From the beginning of Bill Marcy’s run for the U.S. Representative seat for District 2 in Mississippi, I’ve had the opportunity to stay in touch with Bill and his campaign. My interest in his campaign was particularly strong because of several reasons, not the least of which was that he was one of the earliest supporters of the Tea Party movement and he attended all of the early meetings of MeridianTeaParty.com. Bill and I had several conversations during the early days of the campaign that were frank and sometimes brutally honest. Bill’s conservative beliefs run deep though contrary to many within his own family. I told Bill then that given the anti-incumbent sentiment in the Country, the fact that Bennie’s negatives were higher than ever, and the fact that the luster of Barack Obama was wearing off all played to his political advantage.
He told me that he met with the MS GOP elite in Jackson, MS and that while they were supportive of his run and encouraged him to do so, he would have to win the primary election before they would even consider supporting his campaign. So Bill went to work running a very strong campaign and in the end, Bill bested two candidates in a very close race to win the Republican Nomination and the right to challenge Bennie Thompson in the general election on November 2nd of this year. During that primary, MeridianTeaParty.com issued several recommendations of support for Bill, and was contacted by several Tea Parties around the State who all wanted to ask the same questions: “Is Bill Marcy a true Conservative?” , “Is Bill Marcy the real deal?”, and “Can Bill Marcy Beat Bennie Thompson?”
My short answers to all of these questions were “Yes!”, “Yes!”, and “If everyone gets behind him, YES!”
Reminiscient of the Scott Brown race in Massachusetts, Tea Party groups in District 2 began to invite Bill to their meetings and listened to him speak. Then they began to invite him to speak at their rallies to expose his message that “Mississippi Deserves Better Than Bennie!” to more people. Very quickly a grassroots campaign sprang up around Bill’s formal campaign to support Bill and increase his chances of winning. Tea Party members began knocking on doors, calling neighbors, emailing flyers to people and donating money. Frankly, I’ve never seen anything like Bill’s campaign in almost 30 years of watching politics. It has been an amazing thing to watch and in every conversation I’ve had with Bill since the primary, the first words on his lips have been appreciation for all of the efforts of people who have worked tirelessly to get him this far. Recently, he told me that grassroots support for his campaign has expanded to include Tea Party groups from Louisiana who are lending people with technical talent and campaigning skills to help.
I had the opportunity to speak with Bill this past week and I expressed to Bill the anger I felt toward the Republican Party after their initial announcement not to support Christine O’Donnell after her amazing win in Delaware. I told him I had received calls from MeridianTeaParty.com members who stated that they would never give to the Republican Party again and would from this moment forward only donate directly to candidates of their own choosing. I told him that I had contacted Jamie Peavy, Chairman of the Lauderdale County Republicans, to express my own anger and frustration that barring gross unethical or felonious behavior, it was wrong for elites within the Party to deny assistance to candidates who had fought and won the votes of the people to represent the Republican label.
So, imagine my surprise when he told me that so far, neither the Mississippi Republican Party nor the National Republican Party has given one cent to his campaign to help him win. Imagine my further surprise when he told me that the leadership of the Republican Party told him that they had decided to focus on the races in District 1 and District 4 because that’s where they saw the best opportunities to win. Imagine my anger when Bill told me that his own internal polling showed him gaining strongly on Bennie Thompson among those likely to vote.
For a moment, I felt sorry for Bill. But then I remembered that Bill has the heart, soul and mind of a conservative, which means he will not stop and he will not give up and he will not be ignored. He voice was clear and strong as he reminded me that he wasn’t depending on anyone but himself and his supporters to win this race and that he never had.
I told Bill in the beginning that I thought the race against Travis Childers in District 1 and the race against Bennie Thompson in District 2 were to the two places we all needed to place our attention because I believed that Childers and Thompson were low hanging fruit, ready to be picked. I was concerned that Taylor was too strong in District 4 and that he had scored points with Conservatives by voting against Obamacare. I also felt that Reg. Gregg Harper benefitted greatly from his support of conservative values and would be a difficult challenge for anyone running against him.
Bennie Thompson has treated his district like a fiefdom so much so that he hasn’t even formally campaigned in his district in the past 3 cycles. King Bennie as he has been called, believes that he is due his seat in Congress and I told Bill in that first conversation that if he made Bennie actually campaign in the district, Bill could count that as a huge success because it would mean that Bennie was worried. The fact is, Bennie has campaigned harder than he has ever had to in this cycle and it is because of Bill Marcy. Bennie Thompson is running scared because whatever else he is, he is not stupid. He knows that the public is unhappy with Democrats. He knows that the public is unhappy with Barack Obama. He knows that the public is unhappy with him. Above all else, Bennie Thompson knows just like I do that Bill Marcy is the real deal and that Bill Marcy CAN beat him.
In spite of Bill getting individual donations from the Republican Stars in our State such as Haley Barbour, Phil Bryant and many others, the elite within the Republican Party still believe that the party shouldn’t “waste” any money on Bill Marcy’s campaign because they think he can’t win. How can they come to this conclusion when they haven’t even tried? The only thing I can come up with is that they don’t understand Bill Marcy and they definitely don’t understand the Tea Party Movement yet. They still think that they have their hands on the levers of power. They still think that they are controlling the game. I’ve got news for them, they are sorely mistaken.
Look around the Country at primary race after primary race where Tea Party Support has been the difference in producing a winning formula. Listen to the conservative voices who speak via the Internet rather than through the traditional media outlets to thousands of people who agree with what they are reading. Consider the fact that Christine O’Donnell raised almost $1 Million dollars in a single day directly as a result of the disrepect paid to her by the National and State Republican Parties. You’ve got to ask yourself, “What the hell is The Republican Party thinking?”
One sure fire way of proving that Bill Marcy will not beat Bennie Thompson is to withhold needed funds and starve his campaign. The question I keep asking myself is whether the Republican Party really understands that if they do not support Bill Marcy then when he does win this race, they will not be able to claim any of the credit of Bill’s success. That credit will belong solely to the Tea Party Movement.
We are now in the final days of the campaign season and as you can see from this article, Bill Marcy needs our support more than ever. His fast and dramatic climb is the internal polls and Bennie’s efforts to campaign everywhere he can are proof that Bill is making a difference. Bill isn’t getting help from within The Republican Party; so, that leaves it up to the rest of us. It’s simple: Bill needs money to put him over the top and to win this race.
To donate to Bill Marcy’s campaign, go to http://www.BillMarcyForCongress.com.
I know he will appreciate any amount you can give.
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Well said Paul. The latest poll conducted by JMC Enterprises calls the race a toss-up. A third of the voters are undecided and want an alternative to Bennie. If they get to know Bill most will vote for him. If we get out the vote Bill will win.
As a HUGE Bill Marcy supporter my feelings are hurt by your generalization that the GOP is not helping Bill. I am not sure who the “elite” within the Republican Party are that you write about in your blog but there are many that are helping Bill. The Madison County Republican Party and Ex. Committee has stepped up and does believe that Bill Marcy can win in District 2 and we have been working hard to make sure that he does. We have organized multiple fundraisers, meet and greets, events, spent countless hours licking, sticking, writing, mailing, designing, making phone calls, canvassing neighborhoods reaching thousands of voters, registering voters, attending events throughout the district. The MCGOP has donated the maximum amount possible by law that is allowed to Bill’s campaign. We all have to jump in and help regardless of the party affiliation. We don’t need to discount those that are working hard to help Bill (GOP or Tea Party) and we certainly don’t need to fall prey to what the liberals want…play the blame game and divide the Conservative vote. As you will see from an upcoming campaign by the Democrat Governors Association were they will be pitting the GOP against the Tea Party and visa versa. Divide by race, class and now by GOP “moderate” or Tea Party “extremist” classificatioins. We all need to unite and WIN this district and put our energies into helping Bill Marcy become the next Congressman in District 2. Now is not the time to attack the very voters (not all will be Tea Party Patriots) who will be going to the polls in droves to vote against Bennie Thompson. Still working hard for Bill Marcy because I BELEIVE! Mary McLaurin, Chairman, Madison County Republican Party.
Very well spoken, Mary, and I can vouch for how much hard work has been done for Bill Marcy especially coming from the Madison County Republican Women.
From where I sit, both the MS Tea Party and the Republican Party are behind Bill Marcy for Congress in District 2.
We need everyone to pull together for Bill Marcy’s Win in 2010 to become a reality.
Mary,
I apologize for hurting your feelings. That was not my intention. I tried to be explicit in the article that I was referring to the National Republican Committee and the MSGOP not the individual County-based Republican Parties. I believe I was very explicit in my support of those individuals and groups that have worked tirelessly on the ground doing the hard work of getting Bill Marcy to the point where he is now. I was in no way discounting the efforts of anyone supporting Bill.
The basic premise of this article was that the “elites” (and elites do exist) in the management of the State’s MSGOP and the RNC have determined in their minds that Bill’s campaign is a waste of their resources. My goal was to proclaim that as a directly result of the work that a lot of people like yourself have done, Bill Marcy is definitely a winner and his campaign is definitely not a waste.
My frustration is not with you, Mary nor any of those working right along side of you to elect Bill Marcy. My frustration is directed at the same mind-set within the Republican Party that decided to not support Hoffman in NY, Brown in MA, and O’Donnell in DE until it was clear they had no choice.
The bottom line is that if a candidate wants to wear the Republican Label, lives up to the standards of the Party, runs in the Primary race and wins the most number of votes, then he or she should be supported as much as possible by ALL parts of the Party he represents.
No worries Guru. I love Bill and Susan and I will go to my grave working hard for them. I definately feel your frustration too. I am not defending anyone who is not out working to make sure that we change the landscape in our country in November. We do however need to remember that the RNC and MSGOP are mostly volunteer based organizations and that it takes real patriots to step up and do the work that our country was founded on and depends on. Regardless of title or organization. We do it for the love of our country and most importantly the love of Christ as our Savior. Let’s us lead others to get out and vote on November 2nd and let’s bring this country back to its Godly principles! Let Patriots Unite!
What has the MSGOP or the RNC done for other Mississippi candidates that they have not done for Bill Marcy?
I wrote “my story” to the RNC explaining why I no longer donate through them but only to individual candidates. When the National Republican Congressional Committee called to ask for donation for close races, I asked specifically about the MS District 2 race and whether or not they would be committing funds to Bill Marcy’s campaign. I was told that his campaign would be supported, but they couldn’t tell at that point to what extent. I sent a small contribution, but I also sent to Bill directly. If I can retrieve the contact information for that committee, I will be asking for an accounting where Bill’s campaign is concerned.
People Across Mississippi Are Helping Bill Marcy!
Just an encouraging note that I have personally asked for and received checks to be sent for billboards to be placed by the MS Tea Party to help educate the citizens in District 2. This money came from the Tupelo area. I am a big Bill Marcy fan and supporter because he is impressive. I call Bill, Mississippi’s conservative grizzly bear and he is! I was there in D.C. as Bill asked Sarah Palin to come help him in Mississippi. Bill’s campaign is gaining momentum, I’ve just sent out almost two hundred letters to others in my profession living in the second district asking for them to support my friend. It is going to take us all working together but Bill is going to win this race. Obstacles will come up and roads will look like dead ends, but please keep knocking on all the doors and by Novemeber 2nd, enough doors will open to put Bill on the Hill!
Where do we mail contributions for Bill’s campaign? I supported his candidacy in Lauderdale County and would like to do so again. We need him in Congress.
Go to http://www.BillMarcyForCongress.com and you can donate there.
Dear Friends,
Please help Bill Marcy for US Congress with his last 23 days of his media buy. Donate $20.10 on his click and pledge on this Facebook page. We will be purchasing radio, cable and newspaper. Your donation of $20.10 will make a difference. Please consider Donating today. Mary McLaurin
https://co.clickandpledge.com/?wid=34248