Introductory remarks or I woulda said if I coulda

WOMEN VOTE REPUBLICAN Welcome and thank you for coming. My name is Linda Bartlett and Susan Allen and I started talking about having this function last April. First I want to thank Lindsay Bomar and Anne Erickson for their skill in organizing functions. The American Tap Room staff, especially Frank Mitolo and Donna Giarratana. Also Therese Antonio for help with publicity, and Violeta Warner our unofficial photographer. Our purpose today is to say “Yes, Virginia, Women Vote Republican and we have outstanding examples of why we do here today. I was at a meeting last week with Anita Moncrief, the young black woman who blew the whistle on ACORN. In announcing this meeting I said “the thing I detest most about the Democrat party is their identity politics-and I heard Ms Moncrief emphatically agree. She’s been there and she knows how degrading it is. But sometimes you have to play on the enemy’s field in order to have a chance of winning—so this is our push back against the myth that all women vote for the left. The Daily show sent a person to the dem convention to report on just how “inclusive” the modern democrat party is. He talked to ordinary conventioneers and all said exactly the same thing—“We are big tent, inclusive, welcome everyone---well, except, the gun toting red necks, to which the reporter said-yeah we don’t need that 150 million, we don’t want those Republican science illiterates—somewhere here is BJ Bluth, who retired from NASA just before Obama retired NASA itself—no science there—we don’t want those crazy Evangelicals who have never read the Bible-the reporter said Oh they read the Bible—no they don’t she said-the woman apparently believes Republicans can’t read, we don’t want any corporate thieves-would we be talking Solyndra? and of course, they said we don’t want any of those people from Tampa coming around. The Daily show audience laughed-that’s their job after all—but the level of ignorance, and prejudice was astonishing and if you believe the principle that people vote for those who seem most like themselves or who mirror their aspirations then we are talking about the kind of people currently in charge of this nation. It was after all Barak Obama who said “we will reward our friends (and indeed he has to the tune of 1 trillion $-and we will punish our enemies. The first president in history to publicly disparage over 40% of the citizens he took an oath to protect and defend. Fortunately for our side, we have here today representatives of all those groups the dems don’t like—literate, leaders in business, technology, science and government, women who are influential and leaders in their communities and beyond. We’re not taking off our bras-we’re taking off the gloves. Most political advisers believe women will be the difference in this election-I agree and that is our job for the next 45 days. And we have help-some of whom you will hear in our program today that features George and Susan Allen, Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler, (Myra Beerman), Congressman Frank Wolf and wife Carolyn, Delegate Barbara Comstock, and Victory personified Pete Snyder. First up is Miki Miller, president of the VA Fed of Republican Women-the largest political organization in the Commonwealth and is also part of the NFRW which is one of the largest in the country. She is from Chesapeake and she is a political force there and in the 4th CD. She travels constantly visiting the 68 clubs in VA and she is going to tell us what she has observed of women’s political involvement since her election in April. Following Miki is Pete Snyder was appointed by Governor McDonnell to head Virginia Victory. He is an accomplished and successful business man, who through his endeavors has created many jobs in the Commonwealth. He is also constantly on the road bringing inspiration and money to every part of Virginia in our collective effort to turn this nation around.