Kings County Republican Committee Chairman Craig Eaton — The “Man With The Plan” for the future of the Brooklyn GOP

EXCLUSIVE INSIGHT INTO WHAT CRAIG EATON IS THINKING ABOUT THE BROOKLYN GOP IN THE SPRING OF 2015

In a recent lengthy meeting Craig Eaton spoke largely off the record and for background. For that reason, many of the details of the talk have been omitted; there are no direct quotes by Mr. Eaton; and as a heads-up to my readers: many of the snarkier propositions might not be exactly as put forward by Mr. Eaton [ but they are what I think he would have said if he were as intemperate and verbally incontinent as I].

Basically, Eaton said that he is ready to push forward with his plans to reorganize the Brooklyn GOP going into the 2015 organizing process that includes early-summer petitioning, mid-summer court challenges, a late-summer organizational primary and a mid-to-late September GOP County Convention.  Part of Eaton’s reorganizing plan is looking toward doubling the size of an active Brooklyn Republican County Committee to be present or represented-at the 2015 GOP County Convention.

Acknowledging that several of the county’s district leaders are heading in various other directions, Craig Eaton has done the math and says that his plans to take the GOP forward will not only succeed in 2015, they will flourish like never before.

2013 IS PROLOGUE

All discussions must start from the fact that the majority of the GOP County Committee in 2013 was in a caucus that supported Eaton’s chairmanship; and Mr. Eaton predicted that in 2015, the majority of the GOP County Committee will be a caucus supporting Eaton’s chairmanship going forward. Any other rump groups, be they former allies or former opponents of Mr. Eaton are welcome to join in backing Eaton in 2015 or to attempt to cobble together something else on their own [at least one attempt by some of the "others" appears to have failed already, before any of the real work had started].

The Brooklyn Republican County Chairman readily acknowledged that there are a hand-full of State Committee Members/ District Leaders that are off on various tangents, but none of those is capable of gravitating to or coalescing around a majority movement or coalition in 2015   —   all these people individually want what they want, but they either won’t or can’t give the others similarly situated what they want.

THE MARTY GOLDEN FACTOR —  THEN AND NOW

There was a very detailed discussion of the impact of the insurgency generated by State Senator Martin Golden and his operators inside the Brooklyn GOP in 2013. Eaton noted that even with what Marty Golden thought he had going for him in 2013, Golden completely failed to qualify and/or hijack anything near a majority of County Committee Members/ Delegates or Delegate proxies for the 2013 GOP County Convention.

Eaton then compared the activities of the Golden faction in the 2013 with those so far in 2015.  By this time in the 2013 cycle, Marty Golden and his people were everywhere; they were telling everybody about their version of Eaton’s problems as a GOP County Chairman; and they were pushing the narrative of their inevitable takeover of the Brooklyn GOP in 2013.  All of that became very embarrassing to many Brooklyn GOP activists that supported both Marty as a State Senator, and Eaton as Chairman. In 2015, according to Eaton, we don’t see or hear much from Marty at all vis a vis the Brooklyn GOP.  What it looks like is that many long-time Golden folks are working on an exit strategy  —  but who Marty is putting into the lifeboats and who he is leaving out are not making many of Marty’s supporters a happy crowd.  In 2015, people have gotten to see what happens when Marty gets only some of what he wants; and also who Golden helps out or up when things are getting tough for them and for him.

However, don’t get the idea that Eaton talks about such things as a part of some gripe session. He points these things out to show how Marty Golden’s position as a perceived Republican power broker, both in Golden’s senate district and inside the Brooklyn GOP as a whole, has weakened between 2013 and 2015.

OUTSIDERS AND THEIR INFLUENCE INSIDE THE BROOKLYN AND NYS GOP

Eaton then turned his analysis toward people outside the Republican Party that are trying to pull the strings inside the GOP.  Eaton was very blunt, people like Jerry Kassar and Grigory Davidzon, who aren’t Republicans and who are pursuing a non-Republican agenda have no business trolling and poaching inside the Brooklyn GOP, especially to benefit Democratic Office Holders and candidates. What these outsiders don’t understand is that real Republicans don’t like them and never have; and when they show up throwing their weight behind something, the real Republicans resent it and often work against it. (Much more was discussed, but that must await a future feature about the nascent “Reform Party” and Rob Astorino.)

Eaton believes that if the 2013 game plans were followed in 2015, he would again be elected Brooklyn Republican Party Chairman.  However, Eaton will be taking nothing like that for granted; on the contrary, Eaton assumes that many things will be different and plans to bring in between a thousand or two thousand new or newly active Republicans to qualify as  members of the 2015-16 GOP County Committee. These new Brooklyn GOP folks will come from all over the county, and their names and other data will be on a special data base that is being prepared specifically for that outreach.  Once that data base is ready, there will be an in depth and personalized social networking campaign, which in the final stages will be augmented by direct mail and, in many areas, also by personal Brooklyn GOP coordinators.

FUNDRAISING

Eaton is frank that all of that requires money, money, money....   And Craig Eaton’s next order of business is to arrange a major Brooklyn GOP fund raiser. It will be built around the appearance of a GOP presidential contender, one who is in the “leading pack” in 2015.  Whether that will be at the annual Kings County GOP  “Lincoln Dinner” or as a stand alone is still to be worked out.

Eaton closed by saying 2015 and 2016 will be all about building bridges inside the GOP to recapture the initiative and momentum of 2010; and EVERYBODY is welcome to join WITH HIM in that process.