'Ralph Reed’s attacks on me have been outrageous distortions of the truth and often outright lies. It’s time to set the record straight...'
My Fellow Republicans,
Ralph Reed’s attacks on me have been outrageous distortions of the truth and often outright lies. It’s time to set the record straight.
Since leaving the Christian Coalition, Ralph Reed has made millions doing two things. First, he sold his influence with Christian conservatives to the highest corporate bidder as a DC lobbyist. If an elected official did the things Ralph has done for the last 8 years, he would be in jail.
Second, Ralph has run political campaigns such as Mitch Skandalakis’ campaign in 1998 that sank the entire GOP ticket.
Most of the campaigns he has "consulted" have lost. The reason is clear. Ralph’s style of slash and burn, threaten and smear, attack and lie has been soundly rejected by decent Republicans across the country. It will be rejected by Georgians again.
The Cagle campaign has sought a debate of the issues while Ralph has resorted to the same old trash and it will not go unanswered. Allow me to share with you the truth.
Giving Money to Mark Taylor
In 1998, Ralph Reed ran Mitch Skandalakis’ campaign for Lt. Governor that embarrassed all Republicans with its libelous attacks against Republican Clint Day in the primary and Democrat Mark Taylor in the general. In the aftermath of Ralph’s disgraceful, racist, lying campaign, Taylor threatened the Republican Senate leadership, of which I was a member. If we did not make a contribution to him to "bury the hatchet", then Taylor would strip all Republicans of their committee assignments and kill all Republican legislation.
The Democrats still controlled all of state government in 1999, and we (the Senate Republican leadership) had a choice to make. Clean up Ralph Reed’s mess or our Republican Senators would pay a very high price. Current Senate President Pro-Temp Eric Johnson and I decided to do what was best for the Republican Party.
Now Ralph has shamelessly attacked me and other Republican leaders for trying to clean up his disgraceful mess. Ralph’s hypocrisy on this matter is stunning and repulsive.
Eminent Domain
This year, your Republican majority under the leadership of Governor Sonny Perdue passed HB 1313 to end abuses of the eminent domain power. I proudly supported this vital legislation. I also supported other legislation sponsored by Senator Jeff Chapman dealing with eminent domain that was offered last year (SB 86). SB 86 passed 40-10. For 12 years, I have had one of the highest voting percentages of any State Senator and have been one of the strongest defenders of private property rights in the State Senate.
Ralph’s attacks on my official, excused absence for the SB 86 vote demonstrate clearly that he has never spent a day in public office and has little understanding of my record or how the General Assembly works in reality.
Drivers Licenses for Illegal Aliens
Throughout my public service, I have been a consistent opponent of illegal immigration and granting privileges such as driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. When an amendment was offered on the floor of the Senate in 2004 to grant drivers licenses to illegal immigrants, I led the charge to stop it from passing.
Now Ralph attacks me again for a vote years ago on a minor amendment implying I may support driver’s licenses for illegals. The truth is that I feared the amendment, though well intentioned, would have created an unintended consequence of allowing illegal aliens to obtain drivers licenses. Ralph’s attack is more than a distortion. It is a lie.
Tort Reform
One of the greatest successes of the General Assembly session of 2005 was finally passing comprehensive legal reforms to help stop frivolous lawsuits. As a small business owner and conservative Republican, I proudly and strongly supported this legislation. Ralph has stated that somehow I opposed tort reform, even though I clearly voted for it in 2005, because of procedural votes I made the year before. This is silly. I voted for SB 3 in 2005. Tort reform passed and I’m proud to have been a part of it.
Ralph’s record as a highly paid, DC lobbyist shows a pattern of deception, money laundering and hypocrisy. That pattern has now been exposed by every media outlet in the country – from the Washington Post to the AJC to conservative publications like World magazine and the Weekly Standard.
I hate that Ralph is having to endure this, but this mess is of his own doing. It is no excuse for the deliberate distortions and out right lies he has been spreading across Georgia.
If he will lie about political opponents for money, I fully expect Ralph will engage in even worse attacks and lies as he becomes more desperate to salvage his own campaign.
Ralph Reed has consistently lied about his business practices and record, so he cannot be trusted to tell the truth about my record.
For 12 years, I have served in the State Senate and not once have I compromised the conservative value we all share. My record proves I am the conservative leader you can trust.
I ask for your trust and your vote July 18th.
Sincerely,
Casey Cagle