Banks Touts Trump, Pans Demos At Lincoln Day Dinner
May 3, 2019 at 3:30 a.m.
By David [email protected]
Banks was the keynote speaker at the Kosciusko County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner Thursday night.
“It is a privilege to serve Northeast Indiana. It is an incredible honor. How could I have ever imagined you would send me to Washington, D.C., at a time like this? These are interesting times,” he said. “I’ve got to tell you though, since day one I’ve been very proud to stand with President Trump and Vice President Pence. Every step of the way we move this country forward and accomplish what we’ve accomplished for this country these days.”
He said what he meant by that was “this unprecedented strong economy. We’re seeing it all over Northeast Indiana.”
Banks highlighted a few things the U.S. has seen “since Trump was sworn into office and since Republicans in Congress over the past couple of years had a chance to put forth pro-business economic reforms that have moved this economy forward in a big way.”
The first highlight he mentioned was that since Trump became president “we’ve had economic growth GDP figures in this country that average well-above 3%, even hit the 4% mark.” To put that in perspective, he said during the eight years of the Obama administration, the average was about 1.9%.
Unemployment figures in the U.S. “are the lowest they’ve ever been in my lifetime. And to put that in perspective, over the last 50 years ... we’ve only had unemployment less than 4% for about 16 months. And you just lived through 10 of those months.”
Banks said his 3rd District has the most manufacturing jobs per capita of any congressional district in the country, and a lot of that is in Warsaw.
Since Trump was sworn in, Banks said “manufacturing jobs in this economy have grown 10 times as much as they did throughout the Obama economy.”
He said the good news didn’t stop at the economy.
“I’ve got to tell you, I am proud of nothing more of what this president in Washington has done to restore the strength of the United States military,” Banks, a U.S. Navy Reserve veteran, said. “There’s nothing that this president has done ... that is more important than what see and do for our military.”
During Obama’s eight years, Banks said the federal government “grew in every single way” except one area – the military. He said Trump restored full funding for the military to get it the tools and resources it needs.
After telling a couple of anecdotes about meeting with Trump, Banks talked about how his “Grandpa Banks” was a Democrat.
“But I’ve got to tell you, as I look at these Democrats in Washington, D.C., these are not my Grandpa Banks’ Democrats. When I look at this presidential contest that is emerging, when Joe Biden is your moderate candidate, these are not my Grandpa Banks’ Democrats,” he said.
Banks continued, “This is a dangerous Red of Democrats emerging in Washington, D.C., on the national stage.”
He said the Green New Deal and Medicare for All have price tags of $32 trillion-plus that would exponentially grow the national debt out of control.
“These are not the type of Democrats that you have seen before. This is a dangerous, radical threat of Democrats” on the national stage, he said. “That should worry each and every one of you.”
He said he could go “on and on” talking about the type of socialist Democrats that have emerged on the national stage today, but there is one in particular that makes him mad – Ilhan Abdullahi Omar, the U.S. representative for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district.
“I don’t often get angry in politics, it’s not my style. But nothing has made me more angry lately than the words of Ilhan Omar, my new colleague from the state of Minnesota,” he said, saying she compared the United States and its Army to Hezbollah and al-Qaida.
“And diminished what happened on 9/11 but saying ‘people did some things’ on 9/11. Ladies and gentlemen, I did not put on a uniform, leave my family and go to Afghanistan because ‘some people did some things’ on 9/11,” Banks said. “I went to Afghanistan to serve my country as I’m serving you, because on 9/11 my country was attacked and America was changed forever.”
He repeated that today’s Democrats were not those of his grandpa’s day and that’s why the Republicans had to keep the eye on the ball and make sure Trump gets re-elected in 2020. He added that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi needs to be sent into retirement, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the “real speaker of the House” who controls the Democrat party and “we can not give those types of Democrats the opportunity to lead in the House of Representatives.”
Before Banks spoke, the guest speaker was WOWO’s Pat Miller. After talking about two athletes who did what others said was not possible, he said, “If we keep going against the forces in this country, and even in this state, that want to stop an American way of life and a conventional and conservative way of life, we just have to keep going because all those other sounds and all those other voices are nothing but fog, and we have to look beyond fog.”
He said he can’t wait for 2020 because the Democrats “don’t have anything” to run against Trump. “It’s just fog. Chuck Schumer is just fog. Nancy Pelosi is full of it. Fog. She’s full of fog. Fog will lift,” Miller said.
He said they can’t let the GOP become backward or kowtow down to the other side just to make peace.
Before the speakers, former Kosciusko County Republican Party Chair Jean Northenor paid tribute to former U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, who died Sunday.
She said, “We’ve lost a great soft-spoken gentleman. I’m not going to talk about all the things he did in Congress because if you don’t know him now, there’s no way you’re going to take it home and remember it anyway.”
Northenor said Lugar was a gentleman who stood out as “the kindest, most caring for our country than I’ve ever had the pleasure of calling a friend.”
Lugar worked across party lines and that will “long be remembered, and Lord only knows it’s not happening now,” she said. “It’s a shame that there aren’t a few more like Senator Lugar out there to help get through some of this stuff they’re messing around with.”
At the end of her comments, Northenor had everyone stand and raise a toast to Lugar. “To Senator Lugar, may he rest in peace,” she finished in tears.
Earlier in the dinner, all elected officials and Republican candidates were recognized. Then the candidates in Tuesday’s primary each were given two minutes to speak.
Perhaps the biggest race Tuesday is the Warsaw mayor’s race between incumbent Joe Thallemer and City Councilman Ron Shoemaker.
Thallemer began by thanking his wife for her part in the “unusual campaign experience” this year. “I appreciate everything she’s done for me.”
He then said Warsaw has doubled its size since 1970. From 1900 to present, Warsaw has averaged 12.5% growth every 10 years in the Census.
“This is a community that, you have to be ahead of it. Experienced leadership is so critical to anticipate what is coming around the corner,” he said.
He noted he served 12 years on the council, eight years as mayor and five years on the planning commission. “I’ve really been able to understand the importance of what workforce and population growth and the industry are all – this community we’re so fortunate. There’s communities in Indiana that would just die for what we have. It’s important we have somebody that’s steady at the helm to help us with the challenges, and there are challenges. The growth challenges aren’t easy.”
Shoemaker opened up his comments telling about how as a 14-year-old boy he met a president and that changed the course of his life. He’s been a lifelong Republican, a county commissioner and a state senate candidate.
He then added, “If I have the privilege of being your mayor, one thing I will not allow is any department head or any employee to be demean or harass a public citizen, especially our senior citizens.”
In Winona Lake’s Republican primary, Ward 1 town council incumbent Theila “Tecy” Banta faces challenger Jim Zachary.
Banta said she had four main issues: the greenway trails, Stonehenge Golf Course, the coming roundabout on Winona Avenue and the fire department.
On the fire department, Banta said it’s come to the forefront because people have asked questions.
“The town coordinator (Craig Allebach) and some members (of the council) chose to see what it would cost to join the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Department rather than continue the Winona Lake Fire Department. And so that will become an issue shortly. The results are in on what that would cost, but they’ve not been made public because there’s still some further questions that need to be answered,” she said.
Zachary, who was more brief in his comments, said the town has a lot to offer. There are issues the town needs to deal with but it can do so and still remain debt free.
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Banks was the keynote speaker at the Kosciusko County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner Thursday night.
“It is a privilege to serve Northeast Indiana. It is an incredible honor. How could I have ever imagined you would send me to Washington, D.C., at a time like this? These are interesting times,” he said. “I’ve got to tell you though, since day one I’ve been very proud to stand with President Trump and Vice President Pence. Every step of the way we move this country forward and accomplish what we’ve accomplished for this country these days.”
He said what he meant by that was “this unprecedented strong economy. We’re seeing it all over Northeast Indiana.”
Banks highlighted a few things the U.S. has seen “since Trump was sworn into office and since Republicans in Congress over the past couple of years had a chance to put forth pro-business economic reforms that have moved this economy forward in a big way.”
The first highlight he mentioned was that since Trump became president “we’ve had economic growth GDP figures in this country that average well-above 3%, even hit the 4% mark.” To put that in perspective, he said during the eight years of the Obama administration, the average was about 1.9%.
Unemployment figures in the U.S. “are the lowest they’ve ever been in my lifetime. And to put that in perspective, over the last 50 years ... we’ve only had unemployment less than 4% for about 16 months. And you just lived through 10 of those months.”
Banks said his 3rd District has the most manufacturing jobs per capita of any congressional district in the country, and a lot of that is in Warsaw.
Since Trump was sworn in, Banks said “manufacturing jobs in this economy have grown 10 times as much as they did throughout the Obama economy.”
He said the good news didn’t stop at the economy.
“I’ve got to tell you, I am proud of nothing more of what this president in Washington has done to restore the strength of the United States military,” Banks, a U.S. Navy Reserve veteran, said. “There’s nothing that this president has done ... that is more important than what see and do for our military.”
During Obama’s eight years, Banks said the federal government “grew in every single way” except one area – the military. He said Trump restored full funding for the military to get it the tools and resources it needs.
After telling a couple of anecdotes about meeting with Trump, Banks talked about how his “Grandpa Banks” was a Democrat.
“But I’ve got to tell you, as I look at these Democrats in Washington, D.C., these are not my Grandpa Banks’ Democrats. When I look at this presidential contest that is emerging, when Joe Biden is your moderate candidate, these are not my Grandpa Banks’ Democrats,” he said.
Banks continued, “This is a dangerous Red of Democrats emerging in Washington, D.C., on the national stage.”
He said the Green New Deal and Medicare for All have price tags of $32 trillion-plus that would exponentially grow the national debt out of control.
“These are not the type of Democrats that you have seen before. This is a dangerous, radical threat of Democrats” on the national stage, he said. “That should worry each and every one of you.”
He said he could go “on and on” talking about the type of socialist Democrats that have emerged on the national stage today, but there is one in particular that makes him mad – Ilhan Abdullahi Omar, the U.S. representative for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district.
“I don’t often get angry in politics, it’s not my style. But nothing has made me more angry lately than the words of Ilhan Omar, my new colleague from the state of Minnesota,” he said, saying she compared the United States and its Army to Hezbollah and al-Qaida.
“And diminished what happened on 9/11 but saying ‘people did some things’ on 9/11. Ladies and gentlemen, I did not put on a uniform, leave my family and go to Afghanistan because ‘some people did some things’ on 9/11,” Banks said. “I went to Afghanistan to serve my country as I’m serving you, because on 9/11 my country was attacked and America was changed forever.”
He repeated that today’s Democrats were not those of his grandpa’s day and that’s why the Republicans had to keep the eye on the ball and make sure Trump gets re-elected in 2020. He added that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi needs to be sent into retirement, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the “real speaker of the House” who controls the Democrat party and “we can not give those types of Democrats the opportunity to lead in the House of Representatives.”
Before Banks spoke, the guest speaker was WOWO’s Pat Miller. After talking about two athletes who did what others said was not possible, he said, “If we keep going against the forces in this country, and even in this state, that want to stop an American way of life and a conventional and conservative way of life, we just have to keep going because all those other sounds and all those other voices are nothing but fog, and we have to look beyond fog.”
He said he can’t wait for 2020 because the Democrats “don’t have anything” to run against Trump. “It’s just fog. Chuck Schumer is just fog. Nancy Pelosi is full of it. Fog. She’s full of fog. Fog will lift,” Miller said.
He said they can’t let the GOP become backward or kowtow down to the other side just to make peace.
Before the speakers, former Kosciusko County Republican Party Chair Jean Northenor paid tribute to former U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, who died Sunday.
She said, “We’ve lost a great soft-spoken gentleman. I’m not going to talk about all the things he did in Congress because if you don’t know him now, there’s no way you’re going to take it home and remember it anyway.”
Northenor said Lugar was a gentleman who stood out as “the kindest, most caring for our country than I’ve ever had the pleasure of calling a friend.”
Lugar worked across party lines and that will “long be remembered, and Lord only knows it’s not happening now,” she said. “It’s a shame that there aren’t a few more like Senator Lugar out there to help get through some of this stuff they’re messing around with.”
At the end of her comments, Northenor had everyone stand and raise a toast to Lugar. “To Senator Lugar, may he rest in peace,” she finished in tears.
Earlier in the dinner, all elected officials and Republican candidates were recognized. Then the candidates in Tuesday’s primary each were given two minutes to speak.
Perhaps the biggest race Tuesday is the Warsaw mayor’s race between incumbent Joe Thallemer and City Councilman Ron Shoemaker.
Thallemer began by thanking his wife for her part in the “unusual campaign experience” this year. “I appreciate everything she’s done for me.”
He then said Warsaw has doubled its size since 1970. From 1900 to present, Warsaw has averaged 12.5% growth every 10 years in the Census.
“This is a community that, you have to be ahead of it. Experienced leadership is so critical to anticipate what is coming around the corner,” he said.
He noted he served 12 years on the council, eight years as mayor and five years on the planning commission. “I’ve really been able to understand the importance of what workforce and population growth and the industry are all – this community we’re so fortunate. There’s communities in Indiana that would just die for what we have. It’s important we have somebody that’s steady at the helm to help us with the challenges, and there are challenges. The growth challenges aren’t easy.”
Shoemaker opened up his comments telling about how as a 14-year-old boy he met a president and that changed the course of his life. He’s been a lifelong Republican, a county commissioner and a state senate candidate.
He then added, “If I have the privilege of being your mayor, one thing I will not allow is any department head or any employee to be demean or harass a public citizen, especially our senior citizens.”
In Winona Lake’s Republican primary, Ward 1 town council incumbent Theila “Tecy” Banta faces challenger Jim Zachary.
Banta said she had four main issues: the greenway trails, Stonehenge Golf Course, the coming roundabout on Winona Avenue and the fire department.
On the fire department, Banta said it’s come to the forefront because people have asked questions.
“The town coordinator (Craig Allebach) and some members (of the council) chose to see what it would cost to join the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Department rather than continue the Winona Lake Fire Department. And so that will become an issue shortly. The results are in on what that would cost, but they’ve not been made public because there’s still some further questions that need to be answered,” she said.
Zachary, who was more brief in his comments, said the town has a lot to offer. There are issues the town needs to deal with but it can do so and still remain debt free.
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