A Republican on every ballot (South Bend GOP)

[IndianaGreen]

A Republican on every ballot

In party's dark corner, a county chairman hustles to shape 'five-star' candidates

By Eli Saslow
in south bend, ind.
Sunday, November 15, 2009

Chris Riley planned this event because he wants to resurrect the Republican Party, but he opens the creaky front door to the St. Joseph County Republican headquarters and is reminded of the daunting task ahead. A book of political strategy from 1916 sits on an entry table. Portraits of heroes from the Reagan era decorate the walls. Dusty porcelain elephants stand atop an aging piano. A group of septuagenarians work in the kitchen, dividing store-bought cookies onto paper plates colored to look like American flags.

"Are we serving the chocolate-chip again?" Riley says.

Little has changed at the headquarters for decades, which is precisely Riley's dilemma. The 37-year-old lawyer accepted the unpaid position of county party chairman in 2006 -- "maybe the worst job in the world," he says -- and this was the Republican Party he inherited: A volunteer database consisting of 11 people. An antiquated Web site. A monthly newsletter that was published only sporadically. A fading community of conservatives who refused to run for local office because they suspected, Riley says, "that they would just get their teeth kicked in."

During a depressing 2008 election cycle for Republicans, Riley oversaw the party's darkest corner. His state, solidly Republican for 44 years, shifted more than any other and voted for Barack Obama. His county, which twice backed George W. Bush, also swung for Obama -- by a resounding 17 percent.

One year later, on a Thursday night in late fall, Riley hopes to inspire a local Republican comeback by hosting a recruiting event for aspiring politicians.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/14/AR2009111402729.html?referrer=emailarticle

[jtylerpittman]

1. he can always get some thugs

to go to the election places. I mean isnt that how they do things