Georgia GOP Grassroots Newsletter: January 10th, 2013
Posted by GAGOP on Jan 10, 2013
|
||
|
January 10th, 2013
|
||
|
Social Media
Election Resources Weekly Quote “Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: First a right to life, secondly to liberty, and thirdly to property; together with the right to defend them in the best manner they can.” – Samuel Adams Statewide Events Greater Fayette Republican Women’s Club – Dinner Meeting Towns County Republican Party Meeting Jim Tysinger Saturday Breakfast Forum North Dekalb Republican’s Women Monthly Meeting Athens/Clarke County GOP Meeting Greater Gwinnett Republican Women’s Meeting Lowndes County GOP Meeting Fulton County GOP Midtown Breakfast Rockdale County GOP (New Location) Fulton GOP – South Fulton Breakfast Does your organization have an upcoming event? Click here to add your event to the GAGOP website and newsletter! Did You Know? On January 13th, 1794 U.S. President Washington approved a measure adding two stars and two stripes to the American flag, following the admission of Vermont and Kentucky to the union. Cartoon of the Week! To view this week’s Georgia Republican Party ‘Cartoon of the Week,’ please click below!
News from the RNC The Washington Post: “The Real Danger To Obama’s Pick To Lead The Pentagon Is From Within The President’s Own Party.” Read More Join Us! Would you like to stay ahead of the curve and receive real-time updates from the GAGOP each and every day? If so, we encourage you to take a moment to get more involved in the Georgia Republican Party’s social media outlets! “Like” us on Facebook “Follow” us on Twitter We look forward to seeing you there! |
From The Chairman’s Desk
Dear Friends, I’d like to congratulate State Senators-Elect Brandon Beach (SD-21) and Mike Dugan (SD-30) on their victories Tuesday. I’d also like to congratulate those who are now in run-offs: Dean Burke and Mike Keown who will face each other for SD-11 and Scot Turner and Brian Laurens for HD-21. The run-off will be held February 5th. As we continue to celebrate Republican victories, this serves as a reminder that although there are no scheduled elections in 2013; Special Elections can be called whenever necessary to fill vacancies. There is currently an additional Special Election for House District 71 on February 5, 2013. All of these Special Elections present us with critical opportunities to defend and build on our majority in the General Assembly. Although presidential election years are always exciting and create broad voter interest; nothing affects Georgia directly more than state election years like 2014. As a result, we are looking forward with great anticipation to the upcoming election cycle. Every one of the state constitutional offices, including the Governor, will be on the ballot. Additionally, our senior Senator Saxby Chambliss and two Public Service Commissioners will be up for re-election. The preservation and enhancement of our General Assembly majorities will also be a top priority for us in 2014. We will not only work closely with incumbent legislators as they seek re-election but we will work closely with the House and Senate Republican Caucuses to identify vulnerable Democrat-held seats. A focused effort on candidate recruitment for these targeted races will be an important part of growing our majorities across the board. As we move into 2014, we will have the critical opportunity to continue growing our majority from the bottom, up. Over the past several successful election cycles, Republicans have made major inroads at the local level across our state. We will continue to partner with our local parties to encourage the election of Republican sheriffs, county commissioners, judges and so on. Creating this base of local officials will build a foundation of lasting Republican leadership in this state. As we all know, the very essence of political campaigns have changed vastly over the last decade. Technology and social media have changed the face of politics forever. Gathering on the strides we’ve made over the past few years, we feel confident in our ability to employ technology effectively and to the great benefit of our party throughout the coming election cycle. 2014 will also give Republicans in Georgia a unique opportunity to reinforce the historical wins of 2010. With Republicans currently holding all of the constitutional offices in our state, I am confident that we will once again show Georgia to be a bright spot for the Republican Party in 2014. Although we have a long road ahead of us, we have laid the groundwork for a solid foundation on which to continue building an era of Republican leadership in Georgia. 2014 will, without a doubt, be a critical election year for our state and now is the time to start building our team! All my best,
Sue Special Elections Update Congratulations to Mike Dugan and Brandon Beach, both winning the Special Elections for Senate Seats 30 and 21 respectively. Mr. Beach fills the vacancy created when Senator Chip Rogers accepted an appointment with Georgia Public Broadcasting. Mike Dugan is filling a vacancy created when former Senator Bill Hamrick accepted a Judicial Appointment. Special Elections aren’t over though. Two races, Senate District 11 and House District 21, are headed to a run-off on February 5th. Under Georgia law these races must be won with a majority of the vote, which none of the candidates received. As a result, Dean Burke and Mike Keown will appear on the ballot in Senate District 11 on February 5th. Scot Turner and Brian Laurens also find themselves in a run-off for House District 21 on February 5th. America: God and Guns
By Senator Judson Hill As the days turn into weeks, let’s continue to pray for the families in Connecticut as well as other people across the country, who have also recently been victims of shootings and mass violence. We should not readily move to restrict our 2nd Amendment rights and use someone else’s tragedy and loss to advance longstanding, personal opposition to peoples’ rights to bear arms. After tragedies such as Connecticut, Virginia Tech, and Columbine; Americans are asking why there is violence in our schools and in society. Governor Mike Huckabee observed, “given we have systematically removed God from our schools should we be so surprised that schools would become a place of carnage?” These tragedies did not occur because America allows its citizens to own guns. For years, it has been illegal to carry a gun into a school. The solution does not lie in creating another law reinforcing it’s illegal to kill people and to bring guns into schools or perhaps even protect school children with armed security guards. Additionally, we must also be very cautious about changing our Constitution. The Bill of Rights did not merely grant Americans the right to bear arms, but actually was recognition of the peoples’ God-given inalienable rights. Restricting guns is not the answer; and disarming law-abiding Americans does not prevent evil acts. The real issue stems from the moral and spiritual decline taking place in America. In the coming days, many will place the blame for the tragedy in Newtown on guns or poor security but will likely miss the bigger issue of cultural and moral apathy as well as the failure to instill moral and faith values in our children. The answer to the tragedy in Newtown and other events is not to attack the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution nor attempt to restrict the Constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans. We must focus on mental health issues, violent videos and movies, and we must not ignore the core fundamental causes or we will never achieve the results our society seeks. We should address the mental health challenges in our society and also examine Hollywood’s violent movies and video games that use weapons to seemingly glorify violence. Interestingly, many liberals will hypocritically blame guns and gun ownership all the while working to still produce very violent videos which are desensitizing some people to the malicious and gruesome acts they portray. Furthermore, our leaders and courts should stop creating laws that devalue human life and make right wrong and wrong seem right. There is no simple answer and especially not one that fails to examine the consequences of America’s moral decline. When America limits and prohibits discussing moral values and principles in schools and in the public square, then we cannot be too surprised when people commit senseless acts of violence. Governor Huckabee recently stated that, “It is time we accept this reality – America doesn’t have a crime problem, a gun problem or even a violence problem. What we have is a sin problem and since we’ve ordered God out of our schools, our communities, the military and public conversations, you know we really shouldn’t act so surprised … when all hell breaks loose.” How can we deny that God exists and then blame Him for the resulting chaos? The answer to these violent tragedies is not to further restrict Americans’ rights. The public dialogue should also examine America’s moral bearings and the importance that faith in God has on a culture and nation. When Americans again individually and collectively claim God’s promise in scripture by humbling themselves and turning to Him, then we will begin to see a true change in behaviors and insure God’s blessings for our families and nation. Our Condolences Our condolences to Wanda Duffie and family as they mourn the loss of Wanda’s mother, Elizabeth Duffie. For information visit here. Quick Reads
Save the Dates: 2013 GAGOP Convention Cycle With the 2012 Election Cycle now safely in our rear-view mirror, the Georgia Republican Party is gearing up for the 2013 Convention Cycle! Please review the dates below, and mark them in your calendar! Precinct Mass Meetings: Saturday, February 9th, 2013 County Conventions: Saturday, March 9th, 2013 District Conventions: Saturday, April 20th, 2013 GAGOP State Convention (Athens, GA): May 17th – 18th, 2013 For more information, please contact your County GOP Chairman by visiting: http://www.gagop.org/local/county/. Help Lead the Charge Today! In the shadow of the reelection of Barack Obama, Georgians should stand evermore resolved to spread our message and return America to prosperity, strength, hard work and the American Dream. Georgians took a stand on November 6th by giving our electoral votes to the Romney/Ryan ticket, electing a new Republican Congressman in Doug Collins, and re-electing our two PSC Commissioners while strengthening our majorities in the Georgia General Assembly! Our state still holds the ideals that this country was founded on and we proved that on Election Day. However, we saw that the course of our country is significantly changing. We must now continue our fight to take back our America and continue moving Georgia forward! The threat is real and the fight has just begun. Please consider contributing $15, $25, $50 or any amount to help Georgia spread our message far and wide! |
|
|
Paid for by the Georgia Republican Party
Not authorized by any candidate or any candidate’s committee P.O. Box 550008 – Atlanta, GA 30355 (404) 257-5559 – www.GAGOP.org – (404) 257-0779 fax Sue P. Everhart, Chairman – Bert Guy, First Vice Chairman – Bob Mayzes, Treasurer |
||
2013 Election Calendar
