Why Nashville Republicans should vote for Bob Clement

An open letter to Nashville Republicans/Conservatives by Jon Crisp

Chairman Emeritus, Nashville Davidson County Republican Party

I trust that you and your family had a relaxing and enjoyable Labor Day weekend,
I know that we did. Today is the beginning of the "stretch run" to Election Day
on September 11th. I wanted to write to each of you, as our city approaches the
crossroads concerning its future, as you prepare to cast your vote for either
Bob Clement or Karl Dean. I personally chose to support Bob Clement and I
wanted you to know the reasons that helped me make my choice. I know I will not
convince everyone to support Bob Clement, but I hope to challenge those of you
leaning toward Karl Dean to reassess how you will cast your vote.

First, I have heard the argument that neither candidate is a Republican which
is true enough. Does this mean we, as a party, support someone blindly because
he holds membership in a prestigious Country Club? Or…has a family that
contributed millions to an elite West End prep school? Of course the answer is
NO.

I have heard some say that Karl Dean is the "new face" in the race, a claim
which those with experience in the Metro Courthouse would dispute, due to Karl
Dean's 22 year career as a key insider in the Metro Courthouse. My question to
those arguing Karl's youth as a virtue would be, "would you still feel the same
if we as Republicans, had to deal with Karl Dean and his vast fortune when he
pursues the Office of the Governor or the U.S. Senate?" Rest assured, the
Tennessee Democratic Party has already tagged Karl Dean as a rising star. Bob
Clement has served in a higher office and has demonstrated a strong desire to
accomplish many things as our next Mayor. Bob Clement does not need the title of
"Mayor" in order to validate himself nor does he need it as a step to a higher
office. Bob Clement can and will make the tough decisions that Karl Dean will
not make….he will simply raise your taxes without providing any new solutions.

If you are a socially conservative Republican, you really have only one choice,
Bob Clement. Consider the disturbing signs all around Karl Dean. First there is
the endorsement he received from Out & About Nashville the publication that
describes itself as the publication for the (GLBT) Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, and
Trans-gendered community. Below, you will find a copy of the endorsement. This
organization has aggressively opposed every pro-family and faith based
organization that has supported us, and for many years they have promoted same
sex marriages and, has been the least tolerant of any organization toward those
with differing views from their own. Particularly troublesome to pro-traditional
family organizations should be the description of Karl Dean given him by the
GLBT publication; That he has a "vision" for a gay district in Nashville and
would help move the GLBT community "Forward".

Make no mistake about it; this publication's views are diametrically opposed to
those of conservatives.

See the Out & About release below:

Out & About Newspaper endorses Karl Dean for Mayor

Posted 08/21/2007

Out & About Newspaper encourages its Nashville readers to vote for Karl Dean in
the runoff mayoral race on Sept. 11. Early voting begin Wednesday, August 22 and
ends Thursday, Sept. 6 at eight locations throughout Nashville

Dean has shown that he's not only supportive of the GLBT community; he's proven
that he will work with the community to move it forward. His opponent, Bob
Clement, has done nothing to win the GLBT community's support and while he may
not "harm" the community, he will most certainly not move it forward if he
becomes mayor.

Dean made it clear during the Nashville GLBT Chamber of Commerce Mayoral Forum
(of which Clement did not participate) that he wanted Nashville to be a city
that "celebrates diversity."

At that same forum, Dean was one of the few candidates who had a vision for the
growing gay district in the Church Street area.

"We need to market that area towards tourism, restaurants, and clothing stores
and encourage that sort of growth," he said. "We need to make it more pedestrian
friendly and tackle issues of transportation."

In an interview with O&AN, Dean said that he would encourage all gay and lesbian
Metro City employees to be open and out at work under his administration. He
also said he'd evaluate partner benefits for GLBT city employees. "Many larger
corporations are providing these benefits to gay and lesbian employees," he
said. "It would certainly be on the table, as we want to follow best practices
in this area and attract the brightest employees."

On the issue of hate crimes, it's Dean's past as a prosecutor that should help
the GLBT community feel safer under Dean's administrative umbrella. "Hate crimes
have no place in Nashville," Dean said. 'As Mayor, I am totally committed to
taking all steps to catch any individual that deals in hate. This includes
working with law enforcement. I want all Nashvillian's to feel safe and welcome
in our city." We all want to feel safe in a city that celebrates the diversity
of its citizens. For that reason, we endorse Karl Dean for Mayor.

Karl Dean's support for the GLBT agenda is clearly out of step with the majority
of Nashvillian's.

Bob Clement has supported traditional family values for his three decades of
public service, and has the support of the socially conservative leadership in
our community.

As a socially conservative Republican I am also concerned with Karl Dean's

position on 2nd Amendment rights.

In the New England Law Review, Spring 2000 (34 New Eng. L. Rev. 589), Karl
Dean wrote…. "I will happily cast myself as a sort of dyed-in-the-wool liberal
from Massachusetts, who went down to Tennessee and remained a believer in gun
control and advocated that position—much to the chagrin of some members of my
own office as Public Defender. I did not get too far with this idea."

I believe this statement gives us a glimpse into the true thoughts of Karl Dean rather than
a position he will take in order to obtain your vote at election time.

Another Dean position that gives me great pause is a position that I believe helps attract
illegal immigrants to our community. Karl Dean answered a question on a recent
questionnaire, sponsored by a group of Minister's calling themselves: the "New Wine"
Ministers" concerning the recent "English First" proposal that most
Republicans/Conservatives supported. (In fact, several polls of Nashville residents found
that majorities ranging from 70% to 85% supported making English the primary language
of the Metropolitan Government). In response to the ministers question which
read…Would you reject all English only proposals as Mayor? ….. To which Dean
wrote….."I support Mayor Purcell's veto of English First and as Mayor, I would do the
same."

How could we expect Karl Dean to be tough on illegal immigration, when he cannot
support the initiative proposed by our Metro Council Members who are trying to
make Nashville less attractive for illegal immigrants?

So as you can see…, Unlike Bob Clement, Karl Dean is soft on opposing illegal
immigration, against gun ownership, soft on criminals, soft on keeping taxes
low, and soft on traditional family values.

Bob Clement has treated Republicans with respect and provided an equal place in
his campaign as well as embraced many of the values we hold. As Ronald Reagan
once said… "I didn't leave the Democratic Party….the Democratic Party left me. I
believe that as Republicans, we have only one choice on September 11th …because
only one candidate for Mayor has truly addressed our concerns…Bob
Clement………….Join with me as I vote for:
BOB CLEMENT

FOR MAYOR

September 11, 2007