Hub Politics Exclusive Interview With Rob Willington on His Departure From The MassGOP

Hub Politics recently had the opportunity to interview Robert Willington, who just announced his departure as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Republican Party. The following was conducted via email December 20-21, 2008.

Q: Last night you revealed that you were leaving the MassGOP as the executive director, can you tell us about that?

A: Yes. I think this interview exemplifies the power of new media. I loaded up my car and decided to share this personal experience with my followers on Twitter and it quickly turned into something much bigger. Bloggers were calling me, State Committee members were emailing me and my Tweeters were tweeting me (that sounds ridiculous).

Q: You are a big fan of Twitter, so clearly it was no coincidence that you revealed your departure from the MassGOP on Twitter, as opposed to a press release from the MassGOP?

A: oops,.. just answered that above. But to add to it, Twitter is a personal Google. For instance, the other day I was hanging with @davidall at McGann’s pub and he was saying how he could ask a question in Twitter and it would be answered immediately. Another person asked him, “can’t you do that with Google?” and he agreed and we both shrugged our shoulders, affirming the question. As I thought about it more, I realized why @davidall preferred getting his answers from Twitter. In life, we desire human, personal interaction and this is the power of Twitter. Google, although great, is a computer and twitter is human – this is why Twitter wins over google when looking for answers. We’d rather get an answer from someone than from a something. Follow me @willington and @massgop @keepthatfaith and @blogsforjoy !

Q: The question on everyone’s mind must be “Why is Rob leaving?” So, Rob, why are you leaving?

A: My heart is with the MassGOP….I’m from Massachusetts (go Rockport Vikings) and love working for the GOP in the bluest of blue states. However, I’m not the CR (College Republican) activists sleeping on couches in campaign headquarters anymore. When I joined the MassGOP, I was a single bachelor….I didn’t need much, I just wanted a basic salary and to travel around the state helping the GOP. Now, I’m married with two recent WeePublicans. My personal world has changed a lot.

Q: So what is more challenging, being the executive director for the Republican Party in a ridiculously blue state, or fatherhood?

A: Executive director for the Republican Party in a ridiculously blue state, my wife is a rock star.

Q: So, what is next for Rob Willington? How about your web projects, Keep That Faith and Blogs For Joy. Will you be focusing more on those now?

A: No, I’m going to be very, very busy. BlogsForJoy.com and KeepThatFaith.com have taken a lot of my spare time recently, but in a way, both projects have a mission to be open-source and collaborative. BlogsForJoy.com should do well without my 100% attention and the same is true with KeepThatFaith.com (donate content), are there any conservatives out there that know their way around Photoshop?

You will hear more from me very soon.

Q: Aside from your departure, Chairman Peter Torkildsen also announced last month that he wouldn’t seek reelection. How do you feel about the future of the MassGOP, given the change of leadership it is experiencing?

A: It’s often joked that “There is nowhere to go but up” but it’s not true – we lost 3 seats this year. The future for the MassGOP is strong because there are a NUMBER of tools for the new team to use. I wrote a detailed manual on what we are doing and how to continue the building at the local level. Politics Magazine noticed how we (MassGOP) were winning non-partisan seats at the municipal level; school committee, selectman, mayor etc…. these candidates attended our trainings and were given access to voter vault. This is revolutionary, empowering these local candidates with sophisticated campaign technology is very important. A state senator once told me over breakfast that the GOP won’t see these results for at least ten years; he is probably right. We launched GOP Farm Team as a site dedicated to building these municipal offices for the GOP.

Q: You made a huge push for internet based grassroots efforts. Do you hope your internet influence will remain part of the MassGOP’s game plan?

A: It will, because it’s all set up – all of the MassGOP Twitter followers, the MassGOP Facebook friends, the thousands that expect mass emails, those that have signed up for our Mass Text messages, those that are dedicated MassRootsGOP.com followers….the new team has no choice because it’s such an efficient way to communicate and get things done. The foundation is built, the contacts (names, addresses, phone numbers, emails) are in the system; we have identified over 50,000 contacts through our aggressive online tactics. This was not easy and the new team has a wealth of info to use.

Also, using the internet is a way to multiply your office – this is what Chris Anderson calls the “Long Tail.” Many hands make light work. We can’t afford a huge staff, so what are our options? Only one answer – empower Joe Activist with the tools he needs to make things happen. When I started, I could not believe how much valuable information was stored on the MassGOP computers. MassRootsAction was my way of exporting this data out of the office and into the hands of the grassroots where it can be much more useful.

Q: Did you join the MassGOP with a set of goals, and do you feel that you accomplished those goals?

A: My goal was to turn the party inside out, to decentralize it. I think I made a major step towards this goal but more needs to be done. Before joining the MassGOP, I had a lot of campaign experience and I always had the perspective as a campaign manager out in the field (I managed two state rep campaigns in Massachusetts). I tried to have a “boots on the ground” perspective knowing how disadvantaged we were as Republicans in Massachusetts. I realized we needed some leverage and new media was the only way to give us leverage without spending a lot of resources. Almost all of the new media tools that we used were free.

Q: Is running for political office in your future?

A: Probably not.

Q: You sure? There is a Senate seat for sale in Illinois.

A: True, but considering the history of that particular Senate seat, I am way too qualified for it.

Q: Clearly, politics is a huge part of your life. What else are you about?

A: I’m working on my next step now – I have Keep That Faith and Blogs For Joy as side projects that keep me busy.  But besides politics and new media, traveling, family, photography, anything British and trying to put a dent in my book collection. 

Q: Do you think there is hope for Massachusetts?

A: Massachusetts voted for Reagan twice and recently had the longest running list of GOP Governors in America (16 years). So, Massachusetts voters can pull the lever for a Republican. In truth, most people are more motivated for personality than principle. I think it’s a mistake to say the Reagan victories were victories for conservative ideals and Obama’s victory is a victory for liberalism. Obama had a strong, likable personalty (the beer factor). Party building continues among the faithful – those that are motivated and involved because of the principles of the party. We can’t wait for a strong, likable personality (a Mitt Romney) to come and be the savior of the MassGOP. We need to act now, while knowing there are not going to be crowds of people coming to build.

One of the most destructive things within the party (and it’s not just the MassGOP that has this problem) is that campaigns feel entitled to MassGOP dollars just because they threw their hat in the ring. Talk about liberalism. If a campaign ignores our campaign schools and we know he or she will get in the mid or high 30’s on Election Day, why should we spend precious dollars on that candidate to bring them a few percentage points higher? What’s the value in bringing a candidate from 38% of the vote to 41% when we could be spending it on a campaign that we know is in the high 40’s? Too often, criticisms are served by people who are zoomed in on their district or area. Only if they could pull back and see the big picture they would have a much better perspective. This isn’t socialism where we are going to split the pot equally among all the campaigns.

The MassGOP can not bring a candidate from 39% of the vote to 50% plus one on Election Day – it’s up to the individual campaign to put themselves in a position to win, then the Party can come in to work like heck to put them over the finish line. Put us in field goal range. However, all campaigns deserve basic support – trainings, technology, lists, example fundraising letters, example direct mail, contacts and open communication with the State Party to serve as “in-house” consultants.

Q: Speaking of “The Beer Factor” there any pubs in Boston you will miss?

A: Yes, below the MassGOP HQ is Johnnies On The Side and we called it JohnniesDownBelow….great spot. Also, McGann’s as mentioned earlier, is a classic Boston Irish pub- you feel that you need to present your passport every time you walk in , it’s a perfect getaway (although there are pictures of John Forbes Kerry on the wall). And of course, the Red Hat was a short walk from the MassGOP HQ and it too has a great Boston atmosphere.

Q: As Executive Director, you were a big part of the Massachusetts Republican Party. With that behind you, who would you like to thank?

A: Hub Politics for sure, you guys rock. I’d also like to thank the State Committee members that were helpful and supportive, and everyone who saw the decentralized vision for the party that I had. I’d like to thank Darrell Crate for hiring me as Political Director three years ago and Peter Torkildsen for hiring me as Executive Director. Brian Dodge was a great Executive Director to work under and he helped me with the old-media when I took over as ED. I also want to thank every candidate that ran for office and carried the GOP banner in a awful year – those people are real GOP warriors. And of course, the troopers on the ground – the Massachusetts Young Republicans, the College Republicans along with anyone that made a phone call or knocked on a door. Amber Hillman and her victory staff were phenomenal with the amount of calls they were producing for John McCain. The BeverlyGOP and their self-organization skills (and volunteer skills) should be copied around the state, the Concord GOP for getting an office up and jamming it with volunteers, the AttleboroGOP for being a mini-MassGOP by traveling around the state helping other Republican Town Committees, and the BerkshireGOP with Peter Giftos, Matt Kinnaman and Jim Bashour. The Berkshire GOP has a full time office staffed by with an Executive Director out in Pittsfield, a very blue part of the state but they have an awesome team.

Q: Who are the political figures that you admire?

A: Washington, Churchill, Thatcher, Reagan. The non-political, but politically influential figures are: Friedrich Hayek, William F. Buckley, Whittaker Chambers, Frank Meyer, Russell Kirk, Dinesh D’Souza, & Thomas Sowell. D’Souza is one of the best minds that we have right now. This is why KeepThatFaith.com is having so much fun with Richard Dawkins, who refused to debate Dinesh D’Souza. This is the first KTF video and here is the follow-up video.

Q: If you could have a beer with any of the aforementioned political figures, who would you pick, and which pub would you choose?

A: Great question – probably comes down to either Whittaker Chambers since his life was so incredible, I loved his book Witness, but William F. Buckley also had an amazing life; former CIA officer, author to several books, ran for mayor, hosted Firing Line, brought the diverse conservative movement under one magazine, founded YAF, avid sailor – he did it all. Buckley is the godfather of modern American conservatism. Probably Buckley. I’d probably take Buckley to McSorley’s in NYC, would love to see him roll up in his scooter coming from the upper east side.

Q: Do you have last message of hope for the Republican in Massachusetts who are tired of the one-party rule here?

A: Yes, stop thinking in terms of “committees.” Someone once said, “if computers ever get too powerful, organize them into a committee – that will do ‘em in.” Next time you go to Washington D.C., or in the State House, look around for a statue of a committee – you won’t find any, there is a very good reason for that. Committees slow the process down and curve productivity (thank God Congress is comprised of committees). Folks, time is flying by and we need action in local communities now. First, set up a blog (our interns can get you one for free, very quickly) and become THE voice of your community, not just the GOP voice. Interview your board of selectman, interview your High School principle, talk to your police chief, how are the local shop owners doing? Take pride and interest in your community and use the blog as the window into it.

There are over 70 million blogs in the world, but there will only be 1 blog with a GOP perspective in your community. Pretty soon, many in the town will be visiting your blog to see what is going on, to see personalities and figures that they see every day – so long as you create good, quality content people will be coming back. Second, too often these committees will meet, eat, and retreat. After each meeting ask yourself this: how did we push back the Democrats and/or advance the GOP at this meeting? Did you combine your meeting with a phone bank targeting likely GOP activists to build the committee, did you combine it with a mailing to recruit new people or raise funds, or asking people to run for office? If we are about local action, then let’s see some local traction and stop looking up to 85 Merrimac Street for a hand out. I know of some other State Parties that often complain to the Republican National Committee for not getting funds or assistance – I have told the RNC directly that I don’t expect anything from them (however, they have given us a tremendous amount of support with our website, voter vault, and guidance…I often used the RNC as a non-monetary resource). Third, go door knocking and talk to the Unenrolled (independent) voters that voted in previous GOP primaries and invite them into the GOP – voter registration card in hand along with an invite to the Republican Town Committee social event that you are having next month. Grassroots means you knocking on doors.

Don’t just be a Republican that shows up once every 2 years to hold a sign on the street corner while sipping a Dunkin Donuts coffee – signs have not, and never will win elections. Enough with the signs. Get to a training and learn about voter identification and GOTV and become a little more sophisticated in your targeting and approach. Sign waving is a secondary campaign activity, not a primary one. GOP campaigns need to focus on the fundamentals that win elections (personal contact from trusted sources) not counting beeps and thumbs-ups on street corners. There are a lot of great posts on MassRootsAction on this stuff.

Finally, I say this as a conservative; enough with the “RINO” talk. What a waste of time. It wasn’t until the 1964 election that the conservatives began to find a political home in the GOP. Liberalism is an old political movement, conservatism is not. The Republican Party used to be the Party of the Lodge’s and Rockefeller’s. The people tossing around “RINO” are acting as if the GOP has held their particular view since the 1800’s. Folks, the movement began only 40 years ago, this thing is still pretty new. If you are a conservative and you retreat because of the “RINO’s” in the Party, then you are giving up on this fairly modern effort and the Party will be less conservative as a result. The same is true with the other camps in the GOP – when I met with the Log-Cabin Republicans, and the Rockefeller/Lodge Republicans etc and they complain that the Party is too conservative I tell them to get more involved because politics is about showing up. If you are complaining about a certain wing of the Party, chances are, it’s because that wing has showed up and you have not. You have two options: show up, or continue to complain about the other group showing up.

Lastly, if you are passionate about an issue then seriously start thinking about starting a PAC (political action committee) to raise funds to help in the 2010 battle. The GOP candidates got hammered with special interest money from the unions and other left-wing groups in 2008. We have a few solid allies on our side, but we need more ammunition. Start a PAC, develop a fundraising team and start building the bank to help candidates in 2010.

If you need help with starting a PAC, or if you want to reach me for any reason (for criticism, or for my address to send me iTunes cards for Christmas) you can reach me at rwillington[AT]massgop[DOT]com

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah everyone and please just do a little something this Holiday season. Joy is not finite – you can create a lot of it today and tomorrow by simply doing something. Visit Blogs For Joy and check the Joy Avenues to find out how you can create joy.

KeepThatFaith,

Super Tuesday

Today’s the day. Did you vote? Who did you vote and why? If you hear anything, feel free to post information in the comments.

I’ll be making an appearance tonight at the Greater Boston Young Republicans Super Tuesday Watching Party at the Lir Pub in Boston. If you’re interested in showing up, here are the details.

UPDATE, 11:15 PM: Back home to pack for CPAC. I have to say it’s nice to see what getting endorsed by Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and Deval Patrick gets you in this state!

David Bernstein Doesn’t Get It

David Bernstein of left-wing rag The Phoenix was apparently baffled when he discovered MassGOP Executive Director Rob Willington blogging here at Hub Politics yesterday, live blogging Election Day from the Ogonowski campaign.

Quick observation: why in the world is Mass. GOP exec director Rob Willington blogging and posting photos today on HubPolitics, rather than the spiffy new MassGOP site or BlOgonowski? Has the Margolis brothers’ site become an official outpost of the state party? Why? I can imagine quite a few committee members would be pretty unhappy about that.

I find this amusing because nationally the Republican Party is often criticized for being far behind the Democratic on the internet/blogosphere front. Whether or not the same goes locally here in Massachusetts is apparently irrelevant because clearly any attempt by the MassGOP to embrace the blogosphere is going to be treated with skepticism and contempt.

Rob Willington explained yesterday, “We will have gained new readers and potentially new activists and candidates by guest blogging on Hub Politics. It’s reaching out and getting exposure.” Yesterday’s coverage of the special election brought in hundreds and thousands of hits an hour, and we were linked by many other bloggers from around the country interested in the race and our coverage of it.

Would Bernstein have recognized any activity on BlOgonowski or MassRootsGOP on Election Day? Highly unlikely considering he has only mentioned BlOgnowski twice ever (and only linked it once) and only gave the MassGOP website one obligatory plug when it re-launched, though did not link to the MassRootsGOP blog.

Bernstein has, however, given an occasional mention of Hub Politics. Similarly, blogs/bloggers that had an interest in the race are more likely to link to an unofficial blog than an official campaign or party blog.

Niki Tsongas’s official campaign blog (not even hosted on her own campaign website) was barely updated during the campaign and had only one entry posted on Election Day. The Massachusetts Democratic Party doesn’t even have an active blog anymore it seems, and promotes and relies on already established left-wing blog communities to get its message out… I guess that’s okay, though.

The Campaign Continues….

Did you think I would leave you without saying goodbye? I just got home and it’s 12:42 and I have a few thoughts that I would like to close with.

(more…)

Mass GOP Launches New Grassroots Site

The Massachusetts Republican Party has just launched a new online grassroots blog called MassRootsGOP.com.

The new blog opens with a welcome message from Peter Torkildsen, Chairman of the Massachusetts GOP, who is currently in Minneapolis for a RNC summer meeting. Peter has been instrumental in the online initiatives going on at the Massachusetts Republican Party. The Massachusetts GOP will launching more online initiatives in the coming weeks and months ahead, but in the meantime, check out MassRootsGOP.com.