Ramsey rallies Republicans
Saying Tennessee was a rock among a political storm which swept away many Republicans during the midterm elections of 2006, Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey envisions widening the GOP majority in the state legislature.
Ramsey also touted a presidential bid by Fred Thompson in 2008.
?The Republicans lost the majority in the House and Senate because they stopped acting like Republicans,? Ramsey told those on hand Saturday for the Warren County Republican Party?s annual Lincoln Day Dinner. ?Meanwhile in Tennessee, there were 46 Republican seats up for election and we ended up with 46 after election.
We held the line in a year that wasn?t so kind to Republicans across the country. Plus, Bob Corker is the president, secretary and treasurer of the Republican freshman class in Washington since he was the only freshman Republican elected to the Senate.?
On the local level, Clark David was officially appointed as Republican Party chairman. He takes over for Charlie Moss, who did a good job of restoring Republican pride in Warren County.
Ramsey said the holding of the line in Tennessee, given national landscape, shows how the Volunteer State?s Republican Party has flourished in recent years.
?There were 275 seats that went from Republican to Democrat across the nation,? Ramsey said, detailing the scope of the 2006 losses which ranged from the nation?s capitol to state capitols across the country.
Among the achievements for Republicans in the state legislature, Ramsey noted, was his recent election by a 18-15 vote over longtime Lt. Gov. John Wilder, marking the first time someone other than Wilder has held the position since 1971.
Ramsey said the biggest challenge in the state legislature is to restore faith in government given the Tennessee Waltz scandal.
?If you take $10,000 in a paper bag, it?s wrong,? said Ramsey of Memphis Democrat John Ford who resigned after his arrest for taking a bribe. Ramsey noted Ford?s replacement, Aphelia Ford, then used ?dead people and felons? to help her get elected to the vacated seat. ?The biggest thing we have to do right now is restore the people?s faith in state government.?
As for political future, Ramsey endorsed two candidates, including former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson for president.
?He?s the right man at the right time,? Ramsey said, noting his charismatic personality is a reminder of how Ronald Reagan led the country.
On a more local level, Ramsey and those in attendance were overwhelmingly in support of state Rep. Judd Matheny for the 14th District State Senate seat presently held by embattled State Senator and Warren County resident Jerry Cooper, a seat up for election in 2008.