THE REASON…

In the tide of personal agendas and raw politics, a beacon of light is seen to remind us of the reason we work so hard to win elections. On Friday, I joined the DeKalb County Republican Party for the fifth (ever) Lincoln Day Dinner…what a true privilege and honor. I met the heart of our party - great people! After the dinner concluded, the room buzzed with the excitement in working toward a Republican victory in the open legislative seat vacated by Democrat Rep. Frank Buck. As I prepared to leave, I thanked the party’s vice chairman and chaplain, Ruth Vandergriff. Mrs. Vandergriff, sitting with her cane, had earlier introduced herself as a long-time, loyal Republican who had watched this local group expand because of our values. Mrs. Vandergriff took my extended hand and pulled me close for a hug and said, “I didn’t think I’d live to see the day we could win” as she referred to this legislative opportunity. She asked if I would promise to come back next year. As I stood up, my cheek was damp with the tears of a faithful fighter who has stayed strong over decades of hard work and commitment to Republican principles.

The face of Mrs. Ruth Vandergriff, streaked with tears, will serve as a guidepost of 2008 for our Tennessee Republican Party. It’s about the great people of Tennessee, their faith, family and freedoms, and making ours a state grounded in decency and goodness.

Mrs. Vandergriff, thank you and thank all of the great folks you symbolize with your tireless work and commitment. What a joy and blessing to know that the Tennessee Republican Party serves you.

MCCAIN’S MARCH TO THE WHITE HOUSE

While Barack Obama was insulting hard-working voters who have faith in God, want their right to bear arms and expect folks to live in this country legally as citizens, John McCain announced a “Comprehensive Pro-Growth Strategy” at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.

John McCain introduced initiatives to “help Americans confront economic challenges while focusing government on actually helping families.” Read John McCain’s speech or watch the delivery of his remarks and contrast his meaningful solutions to the tax-and-spend rants of both Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

TAKING THE HILL

The Tennessee Republican Party is committed to victories not only on D.C.’s Capitol Hill, but also in Nashville. You will be meeting the candidates for House and Senate legislative races in this space in the upcoming weeks. Please note the candidates in your area and support them with your volunteer time, your vote and your financial contributions.

JOSHUA EVANS

Running for Tennessee House District 66, Joshua Evans is no stranger to hard work, a volunteer spirit and a commitment to his community in Robertson County. He has been an active leader in the Robertson County Republican Party, a member of the NRA, volunteers as a First Responder and firefighter in Robertson County, and lay leader in his church, Ebenezer Baptist Church. He and his wife, Brittany, will be working over the months ahead to gain your support and assistance. With your help Joshua Evans will give “our Tennessee values a voice” and keep a consistent conservative vote in Nashville. Evans states clearly his perspective on current issues:

“We must make funding for education and providing the resources our teachers need our top priority. We must work to provide fiscally responsible healthcare options to those in our county that are unable to obtain or cannot afford insurance. We must deal with illegal immigration in our state which is placing too heavy a burden on both education and healthcare in this county. I am strongly opposed to a state income tax, I believe in slowing the growth of property taxes for our seniors on a fixed income, and I believe we should reduce the sales tax on food. I am pro-life and I firmly believe marriage can only be defined between a man and a woman. As a NRA member, I will work to expand and protect the rights of our responsible gun owners in this state. Finally, I believe we must preserve our county’s agricultural heritage while we work to provide the economic and community development support our cities need.”

Get to know Joshua Evans by visiting his website, and get involved to make gains toward a majority in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

SELL AND REINVEST

Congressman John Duncan, R-Knoxville, continues to lead the charge with conservative fiscal leadership in Washington, D.C. This week, Congressman Duncan introduced The Federal Real Property Disposal Enhancement Act, a bill aimed at reducing the number of unneeded properties in the federal portfolio.

According to the Office of Management Budget, the Federal government possesses more than 21,000 unused properties and assets worth over $18 billion. It costs federal agencies around $130 million annually to maintain these properties.

 

LET’S TALK

Likely democrat presidential nominee, Barack Obama, has been vividly clear that he wants to sit at the diplomatic table with members of terrorist organizations who state their goal to “remove Israel off the face of the map”, like Hamas, to “talk” about making progress in the Middle East. Among those Obama is willing to meet with, should he become president, is Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly questioned the Holocaust.

Now, President Ahmadinejad is attempting to rewrite history and employ his propagandizing by stating, “Four or five years ago, a suspicious event occurred in New York. A building collapsed and they said that 3,000 people had been killed but never published their names.”

Despite the eloquent rhetoric and promises, Barack Obama is ready to meet with known enemies of the United States of America and our freedoms.