Bob Ries on why David Fox lost the election and where do Republicans go from here.

Bob Ries

by Bob Ries - As the Chairman of the Davidson County Republican Party, I have been asked to provide an analysis of the Mayor’s race from my viewpoint. First of all, I want to make it plain that as an individual, not as the DCRP Chairman, I strongly supported and voted for David Fox. As a Citizen and property owner, I congratulate Megan Berry, wish her well and willingly offer any advice or service she may seek from me to continue to keep Nashville as the “it” city in the world.

 Now for my analysis: Even though the municipal races are supposed to be non-partisan, they are not. This is not sour grapes, it is a fact. I would suggest we consider making the judicial elections non-partisan and the municipal elections partisan, instead of the other way around. That would be more transparent and fair to the citizens of Nashville and the candidates.

It is a fact the Democratic Party has been better organized in Davidson County than the Republican Party. They have a great political machine that can turn out voters and volunteers in great numbers and the Republicans cannot. What I am going to say now will probably create some political enemies for me, but it is the truth. There are many Republican voters in Davidson County, but for all practical purposes there is no organized Republican machine in Davidson County, and there has not been one for years, if ever. To understand the reason for this, we need only to look in the mirror and say: ”We have met the enemy and the enemy is us.”

There are many voters in Davidson County willing to vote for Republicans. I proved this when I spent less than $100,000 in Davidson County and received over 45,000 votes. David Fox spent millions of dollars in Davidson County and still received less than 50,000 votes. We have been capped at about 50,000 votes and that has got to be changed. Can it be done? Absolutely it can be done.

We need to change the minds of approximately 5% of the voters, which can be done through education. It worked with me. I was a Democrat when the Democratic President was lowering taxes to stimulate the economy, standing firm militarily against Russian missiles in Cuba and saying, “Ask not what your Country can do for you, but what you can do for your Country”. When I learned the leaders of the Democratic Party no longer believed in these three things, as well as our Constitution, I became a Republican. I am convinced we can, through education, convert at least 5% of the electorate from Democrat to Republican.

I can remember when, year in and year out, the New York Yankees were a virtual lock to be leading their Division. They are not in first place this morning. However, the New York Mets are leading their Division and I can remember when they were so bad their fans put bags over their heads. Santa Ana had the largest army and was winning every battle against Sam Houston, including the Alamo. Houston did not concede, he conceived a plan and eventually won the war. Everyone knows what George Washington faced and he eventually won.

Movers and shakers in Davidson County who philosophically should have been funding Republican candidates have been contributing money to Democrats for years, simply because that is where their money earned the best “return on their investment”. Republicans have got to earn their respect and change their minds so they will want to start contributing to Republican candidates

We have got to change the current mindset of conceding to the Democrats before the polls even open. That is my job and that is my goal. We need to organize and grow the DCRP so well that we not only re-elect Senator Dickerson and Representative Harwell, but we also elect at least two more Republican State Representatives as well as carry Davidson County for our Republican nominee for president. I am going to need a lot of help. I can assure you that every Republican willing to help me will be met with a welcoming hand extended in friendship and appreciation. Think of the joy we will all share when we accomplish the above goals in 2016.

Bob Ries is Chairman of the Davidson County Republican Party, the 2014 Republican nominee for the 5th Congressional District seat, and a retired small business owner. 

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