Saturday, November 1, 2008

Eureka Republican Women Federated Welcomes Jerry Partain

November 20, 2008
Red Lion, Eureka
Buffet Lunch-$14.50 Beverage Only-$6.00

The Buffet lunch begins at 11:30 and the meeting opens at noon. If you are not contacted by our Telephone Committee, please call Joy at 845-2575 for your reservation. Members' guests and interested community members will be welcomed.

For John McCain...

9) Over a quarter-century in public life, John McCain has defended the interests of the taxpayer, not only speaking for lower taxes (that’s easy) but fighting for the essential precondition of lower taxes, less government spending. - David Frum/NRO

I do not fear Barack Obama. I even rather like him. I certainly feel I have much more in common with him than I do with John McCain. To lead this country, though, I prefer the man who has seen more and suffered more and felt more. For all his faults, it is John McCain who is the more universal man.

I vote for John McCain.

One final comment. As readers of this space know, I have been very critical of the selection of Sarah Palin. Yet I do not regard her as a reason to cast aside the principles of my life on voting day. She may not bring much knowledge to this ticket. Yet she is obviously no fool. Indeed, using the favored metric of Joe Biden ("I think I have a higher IQ than you"), my guess is that she would probably outscore the Democratic vice presidential candidate on a standardized aptitude test. To his credit, Biden has conscientiously worked to familiarize himself with the great questions of national policy. To her discredit, Palin has not. But on Tuesday, I will trust that she can learn. She has governed a state - and she did risk her career by defying the corrupt leaders of the Alaska Republican party.

Beyond that, it says something important that so many millions of people respond to her as somebody who incarnates their beliefs and values. At a time when the great American middle often seems to be falling further and further behind, there may be a special need for a national leader who represents and symbolizes that middle. And if worse did come to worst, who doubts that the whole country - including Colin Powell and Larry Eagleburger - would rally to the aid and support of the first woman president, thrust into office by some unexpected tragedy?

This is a great and greatly enduring country. It flourishes because of the genius of its institutions and the decent and moderate instincts of its people. I look to the American future with confidence always - under a President McCain preferably, under a President Obama if it must be.

FROM NFRW

(National Federation of Republican Women) Nov 6, 2008
Let's remember to celebrate these bright spots:

◼ Despite the outcome of the presidential race, Gov. Sarah Palin has emerged as a star in the Republican Party. Palin made history as the Party's first female vice presidential candidate.

With a direct approach and dynamic personality, she was a powerful force on the campaign trail. Sarah, as she is often affectionately called, is energetic, enthusiastic, intelligent, courageous, a strong leader who still is "one of us." I truly believe we haven't seen the last of this amazing Republican woman on the national stage.

◼ During the final weeks of the campaign, Senate Democrats began playing up the possibility of achieving a filibuster-proof 60 seats. Thankfully, it doesn't look like this will materialize. The Democrats needed nine additional seats to get to that magic number. So far, they have added five seats, but will need to sweep the remaining four undecided races in Alaska, Georgia, Minnesota and Oregon - a very unlikely scenario. If the filibuster is preserved, our Republican senators are going to play a critical role in the upcoming legislative session, and they will need all of the support we can give them, so be prepared for action.

◼ Two Republicans are newly-elected to the U.S. Senate. Former Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns has won the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), while Idaho Lt. Gov. James Risch has won the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID).

◼ Although results are still being tabulated, so far, four state legislative chambers have switched from Democrat to Republican. They are the Tennessee House and the Tennessee Senate (the first time since Reconstruction that Republicans have controlled both legislative chambers), the Oklahoma Senate (the first time in state history), and the Montana Senate.

◼ All incumbent Republican governors running for reelection won their races. They are: Mitch Daniels of Indiana, John Hoeven of North Dakota, Jon Huntsman Jr. of Utah, and Jim Douglas of Vermont. Also, Republicans picked up the governorship in Puerto Rico for the first time since 1969, with Luis Fortuño winning in a landslide election.

How did Republican women candidates fare? In Kansas, state Treasurer Lynn Jenkins unseated Democrat incumbent Nancy Boyda in the second congressional district race. In Oklahoma, Dana Murphy soundly defeated Democrat incumbent Jim Roth in the Corporation Commission race. In Wyoming, former state Treasurer Cynthia Lummis won the at-large congressional seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-WY). All three are members of the NFRW.

While I hesitate to end on a sad note, I would be remiss if I didn't recognize three outstanding Republican women leaders who unfortunately lost their bids for reelection: U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO) and U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake (R-VA). We are grateful for their distinguished service to our nation, and wish them all the best.

Thank you again for everything you have done to help our Republican candidates and for making the National Federation of Republican Women an organization committed to excellence and accomplishment. I am so proud of each one of you!

President’s Message - November 2008

This is the last message of my two year tenure and there are so many people I need to thank for helping me. It has been a privilege to serve again. I want to thank Margaret Stafford, Barbara Hecathorn, Terry Roberts, Lynda Pozel, Chris Wennerholm, Vee Sorenson, Cindy Lewis and the entire executive board who worked tirelessly to make this club a success. Without their direction and dedication, I could not have survived. As you know this election cycle has taken a toll on our entire group. Thanks to all who volunteered at headquarters, walked precincts, and phone-banked. We had a great time even though we didn’t win every race.

I want to thank all the speakers, members, and guests that supported our club simply by coming to the meetings every month. Our bulletin was awarded a medal at the California Federation of
Republican Women Convention.
Thanks to Sondra Kirtley at Scapper’s Edge for all her efforts to improve the quality of the Redwood Alert. And lastly, I’d like to thank all the advertisers, vendors, and donors who have supported us every year. Good luck to the new board and the new
president, Colleen Hedrick. And, one more time, When Women Work We Win!! BY JOY FINLEY