Posted on 05/05/2005 9:52:29 AM PDT by real saxophonist
GOP entices top Thune for speech tonight
Doyle Murphy, murphy@greeleytrib.com
May 5, 2005
Four months ago, Republicans across the country celebrated as John Thune knocked off the country's most powerful Democrat during South Dakota's U.S. Senate race. Republicans in Weld County made plans to bring Thune here.
Before Thune could pack for Washington, D.C., Weld Republicans chairman Darrell Call and vice chairman Ron Buxman began to make plans to lure him to Greeley for their organization's annual Lincoln Day Dinner.
"We started back in November talking about the Lincoln Day Dinner and who we could get," Call said. "Sen. Thune was right at the top of the list."
Thune made history when he defeated Tom Daschle, becoming the first person to defeat a sitting party leader in 52 years. He was instantly a hot name for political events. Call and Buxman enlisted the help of Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., a friend of Thune's from the House of Representatives and a supporter during the campaign.
Allard's chief of staff and Greeley resident Sean Conway said Allard's office would try to help, but couldn't promise anything.
"To pull off an event like this you literally have to have the stars, the moon and the sun align," Conway said.
He convinced Call and Buxman to be patient, promising Allard would extend an invitation after Thune's December orientation.
Conway said Thune was immediately interested. Allard had written to his own contributors from throughout Colorado during Thune's campaign, asking them to contribute. The letter enticed about 3,000 Coloradans to donate about $400,000.
There are other connections. Dick Wadhams was Allard's campaign manager in 1996 and 2002 and was his press secretary before leaving to manage Thune's winning campaign. Wadhams will take time off from George Allen's U.S. Senate campaign in Virginia to introduce Thune tonight. Also, two members of Allard's campaign team now work for Thune.
Even with those connections and Thune's interest, planning the event wasn't easy. Dates in February and March had to be rescheduled. Thune and the Weld GOP settled on Friday, but then Thune's daughter made it to South Dakota's state high school track meet, scheduled the same day. More scrambling, more planning, and finally a date. Thune is scheduled to fly in this morning, eat breakfast with Allard in Denver, tour a few of the state's defense facilities, arrive in Greeley about 5:30 p.m. and fly out immediately after the dinner -- exactly according to plan.
WHERE TO GO
John Thune will speak at the Weld County Republicans Lincoln Day Dinner at 7 p.m. today at the Island Grove Exhibition Hall, 501 N. 14th Ave., Greeley. Tickets are $60; to order tickets or for information about a pre-dinner reception, call 352-0930.
I like that the top Thune happens to be named Thune.
"GOP entices top Thune for speech tonight"
I have no idea what that sentence is supposed to mean. Is "top" used as a verb, adjective or noun? If it's a noun (as the grammatical construction leads me to believe), what does it mean?
I didn't write the thing, I just posted it. Thought people in the area might be interested. The author's email is right there, ask him. He'll probably tell you to ask his editor.
8~)
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