Lee Erwin reporting
lerwin@clarksvillenow.com
Clarksville, Tenn. – The Montgomery County Republican Party held their annual Lincoln Reagan Day Dinner Saturday, March 1 at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center. More than 300 people were in attendance for the event which has been held for over 25 years.
The featured speaker at the dinner was former U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales who served under President George W. Bush from 2005-2007. Other GOP candidates seeking various offices in the August Tennessee State Primary and November General Election also addressed the crowd.
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Much of Gonzales’s speech centered on his time and his many experiences while serving as Attorney General in Washington D.C. “As an American citizen there is probably no greater privilege than going to work every day at the White House. It is indescribable, unbelievable, every moment is exciting, it’s humbling and it’s rewarding,” said Gonzales.
Gonzales also talked about the qualities needed to be President and added those were not present in the current administration. “We are already enduring the disappointment of electing a President who can deliver a great speech but who is incapable of accepting responsibility and who lacks the skill or apparent interest to lead this country,” Gonzales said.
The Republican candidates running for office in 2014 were each given time to talk about the GOP and their campaigns. Jay Reedy of Houston County and Keith Svadba of Clarksville will face each other in the August 7 Tennessee State Primary for the 74th District State Representative seat now held by Democratic incumbent John Tidwell.
Speaker Pro Tempore of the Tennessee House of Representatives Curtis Johnson of Clarksville from the 68th District spoke at the event and Tennessee State Representative Joe Carr who dropped his bid for reelection to the state house to run against U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander outlined his platform.
One of the highlights of the evening came when State Senator Mark Green read a proclamation from the Tennessee General Assembly honoring Ted Crozier Sr. Green, along with Curtis Johnson also presented Crozier with a plaque for his years of military and community service.
Crozier, a retired Army Colonel from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) served in the military from 1946 through 1978 and also as Mayor of Clarksville from 1978 to 1986. Following the presentation to Crozier, U.S. Congressman Marsha Blackburn who represents the 7th District in Tennessee offered her comments on what’s taking place in Washington.
“I think this nation’s greatest days are in front of it because the American people are waking up and let me tell you something. As my mother would say they have grown ill and fatigued with listening to the rubbish that is coming out of Washington D.C. and they are going to do something about it,” Blackburn said.
After the dinner, Clarksville City Councilwoman Deanna McLaughlin, Committee Chairman for the Lincoln Reagan Day Dinner talked about the event. “I think we had one of the best Lincoln Reagan Day Dinners we’ve ever had. We had an amazing keynote speaker in former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and I think it was a great event,” McLaughlin said.