is NOT an unalienable right

In March Obama and the Democrats passed ObamaCare, many congressmen voted against this bill including many of the legislators from Pennsylvania.

But was voting against the bill enough? One month ago Steve King of Iowa filed a petition to force a vote to repeal ObamaCare. Contact your Congressman and ask them to sign this petition.

June 16, 2010 – To the Clerk of the House of Representatives:

Pursuant to clause 2 of rule XV, I, Steve King of Iowa, move to discharge the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, Education and Labor, the Judiciary, Natural Resources, Rules, House Administration, and Appropriations from the consideration of the bill (H.R. 4972) to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; which was referred to said committees on March 25, 2010, in support of which motion the undersigned Members of the House of Representatives affix their signatures, to wit:

[Link to Steve King's petition]

Joe Pitts, Todd Platts and GT Thompson voted against ObamaCare and have taken a stand and signed King’s petition to repeal ObamaCare.

Republicans Jim Gerlach, Bill Shuster, Tim Murphy, and Charlie Dent also voted against ObamaCare but now won’t take a public stance against it. Give them a call and tell them to support the repeal of ObamaCare.

Democrats Jason Altmire and Tim Holden who voted against the bill have not said they would vote for repeal. Were they voting to save their seats or voting because they believed the bill was wrong.

It’s time to put up or shut up, you can’t be against something one minute and not against it when it more beneficial.

More links about ObamaCare in case you’ve forgotten why it’s a bad idea.

• Heritage Action For America – Repeal ObamaCare
• Commonwealth Foundation – Who the Health Cares about the Constitution
• Heritage Action for America – Repealing is Appealing
• Attorney General Tom Corbett Sues Fed over Health Care bill
• Commonwealth Foundation – National Healthcare would Harm PA

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If you go the Lancaster public library and check out “Rules For Radicals” by Saul Alinsky you will find this inscription on the front page. “In honor of Lois Herr presented by the Women’s Alliance”. If you are not familiar with the book here are a few of the “Rules“…

• Power is not only what you have, but what an opponent thinks you have. If your organization is small, hide your numbers in the dark and raise a din that will make everyone think you have many more people than you do.
• Never go outside the experience of your people. The result is confusion, fear, and retreat.
• Whenever possible, go outside the experience of an opponent. Here you want to cause confusion, fear, and retreat.
• Make opponents live up to their own book of rules. “You can kill them with this, for they can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity.”
• Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It’s hard to counterattack ridicule, and it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage.
• Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, polarize it. Don’t try to attack abstract corporations or bureaucracies. Identify a responsible individual. Ignore attempts to shift or spread the blame.

At a recent rally against the Pitts-Stupak Amendment Lois Herr condemned Pitts and his friends for being “Radicals” the question is, who is the radical? Lois Herr has a history of support for The Women’s Alliance, so the question is, does she support having “Rules For Radicals” by Saul Alinsky being donated in her honor?

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An oldie but a goodie,

YouTube link

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Why I’m Running

I’m running for Lancaster County Republican Chairman because I believe in the Republican party. I joined committee last year because I wanted to make a difference. Since then, I have seen first-hand, the disorganization and lack of communication that permeates the Republican committee. Our committee if full of great people who are hampered by the very organization they represent. The role of GOP chairman should be to increase the energy of the party, to empower people rather than just tell them who to vote for. I believe the committee still serves a purpose but the role of the committee needs to be communicated to the voter. The average person I meet on the street doesn’t even know what a committee person is, let alone their purpose. The committee has a great purpose and that needs to be communicated. People need to be educated, our county needs to get excited and the methods of yesterday cannot accomplish this. It’s time to refresh, revive and restart our Republican Party in Lancaster County.

Sincerely,

Ethan Demme

Platform

Voter Registration

The plurality in voter registration the Republican party has enjoyed in Lancaster county is swiftly declining. Since 2004 it has declined from 102,000 to 68,000 in 2009.

From November 2009, to May 2010 the Republican party gained 124 new members, while the Democrat party gained 257 new members.  In the “unaffiliated” category, voters increased by 718.

These numbers need to be turned around. The Republican party is still the dominant party in the county, but at 54% that will not last long if this downward spiral continues.

Most of these “unaffiliated” voters are self identified conservatives, independents, libertarians, constitution party, etc. These are people who are tired of politics as usual and are looking for fresh leadership.

Fundraising

Across the fundraising spectrum, from non-profits, to colleges, and to political parties, fundraising from big donors has been drying up. Recent political campaigns have seen up to 35% of the money raised from people who donated 200.00 or less. Events need to be created that have appeal to the big dollar donors as well as the small dollar donors. If we are truly a party of the people then our fundraising events should reflect those people.

Technology

It’s 2010 and there are more people on facebook than there are in the entire United States! The demographics of facebook align with the demographics of the country and Lancaster County. The internet is no longer a “young people” thing. The fastest growing demographic on facebook is over the age of 65.

The Lancaster Republican party needs a comprehensive outreach strategy that includes traditional media as well as new media. A few examples of new media would be creating a blog, aggregating content and providing helpful links, email marketing, facebook marketing, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), twitter, youtube etc. Not only should the party be doing these things, they should be helping candidates and committee people do these things as well.

Core Principles

The Republican party stands for the core principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, family values and personal responsibility. Too often values get passed over in favor of candidates “who can win.” If you visit the Lancaster GOP website and try to find out the values of the local Republican party you will find nothing.

The principles of the Republican party need to be clearly communicated. These principles apply just as much to Southern Lancaster County as they do to Lancaster City. The party needs to fight for these principles wherever they are threatened not just where they can win or it is convenient.

Enthusiasm

Regular people around the country are getting fired up about politics, they are attending Tea Party, healthcare and 9-12 rallies. They are supporting candidates and working the polls. The only problem is, they are doing all this outside the republican party. Imagine if the republican party welcomed such enthusiasm, plugged people in to help with local races. A common complaint heard from friends and neighbors is “I would love to help out but I don’t know how and when I contact the GOP HQ to volunteer I get turned away or no one is there.” The local GOP HQ needs to be the hub of information. No one should be turned away.

There are stories of regular people doing great things around the county. Susan in East Petersburg is trying to sign up 100 new voters to vote for Pat Toomey in November. John in East Lampeter wrote himself in to win Judge of Elections with 3 votes because he wanted to get involved and make a difference. This is what we need more of… this is what makes a difference.

If you can get behind these goals for the Republican Party please leave a comment below and contact us campaign@ethandemme.com and we’ll let you know how to get involved, not only in this campaign but in the future of our party.

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Visit EthanDemme.com for more information and become a fan on facebook.

Related posts:

1. Did Lois Herr Violate Campaign Disclosure Rules?

In the past year, there have been stark reminders of why our Armed Forces are engaged in foreign battles and why many have sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

The Christmas Day bomber nearly killed hundreds in the sky over Detroit. Just a few weeks ago, a terrorist trained in Pakistan tried to detonate a car bomb in Times Square. These attempts make it clear that terrorists are still plotting to use civilians around in the world and in the U.S. as targets. They hate free societies, and especially our own, the most free and prosperous nation in the world.

Indeed, today’s battlefield is even being fought on American shores. Sadly, in the past year, we lost 13 of our fighting men and women and one unborn baby in an attack by a deranged Army officer who had embraced a radical Islamic ideology.

Those who lost their lives had come together from across the country to serve in our Armed Forces and for the cause of liberty. Their hometowns ranged from Spokane to Pittsburgh and they were both officers and enlisted personnel. Some were on their way to the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, and others had just returned from overseas.

Unfortunately, Major Nidal Hasan chose to make Fort Hood, Texas, a battlefield. His attack was cowardly as none of his victims were armed. Despite having no weapon to defend himself, Capt. John Gaffaney charged Hasan during the shooting spree but was mortally wounded. All 13 American soldiers died as heroes, even though they certainly did not expect to fight within their own home base.

The terrorist attacks and attempts here at home reinforce the need for our military to root out our enemies overseas. It reminds us why our soldiers are fighting al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world.
From their bases in Afghanistan, with the full support of the Taliban government, al Qaeda was able to plan and execute the attacks on September 11, 2001. These attacks are not ancient history, but we must not forget what a dedicated terrorist organization can do when they have safe haven and the tacit support of a government.

In the coming weeks, our troops will undertake a campaign to root out the Taliban from Kandahar, the site of the Taliban’s first successful military campaign in 1994. As their virtual capital, Kandahar serves as a major stronghold for the Taliban. This is expected to be the most difficult phase of the new strategy in Afghanistan.
Some question the need for our fight in Afghanistan and, instead, call for negotiation with the Taliban. I believe it is dangerous for us to consider withdrawal or compromise as long as the Taliban embrace international terrorism.

Our success during the surge in Iraq went hand-in-hand with the Anbar Awakening, a movement in which domestic Iraqi groups chose to disassociate from al Qaeda in Iraq. Only after their rejection of terrorism, were we able to work with the Anbar groups to work toward a more peaceful society.

I visited Afghanistan shortly after U.S. forces initially secured the country in 2002. I met with women and children who were brutally oppressed by the Taliban. I witnessed girls eagerly attending school for the first time, delighted by the opportunity to learn and flourish in a freer society. It is my firm belief that we should not abandon the people of Afghanistan to the terrorists who brutalized the country for many years.

The Taliban hope that our resistance to their rule will crumble, but I know that we have dedicated men and women who will stay until we have achieved security for the people of Afghanistan and for our families here at home. They have strong examples of American troops gone before them who fought against persistent and stubborn enemies and returned home victorious.

This Memorial Day we remember those who gave their lives so that we can enjoy freedom. We also think about those who are in harm’s way and pray for their safety and for their families here at home. For those families who lost loved ones the war never ends. We will enjoy that freedom with barbeques and swimming pools, but we must also take the time to honor those who have given the full measure so that we can enjoy the fruits of liberty.

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