Governor Hopeful Gives Advice on Rebuilding the Republican Party

When Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, won the popular vote for the controversial U.S. presidential election on Nov. 4, John Oxendine wasn’t surprised. In fact, he expected it.

Oxendine, a Republican serving his fourth term as the Georgia insurance and safety fire commissioner, told a small group of about 15 University students Wednesday night that the Republican Party needs a candidate with a genuine sense of duty in order to unite the country and gain office.

The commissioner, who is running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination for the state of Georgia in the next election, knew exactly why Obama won the popular vote for the presidency and told students in his speech sponsored by the University’s Law Republicans, a campus organization for University law students, that future Republican candidates can learn from Obama’s campaign.

“They didn’t just win, they were supposed to win,” Oxendine said. “They won because of their message.”

According to Oxendine, Obama’s message was all about change, and, unlike the Republican candidate John McCain, he offered millions a new state of mind and hope for the future. Oxendine said that the Republican Party failed to unite and bring anything new to the election.

“We need someone with some vision,” Oxendine said. “We need someone who knows how to connect to the American people.”

The Republican Party needs a candidate that can reach across party lines and get the support of all people, said Oxendine, who believes that the Democratic Party in Georgia is very much alive. He emphasized his belief that the Republicans can’t just offer fancy rhetoric to the people and rely on their family values to win an election.

According to Oxendine, it takes hard work and a genuine desire to serve others in order to get elected and become a good leader.

“I believe that we are nothing more than public servants in government,” Oxendine said. “One thing that I would like to do is change the way we address problems and say ‘let’s come up with a long term solution.’”

According to Oxendine, politicians oftentimes create short term solutions for long term problems so that future candidates will not benefit from their work. Oxendine, however, believes that the country, and especially the state, needs a candidate that works for the people and does not follow a strict political agenda that benefits the politician more than the people he serves.

Oxendine explained that there is a difference between a statesman and politician. A statesman works for the good of the people, regardless of whether it costs him votes or not, while a politician works to further his own political success.

“That’s what politicians do everyday,” Oxendine said. “They give the illusion of fixing the problem. They put a nice Band-Aid on it, but they don’t fix it.”

Oxendine said that he wants to be the candidate that does the work and lays the foundation for future politicians and, hopefully, statesmen.

With hopes of becoming politicians in the future, many University law students attended the event to ask the commissioner about his positions on various political issues.

“I think it’s important to bridge the gap between those who are elected and those who will be elected,” Timothy Dewberry, second year law student and member of the University’s Law Republicans, said.

Steven Lee, the president of the University’s Law Republicans, said that he decided to bring the commissioner to campus because he’s a very strong candidate and has served the state for a very long time.

The students that attended the event had many questions about Oxendine’s career and policies, but the commissioner had to leave before he had time to discuss the national election in depth.

Philip Henderson, a second year law student and the state and local chairman of the University’s Law Republicans, said that he just wished there was more time to speak with the commissioner.

“The national election is the sexy issue,” Henderson said. “That’s what’s going to grab the headlines.”

He was appreciative of what Oxendine had to say, however, and was glad that the commissioner took the effort to speak with the people he represents.

“Our local officials are closer to us, and, in the long run, they can do more for us,” Henderson said.