The fall of State Senator Marty Golden (R–Brooklyn) and Congressman Dan Donovan (R–Staten Island) should put the Brooklyn GOP on notice: There is a need for younger, more diverse candidates that can connect with the community and provide unique solutions to problems plaguing our urban neighborhoods.
It’s no secret that New York City is a liberal bastion that has made it difficult for Republicans and the Republican Party to find a niche audience.
However, that is just as much the fault of the local party apparatus of political tribalism of the five boroughs.
Brooklyn GOP has so far failed to reflect the people it’s trying to represent.
Today’s voters look to leaders who care about their needs.
And to the vast majority of city voters, the Republican Party has become synonymous with callousness and corruption.
However, empathy and conservative principles are not mutually exclusive. If Republicans want to broaden their appeal, they need to revisit George W. Bush’s compassionate conservatism.
They need to fight for people, not abstract concepts.
The next generation of Republicans must reaffirm a better future for all. They must get back to basics and start reconnecting with their local communities – speak their language (literally).
New York City Republicans need to reach out to minority communities and refocus their priorities on bipartisan issues that the mayor, the City Council, and Albany have consistently dropped the ball on.
We need a message that sets us apart, that moves us beyond the demagoguery of Donald J. Trump and provides solutions to problems plaguing all New Yorkers when it comes to housing, education, criminal justice and healthcare.
If that means adopting liberal ideas, or compromising in order to codify a kinder, gentler society, then that is exactly what we should do – and we can do it without sacrificing our core principles of fiscal probity, free enterprise, personal freedom, individual responsibility and self-government.
The GOP has a lot to offer, but we need to be consistent.
We have an obligation to stand up for everyday New Yorkers who are struggling to make it. If we’re about the working class, then our statutes and our systems need to sing it from the rafters. We can’t get caught up in the quagmire of self-aggrandizement or appeasing special interests.
If we’re for rooting out corruption, then let’s root out corruption.
Ultimately, it’s not about Democrat versus Republican, Right versus Left, but instead practical versus fantastical. Issues like, homelessness, housing and income inequality have sky-rocketed in New York. The status quo of corporate welfare is not working.
And yes, we can have a great message, but messaging means nothing without the proper messengers.
Running young, qualified, well-vetted candidates that reflect the local community is our best way of our communicating our ideas to a new audience.
It’s time for both parties to genuinely and unequivocally advocate for the working class and those struggling to make it, or else we will all get left behind.
(Joel M. Acevedo is a board member of the Brooklyn Young Republican Club and founder of the Sunset Park Republicans. He is an Arrochar resident.)