The Becker Report
Volume I
Issue V
August 22, 2004

Distribution
Tim Rudd, Clermont County
Paul Hall, Brown County
Harty Wallingford, Adams County
Rodney Barnett, Scioto County
Ray Dutey, Lawrence County

Please provide me names and e-mail addresses for anyone else that would like to receive this.
You may also forward this newsletter to your Republican friends.

What happened to “The Becker Report”?
A number of people have asked me if I’m still issuing “The Becker Report.”
Although I sent out the first four issues between March and May 2004, I never planned on sending out more than four or five issues per year.
The plan was to submit a report after each State Central Committee meeting.
We only meet four or five times per year.
Additionally, most of the news and events that I had been aware of were specific to Clermont County and not of great interest to my other four counties.
And finally, these newsletters take me all week to research and write.

Update
Mary Walker had a successful fundraiser at RSVP at Wards Corner on August 19, 2004.
She is running for re-election for Clermont County Commissioner.
Although I could only stay for 30 minutes, it was good to see a number of old friends and acquaintances.

My next stop was at Longworth Hall in Cincinnati.
Senator Sam Brownback from Kansas and Congressman Steve Chabot were the keynote speakers at a Catholic outreach event.
Martin Gillespie, from the RNC coordinated it.
Both speakers talked about pro-life and pro-marriage issues.

A central point was that a human life is not property.

The Supreme Court was wrong when it decided Dred Scott.

And it was wrong when it decided Roe v. Wade.

Umbilical cord blood cells have successfully treated Parkinson’s disease.
The Pro-life position has moved ahead by 10 points at the expense of the so-called pro-choice position.

Norway and Denmark have experienced devastating results to their families since the legalization of “homosexual marriage.”

Normal marriages have plummeted.

And illegitimacy has soared.

It was also good to see Tom Brinkman, Debra Clark, and Mary Lynne Birck at the event.

John Kerry was not well received at the VFW Convention in Cincinnati on August 18, 2004.
I joined Brent Sanders and many other loyal Republicans on the corner of 5th and Elm.
That was the second time this year that I attended a John Kerry protest downtown.

A Bush/Cheney rally was held at the Southern Hills JVS in Georgetown on August 18, 2004.
About 40 people or so attended.
It was good to see some familiar faces such as Danny Bubp, Suzanne Wynn, Bill Herdman, Brent Sanders, and Crunch Reyna.
Paul Hall was one of many new people that I also met.
He was the only Party Chairman (of my five counties) that I had not met.
Brent and Crunch praised the Brown County GOP for being the best in the state at meeting their goals.
They also showed a video of John Kerry explaining his Iraq policy.
It was a real hoot. (Or was it a REEL hoot?)

I attended a meeting in Dayton on August 10, 2004.
It was a Southwestern Ohio event for Bush/Cheney Chairmen, County Chairmen, and State Central Committee members.
Bob Bennett Chaired the event.
It was a planning and strategy meeting and ended with a Q&A session.
Ohio expects to host either the President, Vice President, or the First Lady about every four days.
I was happy to have the opportunity to meet Bill Herdman and Mike Allen.
They both seem like fine gentlemen and I will continue to look forward to working with them.

Governor Taft hosted an ice cream social at his residence on August 7, 2004.
It was an exciting experience.
I’ve never met a governor before, and I’ve never been to a governor’s mansion.
Mr. Taft and I talked for about ten minutes.
I found him to be a very genuine and likable guy.
We talked about his future political ambitions and the Bush/Cheney events in the 14th District.
Policy issues were not discussed.
(I think that my seven-year-old daughter might have been more excited about the ice cream than meeting the governor.)

The Clermont County Fair was July 25, 2004.
Connie Bare, Clermont County Bush/Cheney Campaign Chairman, and her team acquired a large flat bed truck for the parade.
We had a large number of people riding on the truck and walking through the crowd distributing Bush/Cheney literature.
Everybody loves a parade.

I was excited to meet Ralph Reed at Tri-County Assembly of God on June 15, 2004.
He was the keynote speaker for a Bush/Cheney event.
They asked that church directories be submitted so that they can be crosschecked against voter registration records.
Please let me know if you have a church directory that you can send.

I’ve also attended several Bush/Cheney volunteer training sessions and worked the phone banks a number of times.
Working the phone banks is always interesting.
It’s a great opportunity to learn what people are thinking and correct any misinformation that they may have.

Slate Cards and Federal Candidates
A number of questions have come up about how County Parties can promote Federal candidates.
The complexities of this issue are beyond the scope of this newsletter.
I suggest that you contact the Ohio GOP at 614-228-2481 for details.
My meeting in Dayton and my discussion with Kay Ayres did provide some insights.
When you contact them, ask about the following:

Once you understand the details of the above talking points, you will be able to proceed.

Presidential Electors
Chairman Bennett sent a letter to all State Central Committeemen and County Chairmen regarding Presidential Electors.
At our next State Central Committee meeting on September 17, 2004, we will confirm 20 Electors for the Electoral College.
One Elector will be selected from each of Ohio’s 18 Congressional Districts plus two at-large.
Lawrence County is part of the 6th Congressional District.
Scioto County is split and has been assigned to the 6th District also.
Eleven people are charged with the responsibility for selecting an Elector for the 2nd Congressional District.
Six of those eleven are from Ohio’s 14th Senate District.
Those six are: John Becker, Paul Hall, David Kelley, Kay Reynolds, Tim Rudd, and Harty Wallingford.
The other five are: Michael Barrett, Mary Anne Christie, Tom Grossmann, Doug Miller, and Michael Schueler.
Key Reynolds is coordinating the selection process for the 2nd Congressional District.
I know of only two nominees so far.
Mary Anne Christie nominated herself for the position.
And I nominated Connie Bare.

This position is traditionally awarded to a hard-working Republican.
I don’t know of anybody who has worked harder than Connie Bare to help re-elect President Bush.

Additionally, Connie is well known for working hard on many campaigns always putting others ahead of herself.
She has been using her vacation time and working day and night on the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign.
In my opinion, nobody in the 2nd Congressional District works, or has worked, harder than Connie Bare to get Republicans elected.

I spoke to Mary Anne Christie about Connie Bare and asked her to support Connie.
Although she declined my request, Mary Anne and I had a nice chat.
She is also a long-time hard worker for the Party.
I’ll look forward to meeting her at our next State Central Committee meeting.

Please let me know ASAP who you would like to see become the Presidential Elector for the 2nd Congressional District.

Fast Facts
Clermont County has garnered 1600 volunteers via the phone banks and other means.
We have purchased and distributed 1300 yard signs and expect to acquire 4000 more in September.
Large groups have been going door-to-door on Saturdays to register new voters.

Amazingly, the Brown County GOP has called every Republican in the county!
They have checked every land purchase against voter records to identify new voters.
Phone banks are set up at the new HQ in Georgetown and at Paul Hall’s office in Mt. Orab.
Paul Hall speaks highly of many people in his organization.
We talked about two of his “rising stars.”
Tina Meranda and Suzanne Wynn have been making a name for themselves in Brown County.
And Bill Herdman appears to be simply unstoppable.
He continues to be a fine example for others to follow.

Adams County had a very successful fair.
New voter registration was brisk.
They are planning door-to-door activities and phone banks after Labor Day.

Scioto County has been diligently working their phone banks and registering new voters.
They also have a competitive Prosecutors race and Engineers race.
Please send your donation to 314 Chillicothe Street, Portsmouth, Ohio 45662-4012.

Ray Dutey and his group have been working hard in Lawrence County.
They have been making phone calls and have registered 1900 new voters.
The Lawrence County Fair was a great success.
Bush/Cheney bumper stickers were in great demand.

Web Sites
Clermont County now has a web site that is about 90% complete.
It is free because of our Fuse account.
I created it and maintain it using FrontPage 2000.
The URL is http://home.fuse.net/clermontgop/
Let me know if I need to make any changes or updates.

Brown County has a very impressive web site.
The URL is http://www.browncountyrepublicans.org/
Nancy Bentley created and maintains the site.
She also uses FrontPage.

Every county can have a free web site through Ohio GOP.
The URL for them is http://www.ohiogop.org/ContactUs/CountyLookup.aspx

Let me know if I can help.

Event Calendar
Phone Banks will continue in Clermont County Monday through Thursday from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM and Saturdays 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Contact Debbie Siegroth 513-528-0670 or Party HQ at 513-732-1611.

Danny Bubp for State Representative and Rob Portman will be holding a fundraiser August 25, 2004 from 5:30 to 7:00 at Hill Top Rental Hall east of Amelia.
Contact Danny at 1-800-Dan-Bubp or 937-544-2581. The donation is $50.

Brown County will be dedicating their new HQ in Georgetown at 1:30 PM on August 26, 2004.
The Ohio Tobacco Festival in Ripley begins on August 27, 2004.
A booth will me manned through the 29th from 12:00 PM to 9:00PM.

Rob Portman will have a fundraiser at the Adams County Fairgrounds on August 28, 2004.

Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati will be hosting a reception to honor Dr. Jack Willke on August 29, 2004.
He is retiring as a member of the Board of Directors.
It will be held at St. Gertrude on Shawnee Run Road in Cincinnati.
Call 513-728-7870 to RSVP by August 27, 2004.

The Republican National Convention is August 29, 2004 through September 2, 2004 in NYC.
Contact Ohio GOP at 614-228-2481.

Scioto County will be hosting a Party for the President – September 2, 2004 at their new HQ in Portsmouth.
Their meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM for the Execs and 7:00 for the Central Committee.
The HQ phone number is 740-354-4000.

A Party for the President will be September 2, 2004 at Bev Burkhardt’s in Mt. Orab.

The Southern Ohio Chairman’s Conference Regular Meeting will be September 4, 2004 at the Lewis Family Restaurant in Jackson at 9:00 AM.
Contact Rodney Barnett 740-778-2110 to verify date and time.

The Republican Club picnic will be at Brown County Rural Water down by the river on September 12, 2004.

The Republican State Central Committee will hold its regular meeting on September 17, 2004 in Columbus.

Barb Wiedenbein is running for Clermont County Clerk of Common Pleas Court.
She is having a fundraiser at the Armory in Batavia on September 17, 2004 from 4:30 to 7:00.
The donation is $100.
Contact Barb at 752-8244 to RSVP before September 5, 2004.

Door-to-door voter registration will be September 25, 2004.

The Brown County Fair will be September 27, 2004 through October 2, 2004.

Ken Blackwell will be in either Brown County or Adams County or both to talk about what political activities are allowed for ministers and churches.
The event is scheduled for September 28, 2004. Details are pending.

Voter Registration Deadline is 4:00 PM October 4, 2004.

Candidate’s night will be October 7, 2004 in Lawrence County.
Contact Ray Dutey 740-532-1760.

Rob Portman and John Ruthven will be hosting a fundraiser on October 17, 2004 in Brown County.
The donation is $50 and a print will be provided.

Election Day is November 2, 2004.

Please allow two or three vacation days to work with the 72-hour task force.

Trust me on this one: You do not want to wake up on November 3, 2004 and hear the words “President Elect John F. Kerry.”


The Clermont County Lincoln Day Dinner will be February 4, 2005 at the Eastgate Holiday Inn.

Communication
Danny Bubp and I discussed the possibility of creating an information clearinghouse for the 14th Senate District.
I can do that via my web site or this report or both.
However, I cannot publish information that I do not have.
Please send me information about what is happening in your counties.

Thank you to Suzanne Wynn for sending me the Brown County schedule of events.

Precinct Committeemen
Family First PAC published an article that I authored regarding the position of Precinct Committeeman.
Within it, I referenced an article by Phyllis Schlafly entitled “The Most Powerful Office In The World Is NOT The President of the United States!”
Her assessment is very accurate.

The following is a letter that one of our Precinct Committeemen sent out to her constituents.
I have reproduced it below with permission.
In my opinion, it is a fine example for others to follow.

Thea Shoemake

Precinct Chairperson-Clermont County

4992 Mallet Hill Drive

Cincinnati, OH  45244-1072

513-965-8577

ccgop@cinci.rr.com

August 10, 2004

Dear Neighbor:

     Good afternoon!  My name is Thea (Taya) Shoemake.  I am your representative with the Clermont County Republican Party (for Beechwood Farms and its surrounding area).   I am grateful for the opportunity to help “Get Out the Vote!”  Initially, I would like to make sure that your mailing information is correct.  If it isn’t (e.g., if you have recently moved into your home and the previous owners are listed on the label), would you please let me know so that I can update our records?

     Secondly, I would like to make you aware of my duties as your point of contact.  They include providing voters with information, registering new voters, providing absentee ballots and pre-election voting assistance when conditions apply.  Additionally, I am looking forward to recruiting election-day poll workers and a grassroots volunteer base to assist in identifying new neighbors who may need a hand in registering to vote and/or getting involved.   

     Towards these goals, I am writing you to ask if you will meet with me to discuss and act on them.  The power in this country was intended to rest with We, the People.  I hope that you’ll join me in the effort to further that truth for November’s historic election and beyond.  Please contact me (info. above) to attend the meeting on Thursday, September 9th @ 7:00PM. 

     We encourage participation at any level that is comfortable to you.  This could mean anything from putting up a yard sign, to walking door-to-door in your neighborhood.  And of course, I am always available to answer any questions you may have about our candidates, the issues or the voting process.  Thank you for your time, I look forward to working with you.

    
Respectfully,

Mrs. Thea Shoemake
Precinct Chairperson

This issue and all back issues are available at: http://home.fuse.net/jbecker/TheBeckerReport.htm

As always, please provide me with feedback including any corrections to this report.

Thank you.

_________________________________________________
John E. Becker
Republican State Central Committeeman
Ohio's 14th Senate District
Clermont, Brown, Adams, Scioto, and Lawrence Counties
513-345-7105 (day)
513-753-6440 (eve)
http://home.fuse.net/JBecker