I Don't Wear Boots, But I Vote Ramsey

During my final semester of college, the Spring of 2006, I had the honor and pleasure to serve as an intern at Tennessee's State Capitol. More specifically, I served in the office of the state Senate's then-Majority Leader, Ron Ramsey. On day one, the two of us - though from opposite ends of the state, never having met before - became friends. I knew the months in front of me would be enjoyable, and they were. Senator Ramsey afforded me a rare, multi-faceted, fun view of Tennessee's government in action. I met a variety of interesting people, heard accounts of leaders past and present, and witnessed some of my state's modern history unfold. He was very supportive of me and encouraging in my endeavors both during and after the internship. In fact, when I was honored by my fellow interns to be elected Speaker of our mock legislative session, the first person to call and congratulate me within minutes of the vote was Senator Ramsey (though he had not been elected Speaker yet himself).

Senator Ramsey had worked hard in the years leading up to that session to build a Republican majority in the Senate. That majority grew in the following two election cycles and eventually sparked a Republican majority in the state House. It was eye-opening to see new trends developing and new leadership take hold and to learn that, as Ron says, "it truly matters who governs." When he was asked to run for Congress that year (I answered the phone for that one), he refused in order to usher in more change and build on the majority he had already begun. When I asked him why he refused the offer to run at the time, he simply said, "I don't want to run for Congress. I want to be Lieutenant Governor." And, he did. About one year after we first met, in January 2007, my friend became my Lieutenant Governor. I was proud and honored and very happy, both for him and for the future of my state. While I had great respect for the previous Lieutenant Governor, who can resist the pride you feel when you tell your friends, "I used to work for the Lieutenant Governor. I've brought him Diet Mountain Dew on the Senate floor before." It's pretty cool, right? Our friendship has continued in the years since then, and he is still the same down-to-earth, good-humored, good-natured man who welcomed me into his office as a member of his team when I was a pie-eyed college student a few years ago.

That is NOT why I support Ron Ramsey's candidacy for Governor of Tennessee.

If I had never interned for him, nor met him, I would still support Ron Ramsey as the most favorable candidate for Governor in this election. Granted, I have a bit more in-depth understanding of some of his views and his record, but my support of him and my friendship with him are separate notions in my mind. (My next post will explain some of my reasons for choosing not to support his Republican opponents in the primary.) Allow me to list a few of my reasons, along with some of Ron's issue positions, which lead me to this viewpoint.

The "type" of Governor we need now. - Tennessee's Governors typically come from one of three general categories:
1) The Congressman-turned-Governor model is more common in other states, but we see it often enough here. Ray Blanton and Don Sundquist are the last chief executives our state has "recruited" from the U.S. House. These types are often very knowledgeable of the federal government and the state's interaction with it and may have good luck acquiring the maximum resources from D.C. However, they are often blinded by Washington-style management as the model for all "lower" levels of government and forget that the day-to-day operation of our state's bureaucracy is very different, as is the culture of compromise between branches of government. This state's executive and legislative branches are often considered co-equal, and rightfully so. A Congressman-turned-Governor easily forgets that and may try to be more of a bully to the General Assembly than the people, the system, and his career can stand.
2) The large-city Mayor/corporate CEO model is the one of most recent memory, as it is what we see in Gov. Phil Bredesen. At times, it is an almost ideal scenario. The mayor of a city simply takes their craft to a higher level, overseeing more territory on a larger scale and managing more employees. Or, the CEO takes his talents of moving money and people around all over the state from the private sector to the public arena. It sounds pretty good, but there is still a gap in pre-existing knowledge of state government. Cities and counties can incur debt in ways the state cannot. Therefore, options they may want to employ wouldn't work or be allowed. Further, the CEO can forget that they are no longer selling a product or service and that their new "customers" come in the form of an often ungrateful public that is not as willing or required to provide a direct return on his investment. Those of the Mayor/CEO model are often issue-specific in their expertise and may struggle to yield to their advisers in the area of their own knowledge and/or struggle to find the proper advisers for those areas in which they lack knowledge and experience.
3) The straight-out-of-state-government model is what I believe is ideal at this time. Simply put, this is the model from which a Governor is prepared to go to work on the first day. Within those that qualify for this type, the ideal candidate would have experience as a member of both houses of the General Assembly (as there are significant differences), as a committee chairman (to understand issue-focused debate with less partisan flavor), as a party/caucus leader (to understand navigating political concerns and arguments with a partisan angle), and as a Speaker (to have a feel for managing the technical aspects of a branch of government). Ron has served in each of these roles. He is anything but a stranger to the legislative process. As soon as he is inaugurated, he could instantly shift from being a legislator negotiating with the Governor to pass meaningful initiatives to being the Governor listening to his former colleagues to craft worthwhile policy that benefits us all. In the midst of a crippling recession, with Washington breathing down our necks at every turn, and with a state that clearly seeks to buck the federal trend by growing more conservative as the country goes liberal, we need that kind of instantly-prepared experience-trained executive leading our state's government and protecting our hard-earned tax dollars.

Education: Many times, I feel that Ron's position on education is misunderstood. Due to current hype, he often ends up getting more questions about Pre-K than anything else. To these questions, he is heard opposing what is called "universal Pre-K" (not only available in every county, but required for every child). While I, personally, support Pre-K being available in every county and to any child whose parents choose to send them (this is not yet the case), I also do not think it should be required. That aside, I want my readers to understand that Ron's goal is to make sure that K-12 education gets the primary focus, as it should. There is now so much talk of expanding Pre-K and reforming higher education, that the core education program provided to us all gets neglected by those seeking new ideas and new money. Ron will, as he has, work toward the best education that our state can provide (including maintaining, at a minimum, the current Pre-K structure), but he wants that to come, first, from our elementary, middle, junior high, and high schools. He will work hard for the sake of the early years and higher ed as well, but he is a man of focus and, I believe, is focused on the right category of education. It is also worth noting that Ron is also a great advocate (the greatest among the gubernatorial candidates, in fact) of home-schooling in Tennessee, which has become an increasingly popular choice as an alternative to public education.

Traditional Values: While I believe that Mayor Haslam and Rep. Wamp are social conservatives themselves, Ron has a record to clearly back it up. Never having been a member of a legislative body, Mayor Haslam has no voting record to support his positions on social issues, but I take him at his word when he declares a conservative position. As a member of the U.S. House, Rep. Wamp has not made any sweeping progress on any of the social issues by which conservatives usually stand. Ron, on the other hand, helped pass Tennessee's traditional marriage constitutional amendment and has been a leader in the fight against frivolous abortions in the state. While the "abortion amendment" to our constitution is still in the works, Ron has led the push for its passage over his years in the Senate's leadership. It has now made it closer to final passage than at any point in its history. For those who count the Second Amendment (to the U.S. Constitution) as a social issue, Ron is hands-down the most dedicated and qualified candidate in terms of protecting those rights. I do not own a gun myself, but I firmly believe in a law-abiding citizen's right to own a firearm for personal and property protection. Ron believes that too, which is why he passed the bill in the 1990s to establish Tennessee's handgun carry permit system. Thanks to Ron, we are no longer the wild west and can provide proper training and information to law-abiding citizens who responsibly exercise their rights. He is also the only candidate for Governor this year with a handgun carry permit. It's kind of a Hair Club for Men thing. He's not only the creator of the permit system, but he's also a client.

Standing up to the federal government: This, naturally, is the part where Ron props his foot in front of the camera and tells you he is ready to give Washington the boot. I'm not here to rehash one of his commercials, but I do wish to note his general stance on standing up to Washington. Over half of Tennessee's annual budget consists of federal dollars given to the state for proper distribution. Obviously, Ron would never say "no thanks" to all things federal. However, when unnecessary strings are attached to federal dollars or when unfunded and grossly improperly thought-out mandates are handed down, Ron has the guts and the lack of federal loyalties to put up a fight. There's nothing wrong with that. And, Tennessee won't "go hungry" if he does. Many, I dare say most, of my fellow Republicans oppose Obamacare. I do too. And, I believe that Ron is prepared to take any legal steps available to oppose it and reduce the burden this very loaded legislation would place on Tennessee and Tennesseans. There are always possible unfunded mandates being considered in Washington and new conditions being placed on federal appropriations. Ron wants us as a state to look at each one carefully and resist short-term benefits with negative long-term costs. That's a pair of boots I am glad he wears.

Small businesses/jobs/the economy: One of the things I related to when I first met Ron was that he is a small businessman. I am a child of former small business owners; my mother is the child of small business owners; her father was the son of a small business owner. Nothing says hard work, drive, and creativity to me like the entrepreneurial spirit of an American business owner. By the time Ron was my age (I'm 26), he had started and ran a business (I certainly could not do that yet). By the time he was 30, he had started two and ran them both for several years. He still owns his realty office/auction house and, even as Lieutenant Governor and a gubernatorial candidate, conducts auctions in multiple states and works his enterprise. I can't understand how he does it, but I'm very impressed. That experience and that drive have made him one of the small business community's best friends in Tennessee politics. While supporting and understanding the role of large industry, Ron knows that local economies are stabilized by the small businesses that build faithful clientele, maintain local culture, and provide jobs while many large plants are lured overseas. As Governor, Ron will do everything he can to empower small business to continue this trend of local economic stability across the state. Primarily, he will stay out of their way by seeking to reduce red tape burdens, taxes, and the regulations that slow businesses down from doing what they do best.

These five general areas are at the core of my support of Lt. Gov. Ramsey's candidacy for Governor, but they are far from the only reasons. He is a good, honest, decent man who has worked hard to build a great family, two solid businesses, a stronger Republican party, and now wants to help us build the greatest Tennessee we can imagine. I know and respect all three of my party's candidates for Governor, but I am and shall remain very partial to Ron Ramsey. I hope you will learn more about him at http://www.teamronramsey.com/. I also welcome you to contact me to learn more about him (Prez_Chucko@hotmail.com). An important decision will be made on August 5, with another to follow on November 2. I hope you will join me in making the same decision - to make Ron Ramsey Tennessee's next Governor!