An Open Letter to Tennessee Republicans
Dear fellow Tennessee Republican:
You probably haven’t fully realized the tremendous loss dealt to Republicans at the federal level on Tuesday. The reality of a substantial majority in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate coupled with the election of Barack Obama as President probably will not totally sink in until mid-January 2009; however, all is not lost.
In your anguish Tuesday night, you may have missed the fact that Republicans strengthened their majority in the State Senate (19-R, 14-D) and gained a majority in the State House (50-R, 49-D) for the first time in over 30 years. The significance of these accomplishments is dramatic – it’s the single most important accomplishment for Republicans in Tennessee in perhaps a quarter century.
With 69 total elected Republicans in the General Assembly to the Democrat’s 63, things are looking up for you and me. You may not realize the importance of this accomplishment, so I will tell you just how important this is.
With an aggregate majority of elected Republicans to the General Assembly:
- Republicans get to redraw the Congressional lines after the 2010 Census.
- Republicans get to select Constitutional Officers.
- Republicans get to appoint majorities on state/local Election Commissions.
- Republicans get to (perhaps) select the first Republican Speaker of the House and end Jimmy Naifeh’s reign of hyperpartisanship.
Just in case you aren’t sure what these mean, let me attempt to explain this to you.
Allowing Republicans to redraw the Congressional lines means that Republicans can do what Democrats have been doing for years by packing all the Democrats into only a couple districts, while creating districts with a high potential of electing Republican Congressmen. Congressmen like Bart Gordon and Lincoln Davis will most likely be drawn into districts with people like Marsha Blackburn and Zach Wamp. No longer will the Congressional delegation be 5-4, Democrats over Republicans – in fact, it may switch. Republicans can make great gains in Congress through Tennessee.
Republicans can finally select individuals for positions like Secretary of State, Comptroller of the Treasury, and the Secretary of State. Tennessee Republicans can now shake up the Good Ole Boy system of politics by kicking out these individuals and cleaning up the state government.
The Election Commission is a very important aspect of the voting process. No longer will Democrats hold both keys to the ballot boxes in some counties, creating a potential for election fraud. Now, Republicans will hold a majority on Election Commissions – sweeping voter reform is on the way.
The most important aspect of this electoral victory is that for the first time in nearly 20 years, the state House of Representatives may elect a new Speaker of the House. Jason Mumpower is the obvious Republican selection, but Representative Beth Harwell has thrown her hat in the race, too.
Whatever happens, it’s a good day to be a Republican in Tennessee. Relish and rejoice in these victories – we’re on the way to making Tennessee the red state it truly is.
Yours in the struggle,
Matthew Hurtt, a Tennessee Republican
1 comment
What is perfectly clear after this massive Democratic/Liberal takeover of our government is that the GOP has FAILED on many levels. The GOP was supposed to reflect the Conservative values of limited government, fiscal restraint, among others……….. they got completely drunk with power. Our founding fathers would be surely ashamed.
Republicans FAILED to communicate a message that the folks could understand. Only in the last days did “Joe The Plumber” show up and a light bulb started to flicker. But it shouldn’t have taken a man in Ohio to do that.
McCain should have spent his time hammering away at Obama’s Marxist tendencies, his 95% tax cut lies (40% of Americans pay no Federal taxes to begin with, do the math), his cutting of “capital gains” for small businesses (wasn’t aware they paid capital gains).
As a party Republicans failed to rally a base that reflected its core values. Maybe …………… perhaps, that is because those core values no longer exist for the Republicans in power. Just take a look at the last 8 years!
Somehow, before the next election, they MUST figure out which direction they want to take their party, and they must believe it, market it and most importantly…………. LIVE up to it!
If the GOP does not learn from this serious tragedy we must all now suffer through, that is their own faults. They created Barack Obama. They created a Congressional Democratic majority under the rule of that steery eyed, moon bat, Prozac women Pelosi.
The GOP seriously needs to move back to damn basic principles of individualism, freedom, economic liberty, self sufficiency and pride in our country…….. with the highlight on individualism.
The Dems look at us as tools used to create some sort of egalitarian society.
If you don’t think that the dumbing down of America through our government ran education system had anything to do with BOs victory, then you ought to be sentenced to reading some of the comments left on the Obama’s website!
Get ready for retroactive tax increases. When the Dems begin their punishment of the achievers you can bet that they will make the tax increases retroactive.
One has to also wonder how much of the “Chosen One’s” victory was on behalf of the media fawning over the man.
Not only does the GOP have to battle the media to win, they have to win the hearts and minds of Americans again.
I just wonder if there is any return. I truly believe that the American folks, especially the 18-38 year old generation wants the government to just take care of them. They want the government to guarantee their job, provide their health insurance, pay for their children’s child car, provide their children’s education all the way through college, ect, ect, ect.
I just don’t think folks really want to have freedom and choice and self sufficiency. They would rather give up their freedoms than to have to be concerned about paying for health insurance.
After all B.O. did say that “health care is a right.” Find that in the Constitution for me please.
I NEVER thought I would see the day that Americans put a socialist into the White House.
The liberals make fun of Ronalds trickle down economics plan……….. that obviously worked.
Well……………. I hope them same socialist are ready for trickle UP poverty. Cuz its coming.
Peace
J
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