By Dr. Joe McGinley, Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor: Time for Action!
Most Wyoming residents align their political viewpoints with the Republican Party. However, for those who followed the actions of the Wyoming Republican Party for the past two years, you may be having second thoughts.
The repeated headlines of fights, name calling, censures, personal attacks on women, referencing seceding from the union, multiple lawsuits, past and current individual criminal cases, membership in the Oath Keepers and exclusion of thought would cause any reasonable person to question their association.
You are not alone, as past chairman of the Natrona County Republican Party and current Natrona County State Committeeman, I am utterly embarrassed by the behavior of our Wyoming Republican Party leadership and most of the county party leadership across the state.
I want to stress the current leadership in no way represents Republican values or principles. We are the party of Lincoln and Reagan. We believe in inclusion, open debate, community support, freedom of speech, protection of life, and the defense of liberty.
The current Wyoming Republican Party leadership has thoroughly embarrassed anyone who considers themselves a Republican. They take pride in demeaning others even to the extent of harassment and intimidation.
The Wyoming Republican Party has been hijacked by a small group of extremists. These individuals only care about themselves and their petty agendas. Earlier this month at the WRP state convention, countless hours were spent excluding the most populous county (Laramie) from participating after already excluding most of Natrona County.
At the last convention 2 years ago, Natrona County was the target of similar petty attacks, all to silence to voice of fellow Republicans. The goal of the current leadership is to consolidate power among a few individuals, silence any and all dissenting voices, and use propaganda to claim superiority.
Fortunately, there are still many true Republicans in Wyoming willing to speak up and fight for our values. These individuals do not have personal agendas, they are not looking for revenge, they are not trying to silence dissenting options. These true Republicans are fighting to protect our principles, and party reputation.
Now is the time to act. We need your help to bring respect, transparency, and civility back to the Wyoming Republican Party. Only with diverse viewpoints and community focused goals will our party grow and prosper.
We should welcome all perspectives and debate differences in a civil and meaningful manner. Only through unimpeded speech will new ideas be cultivated. The future of our towns, cities and state depends on it. Let’s set WY apart as a state leading the way in true political discourse and productive problem-solving agendas.
You are the solution to this problem! I ask each of you to consider running for a local precinct position in your community. The time commitment is minimal, typically one meeting per quarter. You are the grassroots which will define the leadership and voice of our party.
The application (https://sos.wyo.gov/Forms/Elections/Apps/Precinct_Person_Application_by_Party_Primary.pdf) needs to be filed at your county clerk’s office by May 27th. The deadline is approaching quickly. Please also reach out and share your contact information.
We are organizing community members to take action and change the direction of OUR Wyoming Republican Party. If you would like updates, please send your contact information to rightwayGOP@gmail.com.
Join us and be part of the solution. Your voice matters, your opinion matters, your involvement matters. Now is the time to stand up and say enough is enough. Defend our great Republican Party and demonstrate true conservative principles though action. Let’s bring pride and respect back to our party!
Joseph C. McGinley, MD, PhD
Concerned Wyoming Republican
