TORNADO RELIEF

The Super Tuesday tornados that wreaked devastation across parts of Tennessee are provoking a terrific response from Tennesseans in terms of disaster recovery and response. The Tennessee Republican Party urges you to help in whatever way you can. A number of organizations are collecting donations for tornado relief, including:

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
The American Red Cross Nashville chapter
The American Red Cross Mid-South chapter (Memphis)
Tennessee Baptist Convention Disaster Relief

In addition, many media outlets are also collecting donations. And a fund has been set up for tornado-ravaged Union University, which just last week hosted the Madison County Republican Party’s Reagan Day Dinner.

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE

The Presidential Primary vote on “Super, Fat Tuesday” shows the strength of the Tennessee Republican voters. The race in Tennessee developed on the back stretch following the South Carolina primary with a stir of activity from the Huckabee, Romney and McCain campaigns in our state during the last two weeks. Thank you and congratulations for your hard work in your candidate’s campaign.

Over the next few weeks, primaries will be held in a few states that will likely decide the delegate count to yield a Republican nominee. Contrasting the likely position on the Democrat side, the determination of a nominee may continue for many weeks.

The debate over issues that have focused on national security, health care and the economy and faith and family issues have served to strengthen our Party. All of these issues represent the priorities of the people of the Republican Party. In the Democrat primary, both candidates, Senator Clinton and Barack Obama, reflect almost identical issues. However, the division has grown along racial and gender lines. In unifying behind a single candidate, history shows that debate over issues is much healthier than personal politics aligned among demographics such as gender and race.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

The next President will appoint at least one Justice to the Supreme Court. The next President will lead the War on Terror against radical Islamic terrorists. The next President will determine the policies impacting our economy by either raising taxes while increasing government spending or cutting taxes and shrinking federal spending. The next President will either address health care accessibility by working to have citizens own their health care policy and decisions or have the government turn into the provider of services and determine who delivers your care while garnishing your wages. The next President will deal with the issue of illegal immigrants by enforcing the border and current laws or issue illegal immigrants drivers’ licenses, as both Democrats have agreed to do. The next President will be required to honestly work to keep Social Security from going bankrupt through policies that keep the program intact and available or by cutting the eligibility or raising taxes.

The list is not exhaustive. The issues, however, will show the very bright lines and the tremendous gulf that separates the philosophies and values between the Republican and the Democrat Presidential Nominee. The focus needs to be on achieving the best for America with policy versus what makes people happiest based on personality.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH…THE TRUE HISTORY

February is Black History Month. The Republican Party has a very strong and rich history regarding civil rights, human rights and the work, shoulder-to-shoulder, with African Americans in pursuing their freedom, prosperity and voice in the political arena. Please visit the TRP’s African American Coalition link to read about the historical stance that supports the complete Party of Lincoln.

RACE-BAITING FROM THE LEFTIST MEDIA

On January 31, the liberal left paper, The Memphis Flyer, published an article written about Republican State Representative Stacey Campfield’s legislation to prevent middle school students from being taught a curriculum that advocates the homosexual agenda and families. Rather than use a standard picture of a state legislator available of all members of the Tennessee General Assembly on Tennessee.gov, the Memphis Flyer used a “photoshopped” picture that attempted to frame the East Tennessee Republican as a racist.

Please click the link to see the press release sent demanding an apology and see the altered photo that “progressives” printed to divert attention from the true issue…protecting middle school students from the gay agenda.

Press Release

BORDER WAR…OVER WATER

Georgia legislators have submitted legislation that proposes to move the Georgia state line north to include the Nickajack Reservoir of the Tennessee River. The drought that has hit the entire south has been particularly difficult for Georgia due to its population explosion while ignoring the infrastructure needs.

While Georgia has a coastal access to the Atlantic Ocean, they have designs on the fresh water that serves our state’s citizens for our water supply, our economy that transports goods and offers recreation. Uniquely, however, the Tennessee River cools the nuclear towers in Tennessee and Alabama built in the TVA system that produce energy for numerous states and require abundant amounts of water.

Governor Phil Bredesen must speak now, regardless of his past reluctance, on the issue of our water supply.

The focus on the War on Terror has evaporated in the media due to the success of the Surge that leftist progressives refuse to acknowledge. Yet, these same “progressives”, the old Democrats who are weak on national security, are obstructing one of the most effective tools to disrupt the plots of Islamic terrorists: the ability to monitor phone calls made to known terrorists and to known sympathizers of terrorists. As usual, the distraction/distortion techniques of the Progressives/Democrats confuse the issue by screaming that the government is listening to conversations of innocent, average citizens. Please phone your Members of Congress to support their vote to protect the ability to stop terrorists and their sympathizers here in our nation.

Watch the video released by the RNC - Protect America Alert

Also this week, President George W. Bush addressed the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC. You can read his remarks here.