By Dr. Joseph McGinley
Dr. McGinley served as chairman of the Natrona County from March 2017 – March 2021
My name is Dr. Joseph McGinley. I have served as the Chairman of the Natrona County Republican Party (NCRP) for the past 4 years and as Vice Chairman the 4 years prior. Over this time, I have witnessed the implosion of the Wyoming Republican Party (WRP) and many of the County Republican Parties across our great state.
Over the past 4 years, there have been several physical altercations at WRP events, corrupt elections, verbal attacks, voting manipulation, secret investigations, negative national news stories, support of conspiracy theories, smear campaigns against our own elected officials, lawsuits against the WRP, support of out of state Republican officials being investigated for sexual activities and a general lack of decency.
The response of many good Republicans has been to say, “That’s not what I believe in so I’m not going to participate”. This approach however is exactly how we ended up in this situation.
When I was elected Chairman in Natrona County, we were on the brink of extremism. My position was immediately challenged by the extremists, and they even attempted to hold their own meeting to appoint a new chairman. Fortunately, those elected to serve spoke up, reaffirmed my elected position and from that point forward the NCRP focused on building a positive organization based on our values, principles, and constitutional commitment.
We have seen unprecedented success in our county. In the past 4 years, we have had a 100% success rate electing Republicans, seen the largest number of people volunteer as precinct representatives, engaged the young members of our community, volunteered at community events; but most importantly, held true to our values and did not compromise for personal gain.
The extremism we are currently witnessing in the WRP is the result of apathy. True Wyoming Republicans are currently sitting on the sidelines, too disgusted and embarrassed to participate.
The problem however is not our great Republican Party, the problem is those currently in power have twisted the meaning of being Republican. They are willing to name call, lie, manipulate, intimidate and bully to maintain their small sliver of power. However, there is hope, you are the solution to this problem!
This is a call to action! I ask you to stand up and say, “NO” to extremism! I did just that 4 years ago and this encouraged many others to do the same. Good conservative Republicans said “NO” to extremism. We pointed out the hypocrisy and for our efforts, we have been attacked for our voice of consciousness. I personally have been censured by the WRP three times for nothing more that speaking up and speaking out.
However, we did not back down, these attacks just reaffirmed our purpose. The current positive approach and message of the NCRP is the result of many people volunteering many hours to make our community a better place for everyone. We believe in the voice of the individual, we believe in actions over words, we believe in our constitution, and most importantly we believe your participation matters!
Now is the time to act, we need your help. We need good people in every county to speak up. Join our efforts today for we are a volunteer group of Republicans focused on restoring integrity, honor, and respect to the Wyoming Republican Party.
Our group of Wyoming Republicans welcomes your opinion and voice. Our goal is to embrace differences, speak up against bullying, encourage conversations, listen to others, support those in need, offer hope, create opportunity and be respectful of diverse opinions. As Republicans, we believe in the voice of the individual. As Republicans, we will fight for everyone’s right to an opinion, even when, or ESPECIALLY when, we disagree.
Our values teach us to lead by actions and not by words. Now is your time to be part of the solution and better your community. Now is the time for you to open your heart and offer a listening ear to those who have been led astray by the temptations of anger, fear, and deceit. Do not be led down the path of extremism due to false temptations. Instead, engage in conversation with your colleagues about the issues.
Your voice matters and only YOU can make a difference. If we eliminate apathy, we will overcome extremism!
