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Fellow Texans:

Greetings!  I hope you all have had a relaxing and rejuvenating summer.  It has definitely been an interesting summer with the presidential campaign already in full swing!

 

I recently attended the Summer Meeting of the Republican National Committee, which was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota from August 1-4.  As you know, the bridge collapse happened in Minneapolis on August 1, just hours after I had arrived in the city.  The bridge was just a few blocks from our hotel.  Thank you to all who expressed concern.  Thankfully, no RNC members or staff were injured, but it was obviously a shock to the city and the country, and an unimaginable tragedy for those families who lost loved ones.   There were some minor changes to the RNC meeting schedule, but for the most part, the meeting went forward as planned.

 

Republican for a Reason was the theme of our Summer Meeting.  Beneath that title were listed three bullet points:  Strong National Defense, Individual Responsibility, and Lower Taxes and Less Government.   I would say that we can all agree on the importance of those three priorities!

 

Republican National Convention

 

Preparations are well underway for the Republican National Convention, which will be held in St. Paul, Minnesota at the Xcel Energy Center from September 1-4, 2008.  We toured the Xcel Energy Center, which ESPN named the number one sports venue in the country in 2004.  It was built in 2000, and it is called the “X” by fans.  It is an impressive facility, and it looks like it will be a great site for the convention.  I stayed in downtown Minneapolis, and we took a bus to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.  It is normally a 30 minute drive, but because of the bridge collapse, there was heavier traffic than normal on 95, so it took a little longer.  No decision has yet been made on where the Texas delegation will be housed, as far as I know, but if we end up in Minneapolis, the drive to St. Paul is fairly short.

 

Resolutions Committee Meeting

 

Thanks to the perseverance of Arizona State Chairman Randy Pullen, who secured the support of 44 RNC members, the Resolutions Committee passed a Resolution Urging Immediate Congressional Action to Secure Our Borders.  At Randy’s request, I introduced two friendly amendments to the resolution, and the Chairman of Resolutions amended it, but it passed unanimously, and went on to be approved by the full body of the general session.  Again, thanks to Randy Pullen, whose resolution was previously defeated in favor of the Crocker Resolution.  This time around, Chairman Pullen wisely sought the support of previous opponents and the leadership of the RNC, and was able to craft a resolution that ends with the following language:

 

RESOLVED that the Members of the Republican National Committee urge that the Congress of the Untied States, as a matter of the highest priority, take all necessary steps

to provide appropriate authority and means to accomplish the following:

 

(1)   Complete the construction of the border fencing that has been authorized as expeditiously as is reasonably possible; and

 

(2)   Effectively secure the borders of the United States to illegal entry by every appropriate additional means, fully equipping and empowering the Border Patrol and using our National Guard and the U.S. military if necessary.

 

Another interesting resolution, submitted by Committeeman Curly Haugland of North Dakota, was defeated by a vote of 6-1.  I was the only “aye” vote. This resolution was entitled “Resolution to Oppose One Vote ’08 Campaign.”  The origin of this resolution comes from the hiring of former Deputy Chairman Jack Oliver by the One Vote ’08 Campaign (onevote08.org).  Bill Gates has purportedly funded this effort with a $ 30 million contribution.  As you will see on the website, both Democrats and Republicans have been lined up in support of this campaign.  One Vote ’08 seeks to raise money to abolish global poverty.  The RNC, on June 11, 2007, issued a press release entitled “RNC Chairman Urges Support of One Vote ’08.”  Within the press release, the RNC Chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan states, “…I am proud to say that the RNC supports their efforts completely.”  Please visit the website to learn more about the One Vote ’08 campaign.  Committeeman Haugland’s concern was that the RNC members had not voted on whether to support this effort, and yet in the press release it was indicated that the RNC fully supports One Vote ’08. 

 

While the ultimate goal of defeating poverty is something that we all share, I do not believe that the funds should come from government but rather from private contributions.  This campaign hopes to gain the support of the United States presidential candidates and our government, purportedly to the tune of 1% of our federal budget, or 30 billion dollars.  Another concern is that this effort seems to be closely affiliated with the United Nations and their “Millennium Development Goals” as outlined in the United Nations Millennium Declaration.  The other members of the Resolutions Committee questioned the facts as stated in Curly’s resolution, although he had provided a packet of information for each committee member.  I am glad that Curly brought this to our attention, and although his resolution failed, this brings the issue to light and will hopefully educate the RNC members regarding this One Vote ’08 campaign and how it will ultimately affect our Republican presidential nominee. 

 

National Committeeman Solomon Yue, in response to all of this discussion, submitted a resolution entitled, “Resolution Supporting Global Conservative Principles,” in which he reiterates a commitment to international aid based on conservative principles.  That resolution passed unanimously. 

 

Other memorial resolutions were submitted and passed unanimously.

 

Rules Committee

 

The Rules Committee met and discussed reforming of the primary process.  The Delaware Plan was once again considered, as well as alternative plans to make the primary season more equitable for the candidates and the voters. 

 

General Session

 

Chairman Mike Duncan presided over the general session on Friday, August 3.  In his opening remarks he pointed out that Republicans got away from our core principles in the last congressional session, but there is now chaos in Congress with the Democrats in charge.

 

We approved the election of 26 new state chairmen from around the country and several other new RNC members. 

 

First Lady Laura Bush addressed the members and revised her planned remarks because of the bridge collapse.  She led the RNC members in a moment of silence to commemorate the victims and pray for the families.

 

Committee Reports all passed unanimously.  The remainder of the meeting was uneventful.  Some scheduled speakers such as Governor Tim Pawlenty canceled because of the bridge tragedy.

 

The race for the presidency is becoming more and more interesting.  It appears that it is truly a wide open race.  If there is not a clear cut winner following the primary elections, this national convention could actually have the task of choosing the final nominee!  Wouldn’t that be unusual?  Stay tuned, and thanks for all that you do for the GOP. 

 


Denise McNamara