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By Don Beehler [contributor to The Tennessee Conservative] –
Identity theft is a growing problem in Tennessee. But instead of stealing a person’s ID and impersonating that individual for financial gain, many RINOs throughout the state are engaging in another form of identity theft, namely co-opting the title of “conservative” even though the beliefs they hold are far from conservative.
Why this deception? Because these RINOs realize they cannot win elections if they reveal their true identity to voters.
In Williamson County, where I live, we have one of the most brazen political identity thefts in process that our county has ever seen. But give them credit: While the RINO candidates perpetrating this steal of the “conservative” title are ethically challenged, they’re also crafty and well funded.
They managed to acquire the domain name “Williamson County Conservatives” and have been deceiving voters ever since. Now Williamson County Conservatives (WCC) candidates are running for leadership positions in the Williamson County GOP’s March 4 reorganization convention.
Interestingly, of the eight WCC candidates seeking board positions in the Williamson County Republican Party (WCRP), only three are members of the party.
Let that sink in: The majority of WCC candidates are not even members of the local Republican party they want to lead.
In contrast, five of the eight grassroots conservative candidates known as Elevate 2025 are part of the current WCRP’s leadership, which was elected in the 2023 reorganization by a 2-1 margin, displacing an entire slate of establishment RINOs.
The current conservative board has accomplished much since then, including greatly improving communications and transparency; restoring integrity to the party; quadrupling funding to Republican candidates; and growing the party’s membership by nearly 70%.
The three new Elevate candidates, all WCRP members, are true conservatives with impressive credentials.
But knowing that our county is very conservative, with 65% voting for President Trump in the last election, the WCC candidates introduced themselves by falsely claiming to be “THE ONLY conservative ticket” running in the race. It’s been a downhill slide with truth ever since.
When candidates start with a dishonest statement, everything else they say becomes suspect. In a court of law, it only takes one lie to taint a witness’s entire testimony. It ought to be that way in the court of public opinion as well.
But the WCC candidates have gone far beyond misleading voters by calling themselves “THE ONLY conservative ticket” in this race. They have viciously and dishonestly attacked their conservative opponents and the current WCRP leadership with one false accusation after another, alleging all sorts of misconduct but failing to provide evidence to back up their claims.
Here’s just one example: The WCC candidates have made the absurd claim that the current WCRP leadership wants to take away Republicans’ right to vote and instead “install” nominees. No proof, just a sensational accusation.
Ironically, last year Brian Clifford, a Williamson County Commissioner who is running as the WCC’s candidate for chair of the WCRP, did just that. He voted to install his preferred candidate as a county commissioner, thereby denying the bipartisan request of voters in that district a voice in choosing their representative.
It’s hard to take people like this seriously. They have a lot to say but no real answers to the challenges facing the Williamson County GOP, such as stopping Democrats from voting in Republican primaries.
Their only solution is to attack those seeking solutions.
(Significantly, the WCRP’s current leadership has reduced illegal crossover voting in Republican primaries by 43% with a targeted educational campaign to Williamson County voters.)
It’s difficult to pull off impersonating conservatives when using tactics right out of the Democrats’ playbook, but that hasn’t stopped the WCC candidates from trying.
The lengths they have gone to deceive Republican voters is truly amazing. They even included a photo of Kamala Harris on one of their mailers in a bizarre attempt to link her with their conservative opponents. Yet they state one of their core principles is “Trust and Transparency.”
We can only imagine how they would lead the party if elected.
In contrast, the Elevate candidates are genuine conservatives who have pledged to faithfully adhere to the Republican Party’s platform. They have a proven track record of promoting and advancing conservative values.
One of their goals is to expand the WCRP’s base and involve conservatives from all communities within Williamson County, ensuring their voices are heard and their concerns addressed.
The Elevate team has integrity and lives out their conservative values, so voters can rest assured they will never try to hide who they really are under a fake ID.
About the Author: Don Beehler is a retired public relations consultant in Franklin, Tennessee.
For more information visit www.donbeehler.com.
