We are sad today to join the nation in mourning the loss of the most influential conservative voice in America and our greatest talk radio legend, Rush Limbaugh. The Presidential Medal of Freedom he received from President Trump was very well deserved as he said Rush was the “greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet.” When I heard the news this morning, I was driving in my car and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I reflected on how Rush carried on his God-given mission to use his voice until the end to be our nation’s foremost influence for excellence not only in broadcasting but in everything we do in our lives. I recall that in my liberal Democrat days in the early 1990’s I would often listen to his program and realized how much of what he shared was plain common sense, wisdom and truth, against a backdrop of an evil leftwing socialist narrative that was engulfing America. His guidance was one of the forces which led me on the path to Republican activism. His legacy will live on in our lives as we continue his work to fight for the country we love and its constitutional principles.
Phil Orenstein President Queens Village Republican Club America’s Oldest Republican Club – Founded 1875
State Assemblyman Kieran Lalor launched the petition to Impeach Governor Cuomo which has already reached 18,000 signatures in three days. The petition is in response to leaked audio of a closed door meeting between New York state Senate Democrats and Cuomo’s top aide Melissa DeRosa, in which she reportedly admitted that the state hid data involving nursing deaths from former President Donald Trump’s Justice Department in order to avoid a federal investigation.
The Assembly should immediately pass a resolution to establish a bipartisan committee to investigate the Governor’s actions and make recommendations whether or not to impeach.
We are in the beginning stages of the Asian Lunar New Years. It lasts for 15 days. We were honored in Chinatown as we celebrated our Guardian Angels 42nd anniversary Saturday 2/13 in Confucius Plaza. It marked one year since we were invited in to patrol the area because of an increase in bias attacks against Asians. Because some of our fellow Americans believed that the Chinese themselves were carriers of the CoronaVirus there were attacks and abuses directed at Asians in the streets, buses and subways. We immediately came in and recruited Asian Americans to become Guardian Angels. That required a lot of time spent developing relationships with all the different factions that visit and populate the area. We taught the self help concepts of the “Guardian Angels” and the community responded favorably.
On the political note the Asians were more akin to the values of the Republican Party then they were to the Dems. When it came to preserving the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) to gain entry into the Specialized Public High Schools. Keeping the Gifted and Talented program in the public schools. Supporting their many small businesses, and most importantly supporting the police and bringing public safety back to our city. You would think that the Republicans would have made headway into their growing communities. That has been limited.
I trace it back to Northern Queens and the races that Peter Koo ran against the Dems as a Republican. In his 1st race he ran a good race against the entrenched State Senator Toby Stavinsky. His next race he ran as a Republican for City Council and won in a close race against the Dem. At that point the Republicans failed to capitalize on that victory and left Koo without the support to build and grow the Republican brand amongst the growing Asian community. The Democrats in the Asian Community often are at odds with the belief systems of their constituents. The community can be converted to the principles of the Republican Party because for the most part they are already living their lives that way.
Even with YANG in the race as a Democrat the community has not been immersed by ethnic politics. As the Republican Mayoral Candidate I will spend the time and resources to develop the permanent relationships not just for the purpose of winning the Mayoral Election but for building a Republican infrastructure for their community.
