Luksik Talk To Delco Patriots Not Stopped By Storm — An impending snowstorm and a four-hour drive back to Johnstown kept conservative favorite Peg Luksik from her traditional mingle with the crowd but she still entranced a banquet room of Delaware County Patriots with her hour-plus talk of tips on dealing with elected officials.
Tonight’s meeting was at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Newtown Square which was a bit of a break for Peg since it was a half-hour closer to the the Turnpike than the Kings Mills in Aston where the meetings had been held. She said getting home took a priority this night since she was to meet her son who was on leave from the Navy.
The room was near full. It was reported that the night brought 35 new participants. So much for claims that passion was falling.
Mrs. Luksik said that politicians were people with feelings and that being nice to them was much better than ranting at them.
“You catch more flies with honey, than vinegar,” she said.
She said that meeting them at the district office is almost always more effective than trying to meet them in Harrisburg since there is much less competition for their time. She cited as example her interactions with Republican leader Mike Turzai, who is now majority leader. She said she gets much more time with him in his home office, which is in the 28th District in Allegheny County, than she does in Harrisburg.
She was quite high in her praise for Turzai.
Mrs. Luksik emphasized the importance of researching and understanding the issues before any meeting with an elected official. She also emphasized the importance of accuracy and honesty. She cited several legislative battles that she won because her opponent was caught in bald lies.
She discounted the use of petitions and rallies. She said one of the most effective things an activist can do is a short, polite handwritten letter. She said thank you notes following a positive vote can be remarkably beneficial as can polite notes expressing disappointment following an undesired vote.
She emphasized the importance of attending municipal and school board meetings, a point made clear after her talk when it was revealed that Springfield activists squashed an expected tax hike in that town.
Mrs. Luksik gave an example as to how attending the small meetings made one knowledgeable and confident when dealing with officials in bigger arenas.
She emphasized the importance of teamwork and that nobody should be too proud to feel a job is beneath them.
“Everybody has to clean the bathrooms,” she said.
She talked about the importance of building bridges to political opponents and described how she managed to convince a group of Democrats the wisdom of making English the official language by reasonably describing the liberating benefits being required to learn it would grant those who don’t know it.
She did emphasize, however, the importance of not compromising on principles, and learning from failures. She cited as an example the success homosexual activists have had over the last two decades.
Not that she was saying there was anything right about it.
Mrs. Luksik ended her talk by noting that America is founded on a specific belief that it is not government that is the ultimate authority, but God. She said that is the soul of America and that it is that soul for which we must fight.
The Delco Patriots will be having candidate and campaign manger training, Feb. 5, at the Marple Public Library.
Pre-registration cost will be $35, with a $45 cost for walk-ins.
Details should soon be available on the website.
