Last night's Republican State Committee meeting

From our vantage point in the back of the State Committee meeting in Newton last night, it was clear that some activists and State Committee members came to the meeting looking for a fight.

But, it was also clear to us from the applause and from comments by State Committee members that GOP Chair Jennifer Nassour retains a lot of support.

As well she should.

The GOP made substantial legislative pickups this year. The House Republican Caucus is at its strongest point in years, and it was surreal to see so many new members stand in the front of the room to be recognized last night. As Nassour mentioned at the meeting, when she was elected State Committee chair in 2009, critics told her the party did not do enough to support legislative races two years ago. Nassour made it a point to do things differently this time, and we think this support was a decisive factor in many wins.

It was disappointing to us that last night - the final State Committee meeting of the year and in a year in which the party made so many gains - there were some people who wanted to spend time assessing blame and casting aspersions for the losses the party did sustain. If Republican activists want to beat the Democrats the next time around, they need to start now working collectively to build grassroots support and field another slate of good candidates, not waste time bickering about who will lead the charge.

Blame gets us nowhere

You knew it would happen sooner or later.

The blame game for Tuesday’s election results began today with Worcester GOP committeeman Bill McCarthy assigning fault to Mass GOP party chair Jennifer Nassour. He wants to see her go, and he’s planning to call for her ouster at the next state committee meeting. Check out the Herald story here.

We think this is ridiculous and completely unhelpful to the party’s future success.

It’s true that the Massachusetts GOP weathered heavy losses on Tuesday in the statewide and congressional races.

But they also DOUBLED their numbers in the Massachusetts House of Representatives--an almost unthinkable feat just one year ago. Mr. McCarthy may not be impressed by that, but we certainly are.

We worked on Beacon Hill when the Republican caucus numbered only 16. The idea of adding one or two seats—forget about adding 17 seats—seemed like an impossible dream back then. Nassour certainly deserves credit for this success.

You’ve also got to look beyond Tuesday when measuring Nassour’s success.

Her chairmanship has brought fresh, new life to a Mass GOP that was old, tired and pretty beaten up. Anyone who has attended state committee meetings before and after Jenn became chairwoman will know what we’re talking about. From the night she announced her candidacy for the chairmanship, to the red-carpet style party she threw during the Massachusetts GOP state convention earlier this year, she has brought optimism and enthusiasm back to the Mass GOP.

Sure, the party’s GOTV operation needs work if we want to have a shot against the Dems next time around. But Jenn can get us there, and she deserves another shot.