A Message from NYSYR Chairman Christopher Dziedzic

There is no need to sugar coat this. This was not a fun election cycle for our party, at either the national, the state or the local level. And while we cannot deny the help that Democrats straight down the ticket received because of the celebrity status of Barack Obama, do not let anyone fool you into thinking that was the entire reason for our lack of success in November.

No, instead we have to face the reality of rebuilding the Grand Old Party from the bottom up.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was in Seneca Falls, meeting with a newly organizing Young Republican chapter in the Finger Lakes region. I was pleased to learn how the GOP county committee in Seneca County recently experienced some turn over, with new and energetic faces in charge. These new leaders are committed to rebuilding our party from the bottom up, and that includes the creation and support of a Young Republican chapter for their county.

Here in New York State, this means fighting our increasing enrollment disadvantage. This cannot be done by setting up mindless voter enrollment drives. There has to be a commitment to educate our fellow citizens as to what our party stands for and why those policies are best for New Yorkers.

Building Young Republican chapters in all 62 counties is an important part of that effort, as they can educate the younger portion of the electorate. I am proud that since early 2007, we’ve seen unprecedented growth in our organization with SEVEN newly credentialed county clubs. That is essential for the grassroots rebuilding that I am committed to in 2009.

Christopher Dziedzic is the Chair of the NYSYR. When it comes to getting around the state to meet with newly organizing or long established Young Republican chapter around the state, “have car, will travel.”

On the Road with the Chairman

Since our last issue, Chairman Chris Dziedzic has been busy in his travels around the state on behalf of the New York State Young Republicans. Is he ever glad to see gas prices falling below that peak of over $4.00 a gallon!

Stop #1: Saratoga Springs, NY
Chris drove up to Saratoga on Saturday, August 2nd for the Seventh Annual NYSYR Day at the Races. This has been one of our most successful fundraising events over the past view years, filling up the coffers in preparation for a busy fall campaigning schedule.

Stop #2: Queensbury, NY
Chris made the trip to Queensbury, New York on Sunday, August 16th to attend the Second Annual Warren County YR Family Fun Day. This is always a fun event with unlimited use of laser tag, bumper cars and go carts during the afternoon.

Stop #3: Catskill, NY
On Sunday, August 17th, Chris traveled down I-87 to Catskill, New York to meet with Eric Mortenson and Bryan Cranna, the chairs of Young Republican groups from Columbia County and Dutchess County respectively. The group in Columbia County is interested in forming into an official Young Republican chapter and getting more involved with our state organization.

Stop #4: Endicott, NY
On Thursday, August 21st , both Chris and NYSYR Parliamentarian Ed Lass attended the State Senator Tom Libous’ Annual Steak Roast at the En-joie Golf Course. This is the second year the NYSYR has sent attendees to this GOP fundraiser, one of the largest in Upstate New York.

Stop #5: Brooklyn, NY
The second YR targeted campaign weekend found Chris campaigning in Brooklyn for a slate of Republican candidates highlighted by fellow YR and State Assembly candidate Bob Capano. Young Republicans from Broome, Kings, Nassau, New York and Richmond Counties participated in this effort.

Stop #6: Utica, NY
The third YR targeted campaign weekend found Chris working neighborhoods in Oneida County for congressional candidate Richard Hanna on October 4th. Jack Karwacki, chair of the Oneida County YRs, did a great job in organizing this effort.

Stop #7: New York, NY
The fourth YR targeted campaign weekend found Chris in Manhattan helping a variety of YR candidates on October 18th: John Chromczak for State Senate and Saul Farber and Bill Buran for State Assembly.

Stop #8: Pittsford, NY
The fifth YR targeted campaign weekend found Chris working neighborhoods in Monroe County for Congressman Randy Kuhl on October 25th. Young Republicans from Broome, Monroe, Ontario and Steuben Counties participated.

Stop #9: Seneca Falls, NY
On November 25th, Chris and Executive Director Rick Cordaro travelled to meet with a new YR club being organized in Seneca County. One of the nice things about this group was that they have administration and financial support of their senior party.

Out in Right Field

by Julius Ponds

The Bear went down to Georgia, he was looking for some land to steal. He was in a bind 'cos nations paid him no mind: he was willin' to bring ‘em to heel.

It is a true shame that a young budding Democracy was assaulted as it was by a larger, authoritarian neighbor. My fear is that in the future, people will be less likely to throw off the shackles of oppression in Rose Revolutions, Orange Revolutions and Tulip Revolutions. We do not want those people to resign themselves to living in the darkness and in the shadow of Russian autocracy, but rather embrace the light of political freedom.

Saakashvili’s rosin up his bow and play his fiddle hard. 'Cos hells broke loose in Georgia and the Bear deals it hard.

In a previous edition of the GOPyr newsletter, I advocated a Girondist theory of foreign policy for the United States. I continue to advocate that we need to acknowledge the effect and impact of our great American experiment in human freedom on foreign peoples. We should neither turn our back on the world, nor coddle repressive regimes out of fear of appearing arrogant. In practical applications, we should have stood more firmly behind a country like Georgia – as a newer democracy – and as a staunch ally in the war on terror.

Wouldn’t it have been better for humanity if the story had ended like this?

The Bear bowed his head because he knew that he'd been beat. He laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Saakashvili’s feet.

I am not confident in the incoming foreign policy team of Obama, Biden and Clinton. I would hope they see the positive value America brings to the world, but fear they share the Left’s convictions that America is a corrupting and malevolent influence on the world stage.

YR Club Notes

Brooklyn YRs

Usually meet the second Wednesday of the month. For the latest meeting and events information, visit the Brooklyn YR’s website.

Contact Information:
www.BrooklynYR.com
BrooklynYR@gmail.com
(Jonathan Judge, President)
(718) 360-9583

Capital District YRs

For the latest meeting and events information, visit the Capital District YR’s website.

Contact Information:
www.CapitalYR.org
pauljamison@optonline.net 
(Paul Jamison, President)

Dutchess County YRs

Usually meet on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7 PM in the Poughkeepsie Grand, 40 Civic Center Plaza, Poughkeepsie NY. For the latest meeting and events information, visit the Dutchess County YR’s website or e-mail them.

Contact Information:
www.DutchessYR.com
angelaflesland@yahoo.com


Livingston County YRs

For more information about the club, e-mail Aaron Galvin at agalvin@frontiernet.net.

Monroe County YRs

Usually meet on the third Thursday of the month (except July & August), Spot Coffee, 200 East Avenue, Rochester. For the latest meeting and events information, 
please e-mail the Monroe County YRs.

Contact Information:
pkgullo@yahoo.com 
(Paul Gullo, Chairman)

Nassau County YRs

Usually meet the fourth Thursday at 8PM of the month at Mineola Knights of Columbus Hall, 186 Jericho Turnpike, Mineola. For the latest meeting and events information, please visit the Nassau County YR’s website or e-mail them.

Contact Information:
www.NassauYRs.com
NassauYRs@gmail.com 
(Stephen Canzoneri, President)


New York YRs

For the latest meeting and events information, please visit the New York YR’s website.

Contact Information:
www.NYYRC.com
info@nyyrc.com

Oneida County YRs

For the latest meeting and events information, please call the Oneida County YRs.
Contact Information:
(315)-725-2213
jack.karwacki@gmail.com
(Jack Karwacki, Chairman)

Onondaga County YRs

For the latest meeting and events information, please e-mail the Onondaga County YRs.

Contact Information:
www.ocyrepublicans.org
rick.cordaro@ocyrepublicans.org 
(Rick Cordaro, Chairman)

Ontario County YRs

For the latest meeting and events information, please e-mail the Ontario County YRs.

Contact Information:
OntarioYRs@gmail.com
(Ellis Oster, Chairman)

Orange County YRs

For the latest meeting and events information, please e-mail the Orange County YRs.

Contact Information:
www.ocyrs.com
www.myspace.com/ocnyyr
Lorena609@gmail.com
(Lorena Villegas, Corresponding Sec’y)

Oswego County YRs

For more information, please contact Terry Wilbur at tmwilbur1@hotmail.com or Scott McManus at scottmcm@twcny.rr.com.

Queens YRs

For the latest meeting and events information, please e-mail or call the Queens YRs.

Contact Information:
www.qcyr.org
info@qcyr.org
(Rich Alicea, Chairman)
(718) 418-7873

Rockland County YRs

For the latest meeting and events information, please e-mail or call the Rockland County YRs.

Contact Information:
www.rcgop.org/Young_republicans.html
frankieps3@aol.com
(Frank Sparaco, Chairman)
(845) 323-9099

Saratoga County YRs

Meet usually at 7:30 PM at Saratoga GOP Headquarters, 77 Van Dam Street, Saratoga Springs, NY. For the latest meeting and events information, please e-mail the Saratoga County YRs.

Contact Information:
SaratogaCountyYoungRepublicans.org
mveitch201@hotmail.com
(Michael Veitch, Chairman)

Staten Island YRs

Usually meet the third Tuesday of every month at Canlon's Restaurant, 1825 N Railroad Avenue, Staten Island, NY. For the latest meeting and events information, visit the Staten Island YR’s website.

Contact Information:
www.YoungRepublicans.info
info@youngrepublicans.info

Steuben County YRs

Usually meet last Thursday of Every month at 7 PM upstairs at Captain Morgan's at 36 Bridge St., Corning, NY. For the latest meeting and events information, visit the Steuben YR’s website.

Contact Information:
www.SteubenYR.com
SteubenYR.blogspot.com
phalliday@steubenyr.com
(Peter Halliday, Chairman)

Suffolk County YRs

Usually meet last Thursday of the month (except in July & August), Bobbique, 70 W. Main St. in Patchogue, NY, 7:00 PM, Networking/Social; 8:00 PM, Meeting. For the latest meeting and events information, please visit the Suffolk County YR’s website.

Contact Information:
www.SuffolkYoungRepublicans.com
chrscm@gmail.com 
(Chris Como, Chairman)

Warren County YRs

Usually meet on the 1st Friday of the month. For the latest meeting and events information, please e-mail the Warren County YRs.

Contact Information:
www.freewebs.com/wcyr
Warrencountyyrs@gmail.com
(Gabe Bedore, Chairman)

Washington County YRs

For the latest meeting and events information, please e-mail the Washington County YRs.

Contact Information:
myspace.com/washingtoncountyyrs
WCYRepublicans@gmail.com

Westchester County YRs

Contact Information:
www.WestchesterYRs.com
robdokwon@hotmail.com
(Rob Biagi, Chairman)

Moving Right

by William Palumbo, New York YRs

The Republican Party should shift significantly more conservative for two important and complementary reasons.

First is the matter of statecraft. The once great Democratic Party is intellectually bankrupt and has morphed into a party of false promises and handouts – more government jobs, economically unsustainable environmental and healthcare programs, and unrestrained immorality.

The American people are smart enough to sniff out this bunk; we know that government possesses no magical powers capable of solving life’s problems and alleviating personal guilt.

The Democratic candidate poses little threat to an articulate, conservative Republican.

Republicans lost this election partially because of a cycle, but more so because our rhetoric. Even when it was clearly articulated by a largely inarticulate John McCain, it rang hollow when matched with our past actions.

Over the last eight years, the size of government expanded rather than contracted. Yes, government expansion is a threat to our economy, but more gravely its threat is existential in nature. We must reverse course or our nation will assuredly suffer decline; perhaps not with this generation, but the lessons of history foretell inevitability. Republicans must start acting as statesmen and -women and less like Democrat-lites. This is of monumental importance.

Second, while bolstering the statecraft argument, social conservatism wins elections. To say nothing of her politics, consider Ayn Rand’s refusal to support the Libertarian Party because she believed political campaigns cannot educate the public. Aside from my belief that socially conservative values, arising from the organic family, form the bedrock of a society hostile to government encroachment, they are also electorally popular. There should continue to be sufficient wiggle room for local and state candidates, but the national Republican Party must remain the party for socially conservative voters, both because of their aggression towards government growth and for practical matters of winning.

Moreover, some Republicans have taken this loss as evidence that the country has shifted leftward. Exit polls suggest otherwise. What has happened is that Republicans have shifted leftward, leaving voters with an unfortunate choice between a gradual decline in freedoms, or a swift one, camouflaged in the vagaries of hope and change. Given the choice between Republican sorrow for a once-free nation ambling slowly down the road to socialism, and a promised socialist utopia, is it any surprise whom the voters chose?

Republicans need to find a charismatic, conservative leader, well-versed in the dangers of big government and learned in the institutions and values that underpin a free and democratic society. Perhaps in four years we will have this in Sarah Palin. If not, look elsewhere. No nation, not even a great one, can exist under the insatiable demands of a government that long ago burst free from its fundamental constraints.

This election was a wake up call. Yes, we lost. But let’s not lose our way.

William Palumbo is the Publications Chair of the New York Young Republican Club.

The Change We Need

by Mike Shannon, Capital District YRs

During this most recent election season we have heard both sides of the political spectrum talk about the need for change.

Barack Obama used the slogan, "Change we need". John McCain said he has been a maverick for more than 20 years and he is going to change Washington D.C.

The country is frustrated and angry with the politics and lack of action coming from our nation's capital. We all know the issues: the economy, the war, and so forth. What change are we looking for?

In 1992, Bill Clinton told us he was a new kind of Democrat and things would be different. By 1994, the nation did not like the direction the country was headed in and turned Congress over to the Republicans. In 1996, Clinton was re-elected but Congress was left to the Republicans, so apparently the people thought we were doing just fine. The economy was good and people were happy. This too would change as scandal after scandal caused anger and strife.

Along came George W. Bush in 2000, who was suppose to be able to reach across to the other side of the spectrum, be bipartisan and get things done. He told us he is a compassionate conservative and things would be different.

Now we have finished another election, George W. Bush cannot serve any longer due to the 22nd Amendment of the U.S Constitution.

The 22nd Amendment limits any individual from serving as President for more than two terms. This became necessary after President Franklin Roosevelt was elected to an unprecedented four terms in office. The United States and its allies had just finished fighting World War II. Our enemies included three of the most evil people in all of world history: Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo. Of the three of them, two had been in power for more than 12 years. Franklin Roosevelt had also been in power for 12 years and would have been there a total of 16 had survived for the remainder of his last term in office.

With the fear of dictators fresh in their minds, the American people wanted to limit the Office of the President to just 8 years per person.

There are 37 states that currently have term limits on their Governors and some cities limit the number of terms for Mayors (New York City is one such example).

Why is this? There is a belief in America that in order for there to be progress and not an entrenchment of power restricted to just a few people, then we need to limit how long people can serve. This opens the seat to a new person who can make changes and bring fresh ideas. That sounds great: fresh ideas, a new tone. I think the American people would love a new tone coming out of Washington and Albany.

In my lifetime, there have been 7 presidents. Averaged out, that is a new President about every 5 years (yes I know terms are 4 years long but read on and learn). During the 36 years of my life, Vice President-elect Joe Biden has been a Senator for all of them. In the current 110th Congress, the average length of service for a member is 10 years or 5 terms. The longest serving member of the house is Representative John Dingell (D-MI), with 52 years. In the Senate, the average length of service is just over 12 years. The longest serving member is Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) with 48 years. So what seems to be the common denominator in Washington? Change the President regularly but keep the Members of Congress.

Why do you think that is? It is quite simple; laws and Constitutional amendments start in Congress. If Americans truly want to change direction in this country then they need to start by changing who their leaders are. Change needs to happen in Congress as well. We need term limits to help force change and stop the consolidation of power. Truly, the current situation is not working.

Here is what I am proposing. Members of the House of Representatives should serve no longer than three terms, or 6 years. If during their third term they hold a leadership position like Speaker of the House, then they can run for one more term, limiting them to four terms, or 8 years. In the Senate members should be limited to 2 terms, or 12 years. Again like the lower house if during their final term they are holding a leadership position then they can run for 1 more term. This would limit them to 3 terms, or 18 years (that seems like a lot). One thing to remember is that in the Senate, one-third of Senators are up for election every 2 years so if more of those 33 seats were open races because of term limits then be might see the change we are looking for.

If we are serious about change then we need to take control of our government through constitutional change. The Constitution starts with "We the people", that means you and me. We control the government; the government doesn’t control us.

Mike Shannon is a member of the Capital District YRs.

Tusk Talk with Tusk Harper

Dear Tusk,

It's that time of year and I just don't feel merry or grateful for everything I have. Perhaps it's because of the election but I am sad that I'm not my usual hopeful self. How can I get out of this funk?

From: Scrooge in Schenectady

Dear Scrooge,

Fear not, kind sir (or madam)! We are a nation that endures and strengthens. As for your personal feelings, not every year will be a banner one. But it's that uniquely American spirit that will let you lace your boots up and rebound in 2009. You were placed on this earth - and in this country - to do great things. Instead of worrying that you're not meeting those goals, just go out and strive to make the world a better place.

Dear Tusk,

I have been a proud member of the Republican party for almost 15 years and I've never seen the party holding such a minority. What happened to our complete grip on power? What's next?

From: Humbled in Haverstraw

Dear Humbled:

Dwelling on the past won't get us anywhere. Let's focus on our core principles as a party and our message will spread - this country is used to a conservative government and the next two years will be a shock to the system. We have a great group of leaders who can lead us back to greatness. Governors Pawlenty, Jindal, Sanford, Palin and Crist are just the tip of the iceberg. Let's talk up our elected officials at the next holiday dinner table.

Questions? Write Tusk at tuskharper@yahoo.com.