Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Southern Republican Leadership Conference ... Haley Barbour

[A friend attended the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans over the weekend and was enthusiastic in her updates about the speakers. Following is a paraphrasing of what she shared about Mississippi Republican Governor Haley Barbour.]

Repeating a recurring theme throughout the SRLC, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour emphasized, "We have got to stay focused on 2010, not 2012."

His concern for the direction of America was evident as my friend said she had never seen him so serious while speaking. Her companions, both Mississippi ladies who knew the Governor well, confirmed his depth of concern while speaking, saying he was more serious than they had ever seen him in all the years of working with him.

To illustrate his point about staying focused on 2010, Gov. Barbour asked how many remembered Ed Sullivan, and went on to say Mr. Sullivan once had Mr. Hilton of the hotel chain as a guest. Mr. Sullivan asked Mr. Hilton, "If you could tell the American people anything, what would it be?"

Mr. Hilton's surprising response was, "Keep the shower curtain inside the tub." That's focus, said Gov. Barbour, from a man who knew what was important.

He went on to say the American people know you cannot spend yourself rich. "The main thing is the main thing to keep the main thing," he said.

Some other points he made:

"People are scared."

"If you don't win, you can't fix things."

Haley Barbour has been governor of Mississippi for six years.

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