Posted on 08/14/2002 5:45:45 AM PDT by GailA
Tennessee GOP uses anti-Gore campaign By Bill Poovey, Associated Press
WINCHESTER, Tenn. - Republicans starting the fall campaigns in Tennessee are firing up supporters with a challenge to finish Al Gore politically on Nov. 5 even though he's not on the ballot this year.
The 76-year-old mother of GOP gubernatorial candidate Van Hilleary was among those talking tough about the 2000 Democratic presidential candidate.
"If we can get Van into the governorship, it locks one more door to Al Gore," Evelyon Hilleary told cheering Republican activists Monday.
"We are going to shut the door on Gore for ever more," she said.
Evelyon Hilleary campaigned at seven airport rallies with Janice Bowling, the Republican nominee for the 4th Congressional District. Also on the campaign trip across the sprawling 4th District were Oscar Brock, son of former U.S. Sen. Bill Brock, and Patrick Jaynes, an aide to Republican U.S. Senate nominee Lamar Alexander.
Bowling said Democratic victories in the races for governor, U.S. Senate and the 4th District seat, where Gore began his political career, would be a springboard for Gore to run for president in 2004.
"This is the first shot across the bow for 2004," said Bowling, who is running against Democrat Lincoln Davis, a veteran state legislator from Pall Mall.
Hilleary is giving up his 4th District seat to run for governor against Democrat Phil Bredesen, a former mayor of Nashville. Alexander is matched against Democratic nominee Bob Clement in the race for U.S. Senate, a seat left open by the retirement of GOP Sen. Fred Thompson.
Davis received the endorsement of Gore in the primary. Bowling was using it to motivate Republicans on Monday. "Do you want Al Gore to choose your next congressman?" she said.
She encouraged her supporters by pointing out they were "going to get to vote against him (Gore) one more time on Nov. 5." Gore failed to carry his home state in 2000, contributing to his loss of the presidency.
Jano Cabrera, a spokesman for Gore's public action committee, described the comments aimed at the former vice president as "curious and odd."
He said Tuesday that the 2004 presidential election is "not our focus. Gore is entirely focused on 2002."
Bowling's "Victory-Unity Fly Around" group stopped in Scott, Cumberland, Warren, Franklin, Lawrence, Maury and Coffee counties.
Wearing an American flag scarf, a chenille dress and red cowboy boots, Bowling said Americans "rediscovered" the country after Sept. 11.
"We are fighting to make certain George W. Bush has the troops he needs in Washington to lower our taxes, provide for a strong defense, guard our right to bear arms and protect the sanctity of human life," said Bowling, a former aide to Van Hilleary.
At each stop, the 55-year-old Bowling asked for a show of hands from those who like herself started each school day with the Pledge of Allegiance, a Scripture reading and a prayer.
"Many children do not know our pledge any more because we have taken it out of our schools," she said.
Davis received Gore's only endorsement in a contested Tennessee race before the Aug. 1 primaries. Cabrera said Gore likely would "be in Tennessee and will do his part to help candidates in the state" this fall.
Davis said Tuesday in a telephone interview that he welcomes the help of Gore and any other Democrat. National Republicans and Democrats have identified the 4th District race as key to deciding which party will control the U.S. House next session.
"Is Al Gore running?" Davis joked. "It appears to me they are barking up the wrong tree."
Davis said primary turnouts show how the district will vote in November. More than 83,000 votes were cast in his Democratic primary, with 47,000 for Davis, compared to 54,000 on the Republican side.
Bowling said the district's history shows the primaries are not a reliable predictor of the general election vote.
BTW, Bowling has a great message.....do you have a link to her campaign website....I'd like to learn a litle more about her....
LOPEZ WARNS VOTERS: BEWARE OF THE DEMOCRATIC TROJAN HORSE
July 11, 2002 (Covington, TN).81st District House of Representative Republican Candidate Antonio Lopez of Covington is not surprised that House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh has pronounced the tax dead for this session and the next session, because across Tennessee, anti-tax forces are going to put enough new legislators into the legislature to counter any of his income tax proposals.
Lopez warns that the voters of Tipton and Haywood Counties cannot forget the words of Tennessee House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh on Memphis's Channel 5, when he said that he feels "the income tax is the way to fund Tennessee's government and I will continue to work for it if I am returned to the legislature." So somewhere down the road, he is going to pull this "dead Trojan Horse" up again and use his ability to maneuver legislation until he makes it law.
Naifeh so much as admits this in his statements that it is dead for this session, but leaves the door open for the next time around. Secondly, Speaker Naifeh must acknowledge that this is not a one-issue campaign although we have not been able to get his attention to the fact that he and his agents in the past legislative session gave Tennessee the largest single tax increase in history.
All of this tax was installed, when the public was near riot status on Capitol Hill trying to tell the deaf legislators and the speaker to cut programs, restructure government and downsize political positions to give the taxpayer some money on which to live. Our point is simply this, Speaker Jimmy Naifeh has represented the 81st District for 28 years and has been re-elected for those terms because he listened to his constituents. He doesn't listen to us anymore but because of his lofty status in the legislature has surrounded himself with people who are pro-tax, pro-PAC and pro-lobbyist.
The average voter in Tipton or Haywood Counties can not get his ear about taxes or needs of this area, unless it is accompanied by some large donation or powerful influence. Think about it; when was the last time Jimmy Naifeh asked your opinion on an important issue? We know Mr. Naifeh has supported bills that would affect this area, but seldom have any of those bills been his original bill. They had to be introduced by others and he's signed on board for the political influence that bill would bring. Seldom has he conducted town forums to discuss important issues with the voters he supposedly represents. When was the last time he met with area veterans to discuss issues important to them? Hosting the traditional "Coon Supper" is not a town forum.
It's time to send a Representative to Nashville that will have an open telephone line to his people back home. If the people want the bills, Tony Lopez will vote for them. Mr. Speaker has not listened and apparently doesn't want to listen to the pleas of the people he represents to give people less taxes, fewer programs and less government.
For more information contact:
Campaign contributions can be sent to: "Friends of Tony Lopez", P.O. Box 574, Covington, TN 38019. Every contributor will receive a personal thank you from Tony.
David M. DuBois
Press Secretary
Tipton County Republican Party
Ph: 901-481-6243
Email: dubois.david@att.net
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