NMRW Recruit Army of Volunteers for Battle at the Polls
Huntersville, NC (October 12, 2010) –
You wouldn’t know it by looking at Delores Edwards, who stands less than five feet tall and is usually seen with a quiet smile on her face, but she is a fierce ally when it comes to putting together a gift basket.
“Delores has an amazing talent for making things like that look good,” says North Mecklenburg Republican Women President Pat Murray. That ability was put to good use last May when the NC Federation of Republican Women asked member clubs to contribute baskets for a silent auction at their annual spring meeting at University City. “Our basket was by far the best one,” added Murray, who is known for her competitive nature.
Edwards also serves as club Historian, and can be seen every month at the registration desk at NorthStone Club helping NMRW Treasurer Phyllis Deaton check in meeting attendees.
Ann Dutton is another hardworking club member. A retired school teacher, she serves as club Chaplain, offering up some of the most beautiful prayers at the start of each meeting. Ann also has a special heart for our military, and heads the committee on Americanism. Last year she wrote a letter from the club to one of our soldiers serving in Iraq. He has since returned home, but told Murray at the Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner in Charlotte that he read the letter over and over, finally keeping it in his pocket.
Edwards and Dutton are just two of the 115 members of the two-year–old club brought together by a commitment to help elect conservative candidates to local, state and national office.
After suffering a bruising defeat by the Obama Campaign in 2008, Murray, Deaton, NMRW Secretary Anne Clifford and Vice-President Mary Lou Richardson met to form the club. Two things were obvious from the very beginning: first, with around 140 attendees, there is a huge interest and need in northern Mecklenburg County for this type of organization, and second, even though the club is called Republican Women, almost as many men attend.
NC House Rep. Thom Tillis has been heard saying, “The meetings are a lot like the men’s meetings, but the decorations are better.”
The decorations are very nice, thanks in large part to the talents of Richardson, who is a recovery room nurse and a tireless volunteer. Her sometimes nick-name is “Martha Stewart”.
Much more importantly, the club serves as a platform for local GOP candidates and elected officials and provides a forum for questions from the public. The club has been so successful in fact that during the 2009 elections Huntersville Town Commissioner Charles Jeter told Murray, “NMRW is the most influential organization in North Mecklenburg.” Wow.
Another reason the club has continued to gain momentum is wide-spread dissatisfaction with the policies of the Obama Administration. America is waking up to the dangers we face. As huge numbers of Democrats and Independents suffer from buyer’s remorse, Republicans are ready to welcome them back.
At the NMRW meeting this past April an attendee raised her hand and addressed US Congresswoman Sue Myrick; “My name is Betty she said, and I’m a Democrat. “Welcome, Betty,” murmured the crowd. Remind you of another kind of meeting? (A. A.)
“Betty, I’m glad you’re here,” Myrick said. “The truth is my district [the 9th] does not have enough registered Republicans for me to get re-elected, and I need Democrats and Independents.”
It has been suggested among some members that a great product to keep handy is “Goo Gone”, which claims to eliminate greasy, sticky problems and is perfect for removing those embarrassing Obama Stickers from car bumpers.
The message of the GOP?
America is at a crossroads. We will either follow the Draconian policies of the Obama Administration and continue to be quick-marched into socialism and economic disaster, or we will turn out in numbers sufficient enough to take our country back. And if we don’t do it this November, it may be too late.
Which is why Anne Clifford and many others spend every chance they get making phone calls for the GOP at the North Mecklenburg Victory Center in Cornelius. One day she called a gentleman to ask him to vote, and he hung up the phone and came down to the center to volunteer. Now that was a great call! Clifford recently received the distinction of making the 1,000,000th phone call from the centers across North Carolina.
As Secretary, she also answers many inquiries from people interested in the club. In a recent e-mail from a man who praised her quick response to his questions, he said, “I’ve e-mailed the [a militia group] twice with no response still! Considering that it’s the organized militia…is that a bad thing?” To which Clifford replied, “John, WE are the militia. Come join us and make a difference!”
What’s the future of NMRW? Due in large part to the leadership abilities of Murray, the club is energized and growing. Precincts are being organized as never before. Volunteers are walking neighborhoods, helping candidates and working at the polls. The e-mail list has topped 1200, and there is talk of a web site. A new slate of officers and committee chairs will be elected in December.
“We are driven by bitter memories of past defeats. Losing is not fun,” explains Deaton, a retired interior decorator. “We all have full-time lives outside of politics, but we are making this a priority. We ask ourselves, if not us, then who? And if our soldiers can fight for our freedom on foreign soil, surely it is the least we can do to fight for it at home.”
To find out how you can volunteer, email nomeckrw@gmail.com or visit the North Mecklenburg Victory Center at 8301-17 Magnolia Estates Drive, Cornelius, NC 28031. Call them at 704-728-1056.
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