By Phil Orenstein
President, Queens Village Republican Club
We have a Republican Atom Bomb sitting under our feet waiting to go off. The migrant crisis was to be the ignition to cause a chain reaction of outraged voters, expected to storm the poll sites to vote for a change in leadership to take action to stop the illegal alien invasion of NYC and our communities. Voters flooding the polls, living in Eastern Queens, were recently saddled with a migrant tent city on Creedmoor grounds, with over 1000 unvetted single male illegal migrants against the collective will of everyone. Voters who live in fear of increased crime, lawlessness, and destruction of our neighborhoods. Homeowners who see their property values declining. Taxpayers who are on the hook for $$ billions of dollars to provide free housing, food, school, healthcare, laundry service, and even free bus and subway fare for illegal migrants, while the city is enacting sweeping budget cuts, slashing police, trash pick-ups, education, library hours, and cuts to all city services. NYC is headed for a fiscal cliff because Mayor Adams took in 140,000 migrants and every voter is feeling the pain.
In City Council District 23, which encompasses the Creedmoor tent city, Councilwoman Linda Lee (D) who ran against Republican Bernard Chow, retained her seat. However, in an off-cycle election year when voter turnout was an abysmal 11% citywide, and Democrats in the district outnumber Republicans 5 to 1, more voters in the neighborhoods surrounding Creedmoor came out and voted Republican than in any previous City Council election. Four Election Districts flipped from blue to red and more Democrats, Independents and Blanks, voted on the Republican line than in all past elections. Voters are recognizing that the first step to improving their neighborhoods is the realization that voting matters and elections have consequences.
The ‘Get Out The Vote’ strategy in the weeks leading up to November 7th, was to focus on the immediate neighborhoods surrounding the Creedmoor migrant tents. Innumerable voters, even Democrats, said they had enough of their elected officials doing nothing but offering lip service to stop the migrant crisis, and said they will vote Republican. We hit the Creedmoor area hard with Curtis Sliwa’s endorsement mailers going to residents within a 2-mile radius, robocalls, door knocking on every door, “No Tent City” rallies with Curtis firing up the crowd to vote for a change in leadership, campaigning at local shopping centers, and a car caravan, blasting out the message to vote for Bernard on Election Day. The strategy worked well, garnering over 5000 votes, but not enough to translate into a victory.
Yet a substantial gap remained in the election results from the 23rd council district, and especially citywide with the pathetically low voter turnout. The takeaway from this election cycle is voter apathy. The real enemy of the people is voter apathy. Out of a total of 4.6 million voters in NYC, only 500,000 or 11% voted. Self-centered people who just don’t care about anything beyond their immediate needs don’t vote. But most people feel their vote just doesn’t count. They feel they have no power. No matter how they vote, Democrats will always win. No matter how the city is crumbling around them, their votes are seemingly wasted on corrupt politicians from both parties. Democrats who toe the party line and obey their political bosses to stay in office, and corrupt “Adams Republicans” who make deals with Democrats for their own political advantage, such as ex-buildings commissioner, Eric Ulrich who is going to jail on bribery charges. Who would vote for these miscreants who get into political office to serve themselves and sabotage the people?
But local elections are more important than federal elections and all others because they directly impact our lives. Many New Yorkers are voting with their feet and leaving. But the remarkable reality remains that if even half of the city’s 4.6 million voters decided to get out and vote, they could easily kick out all the corrupt politicians and save New York City. Local elections have immediate effects on our daily lives. Issues like rezoning our communities, the migrant crisis, lawlessness and soaring crime, Local Law 97 banning of gas, failing schools pushing radical anti-American ideology, antisemitism on the rise, all directly affect our lives.
It’s easy to blame the corrupt establishment of both parties who have taken over and left the people bereft of power. But people who take action and get involved can make a difference. If we organize and unite for a common goal, we will be on the path to building better daily lives and communities. There are independent grassroots Republican groups forming, liberated from the party establishment, making their voices heard and learning to master the political process. There are new Republican Clubs forming throughout Queens becoming the home base for like-minded patriots who want to participate in the cause to save America and our communities. There’s the Whitestone Republican Club, The Ronald Reagan Republican Club of Astoria, Central Queens Republican Club, and other patriotic clubs. There’s the new Medical Freedom Party taking the fight for freedom and our Constitution into the heart of the tyrannical ruling class. These new and newly revived clubs are noted on the “Club Corner” page of the Queens County Beacon.
Then there’s the oldest Republican club in America, the Queens Village Republican Club, leading the charge to take back the power of the people from the authoritarians who rule our party, our city, our state and nation. Come to a meeting of this amazing club and you will see patriots of every race, color, and creed all united in a just cause to save America. You will see a network of national activist organizations represented, some with fledgling chapters starting here in Queens, such as Mom’s for Liberty, AMAC Action, Leadership Institute, Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), and others. You will participate in memorable and energizing events, such as the annual Family Fun Day BBQ, the gala Lincoln Anniversary Dinner, Historic Bus Tours, “No Tent City” rallies, marching in the Memorial Day Parade and Indian Independence Day Parade, and so much more! The optimism, the hope, the energy from these activities and campaigns are the catalyst to build a glorious grassroots Republican Party of the people! Come and be part of it and make history here in Queens. This positive movement will be the spark that sets off the Republican Atom Bomb sitting under our feet waiting to go off! You are that spark! Have a joyous and peaceful holiday season!
