Downstate Grassroots GOP Summit

January 11th, 8:00 PM

Belle Harbor Yacht Club

533 Beach 126th. St.

Belle Harbor, NY 11694

In the wake of the New York GOP's recent statewide debacle, with a U.S. senatorial nominee polling below 30% of the electorate and Democrats making inroads across nearly all New York counties, a number of local Republican organizations have banded together in New York City's outer boroughs to host a downstate grassroots summit aimed at reversing this alarming trend. Local Republican groups can't afford to sit by any longer and watch as our party continues to lose ground in election after election in this state, even while Republicans are demonstrating their ability to connect with the electorate across the rest of the nation.

The Rockaway Republicans has been troubled, since its formation in March 2004, by a lack of feedback and direction from the party's official leadership. "We have to wake them up," says President Tom Lynch, "and the way to do it is by reviving political interest and activism at the local level in each of our communities."

The Rockaway Republicans first proposed the summit in November and offered to host the event. The response has been remarkable with over eight Republican clubs signing on to participate and party activists from as far away as Albany indicating their intention to participate. The newly formed conservative issues-oriented PAC, Save New York, chaired by former Republican contender for the U.S. Senate nomination, Michael Benjamin of Brooklyn, is also participating as is the Republican Liberty Caucus and the Brooklyn Young Republican Club.

The event will feature a series of speakers from various Republican venues to discuss the problems and opportunities now facing the New York GOP. Speakers will include Michael Benjamin who will be discussing opportunities for statewide revitalization, Robert Hornak discussing strategies and techniques available to party activists in upcoming elections,and Ed Coyne a district leader in Queens who will be discussing the increasing fragmentation and isolation that afflicts local clubs in his borough and beyond, as well as other speakers of note.

The number one problem preventing Republican growth in our state stems from the ever increasing isolation and inwardness that has come to characterize Republican Party politics in our town. Our leadership is afraid to risk what little they still have in elective offices by challenging the status quo. They've accepted a virtual non-compete clause with their Democratic rivals. The result is that we run fewer and fewer Republican candidates, making our political demise almost a self-fulfilling prophecy.

However, co-host Luke Vander Linden, President of the Brooklyn Young Republican Club, does see potential light at the end of the tunnel. “The numbers don’t lie. There are many areas in the city where the President received 50, 60 – as much as 70% of the vote.” And he says that’s not a fluke. “In these same areas, Mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg and Governor Pataki received that much and more. These results suggest a tremendous opportunity for the Republican Party in New York.”

Vander Linden notes however, that local candidates for City Council, Assembly and State Senate fare much worse. “It’s rare for them to break 20%. But sadly, the real problem is much of the time there aren’t even any local Republican candidates at all. We can’t expect to be a viable party if we don’t focus on building at the local and grassroots level.”

Vander Linden is hopeful this event will be what starts that rebuilding process "This is an opportunity to wake the Republican Party up and get it moving again." he says.

After the speakers an open discussion will be held at which all participants will be invited to air their concerns and offer solutions in a broad ranging, no holds-barred discussion. One of the most important things that need to be accomplished is putting the different people and groups in our party together so we can start talking to one another and know who our counterparts are in other areas of the state.