Photo by George Kunke Karla Webber (right) received the Pacific County Republican of the Year Award Saturday night. At left is Nansen Malin, who served as Master of Ceremony.
“Karla is the go-to person,” said Nansen Malin, who in the person to go to for Pacific County Republicans. “She’s always there thinking about Pacific County.” Malin said that Webber is someone that “works harder than anybody” for the Republican Party. Gottlieb is a nationally known Second Amendment advocate who revved up the crowd about the threat of people’s rights in regard to owning weaponry. Gottlieb attacked the White House, the United Nations, and, anyone who is inclined to take away gun enthusiast’s right to own any type of firearm. “The ultimate goal of the Democratic Party is to ban firearms. They support the Second Amendment, subject to reasonable restrictions. They want to take away your semi-automatic. They want to take away you handgun. And, next, they will come after your shotgun.” Gottlieb said that 52 percent of adult Americans feel the government threatens them. He said that the state of Washington could run into similar laws that New York, Colorado, New Jersey, Connecticut and Illinois have encountered. “We dodged a bullet this year, but we did it by the skin of our teeth.” “In the Senate, bills aren’t written the way we like them,” Gottlieb said. “The American people will never vote for it (gun control),” Gottlieb said. “The media is one of the biggest opponents that we have. This war’s going to continue. We need to worry to worry about all the rules and regulations that our state department can decide to adapt. They are looking at our rights with no respect at all. “The gun grabber killed the background check in our state,” Hartlieb said. “I actually support background checks, but it still has to protect individual rights.” “One problem we face internationally is that sanctions could affect us with imports and exports,” Hartlieb said. Gottlieb stayed after the banquet to autograph his current book, These Dogs Don’t Hunt The Democrat’s War on Guns, which was available as a gift to anyone that attended the banquet. The book was co-authored by Dave Workman. Congresswoman Herrera Beutler Malin introduced the Congresswoman by saying she’s “a good friend of Pacific County. I have seen our Congresswoman go to DC and represent Pacific County. She has an open door policy and she is a real friend to Pacific County.” Congresswoman Herrera Beutler told the crowd that Republicans should change their image in order to convey their message better. The Congressman carried the vote in Pacific County in last November’s election. “That is because all of you,” she said. “Brett (Malin) and Nan (Malin) do tremendous work here. When someone says, ‘I can’t’ I focus like a laser.” The Congresswoman said that Republicans have the image that they don’t care about people personally and that they need to turn that image around. “Lincoln stood up for was right and he stood up for the underdog. I believe we can turn this around.” Herrera Beutler said she voted for a balanced budget (last Thursday) that will balance the budget in 10 years. “We have to make some adjustments now.” She said she met with President Obama along with other members of Congress and told them he didn’t think a balanced budget was needed and that the national debt was not a problem. “We don’t see it as a problem; he said,” Herrera Beutler said. “The debt is 16 trillion and rising! The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) says the interest is $850 (annually) and that’s a low estimate! I truly believe the debt is a huge, huge issue. This debt is actually a moral issue.” Herrera Beutler pointed out that college graduates have only a 50 percent chance of getting a job after they graduate. “Those are the worst stats since 1948, and it impacts everybody!” she said. Herrera Beutler said that in the last election, “We lost the battle for hearts and minds of the citizens. We’ve got a real challenge and a tremendous opportunity. Our party still stands for the ideas and policies for opportunities this country has ever known. We can be the party that stands for underdogs. We don’t have to change who we are. We have to do a much better job of connecting with our friends and neighbors.” Pacific County Chairman of the Republican Party Brett Malin said, “What’s demanded is to spread the word of conservatism. There’s more to the story than the liberal media tells them.” National Republican Party Committeewoman Fredi Simpson said, “Republicans have to change how we get our message across.” On the issue of immigration she said, “We’re not against immigrants; we’re against illegal immigration.” Webber prepared a scrumptious dinner of prime rib. The audience sang the National Anthem to get the ceremony underway. Pastor Aarragon Markwell gave the invocation.