Escambia County YR Hosts Badley Byrne

The Escambia County Young Republicans were joined by Young Republicans from Baldwin and Mobile counties as well as members of the GOP from Escambia, Baldwin and Mobile counties at their meeting Thursday, March 10, in Brewton.

Guest speaker was Bradley Byrne, founder of Reform Alabama and former candidate for governor of Alabama. More than 50 people attended the groups 2nd official meeting.
“We are energized by this group,” said Jeff Peacock, chairman of the Escambia County Republican Party. Holding up a copy of Atmore News [February 16, 2011], Peacock referenced a photo from the first meeting of the Escambia County Young Republicans held February 10 in Atmore.

 “Some of the people in the picture got calls from prominent Democrats who suggested it was not a good idea for the ones in the picture to be part of the Young Republicans,” Peacock said. “Think how upset they’ll be with this gathering.”

Peacock said later, “Regardless of your political affiliation, we can all agree that young people getting involved in our political process should be applauded, not discouraged.  To harass these young folks for wanting to start a political club is simply shameful. I was very encouraged to see that all but one of the young people who attended the first meeting returned to attend the second meeting.”

To the gathering in Brewton, Peacock suggested that efforts be made to take the county courthouses in the next election.

“In 2012, there will be no such thing as a safe Democratic seat in Escambia County,” Peacock said.

Shane Hadley, chairman for Young Republicans, introduced the guest speaker for the evening, Bradley Byrne, founder of Reform Alabama and former candidate for governor of Alabama.

Looking over the gathering, Byrne said, “This is a good sign for the Republican party in Escambia County.”

He talked about the importance of elections on the national and state scene.

“Elections matter,” he said. “They matter a lot. Look at the president right now with a Republican House. House representatives are outmaneuvering the president. The truth is on their side and they’re being smart about it.

“Here in Alabama, elections have really mattered … [In the last election,]Alabama and Wisconsin had the biggest flips in terms of the legislature.”

Byrne talked about changes in policies being put into place – banning double dipping, banning PAC to PAC transfers, requiring ethics training.

One of the biggest changes is that lobbyists may no longer spend anything on a public official with the intention of influencing a vote.

“It goes into effect March 16,” Byrne said. “Word is that on March 15, lobbyists are taking all the legislators to dinner, and they’re calling it the Last Supper.”

During a question and answer period, Byrne addressed, among other topics,

* redistricting – “I think we will have redistricting this year to be in place next year. It’s time for y’all to have a Republican senator. My guess is that we in Baldwin County will share a senator with you …I agree with Jeff. The focus the next couple of years should be on county courthouses.”

* healthcare program – “Obama’s health care plan won’t work…if I were governor, I would stop Obamacare in Alabama now. We’ve got to get a Republican majority in the Senate next time. We’ve got to get somebody who can beat Obama. A Republican with our principles is a way that allows us to beat Obama. That way, we can repeal Obamacare.”