GOP Gov. Candidates Debate
Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 4:10 pmI regret that I wasn't aware of the debate until today. I've been implementing new software at work and helping my Mom & Step Dad move to Oakland from Florida. I'm happy to say they are represented Senator Dolores Gresham and Representative Barrett Rich. Two pro-gun role models in our legislature. No doubt, my friend and TFA Member, Chuck Bates, did an outstanding job moderating the debate.
The one thing I'm sure of, without even attending, is that if Haslam gets the nomination, I'll be writing in a candidate. As most of you know; Haslam was part of NYC Mayor, Michael Bloomberg's radical outlaw, anti-gun mayors club, that is yet to be prosecuted for illegal straw purchases used to attack gun rights. Haslam only quit the group when he realized that it would look bad in his run for governor and would not be acceptable under any circumstances.
In Liberty,
Pat McGarrity
Director - Shelby County TFA
http://www.tennesseefirearms.com
By Zack McMillin
Posted November 14, 2009 at midnight
The most popular line at Friday night's gathering of what organizer Lee Mills called "the largest Republican voting bloc in the state of Tennessee" was offered with greatest gusto by Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn.
"If anyone asks you what you did this weekend, I want you to tell them you had dinner tonight with the next governor of the great state of Tennessee," she said.
The four strongest Republican candidates for governor all joined Shelby County's most conservative political crowd at the Memphis Area Home Builder's Association in Cordova for the Northeast Shelby Republican Club's annual "Pasta and Politics" dinner.
For those not yet tuning into the 2010 election campaign, the main candidates who will appear on the Republican ballot in the August state primaries are Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons, Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey of Blountville and U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp of Chattanooga.
Just less than a year before the 2010 general election, the extent to which campaign messages have already been honed and repeated was apparent.
"This is the umpteenth time we have done this together and every one is a little different than the one before," Ramsey said.
The themes were, as co-moderator Chuck Bates put it, "red meat" Republican issues.
There was no shortage of accusations aimed at the Obama administration for government overreach, with the four candidates competing to show which would be the most enthusiastic in rejecting federal money for stimulus or health care or gun laws.
More time was spent on the issue of gun rights than any other, with Wamp and Haslam sparring over whether Haslam was to the left of Tennessee Democrats on gun laws. Haslam countering by saying gun-rights activists call Knoxville as gun-friendly as it could be given the political realities of the city.
Ramsey defended the legislature's work on expanding gun rights in Tennessee, saying: "The media was wrong and we were right. I'll stand by my vote on that all day long."
Gibbons stood firm on his history of advocating for tougher sentencing for crimes involving guns: "I am the 'gun crime is jail time' candidate and I am proud of that. I am the only candidate who as part of my job supports your right to bear arms."
There was not a single question selected by the moderators that asked specifically about what candidates would do for Memphis and Shelby County, but before the forum several people attending the dinner asked some version of it.
One of the event's organizers, Robert Hubbard, has children in Memphis City Schools and said he was leaning strongly to Gibbons because of his belief that Memphis is often forgotten by politicians from the rest of the state.
Wamp pointed out that he's made 12 visits to Memphis already, usually spending two days per visit, and said, "I have fallen in love with this city." He stressed that the next governor must focus on making Memphis "the economic engine of the Mid-South" and foresees a "renaissance" for Memphis like the one he said he helped foster in Chattanooga and Oak Ridge.
Haslam points quickly to his wife, Crissy, who is from Memphis and whose family lives here: "If I didn't take care of Memphis, she would kill me."
He added: "It's real simple -- if the state is going to succeed, Memphis and Shelby County have got to do well. It's like if the state is a business, this is your biggest branch."
Ramsey pointed to his work in the legislature supporting things from education funding to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis.
And Gibbons, seeking to protect his home turf, made his pitch by focusing on the nuts-and-bolts of three core areas -- jobs, education and public safety -- by saying that no place needs that kind of attention more than Shelby County.
"Those are big challenges everywhere in our state," Gibbons said, "but they are make or break for our community. We are at a tipping point and need a governor who can respond to those challenges."
-- Zack McMillin: 529-2564
Haslam campaign raises $1 million
Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam has reported raising another $1 million since June 30 for his Republican gubernatorial campaign.
He said Friday he received more than 6,000 contributions during the last reporting period.
Haslam had reported raising $3.8 million from the January to June reporting period, far ahead of rival candidates.
Other Republican hopefuls are Memphis Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons, State Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey and U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp.
The one thing I'm sure of, without even attending, is that if Haslam gets the nomination, I'll be writing in a candidate. As most of you know; Haslam was part of NYC Mayor, Michael Bloomberg's radical outlaw, anti-gun mayors club, that is yet to be prosecuted for illegal straw purchases used to attack gun rights. Haslam only quit the group when he realized that it would look bad in his run for governor and would not be acceptable under any circumstances.
In Liberty,
Pat McGarrity
Director - Shelby County TFA
http://www.tennesseefirearms.com
By Zack McMillin
Posted November 14, 2009 at midnight
The most popular line at Friday night's gathering of what organizer Lee Mills called "the largest Republican voting bloc in the state of Tennessee" was offered with greatest gusto by Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn.
"If anyone asks you what you did this weekend, I want you to tell them you had dinner tonight with the next governor of the great state of Tennessee," she said.
The four strongest Republican candidates for governor all joined Shelby County's most conservative political crowd at the Memphis Area Home Builder's Association in Cordova for the Northeast Shelby Republican Club's annual "Pasta and Politics" dinner.
For those not yet tuning into the 2010 election campaign, the main candidates who will appear on the Republican ballot in the August state primaries are Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons, Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey of Blountville and U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp of Chattanooga.
Just less than a year before the 2010 general election, the extent to which campaign messages have already been honed and repeated was apparent.
"This is the umpteenth time we have done this together and every one is a little different than the one before," Ramsey said.
The themes were, as co-moderator Chuck Bates put it, "red meat" Republican issues.
There was no shortage of accusations aimed at the Obama administration for government overreach, with the four candidates competing to show which would be the most enthusiastic in rejecting federal money for stimulus or health care or gun laws.
More time was spent on the issue of gun rights than any other, with Wamp and Haslam sparring over whether Haslam was to the left of Tennessee Democrats on gun laws. Haslam countering by saying gun-rights activists call Knoxville as gun-friendly as it could be given the political realities of the city.
Ramsey defended the legislature's work on expanding gun rights in Tennessee, saying: "The media was wrong and we were right. I'll stand by my vote on that all day long."
Gibbons stood firm on his history of advocating for tougher sentencing for crimes involving guns: "I am the 'gun crime is jail time' candidate and I am proud of that. I am the only candidate who as part of my job supports your right to bear arms."
There was not a single question selected by the moderators that asked specifically about what candidates would do for Memphis and Shelby County, but before the forum several people attending the dinner asked some version of it.
One of the event's organizers, Robert Hubbard, has children in Memphis City Schools and said he was leaning strongly to Gibbons because of his belief that Memphis is often forgotten by politicians from the rest of the state.
Wamp pointed out that he's made 12 visits to Memphis already, usually spending two days per visit, and said, "I have fallen in love with this city." He stressed that the next governor must focus on making Memphis "the economic engine of the Mid-South" and foresees a "renaissance" for Memphis like the one he said he helped foster in Chattanooga and Oak Ridge.
Haslam points quickly to his wife, Crissy, who is from Memphis and whose family lives here: "If I didn't take care of Memphis, she would kill me."
He added: "It's real simple -- if the state is going to succeed, Memphis and Shelby County have got to do well. It's like if the state is a business, this is your biggest branch."
Ramsey pointed to his work in the legislature supporting things from education funding to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis.
And Gibbons, seeking to protect his home turf, made his pitch by focusing on the nuts-and-bolts of three core areas -- jobs, education and public safety -- by saying that no place needs that kind of attention more than Shelby County.
"Those are big challenges everywhere in our state," Gibbons said, "but they are make or break for our community. We are at a tipping point and need a governor who can respond to those challenges."
-- Zack McMillin: 529-2564
Haslam campaign raises $1 million
Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam has reported raising another $1 million since June 30 for his Republican gubernatorial campaign.
He said Friday he received more than 6,000 contributions during the last reporting period.
Haslam had reported raising $3.8 million from the January to June reporting period, far ahead of rival candidates.
Other Republican hopefuls are Memphis Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons, State Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey and U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp.