Via email:
President George W. Bush continues to provide strong leadership and delivers positive results for our great country
HARRISBURG -Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Robert A. Gleason, Jr. applauds President George W. Bush for getting legislation passed that funds our troops, delivers relief to struggling homeowners, and improves our energy security. Gleason is thankful that Americans are able to benefit from the steadfast leadership the President continues to provide this great country.
"The President deserves to be commended for a job well done," Gleason said. "President Bush got a Democrat-led Congress to pass legislation that funds our troops, delivers relief to struggling homeowners, and decreases our dependence on foreign oil without raising taxes on middle-class families. It wasn't easy. Congressional Democrats love pork-laden budget bills and seemed committed to passing troop funding measures that included arbitrary deadlines for withdrawal, but our President never wavered in his commitment to fund our troops without strings attached and made certain that our Congress spent our tax dollars responsibly.
"Democrats campaigned as fiscal conservatives, but once they got the keys to Congress it took a Republican President to stop their runaway spending initiatives. The Democrats have not been shy about their desire to raise taxes on America 's working families. The dramatic tax increases the Democrats have proposed this year would have had a negative impact on our economy, and I applaud our President for having the strength to stand with the American people and against the Democrat tax and spend agenda.
"Our situation in Iraq has also improved. Just one year ago, many Democrats called our mission a lost cause; but today, our military has made significant gains curbing violence. The troop surge the President proposed has proven to be an effective strategy as our brave men and women continue the work necessary to stabilize the region. The President understands that he must listen to commanders on the ground, not polls or liberal political pundits.
"With the many successes he has enjoyed this year, I was pleased to hear that the President is committed to accomplishing the rest of his agenda next year. Americans have seen Republicans deliver lower taxes, smaller government and a safe nation. As everyone knows, our country encounters new challenges everyday, but I am proud of the way President Bush has led our great nation. President Bush makes us all proud to be Republicans."
Also via email was this bit from their Chairman:
Chairman's Blog: Looking Forward
As Chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, I am proud of the work we were able to accomplish in 2007 and even more committed than before to expanding the reach of the Republican Party in this great Commonwealth.
We have many things to be thankful for this year. Because of your hard work and determination, our Party was able to win two statewide judicial elections, retain all of our endorsed judges, maintain control of all of our southeastern Pennsylvania courthouses, and we even gained majority control of the courthouses in Berks, Clearfield, Juniata, and Potter counties.
However, our accomplishments were not only limited to election successes. We were able to institute positive changes that increased the transparency of the business our Party conducts.
Before my chairmanship began in the summer of 2006, our Party was viewed as an organization led from the top-down, where committee people had no real say in the direction of the Party. With your help, we have ended those days; no longer do the few make the decisions for the entire committee. This year alone, I called for two open roll call votes, where committee people stood up and announced aloud the names of the candidate(s) they wanted to endorse and nominate for statewide office.
This year we also organized a summer meeting in Hershey, called Celebrate PA, where we held our first ever Presidential Straw Poll. We have formed new committees that have involved Republicans from all over the Commonwealth. I formed a Bylaws Committee that worked diligently to update our Party's rules and procedures. We also formed a Voter Registration Committee that is continuing to work to find and implement new ways to register Republican voters.
We spent more time with you in your counties, helping many to develop the tools needed for victory. We developed and launched a new Web site that is updated on a daily basis and serves as a great resource for Republicans in Pennsylvania .
These are all positive change and worthwhile reforms that I believe will translate into success during the 2008 election cycle. However, we understand that there is still plenty to do, and we are certainly not content resting on our successes. Our Party staff and I are committed to working nonstop next year to deliver 21 electoral votes to our next Republican president, but we will need your help.
A chairman who not only knows what a blog is, but actually supports the medium...
interesting.
