10/24/2002 10:40:00 AM PERRY/ Energizing Madison's GOP women
By BRIAN PERRY
Reasonably Right
Republican National Committee Deputy Chairman Jack Oliver, who serves as the political strategist and chief operating officer for the national GOP, made a trip through the Jackson metro area on Oct. 19 to energize the grassroots before the upcoming election.
Starting off the day, Oliver met with former National Republican Chairman Haley Barbour and the GOP’s Team Mississippi and Capital Foundation. Following this meeting with the state party’s major financial players, Oliver briefed those Republican state legislators that remained in Jackson after the special session adjourned for the weekend.
Before he moved on to the Madison County Republican Women’s 25th Anniversary event at the Madison Cultural Center, he made himself available to the press.
“I’ve got a great job. I get to travel around the country and talk about President George W. Bush and the great job he is doing. People love this man and everyone is excited about him. He does what he says; his issues in the campaign are the same as in office; he delivers on his promises.” Oliver said he and other Republican leaders are traveling the country to fire up voters to elect a House of Representatives with leaders like Congressman Chip Pickering and put Trent Lott back as Senate Majority Leader.
To do this, he explains, Republicans have to buck the historic trend. Over the past 10 midterm elections, the party in the White House has averaged a loss of 27 House seats and four Senate seats. With only a six-seat majority in the House and in the minority by one seat in the Senate, Republicans can’t afford those losses.
Oliver described the Pickering-Shows campaign as one of the more interesting races around the county. It is one of just four that pit incumbent against incumbent following redistricting. He emphasized that the most important issue between Pickering and Shows is who will they vote for to control the House as Speaker. “Pickering will vote for Hastert. Shows will vote for Gephardt. If Gephardt wins, then a political agenda of gun control, partial birth abortion and environmental extremism wins. That first vote sets the tone and tenor of every thing that follows later.”
“Control of the House is very important; the contrasts with the Senate [where the Democrats control the majority and the agenda] couldn’t be more clear,” Oliver continued. “The House has passed a patient bill of rights, drug benefits for seniors, permanently repealed the death tax, but the Democrats in the Senate have blocked all these.”
For control of the Senate, Republicans are looking at key challenges in Missouri, South Dakota, Minnesota and New Jersey. The GOP must hold all their seats and gain one to take control; but some are concerned that Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) may jump parties like Jim Jeffords of Vermont last year. A two-seat gain would give Republicans a firm majority, although not nearly the 67 seat-controlling majority a party needs to really set the agenda.
Republicans are playing defense in the gubernatorial races with “a lot of space to defend.” There may be a few surprises at some shifts in the mansions come November. Meanwhile, there are half a dozen state legislative chambers within five seats of Republican control. “State legislatures are the starting part for many of our great Republican leaders and is where a lot of the business of the world gets done. They are very important and we have made great gains here. Haley Barbour and other Republican leaders get a lot of credit for that.”
Looking ahead to 2004, three cities are still in the running to host the Republican National Convention in 2004: Tampa, Florida; New York, New York; and New Orleans, Louisiana. When asked the chances that our New Orleans neighbor would be chosen, Oliver said that all three remaining cities have made excellent presentations and the final decision has a lot to do with venue, the support of the city and community leaders, hotel and transportation, and other factors.
“At the National Convention, you’re speaking to the world and nation and you want your message to be heard.” Oliver continued with a smile on his face, “Unfortunately, Jackson Mississippi doesn’t have the hotel space we need yet, but with Haley Barbour as Governor, perhaps that will change.”
After the press session, Oliver made his way to the Madison County Republican Women’s 25th Anniversary Celebration held at the Madison County Cultural Center. The event was emceed by Elvis himself, State Sen. Tim Johnson (R-Madison).
Congressional candidates Chip Pickering and Clinton LeSueur attended this event along with Republican State Chairman Jim Herring of Canton. With two and a half decades of activism in the Republican Party, this was just the type of group Oliver came to energize. “Bush is reigniting the Party. I’m just happy to do my part,” Oliver said at Republican Party Headquarters. His part is to get the grassroots to do their part. We’ll see if they are successful in less than two weeks.
Brian Perry is a columnist for the Madison County Journal and editor of MagnoliaReport.com.
