23. January 2010 by Democratic Party News - The News of the Democratic Party.

Candidate Press Release, dated January 21, 2010.

George Erdel; Democrat candidate for the United States House or Representatives, Tennessee 6th District.

Last night we witnessed history in the making as the U.S. Senate Seat formally occupied by Senator Edward Kennedy was lost to a somewhat conservative Republican candidate.  This upset, in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a margin greater than 3 to 1 should send a strong message to our party leaders that business can not continue as it has for the past year.  While we have been the party in power with solid super majorities in both houses of congress our party has fallen victim to the actions of the most liberal members of our party.

The Massachusetts election told us that a vast majority of Americans, whether Democrat, Republican, or Independent, are fed up wit the status quo in Washington.  They have clearly told us that pending legislation such as the health care reform which our party has passed in the House and Senate is the wrong way to go in our efforts to improve the best health care system in the world.   They also express their dissatisfaction with the extreme Liberal legislation such as the Cap and Trade bill, the record government deficits as a result of government bailouts of major industries in the nation.  America by I large has not supported these programs, and in Massachusetts they said they still do not like the manner in which Pelosi and Reid have ignored the electorate while pushing forward at break neck speed with their far left agenda. 

Their message is right on target.  While we are the party in power we could have passed reasonable and logical health care reform, had we not allowed the leadership under Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid to force upon the nation a bill that was crafted by the most Liberal members of our party, and special interests groups while shutting out all conservative Democrats as well as both the liberals and conservatives of the Republican Party.

As the only candidate having qualified by the Tennessee Department of State, to run for the Tennessee 6th District being vacated by Congressman Bart Gordon next year, I respectfully ask of our County, State and National Democrat party leaders that they take a long hard look at their contributions to the actions which led up to the Loss of this Senate seat in Massachusetts.  This loss, coming only months after suffering similar major losses in Virginia and New Jersey in November, is nothing more than a restatement of the same message voters sent in those elections. 

Failure to heed the warning of these voters will come at great peril to the Democrat Party, should our party power brokers and Congressional leaders continue on the same reckless path they followed during 2009.

As a Democrat I am ashamed and disgusted of the manner in which the House and Senate leadership under the command of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.  For leaders having promised at the beginning of their reigns to be the most transparent, and voicing plans to maintain the highest level of integrity and government ethics, they have instead resurrected the corrupt smoke filled back room politics from years past, as well as demonstrating that political prostitution is alive and well within our party. 

Americans are tired of this and they are demonstrating their dissatisfaction by turning out during bad weather in record numbers to clearly state their case.  Will our Democrat leaders take heed and begin to behave in a manner consistent with their promises during the 2008 campaign or will they continue on the same shameful track to our own detriment.

The Massachusetts Election clearly demonstrates that there are many more rank and file conservative Democrats than the party leadership wishes to acknowledge.  As a Conservative Democrat Candidate I certainly hope that the message sent by these recent losses to conservative candidates gets through to our party leadership.
George Erdel is the only candidate to have qualified to be on the ballot for the Tennessee 6th Congressional District Primary election I August.

Web site: http://www.georgefortennessee.com

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23. January 2010 by Democratic Party News - The News of the Democratic Party.

Murfreesboro’s George Erdel (pronounced er-dell) is the first candidate in Tennessee to qualify for a federal race this year. He is running for Tennessee’s Sixth District U.S. House of Representatives position that’s being vacated with Congressman Bart Gordon’s retirement. The local Democrat filed his petition and application with the Rutherford County Election Commission on Thursday (1/7/10). He told WGNS News that within an hour and half, the Election Commission’s Anita White notified him that all 39 names on the petition were validated. Erdel then presented a confirmation letter from the county to the State Election Commission in Nashville. “That’s when I learned about being the first candidate in the state to qualify.”

Erdel supports the right to bear arms, in fact he was armed and wearing a shoulder holster during the interview at WGNS. He noted his strong opposition to abortions and feels that global warming is a farce. He said, “It’s just another way for liberals to tax us for the energy we use.”

He said, “If elected, I’m there for the people of the sixth district, not for Pelosi or her cronies.” There is more information about George Erdell at http://www.georgefortennessee.com

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23. January 2010 by Democratic Party News - The News of the Democratic Party.

GUEST COLUMN: State needs conservative Democrat in House.

I want to thank Mr. Sam Stockard for his opinion column Jan. 12, 2010. I also wish to thank him for the opportunity to set the record straight about my candidacy and campaign for the United States House of Representatives, Tennessee 6th District.

Mr. Stockard emphasized my passive use of the term “Dixiecrat” which I merely used as a reference to values I consider to be, at their core, traditional Democratic Party ideals. I used it because of the historically conservative nature of the Democrats and Dixiecrats when it came to respecting the Constitution, as well as social and economic justice. Traditional Democrats, like JFK and others believed these were not only realistic, but were only guaranteed by their strict adherence to the United Sates Constitution. I believe this also.

Contrary to the title of Mr. Stockard’s column, I am not seeking office under the mantle of “Dixiecrat.” I am a Democrat, and I am running as such. To date, I am the only candidate having qualified to run from any political party. I will be on the August primary ballot as a Democrat.

When one looks at the wording of the very first Democratic Party platform, penned in 1840 it becomes evident that those Democrats were very conservative, and stood for the working people.

It was those conservative values which the National Democratic Party abandoned years ago. What happened to our party? It was infiltrated and overrun by liberals. These liberals began to cater to every disenfranchised group of malcontents that came knocking on the door with promises of block voting in return for tax dollars from the working class.

As the Democratic Party became more ardently liberal during the 1950s and 1960s, many lifelong Democrats began to look for representation by other parties that more closely shared their values. My parents left the Democratic Party when Ronald Reagan joined the Republican Party in 1962. Now, nearly 50 years later, liberal ideology is also so deeply entrenched within the Republican Party that most Americans see little difference in either party.

As a result of the policies put in place by the liberals of both parties, America today is traveling on a highway toward a bridge that is out. If we do not alter course immediately following the next election, the America we knew growing up will only be chronicled in history books.

Fellow Democrats with more name recognition than me have commented that the 6th District can remain in the Democrat column if the party chooses a conservative, pro-gun, pro-life candidate. Prior to my entry into the 6th District race, such a candidate did not exist. I am that candidate. What the liberal faction of our party does not like is the fact that I am conservative on all issues, not just on issues of the Second Amendment and abortion. Tennessee voters have watched the past year as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid repeatedly capitulated to the beck and call of the president, against the overwhelming will of the people, in order to blaze his socialist trail across America on issues such as cap-and-trade, and socialized medicine.

Tennesseans of the 6th District are ready to take their Tennessee fighting spirit to Washington and reclaim our Congress from the liberals of both parties. Neither I, nor any other single representative, will be able to fix the problem in one term or several terms for that matter. Remember it took 50 years to get here. What will I do? If you send me to represent you in the 6th District, I will work closely with conservative representatives of both parties to turn our nation onto the solid, fiscally sound road that takes us away from the irreparably broken “bail-out” bridge that threatens our prosperity for future generations.

I invite you to join me in taking the Tennessee fight to Washington to begin the tasks ahead. Together we can do it, but we must start with this year’s elections. I will accept all invitations to visit any group to discuss the vital issues that threaten us. Contact information can be found in my Web site at http://www.georgefortennessee.com

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