CNN’s Roland Martin: GOP has power in the states where it matters

So while Democrats salivate at the prospect of winning the White House in 2016, Republicans continue to lay the groundwork for taking over the state houses and gubernatorial mansions, and building a formidable team of next-generation politicians to dominate there and in the White House.
In fact, many Republicans have told me they couldn’t care less about Washington, because legislation with real impact is being proposed and passed in the states. That’s why you’ve seen groups quietly backing initiatives on the state level and bypassing the hot lights and screaming media in Washington.

The real battles on same-sex marriage, abortion, education, spending, labor unions, and, yes, the Affordable Care Act are happening state by state. And Democrats are being caught flat-footed because they ignored the admonition of former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean to create a 50-state party, and instead, created a party that cared more about Congress and the White House.

Think about it: Obama won Ohio, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Nevada, all states with GOP governors. So clearly voters in those states chose the Republican alternative in statewide elections, but when it came to the presidency, said “No thanks.”

I’m not buying for a second this silly notion that the GOP will have a Damascus Road experience and drastically change. It’s not going to happen. There will be some movement on the national level, but Republican grass-roots organizers are very well aware that the message the GOP is selling statewide is a winning formula.

Trust me, Republicans are concocting other pieces of legislation to bring change on the state level, regardless of what’s happening in Washington.
The political adage “All politics is local” has not changed.

Maybe more of my brothers and sisters in Washington need to get outside the Beltway, hit the road and discover the far more expansive America that is happening outside Washington, Maryland, Virginia, New York and New Jersey. If they do, they’ll find out that the conventional wisdom is pretty much worthless.