Three RA chapter Presidents stand on stage to welcome participants
Canton, GA — Three GRA local chapters joined together last Saturday for a combined Regional Metro Endorsement Convention. The Cobb RA chapter, the North Metro RA Chapter (which includes Cherokee & Pickens counties), and the Fulton RA chapter combined to hold a regional endorsement for local races in three congressional districts, spanning ten counties. Many GRA Members have been working for months to recruit candidates to primary RINOs and on Saturday they came together and endorsed ten candidates at this local endorsement convention.
Most of these legislative candidates at the event pledged to join the Georgia Freedom Caucus, affirmed their support for government accountability and indicated they would pattern their time in the legislature after State Senator Colton Moore (R-Dade). State Rep. Charlice Byrd (R-Cherokee) also gave one of the keynote messages at the event, re-capping what happened during the recent legislative session, and called for more candidates to join the caucus.
Cobb RA Chairman Nathaniel Darnell, who presided over the regional endorsement convention, interviewed the candidates from the stage, and participating members took turns asking well-thought-out questions from the floor as well.
The GRA only endorsed candidates by a two-thirds majority of the voting members at a convention. Here below are the candidates endorsed at this regional convention:
The Fulton Republican Assembly chapter has decided to join in with us for the up-coming Regional Endorsement Convention on April 6th! That means that the convention will now be able to endorse in Congressional Districts 6, 7, and 11 — and all local state legislative and commission races in the geographic area. In addition, GRA members who live in counties in these congressional districts can also participate even if they don’t have a local RA chapter for their area or if their chapter is not addressing these races. So now GRA members from Bartow, Douglas, Forsyth, Dawson, Lumpkin, and Hall counties will also be able to join with Cobb, Cherokee, Fulton, and Pickens for this event.
Remember that an RA endorsement always requires a two-thirds majority vote.
Already some key contests are shaping up for the regional endorsement convention. Candidate Paul Kettering, for example, has qualified to challenge incumbent State Rep. Jordan Ridley (R-22) whose district covers part of Cherokee and part of Cobb. Ridley two years ago won election to office in an open seat after receiving the GRA endorsement. He also took the maximum contribution from the GRA-PAC. But after getting elected, Ridley quickly distanced himself from his supporters and the GA Freedom Caucus, earning himself a legislative vote score of 43% (“D”) in 2023.
Kettering says he’s running as a true conservative America First patriot, and aims to replace Ridley for the Republican nomination in State House District 22. He has already confirmed as one of the candidate speakers at the regional endorsement convention.
To pre-register for this 2024 local RA Regional Endorsement Convention, please register here. Lunch will be included.
Early-bird pricing is available for those registering before April 6, 2024. At the door pricing will be $25 per participating RA member. Candidates registering to speak at the event pay a $50 sponsorship. Other like-minded partner organizations pay $75 to hold a table at this regional endorsement convention.
If you are concerned about the direction of our country, don’t yell at the TV or stay home and complain, please join us in taking constructive action. One person by himself is helpless to stop the leftist onslaught, but by working together we can fight and, with God’s help, save our community.
Endorsement conventions provide an opportunity to meet and network with like-minded patriots who share the same passions and causes you care about. By attending these conventions you will be encouraged and feel better to know you are not alone and are doing something to help make a difference for the next generation.
Marietta, GA — Dozens of Cobb RA members and other conservative patriots showed up in force at the Cobb Commission meeting Tuesday night. Approximately 40 concerned citizens spoke out against the “Stormwater Fee” or “Rain Tax.” Only two women in favorof the tax presented. The meeting was “spirited” to say the least with Democrat Chairwoman Cupid pausing the meeting several times for breaks.
Cobb RA member Christine Rozman, who oversees the Government Accountability Task Force (GATF) in Cobb, reported: “Fantastic results can happen when we show up for meetings and SPEAK OUT – and/or email the Commissioners or just FILL THE ROOM! Speaking of filling the room – it was PACKED and lots of folks standing.”
Citizens came holding lap signs with effective messaging that helped fuel the cause. It was close to 11:30 when the commissioners finally voted to table the Rain Tax issue until August.
Marietta, GA — At Roswell Street Baptist Church last Saturday, the Cobb County Republican Party held their county convention to elect delegates to the congressional district and state conventions, to adopt rules, and to pass resolutions. Most of the convention went fairly smoothly with only minor changes made to the delegate lists proposed by the Nominating Committee, primarily due to some delegates dropping out because of scheduling conflicts.
Delegates check-in at the convention
However, the convention once again ran into a reoccurring problem for the Cobb GOP with being able to pass resolutions due to the ridiculous red tape Parliamentarian Donna Rowe has put in the Cobb GOP Rules, creating an arduous process to get resolutions submitted and approved. This was done in reaction to the backlash the Cobb GOP received a few years ago when a resolution was overwhelmingly passed by the county committee criticizing Governor Brian Kemp. This time the procedures made it so that a resolution favored by Cobb GOP Chairwoman Salleigh Grubbs could not be voted on by the body.
The resolution would have called for Board of Elections member and lobbyist Ed Lindsey to have been removed from the board and replaced with a grassroots champion for election integrity. Although the Cobb GOP’s procedural rules did not allow for the delegates to consider that resolution, other county GOP conventions did pass resolutions on that subject. Marci McCarthy, Chairwoman of the DeKalb GOP, for example, reported that her county’s convention passed the resolution. As the Over 80K Chair for the GA GOP, Salleigh Grubbs was said to be encouraging other county GOPs with over 80,000 populations to pass the resolution she could not pass in her own county.
The Cobb GOP did, however, manage to pass two strong resolutions at the county convention, which were presented by Cobb RA member Leroy Emkin, who serves as the Chairman of the Resolutions Committee. The first of these denounced the use of “Diversity Equity & Inclusion” (DEI) policies, which are tied to theories of Marxist “social justice,” in the Georgia university system. The second called for election integrity reform. You can see these two proposed resolutions here:
The proposed versions of the two resolutions passed by the Cobb County Republican Convention this year.
The Cobb RAs and the North Metro RAs have decided again to join together for a regional endorsement convention of the local Georgia Republican Assembly chapters in Cobb, Cherokee, and Pickens counties. Since announcing this, the Fulton RA chapter has also decided to join in the event.
Participating RA members will be able to vote on endorsing local candidates in races within this geographical area, including state legislative races, and races for local school board and county commission.
To pre-register for this 2024 local RA Regional Endorsement Convention, please register here. Lunch included.
Early-bird pricing is available if registering before April 6, 2024.
At the door pricing will be $25 per participating RA member. Candidates registering to speak at the event pay a $50 sponsorship. Other like-minded partner organizations pay $75 to hold a table at this regional endorsement convention.
Tonight we heard an eye-opening report during our meeting at Taco Mac with Lance Lamberton from the Cobb Taxpayer’s Association. He informed us of some of the latest shenanigans from our Democrat-controlled County Commissioners.
In particular, we learned that the proposed county transit development tax increase would cost $11 billion. This would cost the average household in Cobb County $500 per year —even though only about 3,800 people (out of a county with a population with 766,802) use the public transportation! Indeed, ridership in the current transit system has decreased since 2019 by 75% in spite of them adding Sunday service.
With so few people likely to use such a very expensive proposed service, why would Cobb County support this — unless voters are simply ignorant of its details when they go vote on it at the polls in November?
Although the proposal is coming from the Democrat County Commissioners, the legislation that allowed this proposed tax increase to even be considered this way was sponsored by Republican State Senator Brandon Beach (R-Alpharetta).
It’s important that we get the word out about this terrible tax increase through SPLOST in Cobb County! Let us know if you would like to help us reach voters in Cobb County regarding this fiscally irresponsible proposal.
Keeping our taxes low and local government small, efficient, and non-intrusive are principles of our Republican Party, and we are proud to support partnering organizations like the Cobb Taxpayers Association who are working to champion this cause. We appreciate so many concerned citizens who came out to our meeting last week.
We are pleased to announce our next local Cobb County Republican Assembly chapter meeting to be held tomorrow, Tuesday evening, February 13th, at the Taco Mac on Dallas Hwy. Our special guest speaker will be Lance Lamberton with the Cobb Taxpayer’s Associationto inform us of the latest shenanigans brewing from Democrat-controlled County Commissioners to raise our taxes — and what to expect to see on the ballot in Cobb on that subject in November!
Keeping our taxes low and local government small, efficient, and non-intrusive are all tied into our Republican principles, and we are proud to support partnering organizations like the Cobb Taxpayer Association who are working to champion this cause.
Here are the important details on this local RA chapter meeting:
Cobb County Republican Assembly Meeting: Lance Lamberton with the Cobb Taxpayer Association Location: Taco Mac at Dallas Highway Address: 2650 Dallas Hwy SW, Unit 110, Marietta, GA 30064 Attendance free! Be ready to order dinner. Opens: 6:30pm. Starts: 7:00pm
We had a delightful time this evening with the Cobb County Republican Party & folks who came from as far and wide as Whitfield, Coweta, Floyd, & Fulton counties to participate in the Convention & Parliamentary Procedure Training! Thanks to our Cobb RA Chairman Nathaniel Darnell & our GRA Chairman and attorney Alex Johnson for leading the training!
Marietta, GA—The Cobb GOP County Committee met at the Central Cobb County Library “Switzer” branch Wednesday evening to set the dates for the up-coming 2024 Precinct Caucus Meeting and the County Convention, to appoint committees to run these events, and to amend county party rules. Although the meeting was largely non-controversial, the meeting did get a bit testy when new rule amendments were presented governing how the Cobb GOP’s resolutions could be presented and passed.
Governor Brian Kemp
Ever since September 2021 when the Cobb GOP County Committee overwhelmingly passed a resolution publicly “censuring” or reprimanding Governor Brian Kemp for failing to deal with illegal immigration as he promised (and, as some contend, for failing to fully investigate the allegations of election fraud before certifying the 2020 presidential election in Georgia) the Cobb GOP has reined in the power of the county GOP’s Resolutions Committee. The Cobb GOP was targeted for issuing that resolution even though other GOP organizations such as the 14th Congressional District GA GOP, the 3rd District GA GOP, the Whitfield County GOP and other official GOP organizations around the state have also issued public resolutions reprimanding Republican-elected officials at the state capitol for failing to promote Republican principles or policies, and for generally failing to advance the Republican agenda.
Donna Rowe
The public backlash against that Cobb resolution involved so much pressure immediately after it happened in 2021, that the county committee over-corrected a procedural mishap by approving rules proposed by Establishment influences within the Cobb GOP (which some say were led by then Rules Committee Chairwoman Donna Rowe, who now serves as the Parliamentarian). These rules stifled the Resolutions Committee’s ability to present proposed resolutions directly to the county committee without first going through the Cobb GOP Executive Committee.
Under those current rules, the Resolutions Committee is prohibited from presenting more than two resolutions at a time. The Cobb GOP Executive Committee also has to first vet any resolutions the Resolutions Committee wants to propose to the full county committee before they are allowed to do so.
One of the proposed rule amendments on Wednesday which passed enabled the county GOP Executive Committee to possibly allow for more than two resolutions, at its discretion. The more contentious proposal would have required the Executive Committee to give the Resolutions Committee 45-day notice of a forthcoming county committee meeting so that the Resolutions Committee could prepare timely resolutions in preparation for that meeting.
Leroy Emkin
Cobb GOP Resolutions Committee Chairman Leroy Emkin from East Cobb used the discussion to argue against the two-resolution restriction on the Resolutions Committee. John McLean from West Cobb, who is also a member of the Resolutions Committee, said that the committee needed more time to produce timely resolutions before meetings, given the new restrictions that the Resolutions Committee has in order to have resolutions vetted by the Executive Committee 15 days in advance of the county committee meeting.
Former Cobb GOP Executive Committee officer Catherine Floam argued that the 45-day requirement would be too cumbersome for the Executive Committee, particularly when sometimes the Cobb GOP cannot schedule meetings related to things such as conventions until the state GA GOP completes preliminary business, and this may not allow for 45 days advance notice. Failure to follow the proposed 45-day requirement might invalidate the call of a committee meeting, Cobb RA President Chris Deeb expressed.
Lily Deeb
Cobb GOP Secretary Lily Deeb agreed that the proposed 45-day requirement would be too cumbersome for their team of volunteers, and argued that the 15-day requirement for the resolutions to be submitted for vetting to the Executive Committee was what was creating the problem.
All of the main participants in this debate, including Emkin, McLean, Floam, and Deeb are Cobb RA members serving on the Cobb GOP County Committee. In the course of the discussion, a motion was made to call the question and end debate, but that motion failed, and the debate continued until the 45-day proposal was eventually tabled.
“The problem stems from the Cobb GOP putting these additional restrictions on the Resolutions Committee since 2021,” said Nathaniel Darnell, the Cobb RA Chairman. “They should not require the Resolutions Committee to have all resolutions vetted by the Executive Committee prior to a county committee meeting, nor should they have a two-resolution restriction on the Resolutions Committee. We’ve never done it that way before during the last ten years I’ve been involved. The proposed resolutions should simply be shared with the Chairwoman and Secretary in advance to be included as attachments in the Call for a full Cobb GOP County Committee meeting, just like they do for proposed rule-changes from the Rules Committee.”
John McLean
“The way they’re doing it now,” said John McLean, “I don’t understand what the point is of even having a Resolutions Committee! It really doesn’t motivate me to want to continue to serve on the committee.” McLean expressed interest in the Cobb GOP Rules Committee potentially adopting Darnell’s suggested solution. He just did not want Cobb GOP Chairwoman Salleigh Grubbs to be blind-sighted by a proposed resolution prior to a county committee meeting.
McLean added that he believed the Resolutions Committee needs to be able to issue timely resolutions as our elected officials face pending bills and deadlines in order to provide feedback and accountability.
In a recent article entitled “You Have Only Yourself to Blame” from The Marietta Daily Journal about the previous Cobb GOP breakfast, State Senator Ed Setzler (R-Acworth) was asked by several participants why Governor Brian Kemp is doing so little to help his fellow Republicans in our county and in the state in general. “He says he’s a Christian,” said one questioner. “When is he going to act like a Christian?”
Democrat Fulton D.A. Fani Willis
Questioners reportedly asked in particular about the Executive branch’s failure to help with the “home rule” controversy pertaining to the Cobb Commission maps, and about the Governor’s refusal to call a special session to hold Democrat D.A. Fani Willis accountable for her harassment of the alternate electors (and other charges of misconduct).
Senator Setzler replied that he believes Kemp is retaliating against the Cobb GOP for issuing a public reprimand against the Governor in September 2021 after he certified the 2020 Presidential Election without fully investigating it for evidence of election fraud.
State Senator Ed Setzler
“When a party organization, you may think you’re justified, when a party organization formally and in writing censures a sitting governor from their own party in a rebuke, I can guarantee you what that “When a party organization, you may think you’re justified, when a party organization formally and in writing censures a sitting governor from their own party in a rebuke,” Setzler is reported to have said, “I can guarantee you what that means. Your party organization’s voice vanishes. … That doesn’t mean whether you are right or wrong on the issue. Set that aside. But when parties rebuke in writing and resolution their own sitting governor — you have every right to do that, but when you feel like your voice isn’t there anymore, you have only yourself to blame.”
Here is another case in politics of the tail wagging the dog. In our constitutional system, we are told that it is “We the people” who are in charge of the civil government, and that the Constitution is “the Supreme Law of the Land” but we still we have elected officials who seem to think they are over the people and the laws, and will make personal vendettas a higher priority ahead of doing the right thing to help the state, or even their own party. It’s also incredibly ungrateful since these folks have campaigned for Kemp, donated to him, and voted for him. It’s a slap in the face.
At best, it’s like a team’s football quarterback has decided to throw easy interceptions to the opposing team instead of his own team because he’s mad at the defensive lineman for not blocking a tackle when the quarterback previously lobbed the ball to other team.
Cobb RA President Chris Deeb
“This confirms what we all know,” said Cobb RA President Chris Deeb. “Kemp is small, petty, and vicious.”
While we at the Cobb Republican Assembly at the time did take exception to some of the procedure used in how the public reprimand of Governor Kemp was adopted in Cobb, we have expressed from the beginning and still to this day affirm that we believe the Cobb GOP ultimately did the right thing in calling out the Governor. When Republican officials will not receive private entreaties and/or when their wrong actions are public in nature and harmful to the community at large, it is appropriate for those actions to be publicly rebuked. Otherwise, the rest of the society might assume that all Republicans approve of such bad actions.
Christians have a Bible verse that reminds them “judgment begins in the House of God” (I Peter 4:17). It means that before Christians can preach against sins they observe in the rest of the world, they first have to address their own sins in the Church. By the same token, before Republicans can rebuke Democrats with credibility, they have to first hold their own accountable to what they preach.
Accountability is what we need more of in the Republican Party throughout Georgia. Not a lap-dog mentality to those in positions of high office.
If we genuinely respect God more than politicians, we have to confront them when they violate God’s transcendent moral principles (upon which our Republican Party platform principles are based) found in “the laws of nature and the laws of nature’s God” (i.e. the Bible)—just as our founders did. God will certainly hold us accountable if we do not hold our political officials accountable.
