Happy New Year everyone! 2008 is now a distant memory and we have a wonderfully bright future ahead of us if you can glide part the sarcasm. What does a political junkie like me do in the 'off season'? Plenty of time to lead, plan organize and control, to borrow a phrase from one of my heroes, Daniel S. Wurst who just turned 81 years young and is still working hard at it. Dan served as Butler County Auditor from 1986 to 1990 and is remembered by many of you. We are fortunate to have around a few of the ones who made our Party the envy of many in the Nation. Retired Judge John Moser is another example of a brilliant and effective leader who is still active and a force to be reckoned with in the political circles that I run in. Judge Moser, Dan Wurst and my father were all in boy scouts together so the roots truly run deep.
Where does one get their desire for political activism? In my case, it was instilled in me by my dad who was a warrior and work horse for the Republican Party back in the day when we struggled just to find candidates. He and his longtime ally, Wendell Judd were the workers along with many others. I can remember back in 70's when the YR's (Young Republicans) would have a dances and over a hundred couples would show up and party the night away. I don't know how they did it because in my early 5o's I am ready for the napper's house by ten o'clock most nights!
I was also a member of the Teenage Age Republican Club (TARS's) along with some of my contemporaries, such as Cindy Carpenter, Marty Judd and others. We did political work like stuffing envelopes, putting out signs and attending rallies, those were indeed the good old days! It really took shape for us in this county with the 1972 election but it really went back to all the hard work we all did, and without a lot of money. We understood then and some of us do today, the true value of grass roots politicking!
What does the future hold? Time will only tell, of course. I am hopeful that with a new breed of volunteers to work with, our Party will get even stronger and more effective. The Democrats should know we mean business, even after them dumping about 70 g's against us this past fall, we are a force to be reckoned with and we plan on maintaining that dominance. My biggest hope is that our State Party get turned around and turn us back to a red state!
