Beaufort County Republican Convention 2013 | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The missive below was prepared an given by Buzz Cayton, Beaufort County Republican 1st Vice President and publisher of the Beaufort Observer. Buzz's speach was not only well intended, but proved to prophetic, and in a good way, before the night's proceedings were fully resolved.

    I take this   opportunity to express my thanks to all of the many people who have worked the last two years to help us promote the agenda of the Republican Party and to bring you up to date on some of the recent history of our County party. I understand that many you are not news Junkies like I am and you are raising families and making a living. For this reason I would like to present these facts.

    I have served on the Executive Committee since 2007 and as Vice Chairman with three of our past Chairmen. I do know something about these men. The party has experienced more success under the current Chairman and Executive Committee than it ever has, in my experience with it. (With permission of the Chairman I would like for our Executive Committee to stand up and let us give them a round of applause.)

    The current committee raised a record amount of funds in the Romney Campaign. There were more volunteers at our Republican Headquarters than I can ever remember and we had good conservative Republicans that are not part of the "Good Ole Boy Network" to step up and give of their time. Many of these volunteers were newcomers to the local party.
Buzz Cayton giving full consideration to his weighty words: Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage
    Our Reagan Day Dinner this year was a memorable one with Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, Senators Bill Cook, Norman Sanderson and Representative Michael Speciale along with Candidate for US Senate Greg Brannon to attend and participate. The event was carried out with a great committee working together.

    All of this happened because the people who accepted positions were willing to work to build the Party. Not to just get even for a political agenda.

    I care deeply about the future of our county, state and nation. I hope that you will allow me to offer a few comments that you will consider with an open mind.

    We are faced with a Republican electorate that has evolved into many facets; Liberal, Conservative, Moderates, Hired Guns, Good Ole Boy Network, Uninformed, The Green Back Party and those that have left the Party to become Unaffiliated.

    We see Republicans and Democrats moving to Unaffiliated because they are sick of Party Politics. We have to define who we are.

    We have the National Party ready to self destruct with Carl Rove reporting that he can see a GOP Candidate supporting Gay Marriage.
Buzz Cayton speaks to the Beaufort County Republican Delegates at the county convention: Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage
    There is a quote that I heard years ago that I like, "No matter how much you believe a thing in your heart it does not make it right". This country was built on Judeo Christian Principles and Gay Marriage is not right.

    I am not presenting this information as Character assassination but to point out the need for finding people with principle and ability.

    We have just experienced an election where the quote "Boys in Raleigh" tried to decide what was good for Beaufort County by selecting our Candidates for the House and the Senate without consulting the local leadership, but relying on the local "Good Ole Boy" network...those that claim to "Know what the Boys in Raleigh want". They tell us "if we don't go along with the "Boys in Raleigh" we can't do anything." Neither of these Candidates had shown up for any Republican Functions prior to filing as Republicans and as far as I know, never worked for any other Republicans. They were trounced in the primary.

    Because of the efforts of real Republicans you have Bill Cook as a Senator that was voted in the top 3 most Conservative Candidates by Civitas while in the house and has introduced or co-sponsored 22 bills as a freshman Senator. The opposing candidate from the "Boys in Raleigh" had never held an office in the Republican Party.

    We lost a Republican House seat because we failed to elect a person with corporate experience and a consulting background who was a Republican first and foremost and a Constitutional Conservative because the "Guns for hire" and the sore losers sat out in the General Election.

    Our job going forward is to hold the "Boys in Raleigh" feet to the fire. We do not need to have the Democrat Machine just replaced with a Republican Machine.

    Now we have the National Party caving in to Obama and deciding who will represent us in the Senate race for 2014.

    The Speaker of the house, Tom Tillis, now moving to the center to get ready for his run against Kay Hagen and getting on board with Skip Stam to build another "Good Ole Boy Dynasty".

    We have a similar group that would like to pick the future "Republican Machine" for Beaufort County here tonight.

    The time has come when we must draw a line in the sand and stand for what is right and what are correct principles and what is constitutionally correct.

    We need to look at the past performance of people in our Party when you make decisions tonight. Not their personalities but their abilities.

    Who was in a position to have stopped the Hospital Debacle before it collapsed? We had a Republican Chairman of the Board and a Republican representative from the County Commission on the board but watched us lose control of our health system without ever letting us know, before it was too late, how bad things were. Today we have no voice at the table that makes the decisions on our health care system.

    Who was responsible for over-building our Schools without adequate research on future growth? The Swing vote was by a Republican who prides himself in figures and statistics.

    Who do we have now voting for a Jail Expansion again without adequate research and unwilling to support adequate research? The Swing vote was by the same self proclaimed statistician who without basic research votes to put the jail where it cannot be put by zoning ordinances.

    Who are the people who put themselves up to the highest bidder to support a candidate in the Primary and then not support the Republican winner, allowing the loss of that seat to Paul Tine? They sat out with no support for Mattie Lawson. The Primary was over. It was time to come together, but they chose to let the Democrats take our seat.

    Without the Grass Roots Effort of good Conservatives and the Tea Party, you would not have Bill Cook as your Senator.

    You have a Cancer here in Beaufort County in the form of "Get Even Politics".

    Republicans, it does not have to be this way. It does not have to be politics as usual. Voting for your friend may not be the best thing. Voting for people with abilities and principle is the best thing.

    It is time for us to recognize "Back Room Dealing", "Pay for Support", "Go along to get along" and "please sir may I have another" politics must come to an end.

    You have four important races coming up under this new Chairman and Committee; The County Commissioner race, the Sheriff's race, the Washington City Council and a replacement for Kay Hagen.

    I pray that all of us tonight will look at the abilities and desires of the Candidates being put forth that are willing to stand for what is right, put in the sacrifice of time and be representatives of the people.

W.L. Buzz Cayton

First Vice Chairman
Beaufort County Republican Party
March 26, 2013

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