— Jim Brulte discusses the Republican death wish:
Brulte gave other reasons for the California GOP’s problems. Large numbers of new citizens are urban, working-class minorities, who tend to lean toward the Democratic Party. He also said the state Republican Party has been too loosely structured. Brulte was part of an effort to change the state GOP hierarchy and make its staff more professional. The move created friction between conservatives and moderates.
“It’s clear to me we had a ‘brand’ problem,” said Brulte, who was here meeting with congressional lawmakers and Bush administration officials. “The perception of Republicans nationwide wasn’t very good. And like other states, we suffered from that.”
While he’s mainly talking about the national party, the hardcore inside the state have damaged the party as well. Shutting down Free Republic would help.