Greetings!
“I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me.” That was Ronald Reagan’s response to a question posed to him about leaving the Democratic Party in 1962. Reagan changed his political affiliation to the Republican Party and never looked back. More than fifty years later, the opposite is true. Recently Mayor Mike Bloomberg left the Republican Party to become an Independent and just last month, Assemblyman Michael Spano jumped ship and joined the ranks of the Democratic Party. What does all of this mean? I could take a lot of time to opine as to the reasons but I’ll leave it to our members to draw their own conclusions. While we are disappointed in Assemblyman Spano, we wish him good luck. On a more positive note, we congratulate the new chairman of the Westchester Republican Committee, Douglas A. Colety. We look forward to working with Doug.
Regardless of recent events, Hudson Valley continues to work hard and forge relationships with like-minded Republicans. Our presence at gay pride events proved that our place in the Republican Party is solid as we continue to educate gay and lesbian Americans about Republican values. Our postcard campaign for gay marriage has been very effective at these venues and as a result we have sent over five hundred cards to state elected officials. Our actions proved fruitful as the New York State Assembly passed a marriage equality bill and secured the bill’s first Republican co-sponsor, Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward, along with fellow Republicans Joel Miller (Hudson Valley), Mike Spano (Hudson Valley), and Dede Scozzafava (North County). This would not have been possible without your help, thanks.
I think these are exciting times for Hudson Valley and encourage you to be a part of it. Today we launch our first official membership drive, and want you to share our commitment to Republican values. Becoming a member is easy, so please take a few moments to subscribe online. Also, if you have any suggestions or comments on how we are doing, please contact us online. Lastly, keep checking our Event Calendar page and join us at an event soon. Stay cool and I’ll see you next time. - Ingrid
