06/05/2026
George gave the keynote speech at the 2026 Wayne County Republican Committee Chairman’s Club Dinner on Thursday. The event was hosted by the Ontario NY Republican Committee in the Pub On The Green at the Ontario Golf Club. Congratulations to former assemblyman Bob Oaks on being recognized with this year’s Chairman’s Award!
For those interested in the text of George’s remarks:
“If you all would kindly indulge me for a few minutes I’d like to talk a little bit about what I think it means to be a Republican and a conservative.
In America, to be a conservative means to conserve the principles of the American Revolution. This is the 250th anniversary of that revolution, and as Republicans, it is on us to conserve those founding principles of democracy and liberty.
Democracy and liberty both sound like pretty good things. And they are. But I would argue that one of those things is simply more vital than the other.
Neither democracy nor liberty come naturally. They certainly don’t exist in the animal kingdom. And while they may sound complimentary, democracy and liberty are often at odds.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I like democracy. I like that we settle our disagreements with ballots instead of bullets. I like that we count votes instead of consulting royal bloodlines, local shamans, or whichever celebrity has the most Instagram followers that month.
But here is the uncomfortable truth the political class wants you to forget: Democracy is not the point.
Democracy is a tool. It’s a mechanism. It’s a way of deciding who gets to govern. It is not, in and of itself, the highest political good.
We’ve started treating democracy the way some people treat the latest smartphone. We assume that because it is new and popular, it must be inherently wise and good.
History, however, suggests otherwise. If 51% of the people vote to take away the rights of the other 49%, that is technically democracy. If a majority decides that your property should belong to them, that is democracy. If a majority decides what you can say, what you can believe, or how you should raise your own children, that is democracy too.
Democracy is only a means to an end. But the end is liberty. And liberty is why we bother counting the votes in the first place.
The American Founders 250 years ago understood something that today’s Albany Democrats have forgotten. They understood that the purpose of government is not to reflect the will of the largest mob; it is to protect the God-given rights of the citizen. The Constitution wasn’t written as a suggestion box for bureaucrats to ignore when it gets in the way of their latest cultural experiment. The Constitution is set up to put chains on government.
Yet, look at Albany today. They see the Constitution as a speed bump. They act as though winning an election gives them ownership of your life. They pass regulations that crush working families exempting themselves, and when you dare to complain they call you “extreme.” They spend your money like it’s theirs, and treat you like you are the problem.
Some days, looking at that machine, it feels like we are trying to hold back a flood with a garden rake. You look at these endless fads, the political correctness, and the moral posturing disguised as policy, and you wonder if it can really be turned around.
When you reach that point I’d ask you to remember what I have to say in closing. In Closing, I’d like to introduce you all to the concept of “the Remnant.”
The Remnant is a concept originating in the biblical story of the prophet Isaiah. It was popularized in modern politics by the writer Albert Jay Nock. Nock argued that Isaiah mission was not to persuade the masses but to speak the truth and preserve the truth for the small number of people who would hear it and carry it forward.
The Remnant, then, is that often unseen minority who keep alive the principles of free and decent society during times when broader culture has lost interest in them. The principles of our Revolution.
The Remnant doesn’t always hold the levers of power. The Remnant are the people that keep the faith. They are the people who continue teaching their children what is right even when the broader culture screams that it is wrong. They are the people who refuse to participate in obvious falsehoods simply because pretending is more comfortable than thinking.
If we look at history this is how all great recoveries have occurred, not because everyone suddenly became wise overnight, but because enough decent ordinary people stayed faithful to what is true, good, and beautiful when times were hard.
As New York Republicans, that is our job. As conservatives, that is our job. It’s not about winning every election – though winning elections is always nice. Our job is to preserve the conditions that make self government possible. It is to guard the things worth saving until the broader culture is willing to rediscover them.
So, in this 250th year of our country, I am asking for your support. Not with promises of “free stuff” or easy wins, but with a pledge to be your voice against the machine.
If you are here today, you are part of that Remnant.
You are one of those citizens who know that rights come before politics. You are one of those citizens who have not forgotten what made this country the greatest experiment in human freedom the world has ever known.
Because you are all here today, I remain unshakably optimistic, and I pledge to be your happy warrior.
Thank you, God bless you, and let’s get to work.”
