To My Fellow Young Republican Leaders and Activists:
This week we will choose the individuals who will leader our
organization for the next two years.
Back in January I announced my candidacy for YRNF chairman
hoping to use my experience as a parish (county) party leader, state
committeeman, successful candidate for public office and campaign operative to
reinvigorate the national organization and establish a greater role for the YRs
in the senior party.
My primary goal was to leave the YRNF as strong in 2015 as
it was when I attended my first YRLC in 1998, back when we had a paid-full-time
executive director, a working office and a six-figure operating budget.
As a candidate, it was my hope that we would have had the
chance to directly share our vision and plans for the YRNF with our colleagues
via the first chairman candidate debate in recent memory.
I have long felt that while horse trading and position
bartering might make for successful “tickets” such practices do not necessarily
result in successful administrations.
Regrettably, the planned debate for the San Antonio national
board meeting was officially scrubbed due to a lack of time, as a single hour dedicated
for a public discussion about the future of the YRNF could not have been carved
out from a two day schedule.
It is ironic that it was at that same venue Texas US Senator
Ted Cruz talked about the importance of debates and forums to his
election.
And though the results of this week’s convention were set in
stone at San Antonio, I do believe that this organization and the few hundred
people who have traveled great distances at their own expense deserve to have a
choice beyond the two active candidates.
Though I believe both are decent individuals, I cannot vote
for either due to a matter of conscience in the case of one and philosophical differences
with the other.
And while I will do not anticipate to leave Mobile holding a
national leadership position I would like to offer several ideas that I believe
have merit and should be considered.
First, we need selfless leadership who will be fully
dedicated to building a stronger organization.
Our party suffers from a severe branding problem. One of the sad ironies of the YRNF is that it
is the most diverse of any of the auxiliary GOP organizations in the country
yet our media presence is negligible.
Rather than basking in the glow of Fox News, our officers
should defer to extraordinary young leaders without profile to front for the
YRNF on less friendly media outlets. The
YRNF is blessed by having a large number of non-traditional Republicans,
individuals who can combat the prevailing negative narrative. The YRNF does not need to be represented by
club titles but different faces and articulate voices.
Had I been elected I would have not conducted a single
television interview and instead recruited a team of young, diverse spokesmen
and women who do not fit the GOP stereotype and thus are that much more likely
to be heard out than tuned out.
Second, we need to become a younger organization. At a minimum a “president rule” via constitutional
amendment should be adopted prohibiting anyone over the age of 35 from being
elected to a YRNF office. A grace period
of two years could be worked in to allow for this transition.
Thirdly, quality control measures need to be implemented to
ensure that participants receive a fair value from their board meeting registration
fees. Unhappy attendees communicate their
displeasure by their absence at future events, which jeopardizes our capacity
to attain quorum and conduct business.
And finally, the YRNF needs to become more engaged with the
RNC. We should have people representing
this organization at their national meetings, if only to get the brand
out. Furthermore, RNC leaders should be
invited to YRNF board meetings so they can hear what our activists have to say
about the party and its direction.
As the newly elected chairman of the Louisiana YRs, I fully
intend to remain involved in the YRNF until I age out in 2015 and I will be
happy to work with anyone to achieve the goals I have spelled out.
I deeply care about this organization’s future and always
considered service in the YRNF to be missionary work and not a springboard to higher
political advancement.
Since 1998 I have only missed a handful of national board
meetings and have had the honor of holding two elected positions in the YRNF,
winning SCA chairman at the age of 26 in 2000 and Regional Vice-Chairman a year
later.
But what gave me the most satisfaction was using my contacts
with my state party and the RNC to leverage prominent speakers at events and to
secure guest passes, floor access and aide positions for dozens of YRs to the
past five national conventions. I know
exactly how hard my fellow activists work and how little recognition too many
of us receive for our sweat equity.
It is my sincere hope that when I travel to Chicago in 2015
for what will be my final YR convention, that we will discuss what we
accomplished over the past two years instead of ruefully speculating about what
could have been.
Respectfully,
Michael Bayham
