Resolution of the Hawkins County Republican Party

At the December 2006 meeting of the Hawkins County Republican Party a motion was made and duly seconded to express to our State Senator the sentiments of the County Republican Party regarding the selection of Speaker for the State Senate. The following is the Resolution prepared to be sent to Senator Williams:

RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING STATE SENATOR MIKE WILLIAMS TO SUPPORT AND VOTE FOR A REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FOR SPEAKER OF THE SENATE OF TENNESSEE

WHEREAS, the most basic and fundamental principle of democracy is the majority rules; and

WHEREAS, the voters of Tennessee have elected a majority of Republicans in the State Senate in both 2004 and 2006; and

WHEREAS, a vote for the Democrat nominee for Speaker of the State Senate of Tennessee would violate the most basic tenet of democracy by allowing the minority to rule; and

WHEREAS, a vote for the Democrat nominee for Speaker of the State Senate of Tennessee would place both houses of the legislature, the Governorship, and the State Supreme Court majority all in the hands of the Democrat party giving it absolute power over all state government in Tennessee; and

WHEREAS, absolute power corrupts absolutely; and

WHEREAS, in the 36 years since the Republican party controlled either house of the Tennessee General Assembly, hundreds and thousands of man-hours and dollars have been spent by members of the Republican party to regain a majority; and

WHEREAS, the vote of Senator Mike Williams for the Democrat nominee would effectively negate, nullify, and void all those efforts by all those volunteers and contributors for all these many years; and

WHEREAS, Senator Mike Williams accepted the contributions of the Republican party, sought the nomination of the Republican party for the State Senate, ran on that Republican party nomination for the State Senate, and was elected to the State Senate three times now as a member of the Republican party; and

WHEREAS, one of the few times partisanship should be expected is during the selection of the leadership of the houses of government; and

WHEREAS, loyalty to party is expected and requested in this circumstance; and

WHEREAS, the casting of this vote for Speaker of the Senate of Tennessee should turn on the future of Tennessee and not on past obligations or alliances; and

WHEREAS, a vote for eighty-five year old John Wilder would be a glance to Tennessee’s past and not a look to Tennessee’s future; and

WHEREAS, the Speaker of the Senate of Tennessee is also the Lieutenant Governor – the first in the line of succession should the Governor no longer be able to serve; and

WHEREAS, Governor Bredesen has been seriously ill in the last year; and

WHEREAS, the exercise of a fundamental understanding of civics, the desire to have a balance of power within State government, the exercise of loyalty to party, and the exercise of good judgment and logic in looking to Tennessee’s future and not its past all dictate a vote for the Republican nominee for Speaker of the Senate of Tennessee;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HAWKINS COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY THAT STATE SENATOR MIKE WILLIAMS SHOULD BE AND IS HEREBY ASKED BY THIS COLLECTIVE BODY TO SUPPORT AND VOTE FOR THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FOR SPEAKER OF THE SENATE OF TENNESSEE.

ENACTED on this the 4th day of December, 2006.




HAWKINS COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY



Cecile Testerman, Chairman