These profiles are the result of a joint effort by the Greenville
Tea Party and the Congress of Hope.
Grassroots video
Click the "button" below to go to a web page of videos
of Stephen Brown answering questions.
Campaign Mailings and Flyers
One of the most cost-effective ways for campaigns to get out
the message is through direct mail and handouts. Click the "button" below
for mailings or flyers from the Brown campaign.
News articles
Clicking the "button" below will bring you to an old Wall Street
Journal article on Stephen Brown. Mr. Brown ran against Bob Inglis
back in 1998. Apparently he ran because he was frustrated that the
Republicans kept right on spending after voters took a chance that
the Republicans would make good on their "Contract with America".
If you watch the videos on Stephen Brown you will notice that he
claims to be neither a Republican nor a Tea Partier but instead
labels himself as what he says he has always been, a Conservative.
This article offers evidence that he has been consistent in his
message.
Candidate Comparison Table
The video presented in the "Grassroots Video" section does hold
a wealth of information but is a serious time commitment to
watch it all. Time is something most people can't spare these
days. It was decided to add a table to condense much of the
information into in small chunks. The table below contains
links to very short observations from someone who has watched
every video and met each candidate multiple times.
Observations from Calvin Cowen
of the CongressOfHope.com
NOTE: This section is the
same in all the profiles.
How can the election process be improved? Few will argue that some
hope and change is needed in this area. More information might help.
Information gathering in this age of Tea Party gatherings is now quite
easy. Simply by bringing a camera to events put on by activist groups
(in this case two Republican Women's Club debates and some Tea Party
meetings) allowed a large amount of factual video to be gathered
quickly by just two people. A few Internet searches can quickly uncover
some facts that many voters would otherwise have not known. Just
one person can easily do this.
So what information did this simple exercise yield? The following
jumped out quickly:
One candidate is likely superior with technology
Only one candidate will likely push to close the Republican
primaries to all but Republicans
One candidate has a plan for the position that draws on
campaign experience
All three candidates are very qualified and will likely do a great
job.
In my opinion the Republican Party is lucky to have three candidates of
this caliber running for this position. One reasons for video taping
candidates multiple times is to catch them flip-flopping
on an issue. So far all evidence
points to the three remaining candidates being principled candidates that
won't flip-flop. Come 2012 there will likely be candidates that aren't
principled and will get caught saying different things to different
groups if activist groups do break out the video cameras.
In this race all three seem very qualified. I didn't know
much about Bill Connor but gain respect for him each time we talk. I
like that he has come out with a concrete plan that draws well on his
experience. He does have a good track record as far as fund raising goes
and he does seem to have strong leadership qualities. He has high name
recognition as he recently ran a state-wide race which ought to help
him in the position. He hasn't been a county Chairman which is a
negative but likely not a huge one.His main focus seems to be on
reducing the effects of consultants and money in the election process
which fits in well with this position. Chad Connelly has an edge with
technology and comes across as having high energy. He
definitely is a people person and should translate this into good
fundraising. He is qualified for the position as well.
Stephen Brown has been involved with the Republican
Party going way back. This means he has been around quite a while and
should have good connections which hopefully will help with fundraising
as well as the normal requirements of the chairman. He has run a large
primary election in the past which is useful experience for this
position. As discussed in the candidate comparison table now is the
time to close the Republican Primaries. He is likely the only
candidate to pursue this. If this is pulled off by the 2014 primary
election it will literally be worth millions of dollars in campaign
funds that don't need to be raised by whoever runs against Lindsey
Graham in 2014. It is highly unlikely the primaries can be closed for 2012.
This project was done to test the concept of "We the People" taking
more control of the process of vetting candidates.
The CongressOfHope.com is thinking of working with
groups to teach them how to use video cameras and to work out other
details.
One bright spot that came from embarking on this project is the
confirmation that there are so many good people out
there. We are already seeing the positive effects of the good people
standing up and making their voices heard. There haven't been many
regrets. One might be that Ben Kinlaw dropped out early. I wish
more people could have got to know him as he definitely
deserves more recognition than he gets.
Observations from Bill Rhodes
of the Greenville Tea Party
Bill Rhodes had triple by-pass heart surgery and at the writing of this
had just come back home from the Hospital. He is recovering well and is
not in any imminent danger according to the Doctors. He may have some
comments coming.