The Disorganized Organization

The primary responsibility of a political organization is right there in its name. To organize.

Not simply to endorse candidates every few years, hold Lincoln Day dinners or post on social media.

A political organization exists to build relationships, recruit volunteers, communicate with supporters, mobilize citizens, and ensure that when important public issues arise, elected officials are not standing alone.

Political organizations rarely die overnight. They rot from the inside overtime. From the outside, it appears that the organization is functioning. Then one day something happens that exposes the truth.

Last night, the Sussex County Republican Party demonstrated just how far it has drifted away from anything the remotely resembles a functioning organization.

The Sussex County Board of Commissioners unnecessarily held a special meeting to consider two resolutions addressing election integrity and cooperation with federal immigration authorities—two issues that have become central to the Republican Party throughout the nation.

If there was ever a meeting that should have filled the room with Republican supporters, this was it.

Instead, the room belonged almost entirely to opponents of the resolutions.

While many in attendance were undoubtedly Democrats or individuals who regularly oppose Republican positions, others appeared to be politically unaffiliated, and at least one speaker seem to suggest that she was a Republican herself. Whatever the political makeup of the audience, one fact was unmistakable: those opposing the resolutions outnumbered supporters by about ten to one. In fact, only about 2 or 3 people stood up in support of the resolutions, and the Commissioners.

For nearly three hours, speaker after speaker sharply criticized the Commissioners. They were accused of “wasting taxpayer dollars”. They labeled the resolutions “political theater” and “performative art”. Some went much further, calling the Commissioners “racists”. One speaker described them as “half asleep.” Others argued that the Commissioners should be addressing issues such as property taxes, electric reliability, internet service, and the growing concerns surrounding data centers. The barrage went on and on.

Click and watch the video.

Even probable gubernatorial candidate Matt Rooney attended and spoke to the crowd. Most likely, he was expecting a room full of euphorically cheering supporters given the significance Republicans have attached to election integrity and immigration. This should have been a meeting demonstrating visible grassroots support.

Instead, he soon found out that he made the trip all the way up from Camden County for nothing and quickly exited the meeting after speaking to the audience. He never even mentioned his attendance at the meeting in his Save Jersey blog this morning.

But the real story was not who opposed the resolutions. Citizens have every right to disagree with their elected officials and to voice those disagreements in public.

The real story was who was not there, and why.

Where were the Republican elected officials?

Where were the Republican party officials?

Where were the county committee members?

Where were the Republican club members?

Where were the municipal leaders?

They were nowhere to be found. Not one.

The Commissioners sat there almost entirely alone to receive their thrashing from the public.

Despite enduring nearly three hours of criticism, they ultimately adopted both resolutions. Even after the vote, the attacks continued.

The irony is impossible to miss: The meeting was centered on election integrity and immigration—two issues that Republicans frequently describe as defining priorities. Yet when the opportunity came to demonstrate visible public support, almost nobody showed up.

Whether the opponents were Democrats, independents, Republicans, or politically unaffiliated is beside the point.

They came.

The people who should have been there to support these Commissioners did not.

Despite attempts by some to portray last night’s meeting as some sort of Profiles in Courage story, it was not.

The reality is far more sobering. It was a story about organizational failure.

For decades, the Sussex County Republican Party was able to organize when it needed to. Whether one agreed with its positions or not, it organized supporters, filled meeting rooms, and demonstrated some political strength.

Wednesday night’s meeting painted a very different picture.

Wednesday night’s meeting suggested that organization no longer exists.

It was not simply that Republicans were outnumbered.

It was that they never showed up at all.