MONTGOMERY — Speaking during the closing dinner of the Alabama Farmers Federation’s 98th annual meeting on Monday evening, former Auburn University head football coach Tommy Tuberville gave a fiery campaign speech to the crowd of approximately 1,400 farmers, elected officials and friends of the state’s agricultural community.
Tuberville has been endorsed by the federation’s grassroots political arm, FarmPAC. Before he was welcomed to the stage to speak on Monday, a short video made by the Alabama Farmers Federation played about his candidacy.
Short tribute video ran before he took the stage pic.twitter.com/4hzEzu32QA
— Sean Ross (@sean_yhn) December 10, 2019
Tuberville began his remarks by telling Governor Kay Ivey, who was in attendance and spoke earlier in the program, that she is doing “a great job.”
He then expressed his support for the state’s agricultural community as well as rural Alabama in general before getting into some broader campaign messages.
Tuberville largely reiterated the key talking points from his stump speech, with a few different twists and lines now and again.
The crowd really seemed to get into the speech when the Republican candidate said, “I’m a Donald Trump guy. I do believe today that God sent Donald Trump to us. He’s the only thing standing between socialism and this country. We can’t let that happen. We cannot let it happen.”
The first big applause line landed seconds later, as he began outlining the three main reasons he wants to serve in the U.S. Senate.
“I want to get God back in this country,” Tuberville emphasized. “We gotta get God back in this country.”
“In the 1960s, we kicked God out of schools. No more prayers,” he lamented. “We replaced God with metal detectors. That’s how far we’ve gone (off track).”
“Folks, we’re losing it,” he added. “We’re losing Christianity in this country. We gotta get it back.”
Tuberville continued, “But it starts by teaching it. We should teach all religions in our schools. But we’ve definitely got to get God back in our schools.”
The longtime educator and coach said parental involvement in schools has also fallen off the to the detriment of society.
He pointed to a lack of positive male role models as an issue in many students’ upbringing.
“We’ve got to get family back together,” Tuberville remarked.
Comparing these three concepts to coaching fundaments like blocking and tackling, Tuberville advised that “God, family and education” must be restored in order for the country to get back to winning ways. He said the country was at a breaking point on which way it would go.
“We’re fighting,” he remarked to more applause. “Fighting back. Washington, D.C. has lost their mind. Absolutely lost their mind.”
Tuberville bashed Democrats in the U.S. House for spending their time on the current impeachment inquiry into Trump instead of on bipartisan, national priories such as approving the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), which the Alabama Farmers Federation supports.
The first-time candidate also reiterated his pledge not to take a salary if elected to the U.S. Senate. Instead, he will reportedly donate the money to Alabama military veterans.
“Folks, I don’t need this job. I really don’t. I want this job. I don’t need a paycheck. All my money’s going to the veterans of this state, I’m not taking a dime,” Tuberville pledged to warm applause.
“And I’m not going to be politically correct, I’m sick of that,” he added after the applause ended, only to get the crowd clapping loudly once again.
“I love this state and this country so much that I want to go fight for it,” Tuberville summarized. “And it’s time that we fought — not turn our head, not be politically correct.”
After again giving the example of miniature horses now being allowed on airplanes as emotional support animals, Tuberville continued to decry political correctness while advising that a teacher recently told him that she was not able in her elementary school now to say “no” or “don’t.”
“We can’t hurt their feelings,” Tuberville scoffed. “Folks, there’s nothing in the Constitution that says you can’t have your feelings hurt.”
That line drew waves of both laughter and applause.
“I want to be your leader in Washington, D.C. and a voice for you that’s going to speak for you and not the swamp,” he underlined. “I am so sick of the swamp.”
Tuberville concluded by saying, “Merry Christmas and God bless.”
The crowd then gave him a standing ovation.
.@TTuberville gets standing ovation after his remarks. Parnell quips that those in attendance can now see how he won this grassroots endorsement pic.twitter.com/np3Jod2W0B
— Sean Ross (@sean_yhn) December 10, 2019
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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