FRED SMITH GOVERNOR 2008 - "A Little Extra Effort" Statewide BBQ Tour
November 16, 2007, Mecklenburg South... Mecklenburg as you know is a BIG county - lots of people so it was decided early on that we would split it north and south and plan two events. Today Fred and Jonathan Hill arrived in the county early to visit key contributors and campaign leaders while we stayed back to complete our December planning. While Fred lunched with business people from the Queen City, the RV left Raleigh with Morgan, Lori, Joe, Ira and me. I took over Fred's back office and filled the drive time with calls to Alamance, Greene, Lenoir, Transylvania, prepared invitation letters for the printer, filed documents, more phone calls to key county leaders and by the time we arrived at South Charlotte Middle School I'd enjoyed one great productive day. The school had an impressive entryway that brought you right into the cafeteria. Above the columns were student designed three-dimensional ceramic tiles that looked professional. Great artistic touch! Our guests numbered over 200 and you could feel the electric in the air. Fred's speech was tight, delivered with ease and grace and you could have heard a pin drop in the room. Now middle school cafeteria table seats are not exactly comfortable and yet no one budged. The people were spellbound sizing up this unique candidate with integrity, experience and leadership qualities that surpass his opponents. One man came up to me afterward and said, "Any chance we can take him national?" I smiled and said, "I'm selfish. Let's keep him two terms in North Carolina!"
Fred's the only candidate that will treat government like a business and make us productive and customer oriented in education, transportation, and safety. I'm really tired of the same old politics. It's time for a change and Mecklenburg can make it happen!
PICTURES FROM MECKLENBURG COUNTY
Click HERE to view pictures from Mecklenburg County.
ON THE BLOGS
Sister Toldjah, November 18, 2007
Full post with photos available online HERE.
Last month, I wrote a post about one of the Republican candidates for governor here in NC, State Senator Fred Smith, noting that in what little bit I knew of him, I could see that he had some solid conservative credentials. I'm still getting to know Fred Smith, so this post should not be considered an official endorsement, but on Friday night, I had the chance to meet him and get to know him a little bit better and I liked what I heard... I stepped out and went to South Charlotte Middle School, where the senator was holding his 55th BBQ event in North Carolina. North Carolina has 100 counties, and his goal is to have a BBQ event in each one, to get to know the voters of the state, and I can tell you that there's not much of a better way to work your way into someone's good graces here in NC than by holding a BBQ dinner . In all seriousness, his efforts at traveling the state to speak directly to voters appear to be paying off...
I got a chance to speak with Senator Smith briefly, and he came across as warm and unpretentious, and as someone who was eager to restore this state's good reputation, which has suffered thanks to the numerous Democrat corruption scandals that have happened over the last few years.
By the time everything got started good, all the seats were filled with people eating BBQ, and all eyes were on the stage to listen to the introductions made for senator Smith, to watch the short video about his life - which was very moving - and then to listen to the candidate himself. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Republicans in attendance clearly weren't just hungry for BBQ. They were hungry to hear a conservative message from a candidate who was prepared to deliver one... he had a lot of good things to say on many issues, especially on illegal immigration - an issue he's clearly passionate about. Suffice it to say he's disgusted as most conservatives are with how the issue has been handled in Washington, DC, and believes it's up to the states to pick up the slack He's a strong proponent of 287(g), which "provides the legal authority for state and local enforcement to investigate, detain, and arrest aliens on civil and crimiÂnal grounds."
...Of course, no candidate is perfect, but Smith is the kind of serious candidate who makes you take a second and third look at what he stands for. So many politicians out there come across as empty suits when you meet them. I'm happy to say that Senator Smith is not one of them.
