At last night's Republican Party of San Diego County meeting, California Republican Party Chair Ron Nehring provided an update on the state of the RNC.  I've reconstructed the proceedings from memory, aided by my "live tweet" Twitter updates, so details may be selective.

Chairman Nehring has been spending a lot of time at RNC meetings in Washington, DC, due to the upcoming elections for RNC Chair and other offices.  There are number of issues that have been discussed by the RNC in recent weeks.

Limiting the scope of government expansion is high on the RNC's list.  Opposing higher taxes and controlling government spending in the stimulus-happy era of Obama/Pelosi/Reid will be a tough job.  Nehring noted that stimulus funds are likely to wind up in targeted Democrat districts.

The conservative pillar of maintaining a strong national defense is also a priority.  Nehring noted that "Americans want us to get the bad guys" and protect the US.  He added that homeland security was one of the strengths of the outgoing Bush Administration (to applause from the audience).

Winning elections in 2010 and 2012 is an obvious priority.  Voter targeting, including microtargeting, is a major initiative.  Focusing on the middle class will be important.  Nehring noted that middle-class voters trended Democrat in San Diego County in the last election.  In order to have a "level playing field" for campaign finance, the RNC's legal efforts to overturn McCain-Feingold are key.

The use of social media marketing through such Internet venues as Twitter and Facebook, but also through more customized platforms, will be one of the keys to GOP success in this area, especially in attracting young voters.  Innovative implementation of these technologies enabled the Obama campaign to boost its contributions and leverage its network of grassroots volunteers [Ed. note:  see "The Geeks Behind Obama's Web Strategy" for details].  Nehring urged all San Diego GOP activists to obtain and use accounts on Twitter and Facebook.  He noted that there is a new online movement, Top Conservatives on Twitter, which enables conservatives with Twitter accounts to network across the US [Ed. note:  Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, who is a candidate for Barbara Boxer's Senate seat in 2010, is an example of a California Republican who "gets" the use of social media in political campaigns.  San Diego County has its very own GOP social media gurus, including Benjamin Grier of WidgetBuddies.].

Nehring emphasized that the most important task for the RNC at present is to elect a strong RNC Chair.  He did not endorse a candidate, explaining that the complex nature of RNC elections, which usually require multiple rounds of voting, helps to clarify strengths and weaknesses of candidates.  Grover Norquist, of Americans for Tax Reform, recently moderated a debate among the six candidates, which was broadcast on C-SPAN and streamed live over the Internet.  The archived video of the debate can be viewed here.