Welcome to RedDauphin.com!
Once upon a time, not so long ago, Dauphin County was a solid Republican County dependably electing GOP candidates to office at all levels of government and turning in large majorities for statewide candidates.
Those days are gone.
In calendar year 2008 the party's voter registration edge not only disappeared, but Republicans have gone into a 5,000 plus voter registration deficit countywide. Then, on November 4th, the roof fell in: Dauphin County went to Barack Obama by over 10,000 votes. In so doing, Dauphin was the only mid-state county to support the Democratic nominee.
The purpose of RedDauphin.com is to raise the sinking ship.
But – and this is a big "but" – not simply to return it to what it was, but to rescue the party from the vice grip of the lobbyists and special interests that currently control it and rebuild it on a firm grassroots foundation.
This means the Dauphin County Republican Party will enter uncharted waters. No longer will voices be silenced through an out-dated endorsement process, but candidates will be recruited and supported to run and take their case directly to the voters.
Of course, there will be those who will call for "party unity" in the wake of the recent electoral disaster. When they do, ask the question: who is the party? When those in power say we should rally behind them for the sake of "party unity," what they mean is they are trying to protect their place at the trough.
The time has come for Republicans who believe in the core values of our party – the values articulated so well by Ronald Reagan – to stand up and fight for those principles. If this means a period of internal discord, so be it. Was Ronald Reagan handed his position as a party leader? No, he fought for decades to achieve it. And the result was an unprecedented era of conservative government that lead to a safer nation, a stronger economy, and a better America.
Now our time has come.
We are called upon to make a difference, to wrest control of the Dauphin County Republican Party from those who use it only to win contracts and build their own personal power. We must empower grassroots committee people, volunteers, and regular Republicans and do so by reclaiming the proud and winning legacy of the Reagan era.
That does not mean we try and return to the Reagan era. That is not possible. The political world has changed, and we must change with it. While embracing the principles of Reagan and our party we must move past such outmoded policies as endorsements that expend party money defeating Republicans, and redirect those resources to party-building activities. Along the way we must embrace new technologies, such as the internet and social networking sites for organizing, fundraising, and message communications.
And here another harsh reality: current party leadership cannot get the job done. While it is true the county committee operated in a difficult environment this year, it failed to deliver. All the counties surrounding Dauphin delivered for John McCain – Dauphin did not. And it isn't because we have a Democratic city in our midst, so does York and so does Lancaster. It is because our party leadership both failed to recognize the problem and then refused to do anything about it.
When thousands of Republicans registered as Democrats in the primary, Chairman John McNally said they would return to the fold after the election. They did not. When thousands of new voters registered Democrat and we lost our registration edge, Chairman McNally said they may register as Democrats but will vote Republican. They did not. Now, we will be told those thousands of new Democrats won't vote in county and municipal elections. Some won't, but many will.
It is time to face facts. Dauphin County is now a Democratic county and it is because behind-the-scenes lobbyists have called all the shots and placed into places such as the party chairmanship, county commissioners' office, and dozens of other places people who will do their bidding – and not reflect the best interests of the party as a whole.
This power paradigm has lead to the current debacle. It cannot lead us out of it.
And so, what to do?
First, bookmark RedDauphin.com and read it frequently. I will be posting articles of interest, blog entries, and enterprise pieces. RedDauphin.com will spotlight candidates for office who will reflect core party principles and prove themselves independent of the party bosses.
We are also going to do the job the mainstream media have failed to do. Among the regular features of this web site will be "Rapp Sheet," detailing how lobbyist Stan Rapp spins a web of control over the Dauphin County Republican Party. We will reveal the unsavory machinations of the Dauphin County Commissioners – who pay Rapp handsomely for his services. And, we will begin the process of restoring Republican representation in Washington, D.C. by keeping you posted on Congressman Tim Holden's support of Nancy Pelosi and the liberal Democrats in the nation's capital.
Along the way, we are going to work to rid the Dauphin County Republican Committee of those who use it for their own gain by encouraging and supporting the election of precinct committee people and candidates for public office who will put the best interests of "we the taxpayers" ahead of special interests.
This is a daunting task. But, ask yourself if the Republican Party, your community, your state, and your nation are worth the effort.
If your answer is yes, keep reading RedDauphin.com.