DEFEND THE MAJORITY

While the 2008 election campaign is over and the new Republican majority in the state legislature turns its attention to the opportunity to govern our great state through challenging times, your Tennessee Republican Party is focused on the future. Having achieved a historic victory this year – thanks to the hard work throughout 2008 by the Party’s leaders, staff, volunteers and campaign workers across the state – the Tennessee Republican Party is already taking steps to prepare for the next election cycle in 2010.

The new Republican majority in the state legislature will most certainly be challenged in 2010 by a well-funded, aggressive effort by the Tennessee Democrat Party – indeed, they are already regrouping for that purpose. That is why we are rolling out a new effort, the Tennessee GOP: Defend the Majority project, to begin to prepare, now. The effort will be multi-faceted and aimed at reaching Republican and conservative voters and supporters in all demographics across Tennessee and outside the Volunteer State who believe that it matters who governs and that Tennessee will be better served by a Republican-majority legislature. Currently, the Defend the Majority project has established a web presence at Facebook.com, where, already, more than 135 people have signed on to support the effort. You can find the Facebook group Tennessee GOP: Defend the Majority here.

What is the Defend the Majority project, and why is it so important?

Republicans gained four seats to take a 50-49 edge in the state House, the first GOP majority since 1849, and gained three seats to hold a 19-14 edge in the state Senate. Democrats are already regrouping and making preparations for an all-out assault aimed at retaking the majority in 2010 – and the party which wins the majority in 2010 will control redistricting in 2011.

It is crucial that Republicans, not Democrats, control redistricting in 2011. In 1991 and again in 2001, Democrats wrote obviously partisan redistricting plans designed to eliminate as many Republican incumbents as possible, producing highly gerrymandered districts that often split counties and communities in nonsensical ways for partisan advantage.

Redistricting also impacts congressional districts – indeed, more than one national Left wing website has identified Tennessee as a key 2010 battleground for controlling state legislative majorities and governorships in order to redraw congressional lines to create a permanent Democrat-majority Congress.

People who sign on to support the Defend the Majority project are pledging to do three things to help Republicans keep the majority in the 2010 legislative elections:

1. Sign up for the Tennessee Republican Party’s email list to get our email updates and weekly online newsletter. You can sign up here.

2. Make a quarterly donation of at least $25 to the Tennessee Republican Party in 2009 and 2010. You can donate online or by mail to Tennessee Republican Party, 2424 21st Ave., Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37212

Becoming a member of The Capitol Club at silver level or above in 2009 and 2010 is a great way to satisfy this requirement. You can join The Capitol Club online, or by sending a check in the proper amount, to the Tennessee Republican Party, 2424 21st Ave., Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37212. Make sure to put “Capitol Club” on the memo line.

3. Promise to donate at least $100 to a key Republican incumbent or challenger in 2010. After the 2010 primaries, the Party will advise members of the Defend the Majority project which of our candidates are in key races and who need your financial support.

You can add your name to the list of supporters of the Defend the Majority project online at Facebook. If you do not use Facebook but would like to be added to the list of supporters of the Defend the Majority project, please contact Bill Hobbs, communications director for the Tennessee Republican Party, at billhobbs@tngop.org.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

We are continuing to collect opinions on a variety of issues from health care to the direction of the national Republican Party. For the hundreds of you who have already responded to the online survey, we say THANK YOU! If you have not yet participated, we encourage you to do so soon. The online survey will continue to be available until Monday, Dec. 15, and we will present the results via our Dec. 16 edition of this report. We want to hear from YOU!

HISTORY…WITH SOLUTIONS AS A PRIORITY

I can’t believe it’s already been a month since our historic victories in both the Senate and the House. Everyday I talk to Tennesseans who are just as excited now as they were the day after the election. The Senate now stands at 19 Republicans and 14 Democrats for the first time in the history of our state.

I want to thank you for your hard work this year and also thank you for your steadfast support through the last several election cycles as we drew closer and closer to true majorities in both chambers. Now is the time for all who have worked for this day to savor their victory.

As we get closer to the legislative session I want to assure everyone who supported Republican candidates across this great state that we will make you proud. We will focus on jobs and the economy to Keep Tennessee Working.

While the budget situation may seem dire if you read the newspapers, it is also an opportunity to trim the size of government and deliver on the promise of a smaller, more efficient government. With control of both chambers of the legislature, we can finally start to address this issue in earnest.

We will also work on policies that you told us must be implemented. Commonsense restrictions on abortion to protect the unborn as well as legislation to protect the second amendment will be addressed.

Education funding and quality will be of great importance to the 106th General Assembly. We will protect K-12 funding and explore the expansion of our state’s charter schools law – currently the most restrictive in the nation. Tennesseans have expressed support for expanding charter school options which allow flexibility in improving a child’s education.

Thank you again for all you have done to advance Republican ideals in the state of Tennessee. I hope you and your family have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Sincerely,

Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey

NATION DISAPPOINTED AGAIN

As the nation watches the sad spectacle of massive, venal, corruption unfolding in the office of Illinois Democrat Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who, according to federal investigators, sought to enrich himself by selling Barack Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder, we here in Tennessee are reminded of more than one scandal in Tennessee’s political past in which Democrats sought personal financial gain at the expense of the public trust. Whether it was Democrat Gov. Ray Blanton selling pardons, Democrat Gov. Phil Bredesen’s administration and campaign selling Highway Patrol promotions for campaign donations, or Democrat senators like Ward Crutchfield, John Ford and Kathryn Bowers selling their vote on legislation for a few thousand dollars in bribe money, the story is always a familiar one: Elected to serve the public, they decide instead to serve themselves at the expense of the public, and to abuse their power for personal and/or political gain.

The Tennessee Republican Party stressed throughout 2008 that “it matters who governs,” and, having won the legislative majority and thus the power to select the state’s three constitutional officers – Secretary of State, Comptroller and Treasurer – Republican leaders have moved quickly to ensure that the selection process is open and transparent, as opposed to the smoky back-room political deal-making of the past. That’s the kind of leadership you can expect from Republicans in the upcoming session of the General Assembly, which will convene for the first time on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009, at noon, at which time it will elect its leadership. Come see history made.

In the meantime, the “Hope & Change” is proving to be an empty phrase proving to be effective marketing with no meaning.