On the Road: Day 2
July 2nd, 2009

Day 2 of the announcement tour is in the books. It was a great opportunity to visit old friends across the Third District and meet so many new friends. I am very grateful and humbled by the number of people who came out to visit with me. Remember to check the Youtube section of the site to see my county stop videos.

We started Day 2 in Jefferson County where Barbara McAndrew is always so gracious with her time and hosted a breakfast meeting. We had a great detailed discussion on taxes - not only how much we pay but what our tax structure should look like in the future. Mr. Dahlberg, thank you for the book and I promise to return it when I'm finished.

After Jefferson County, we moved on to Rutledge in Grainger County. It was a treat to see Jennifer Little, the Sextons and my dear, dear friends Henry and Marie DeVault. One of the blessings of working to get others elected for so many years is the good and decent people you get to know along the way. I am thrilled that the Devaults are supporting me in this race.

It was in Grainger County where you have one of those moments that make politics sometimes a bit funny and absurd. As I was visiting with friends over coffee at the Rutledge Hardees, I got word that I was being attacked by a liberal blogger on Vanity Fair Magazine's website. It's funny to think about a Hixson girl making it into Vanity Fair and it gave us all a good laugh before we returned to discussing real issues. As we see so often lately with Governor Sarah Palin, Representative Michelle Bauchman of Minnesota and Tennessee's own Congressman Marsha Blackburn, conservative women are targets for the elite media because we don't follow the path they expect women to take. On the other hand, the Governor of Michigan can preside over a 14% unemployment rate and one of America's most rapidly decaying cities but be qualified for mention to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court.

I'm heartened to see that the attacks came so quickly - it proves the media understands which candidate for Congress in the Third District is the most effective in articulating a conservative message based on principle.

From Grainger County, we headed over to Anderson County to meet with Rick Chinn, my buddy Joe Lenhard and community leaders from the county. Naturally the topic of the Oak Ridge National Lab and the Y-12 Site was at the top of the list. I have ben consistent in my weekly trips to Anderson County that I will continue Congressman Zach Wamp's great work in support of these invaluable resources. We also had the opportunity to discuss health care in depth. It was a great listening experience for me and I am grateful to all who came out to visit.

Our next stop was in Union County. Stephany Davis and L.D. Monroe did a fantastic job of inviting folks out for a meeting to discuss what they expect from their congressman. I love meetings where I get to listen more than talk and the people I met in Maynardville had plenty of great ideas to share. Thanks to each of you who came out today.

Last but not least, we finished up in Claiborne County. We started in some beautiful country with Polk County and we finished with some beautiful country in Claiborne. Across the district, I'm hearing the same concerns, taxes, education, runaway growth of government through schemes such as "cap and trade" and concern for the future. I have said many times, the solutions won't come from Washington so I can't thank everyone enough for coming out to share your thoughts.

 

Posted by Robin Smith

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