On Wednesday, I had the extreme pleasure of spending the day with the Ford campaign as the Congressman visited my home county, Lawrence county, as well as neighboring Wayne county.The morning started out in Lawrence County with the Congressman appearing on the county's two largest radio stations: WWLX and WDXE.
From there he made his way to Lawrence County High School for an address to the Senior class.
The Congressman was greeted at the entrance of the high school by principal Mickey Dunn, City Mayor Doug Chapman, as well as the Senior class officers and other faculty members.After the warm welcome, it was time for Congressman Ford to address the Senior class in the theater. He spoke for about 20 or 25 minutes on various topics, including his recent trip to the Middle East, oil independence, and what students need to do to prepare for the future.
I must say, being a young person myself still, I have have never saw anyone hold the attention of teenagers the way Congressman Ford did. As I looked around while he was speaking, I saw that the students were listening attentively and really absorbing what the Congressman was relaying to them. They were genuinely interested what he was saying.After Ford gave his remarks, he opened the floor for questions and comments from the students.
Personally, I did not expect many question to be asked, however, I was wrong. There were tons.
The subject of the questions asked varied from Iran to taxes to the current corruption in Washington D.C. Ford was also asked his advice to those who are interested in a career in politics.Once again, I was impressed with the Congressman and his ability to engage so many students at the assembly. Not only did he have their undivided attention, but it appeared to me that he had inspired many of them.
Following the question and answer secession, the Congressman headed to tour the schools new virtual business classroom. He stayed in the classroom for about 10-15 minutes inquiring the students and teacher about the new class. I could tell he was really impressed and interested in the class as well as their work, as he asked for and received more information on the program.The tour of the classroom marked the end of a very successful visit for the Congressman to Lawrenceburg High School.
The next stop in Lawrence County was at the county courthouse were the Congressman pressed hands with locals.Then it was on to a big meet and greet at the Square Forty restaurant on the square in Lawrenceburg.
As people gathered at the Square Forty restaurant, I could tell the crowd was anxious and excited about the Congressman's impending visit. The crowd was a big one which featured local elected officials, party leaders, as well as students from my alma mater, Loretto High School.
The Congressman arrived to a packed house and made his way from outside of the restaurant to the inside shaking every hand in sight.Soon thereafter, he was introduced to the crowd where he proceeded to speak for roughly 20 minutes on such issues as foreign policy, balancing the budget, as well as the importance of students learning a foreign language and the importance of math and science in today's society.
Ford's speech and appeal to the crowd was so impressive that he received a standing ovation at the end as well a very surprising endorsement from a member of the crowd.The endorsement came from a Republican lady, originally from Texas, (whom I think knows President Bush personally) which came into the restaurant today with Bob Corker campaign literature in hand. I could tell beforehand that she was not a Ford supporter. Nevertheless, Congressman Ford sat down with her and talked one on one with her for about 10 minutes, then got up to make his stump speech.
After his address to the crowd, the lady came up and hugged the Congressman, emotional, saying that he had changed her mind and that she now supported him and his candidacy. This really blew me away. Just 20 minutes beforehand, this lady was clearly voting Republican in November, but after the Congressman spoke with her, she had a change of heart.
The man simply knows how to appeal to all voters.Following his speech, Ford greeted supporters and well wishers for about 30-45 minutes. He made sure he spoke to everyone which came up to see him, including elected officials, as well as the students in attendance.
By the end of the visit, everyone was blown away at just how impressive and brilliant the Congressman was. He clearly won over the crowd, including store owner Shirley Clark, who was an outstanding hostess.
The meet and greet at the restaurant marked the end of the day in Lawrence County. I can honestly say, I saw or spoke with no one who left any of the county's events disappointed.Everyone was thoroughly impressed with the Congressman and very supportive of his quest for the U.S. Senate.
The day's next stop was the courthouse in Waynesboro, which is located in Wayne county.
The Congressman was greeted at the courthouse by the County Mayor, Police Chief, and other community leaders. While in the courthouse, Congressman Ford had a conference with the officials there where he was briefed on the problems that faced the people of Wayne county.The problems that were discussed by the locals and the Congressman included meth abuse, health care, and energy costs. During the meeting, it seemed that Congressman Ford and the officials were on same page on every problem that the county faced and what needed to be done to fix the problems.
I think the briefing meeting was very insightful for both sides. I could tell the officials were relieved to finally hear someone talking about finding solutions for their county and our state.After the courthouse visit, the Congressman made his way to the Tennessee Apparel plant, which makes clothing for our military.
Ford was given a full tour of the plant by its owners where he was able to closely observe the work the employees did. As he toured the plant, I could tell the Congressman was paying very close attention to what he was being told by the company owners and what he was seeing. He frequently asked questions and listened carefully to the answers that he received. The tour of the plant clearly caught his interest.
While at the apparel plant, the owners stressed to him how important that it was to keep their company right where it was. Congressman Ford concurred.The tour of the plant marked another successful and insightful stop for the campaign.
From the plant, Congressman Ford made his way to the Waynesboro square where he was a guest WWON radio.
While on the radio, Ford told listeners his vision for our state and country as well as what he was hearing from Lawrence and Wayne county locals. As always, he was dynamic and very pleasing to listen to. He even won kudos from the radio show host, which made the appearance that much better.The final stop of the day in Wayne county was at the Waynesboro Medical Center.
As the Congressman entered the center, he was greeted by a group of doctors and other medical experts. From there, Ford was given a tour of the medical center. Just as he did at the apparel plant, he paid close attention to what he was being told and asked tons of questions. Clearly, he is a man who seeks knowledge, which is one of the major reasons I support him so much.
Following the conclusion of the medical center tour, Ford was lead to a conference room where he had a long meeting with doctors, pharmacists, and other medical experts regarding health care, Medicare, and other medical care related topics.Congressman Ford listened carefully and took notes on what the medical experts where telling him about their center, the problems with Medicare, as well as other challenges they face in the area of medical care.
The conference featured a really great dialogue between the Congressman and the medical experts in attendance. Personally, I found it to be very informative, just as the previous stops in the day were.In conclusion, I was very pleased with the response Congressman Ford received from the people of Lawrence and Wayne counties on Wednesday. I believe the people who got to meet and speak with Ford saw a man who cares deeply about this state and nation and is ready to get to work for the people.
That is main reason I predict he will be elected our next U.S. Senator next year.
He simply cares for everyone, including the people in Lawrence and Wayne counties, as he showed at every stop he made Wednesday.Note: Once again, I am honored that I was able to attend all the Ford campaign events I did on Wednesday. I really had a great time and learned a lot from so many great people, especially the Congressman.
Thank you once again for making the day great!
