Wednesday, August 13, 2008

NCGOP E-Letter - August 13, 2008

“HOW CAN WE KNOW”



GRAND PARTY

By Erik Spencer
Winston Salem-Journal
August 12, 2008

It was a grand opening fit for the Grand Old Party.

Republicans young and old, some donning "McCain" buttons and boaters, showed up for the grand opening of the 2008 McCain campaign office in the Forsyth County Republican headquarters on Cloverdale Avenue in Winston-Salem yesterday.

Linda Daves, the chairwoman of the N.C. Republican Party, said during the opening ceremony that the GOP is picking up momentum as the general election approaches.

"This is a big year; I think the Democrats should be worried," she said. "Anyone that thinks that this state won't vote McCain for president is out of touch with North Carolina."

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx attended and thanked everyone for supporting the Republican Party.

About 100 people attended the opening ceremony and U.S. Sen. Richard Burr delivered the keynote speech. He shook hands and posed for pictures with supporters and said he was pleased to see Republicans doing so well this year.

"Trust me when I tell you all that as we get closer to November 4th, it will be the leadership and principles that win us the election," he told the crowd. "I can't remember a time in history when so many Republicans had the chance to carry out the types of change we needed."

Bill Miller, the chairman of the Forsyth County Republican Party, said that the office will help the McCain campaign and Republicans. He said that in past elections around 500 Republican Party volunteers made phone calls and canvassed neighborhoods in hopes of getting people to register to vote Republican.

"We're going to make several thousand calls out of there for the campaign," he said. "From here on out until November we're going to be very, very busy."…

Click here for the full article…



GOP PREACHES TO THE CHOIR AT OFFICE OPENING
Along with McCain, Republican candidates get support

By Mark Binker

Greensboro News & Record
August 12, 2008

HIGH POINT - Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole acknowledged he was playing to a friendly crowd Monday as he helped open the Triad's "Victory Office," a joint headquarters for the state Republican party and John McCain's presidential campaign.

"It's like speaking to the choir," Dole said. "It's not a bad idea from time to time. Sometimes you forget to speak to the choir and they don't work as hard as they did."

Republicans opened three such offices in the state Monday, including Winston-Salem and Raleigh. They're part of a network of nine offices the party is opening in the state. Sen. Barack Obama, McCain's Democratic rival, will open his 16th office in the state today in Cary.

The offices serve as a place to organize volunteers and coordinate door-knocking and other grass-roots efforts.

Dole, a former Kansas senator and Republican presidential candidate, is married to N.C. Sen. Elizabeth Dole. He said his wife gives him regular updates on doings in Washington, "whether I want them or not."

In addition to Dole, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, state GOP Chairman Linda Daves and county Chairman Bill Wright spoke to the crowd of about 80 people at the new Guilford County office. Other candidates and elected Republicans, including state Rep. Laura Wiley, were present….

"This is the first time that North Carolina Republicans have had as strong a ticket at the top as they do at the bottom, and I mean that from the Council of State seats all the way up to the presidency," Burr said.

For his part, Dole argued that John McCain's international experience will win over North Carolina voters. The security situation in Iraq will continue to improve and show McCain was right to support the troop surge, he said.

And new international problems, such as the conflict between Russia and the former Soviet republic of Georgia, will make North Carolinians look to McCain instead of Obama.

"This again emphasizes which one of these candidates has the experience," Dole said. "What would Obama do ... and what would McCain do? People will make a judgment."…

"Now, conversely, I feel better about McCrory," Coble said, referring to the Charlotte mayor running for governor. "With the passage of each recent day, I feel better about McCain; things may break for us yet. But as I go around my district ... I feel more and more McCrory could be elected governor."

Click here for the full article…



THE NCGOP CONGRATULATES KYLE HALL AND THE WEST STOKES TEENAGE REPUBLICANS FOR THEIR RECENT NATIONAL AWARDS

Both the West Stokes Teenage Republicans and its chairman, Kyle Hall, received awards during the National Teenage Republicans Leadership Conference held in Alexandria, Virginia last month. While the club from West Stokes High School in King, NC received the “Outstanding Teenage Republican Club in the Nation” award, Kyle Hall was awarded the “Outstanding Teenage Republican in the Nation award” by the National TARS organization.

To be considered for these awards, the club members and club leaders must work within their local Republican parties, be involved with serving their schools and devote time to community service projects.

Click here to visit their website…



FROM THE NCGOP PRESSROOM: BEV PERDUE TIED TO MORE CORRUPTION AND SHADY DEALING

NCGOP Press Release

August 8, 2008

RALEIGH—Just one day after being tied to a scandal involving the imprisonment of a former state environmental official, Bev Perdue was exposed for being involved in more corruption and secrecy. A story running in today's News & Observer documents preferential treatment being afforded to an aide to the Lieutenant Governor who was allowed to review Perdue's files at the State Ethics Commission, including her financial disclosures. When Amanda Thaxton, an office assistant at the State Ethics Commission, tried to document the special treatment and circumvention of policy, the record was changed by the commission's assistant director, Kathleen Edwards. Later, after a News & Observer reporter asked the commission's executive director, Perry Newson, about the public records log that had been changed, Newson responded by firing Thaxton.

"The Perdue aide, Will Polk, who is Perdue's general counsel . . . said he reviewed Perdue's statements because she had not reported her interest in a development company on her 2003 and 2004 statements. The next day, he filed supplemental reports showing her interest in BBA Development Corp." (Kane, Dan, "Auditor probes ethics agency," The News & Observer, August 8, 2008)

Chairman Linda Daves, North Carolina Republican Party, made the following statement:

"Secrecy, corruption, preferential treatment, and cover-ups. Haven't we seen enough of this type of behavior in state government over the last few years? A state employee stands up to tell the truth and she ends up losing her job. Sound familiar? The culture of dishonesty, intimidation, and conspiracy that has plagued Democrat public officials must end. Bev Perdue is an entrenched part of this system of corruption. Electing Perdue as Governor would only mean more of the same. It is time for a change in Raleigh. It is time to end the culture of corruption in state government and offer a new culture of transparency and accountability. Pat McCrory is the only candidate in the race for Governor with a credible claim to being able to end corruption in state government."



“FAMILY”