairs and Vice Chairs.

My hope for the party is that we continue with the tremendous momentum we have built and clobber the Democrats in 2012!! To do that, we all need to get behind the next Chairman, put whatever differences we may have aside, and unify ourselves into one tremendous fighting force. I will be offering to help the next Chairman to assure a smooth transition.

I will be announcing publically my decision tomorrow morning with a press release stating my intention not to run for reelection. I will also be sending you a copy.

I look forward to seeing each of you at our meeting on January 22nd. Again, it has been an honor to be your leader and I look forward to seeing the Oregon Republican Party continue on with the successes that you and I and our great staff have accomplished.

Sincerely

Bob
Bob Tiernan, Chairman
Oregon Republican Party
PO Box 25406
Portland, OR 97298
(503) 595-8881
Become a part of the Oregon Republican Party by donating at:
http://secure.ssgenius.com/orgop_org/index.asp Read More......

Allen Alley to seek Oregon Republican Party Chairmanship

OREGON REPUBLICAN PARTY, 1/3/2011 - Tigard, Ore. – Allen Alley, founder of Pixelworks and former Republican candidate for Governor, announced today that he will run for the position of Oregon Republican Party Chair. The election will be held at the Biennial Organizational Meeting on January 22nd. Read more at ORP... Read More......

Charlie Rangel holds onto gavel

POLOTICO, 2/2/2010 - Charlie Rangel emerged from a closed-door meeting in Nancy Pelosi’s office Tuesday night to declare that he’s still the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and hasn’t agreed to give up his gavel – even as some media outlets were reporting that he’d done just that. ∴ But asked whether he’d still be the chairman tomorrow and in the coming days, Rangel said: “I can’t make all those promises at my age.” ∴ And when Pelosi was asked whether Rangel was resigning, she said “no comment.” Read more at Politico...

2/3/2010 UPDATE: Rep. Rangle turned over the gavel in a short, emotional press conference, at which he took no questions. Read More......

ORP Chair Tiernan making news...

OregonLive.com, February 4: Oregon GOP leader files complaint with state Senate At issue is Democratic Senate President Peter Courtney's vote on a bill that would benefit his employer
Willamette Week, February 3: Legislature Heats Up ... With Bob Tiernan's Help
Willamette Week, January 21: [Hot Seat] Bob Tiernan - Oregon’s GOP chairman on the business of being a Republican and why gay, agnostic Portlanders should vote for Republicans.

Hat tip: Nick Smith and Jeff Limón Read More......

ORP Feb. 4 Update: News & Committee Selections

#1 – Chairman Tiernan on KOIN (Channel 6) TONIGHT responding to the stimulus package proposed by the Democrats in Salem. Do we need to put $175 million on the taxpayer’s charge card to paint walls, seal cracks and remove shrubs? Tune in and find out! The story with Chairman Tiernan will run tonight sometime after 5pm. You can also log onto www.koin.com to see the story after it has run.

#2, #3, #4...

#2 – Last Friday, the ORP filed a complaint against Senate President Peter Courtney for failing to declare a conflict of interest when he voted on the Democratic stimulus package. Courtney is an Administrator at Western Oregon University and more than $31 million of the total $175 million in package went to Western Oregon University! On Monday, Courtney was allowed by his colleagues to file a belated notice of potential conflict, however, the matter will be investigated by Senate Special Committee on Conduct. Stay tuned! To read more on the matter, click here for the Oregonian story or here for the story in the Willamette Week (yes, the WW!).

#3 – After a successful trip to Washington, DC for the RNC Winter Meeting where Michael Steele was elected Chair of the Republican National Committee, Chairman Tiernan has been asked to serve on Chairman Steele’s transition team. This is a great development for Oregon and RNC will be lucky to have an Oregon and west coast perspective as it lays out its priorities. Attached is a copy of the press release announcing Chairman Tiernan’s appointment.

#4 – Chairman Tiernan has selected the individuals to Chair the 2009-2010 ORP Committees. Full committee memberships will be decided shortly, but the Chairs are listed here:

Voter Registration
Doug Badger, Chairman. Doug, from Portland, is president of Western Strategies and was Executive Director for the Bush/Cheney 2004 Campaign in Oregon.

Get Out the Vote (GOTV)
Rick Thomas, Chairman. Rick, from Oregon City, is president of Thomas Public Affairs and is former Chief of Staff to the Senate Republican Caucus.
Bob Avery, Vice Chairman. Bob, from Junction City, is owner of Avery Consulting and is a former Chairman of the Lane County Republican Party.

Candidate Recruitment
Tom Cox, Chairman. Tom, from Hillsboro, is a consultant with Cox Business Consulting.
John Lim, Vice Chairman. John, from Gresham, is chairman of American Royal Jelly Company and is a former Oregon State Senator and State Representative.

Candidate Support
Linda Neace, Chairman. Linda, from West Linn, is owner of Bullseye Coffee Company and is President of the East Clackamas Republican Women.

Speakers, Outreach and Issues
Andrew Ferguson, Co-Chairman. Andrew, from Lake Oswego, is a successful small business owner and community leader.
Glenn Pelikan, Co-Chairman. Glenn, from Portland, is a retired businessman from Textronix and is active in the Multnomah County Republican Party.
Tim Smith, Co-Chairman. Tim, from Hines, is consulting geologist with TKS Consulting and is the Chair of the Harney County Republican Party.

Communication, Technology and Customer Service
Greg Leo, Chairman. Greg, from Aurora, is owner of The Leo Company and was the volunteer chair for the McCain/Palin 2008 campaign in Oregon.
Tom Harrison, Vice Chairman. Tom, from Oregon City, is a small business owner and is active with the Clackamas County Republican Party.

Rules/Bylaws
Fred Dayton, Chairman. Fred, from Roseburg, is a small business owner and is a longtime member of the Oregon Republican Party Executive Committee.

Budget
Dennis Morgan, Chairman. Dennis, from Springfield, is a manager with Forest Products Research Laboratory and is the Treasurer of the Oregon Republican Party.

Resolutions
Jeff Grossman, Chairman. Jeff, from Beaverton, is a software engineer and a dedicated member of the Oregon Republican Party. Read More......

Kevin Hoar...JOINS TEAM "ORP"

From Bob Tiernan
Chairman, Oregon Republican Party

I am pleased to announce that I have hired Kevin Hoar to serve as the Field Director for the Oregon Republican Party. The ORP is fortunate to someone with Kevin’s experience, work ethic and passion on its team and I know that we are a stronger organization with him on board.
Kevin graduated from Notre Dame University and received a MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management. Kevin’s professional experience includes time with Fortune 500 companies like Nike, Columbia Sportswear and Dockers Europe. Kevin currently serves as the Chairman of the Washington County Republican Party and has been an extremely valuable member of field operations for the 2006 Saxton campaign, as well as the 2008 Victory campaign.
With Kevin’s knowledge of the tools that the county parties need to be successful, his main task will be to interface with the county organizations and county leadership to ensure they are receiving the necessary support from the state party to achieve their goals and objectives. Kevin will also be responsible for communicating the ORP’s goals and objectives to the county organizations and giving details as to their role in helping to accomplish those goals. In addition, Kevin will serve as the staff point of contact for the Candidate Recruitment and Candidate Support ORP Committees, as well as helping to provide training to staff, volunteers, PCPs and county party officers.


Please join me in welcoming Kevin to the ORP team! Read More......

ORP: Chairmans Report #2

February 2, 2009
Together, as a Team, we are an awesome force!
Bob Tiernan
WASHINGTON DC, WOW #1

WOW!!! . . . WHAT A WEEK! Andrew and I were in Washington DC last week for the RNC convention and we accomplished a lot! But the BIGGEST event was electing Michael Steele to be the next RNC Chairman!!! It was an incredible and historic moment. And Oregon had EVERYTHING to do with him getting elected. I volunteered to be a “whip” for Mr. Steele and ended up leading the charge to get him elected.

Chairman Steele will be coming to Oregon soon to visit us and help us raise money at a huge fund raising event. It will be up to all of us to make sure that event is a success!!

Also, Chairman Steele asked me to be on his Transition Team and to help him make the necessary changes at the RNC to assure his success as the next Chairman. I accepted his offer on behalf of all Oregon Republicans, knowing how important it will be for Oregon to have a VERY close relationship with the RNC and the RNC Chairman. I will leave for Washington, DC on Thursday and work there through Monday putting together Chairman Steele’s transition plans.

• Andrew and I accomplished much in Washington, including the following:Met with Congressman Walden to discuss the ORP, our plans and how he can help us. Greg pledged to do “everything he could,” including making a large donation.

• Met with Gordon Smith. Gordon gave Andrew and me a lot of advice and was very helpful. Gordon pledged to donate several thousand dollars to the ORP.

• Met with the NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee) about the upcoming races in Oregon. It also pledged to help us with people and resources.

• Met with several vendors that do mailings and phone banking. We discussed strategies, coordinated strategies, high tech, innovation and costs. We learned a lot and cemented some key relationships.

• Met with the Washington and California state chairmen, and agreed to work together in the future. We are forming a close relationship and will be working in concert to develop a “west coast strategy” to beat the democrats. Both the Washington Chairman (Luke Esser) and Californian Chairman (Ron Nehring) ended up voting for Chairman Steele. Both Mr. Nehring and Mr. Esser will be coming to Oregon to attend our event for Chairman Steele.

• Met with several RNC directors to coordinate assistance in high tech, voter registration, FEC compliance and, most importantly, training tools. Andrew was very helpful in setting up these “multiple meetings.” The RNC is going to be VERY pledged to provide us a great deal of assistance.

Again, it was a GREAT four days, and we got a lot done. Oregon came away from this meeting a LEADER in the eyes of the other states and a key player in the RNC’s future.


OTHER NEWS & DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PAST THREE WEEKS!
WOW #2!

1. NEW OFFICE BUILDING -- We have located a NICE office building for our NEW headquarters. It is a GREAT space, close to the freeway and easy to get to from anywhere in Portland. Moreover, we have plenty of parking, nearby restaurants, and it’s a building we can all be proud of. Best yet . . . we rented the space for less than one-half the going price. It is located at Washington Square, just off 217, in the Lincoln Center.

2. STAFF UPDATE -- Kevin Hoar, Washington County Chairman, is our new Head of Field Operations. Kevin will work 20-40 hours a week coordinating, supporting and providing service to the counties on behalf of the ORP. Kevin’s job will include candidate recruitment, candidate support, data base development, media and messaging and helping counties establish “best practices.” Thank you Kevin!

3. LEGISLATOR COMMUNICATIONS -- Andrew, Kevin and I met with our Republican State Senators and House Representatives in separate meetings. We presented a power point over view of the ORP, goals, objectives, and our 100 day plan. All Senate and House Republicans COMMITTED to donating and helping the ORP. Thus far, we have collected over $10,000. WOW!

4. CONTRIBUTIONS -- Speaking of donations, have you sent yours? I know that many of us feel our TIME is our donation. I am asking you to ALSO donate at least $100.00. We need the money to continue to JUMP start our machine. Things are going well . . . but we can use your help. THANK YOU . . . in advance!

5. FUNDRAISING -- We have met several times with Lori Hardwick our Fundraising director. We have sent out two fundraising letters, over 1,000 of which I personally signed.

6. COMMITTEE CHAIRS – Committee chairs will be selected as early as tomorrow. The Chairs will then select committee members. The Chair’s selections will then be reviewed and approved by me.

7. CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTING -- FEC filings have been done and we are current with all reporting requirements.

8. MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS -- Andrew and I met with four TV stations news directors and assignment editors. They were pleased to meet us, and we asked them to COVER our issues. We will send press releases that are quick, to the point and have GREAT sound bites for them. We have sent out five press releases thus far and have been interviewed on the radio seven times in the past 20 days.

9. ETHICS COMPLAINT AGAINST COURTNEY -- The ORP filed an Ethics complaint against Senate President Peter Courtney for voting YES on the $178 Million stimulus package. The package (which is only stimulating the growth of government) had $31 million set aside for Western Oregon College where Senator Courtney works. Over 35% of the “Stimulus Package” went either to Senator Courtney’s employer or to the district he represents.

That’s just the start! We are working on many other things and making some GREAT headway. I appreciate all of your hard work at the county and district level getting your plans, goals and objectives finalized and implemented! Keep working hard, and working together.

Together, as a Team, we are an awesome force! Read More......