Head, Yakym, Beckwith speakers at Republican dinner
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By Deb Patterson
InkFreeNews
NORTH WEBSTER — Indiana Republican Party Chairman Randy Head was the keynote speaker at the Kosciusko County Republican Party Hall of Fame Dinner, Tuesday evening, Oct. 29. He was joined by 2nd District Congressman Rudy Yakym and Lt. Governor Candidate Micah Beckwith.
The event was held at The Owl’s Nest, North Webster.
All three men addressed the need for Republicans to get out and vote and not be complacent.
“Our mission is to get out the vote,” Head stated.
He noted because there’s no Democratic opposition, many tend to skip, which is a problem.
Head noted the governor’s race is competitive.
“We’re on the right side of it and we’re turning it the right way. We’re winning in early voting all across Indiana with your help. All those are good signs. But it’s still a competitive race and if we sit back and say it doesn’t matter there are no Democrats here … we’re going to give that up. We need everyone here to vote … take some people with you, talk about the importance of voting early that way when election day starts we know we’ve got a lead that will be hard to make up. If we don’t do it, get complacent about it, we’re going to give it up, just like they gave it up after 20 years …”
Head spoke of the last time the Democrats had the legislative chamber — bills were stopped, the governor’s office kept money from schools causing schools to take out loans, just to make it appear they were balancing the budget.
“We don’t want that. We don’t want to go back. We’ve got to get out and we’ve got to vote; if we do that we’re going to be ok,” he said.
Head shared several speeches from Abraham Lincoln, which he felt were just as relevant today as when he lived.
“He tells us how to deal with people, tells us how to deal with Democrats and how to persuade them. He tells us how to deal with people who disagree with us and to engage them. He’s got a great recipe for success here,” Head said.
He referenced a temperance meeting in 1841 — an impromptu speech on his way to his inauguration — and a comment made after talking to a confederate mother.
In the 1841 temperance meeting, Lincoln stated, “If you want to persuade someone of something, first you must convince them that you are their true friend. If you come at them with anger, if you come at them with accusations, if you denounce them … they will never come over to your side even though what you say may be true … they must feel you have their best interest at heart sincerely …”
At Independence Hall, Lincoln spoke about the men who came before, principles the nation was founded, in which he wanted all to remain dedicated.
After a Union mother cried out that the Confederates were enemies and should be destroyed, Lincoln stated, “Do I not destroy my enemy by making them my friend?”
Head stated, “We can do that today. The fights that we fight are not as hard as the fight he was fighting. We can destroy our enemies by making them our friends. We’re not going to get all Democrats to vote for us. That shouldn’t be our aim. … some of these people can be persuaded to vote for Republican candidates but we’ve got to destroy them as enemies by making them friends and again that is the first lesson Abraham Lincoln had in 1841. We’ve got to attack ideas, not people.”
Yakym and Beckwith’s addresses were very similar to Head’s — encouraging people to get out to vote and to put the country back on path.
Yakym encouraged county Republicans to help put Indiana on the board and set the tone for the state and country.
He noted record turnouts in early voting is being seen. He spoke how Kamala Harris has surrendered the country’s sovereignty, destroyed women’s sports … responsible for the conspiracy theory.
Beckwith noted it is encouraging to come to counties, like Kosciusko, where we know Republican principles are the principles which rule the day.
“Not every county in Indiana follows those Republican principles. To be a conservative county, to be a light for other counties and for other states to look at citizens how we govern and govern well. It takes everybody, from the chair to the team around them, to the state party … legislatives, local officials, it’s a team effort,” he said.
“The grassroots communities are fired up,” Beckwith added.
He noted Mike Braun is bringing a message of common sense, kitchen table issues, pushing back on the nonsense in Washington … it is conservative values that are carrying on liberty for our next generation.
He related telling a former student, who said Communist was the best form of government and “God gives you your rights. Government cannot take it away.”
Beckwith stated he believes Indiana can be “a city on a hill for the nation.”
“America needs a city on the hill … good government, common sense.”
He also asked Republican to remember the sacrifices the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence endured to give the freedom experienced today.