#66: "I'm Clay Aiken, and I Approved This Message!"

[merrieeee]

Good grief the guy gets noticed by some very important folks! Hope they donated!

Ok so picture this.......Jane says to her friend Gloria "what about that Clay Aiken guy". Geez the mind boggles

[luckiest1]

Way cool!

[ldyjocelyn]

I personally think it's pretty cool as well...but I can also see some pitfalls with this article.

I'm a little young for this, but I know several military people who cannot stand Jane Fonda, because of her anti-war activism during Vietnam. While more than a few of us agree with her stance, the military took it as hating them. Now, Clay's in a district with Fort Bragg, and also a somewhat older demographic, not to mention heavily Republican. As much as I think this mention is rather neat, it could backfire on him. It will be interesting to see if Ellmers capitalizes on it.

[FearofH2O]

I think Clay is pretty smart for having others speak for him. Other than that one local interview I haven't seen Clay mention it. In the interview it was just a by the way comment and he didn't elaborate on it. No one can accuse him of being an anti war sympathizer as he wasn't even born when it was going on. Of course that never bothered some folks.

[merrieeee]

My DH was in Vietnam and turned the channel if she came on TV. Nuff said!

Email

Put Clay on your back and help him get to Washington!

You can contribute to Clay’s success by wearing a new Clay for North Carolina t-shirt and showing your support wherever you go. These new tees are 100% cotton and come in sizes for everyone in your family. They feature a new Clay Aiken logo front and back, so you can show your enthusiasm as you come and go around town.

T-shirts are just $25, plus $5 for shipping right to your house, and come in adult sizes S to 2XL. The kids can also join in the celebration, in child sizes S, M & L, at the same price. Just click on the link here and fill out the forms, and your very own Clay Aiken for North Carolina shirt will be shipped to your door!

The pre-order period will last until July 31st. Please place your order before then to reserve your CA4NC shirt.

And thanks for supporting Clay!

Robert Kintz

Clay Aiken for North Carolina

[ldyjocelyn]

I need a new t-shirt...will order later tonight!

[ldyjocelyn]

T-shirt ordered! Woohoo, can't wait. I was just thinking the other day that most of my Clay shirts are getting worn out from use, and should be retired. Now I have a new one!

Via CV:

Kristian Hill ‏@KrisOfTheHill

Made Clay Aiken's son laugh today because of my childish antics at the swimming pool. At least someone appreciates them..

steve

‏@RlSK_

Clay Aiken took a selfie on my phone pic.twitter.com/9MfRrLv0w6

OK, who is this guy? He's at a pool? Really? OTOH...love the sunglasses!

[ldyjocelyn]

More pictures from the pool yesterday.

Stubble that looks soft! EEEEEE!

[luckiest1]

I think it's awesome that he takes Parker swimming........even if he has a fear of it.

[ldyjocelyn]

From Facebook, via CV:

Steve Starnes

What an extraordinary evening. I met a national icon and hero, Congressman John Lewis of Georgia, I was also privileged to meet Congressman David Price of the NC 4th Congressional District and rubbed elbows with NC Supreme Court Justice Cheri Beasley, Judge Ola Lewis who is running for Chief Justice of NC Supreme Court, District Court Candidate Stephen Craig Stokes, Clay Aiken, Candidate for the 2nd Congressional District, Jim Langley, NC Senate Candidate and other great leaders. Of course the evening wouldn't have been the same without my friend Cynthia Flowers, Mayor Chris V. Rey and his lovely wife Adwoa Ansah Rey.

This is the event Clay attended:

An Evening With:

Congressman John Lewis

& Mayor Chris Rey

July 26th, 2014

4-6PM

Lillington Community Center

607 S. 13th Street

Lillington,NC 27546

[FearofH2O]

Wow John Lewis. Clay must have been awe struck as was I going to hear him speak along with Maya Angelou many years ago at Wake Forest University.

[ldyjocelyn]

Forgot to post the picture. Alas, it's from the back. Hopefully, someone will have more pictures of this.

I'm ashamed to admit I had to look up John Lewis. But once I saw a picture of him, I knew exactly who he was. That's pretty amazing for Clay to have met him.

[merrieeee]

There's another pic of Clay on this Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/paul.long.756?fref=photo

[ldyjocelyn]

The picture:

From Twitter:

From Facebook:

BlueNC shared a link.

Welcome back to BlueNC, Nancy Miller Martin! Many of you will remember Lovex7 from the earliest days of BlueNC. She will be keeping us up to date on Clay Aiken's campaign.

Welcome back, Nancy. You have been missed.

Her first blog, at http://www.bluenc.com/how-i-got-here

How I got here

Submitted by Nancy Miller Martin on Sat, 07/26/2014 - 6:27pm

I was going to change everything to my real name, but I couldn't figure out how to do it. Everybody knows it's Nancy Miller Martin anyway...lovex7 can go bye bye. Also everybody knows that my brother is former Congressman Brad Miller. He and I were blogging here at the same time. I just looked it up and I have been a member for more than 8 years and Brad for longer than that.. Boy, am I behind.

One morning I was contacted by Nation Hahn. He told me that Clay Aiken was probably going to run for Congress and that it was a secret for now. I didn't tell anybody, but I was excited. Nation asked me to be a part of Clay's campaign if he decided to run. There is not much that Nation could ask me to do that I wouldn't do. It was also decided a short time later that several of us would meet Clay early in the morning in a parking lot before it was daylight for donuts. It was cold and I had just had eye surgery and my eyes looked like two slits. Almost as soon as Clay got out of the car we discovered that his campaign handlers were friends of my brother and had been for years. One of them had even worked for him. It was during this very short visit that I realized that Clay was not a celebrity. He was a local guy who happened to be able to sing his face off. This wasn't a surprise to me because the same thing had happened in my family. After my brother received all his degrees he was offered some fantastic jobs and his answer was always, "No, I want to go back to North Carolina and go into politics". Some people thought he was nuts, but he knew what he wanted to do. Clay has the same goal. I'm good with that, and I understand it. (my brother can't sing)

The thing that got me the most was Clay's love for children with disabilities. My son went to work as a camp counselor at Camp Easter, which was a camp for children and adults with disabilities, when he was in college. It was just going to be a summer job. He found his heart there. He worked at that camp until he transferred to ASU. He changed his major to Human Services. He has worked with the disabled his entire adult life. That's where he met his wife...he hired her. I know his heart, and I know Clay has the same kind of heart. My son will never be rich, but he has happy children and he plays with them in the rain.

If you think Clay doesn't know the issues, think again. Why do you think he is running? It's because he believes he can make a difference and nobody else seems to be doing it. Have a conversation with him and you will learn how much he knows and he will talk to you like your neighbor. I believe you judge people by their character. No matter what they do in life, that character is still there.

Clay has an outstanding character and that's why he is my choice for Congress in District 2.

I will be blogging more as things come up, and I have some other people who are going to blog too.

I'M BACK,

Nancy Miller Martin, AKA Lovex7

[ldyjocelyn]

From the ClayforNC Instagram.

Very nice selfie, and I am sure Clay was thrilled to meet him.

[merrieeee]

Interesting article

@rwneilljr: Aiken seeks to close money gap with Ellmers: Democratic congressional hopeful Clay Aiken h... http://t.co/VJhSqkKkxk #politics #dem #gop

[ldyjocelyn]

Photobomb!

[merrieeee]

He just looks so happy!

And I think that woman is way too comfy on his shoulder!

[ldyjocelyn]

Latest email:

C4NC Gold Members!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. It is time to reveal last week's raffle winner. Everyone, please join me in congratulating MARGARET WAGUESPACK of New Orleans, LA. Margaret, you are the recipient of a song of your choice to be sung and recorded for you by Clay. I hope you enjoy!

CA4NC Gold Circle Weekly Raffle #5

This week’s raffle prize is:

• A personalized copy of Clay's 2010 "Tried and True" album
  

The next raffle winner will be announced on Monday, August 4th.

Thank you and good luck!

Ebonie Pittman

Clay Aiken For North Carolina

Congratulations Invisible926!

[merrieeee]

Oh well I didn't win. My days of winning are over.

Just walk away Renee!

http://www.indyweek.com/citizen/archives/2014/07/28/renee-ellmers-clay-aiken-election-campaign-take-one-down-pass-it-around

[merrieeee]

@ClayForNC: Join us on Wednesday at @SouthlandBallrm in Raleigh for an event w/ the @redclayramblers: https://t.co/bfbAWO8VRm http://t.co/bi7r8TfIDi

[merrieeee]

From the mayor of Cary's blog.

Tuesday I had the honor and privilege of meeting and talking with Clay Aiken who is running for the Second Congressional District seat. If you think that Clay is just a singer with a golden ticket then you are sorely mistaken. I was extremely impressed with his knowledge of all the national issues and his district. What I also liked was his eagerness to work with both parties. In fact his logo starts with blue coloring and goes to red symbolizing this bipartisanship. Clay Aiken has a passion for helping people and doing what is right for his district regardless of party affiliation. I think he would represent Cary and his district well and be a breath of fresh air in Washington. I would invite anyone to check out his stance on issues and contact him. His campaign office is in downtown Cary and is staffed by smart, knowledgeable people.

http://carycitizen.com/2014/07/28/harolds-blog-double-dose/

Nice pic too!

[FearofH2O]

Three of us are going to that event. Should be fun. Oops, meant the Red Clay Ramblers, not the Mayor of Cary.

[ldyjocelyn]

I can't get the link to work (registration required), but I found this article at CV:

Civil Rights Legend Speaks In Lillington

By TOM WOERNER

Of the Record Staff

One of the most significant figures of the civil rights movement took a large crowd back in history at an event host­ed by an area mayor in Lillington Satur­day evening.

U.S. Rep. John Lewis was the guest of Spring Lake Mayor Chris Rey at an event at the Lillington Community Cen­ter. Rep. Lewis outlined some of his ex­periences as he helped fight for equal treatment for fellow African-Ameri­cans in the turbulent 1960s.

Rep. Lewis was a leader of young people as a part of the Civil Rights Movement and was a member of the famous Freedom Riders movement.

The culmination of his involvement in the movement came as he spoke at the March on Washington, D.C., of 1963 when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.

He said his first remembrances of civil rights awareness came when as a young child he asked his grandfather why there were segregated restroom facilities. He said he was told not to ob­ject to the policy in order to stay “out of trouble.”

He did not follow his grandfather’s advice as a young adult, getting arrest­ed multiple times for his participation in civil rights protests. He notably par­ticipated in protest events in Mississip­pi and Alabama which were largely conducted with the goal of desegregat­ing bus lines in the South.

Harnett County NAACP President Carolyn McDougal was pleased with how the event went and said those who attended left inspired.

“I thought it was awesome,” she said. “He talked to us about what we need to do to come together as people, regardless of race.”

Mrs. McDougal said Rep. Lewis drew standing ovations with remarks about some of those he interacted with during the Civil Rights Movement including Rosa Parks, Dr. King and others. Rep. Lewis is the last living speaker from the March on Washington event.

“He took us way back to the 1960s and I thought it was wonderful,” Mrs. McDougal said. “It was an inspirational evening.”

The Harnett County Democratic Party used the occasion of Rep. Lewis’ appearance to gain support for their candidates.

Democratic Party Chairperson Teresa Oudeh said the appearance was a good event.

“He showed so much humility,” Mrs. Oudeh said. “I was impressed by the way he shared such deep conversation. He is still sharing love after all these years.”

Dunn businesman Lewis Bell also said he enjoyed the appearance by the civil rights legend.

“I think it was just a great event for the people who came out,” Mr. Bell said.

County Commissioner’s candidate Steve Blackburn was at the event with his wife and said he enjoyed it.

“It was fantastic,” Mr. Blackburn said.

The event was well attended by Democratic candidates. Among those on hand were N.C. House candidate Susan Byerly, N.C. Senate candidate Joe Langley, U.S. House candidate Clay Aikenand U.S. Rep. David Price.

Rep. Lewis has represented Georgia in Congress since the 1980s and Rep. Price represents North Carolina’s fourth district which includes the central swath of Harnett County including Lillington.

Mrs. Oudeh said she was glad to see Democratic candidates and regular citizens.

“I am very impressed,” she said. “So many people coming out shows a lot of respect for Mr. Lewis.”

Though advertised as a guest appearance and not campaign related, Mr. Rey is rumored to have statewide political ambitions; however, this was not a fundraiser event for Mr. Rey.

The picture from the link provided by merrieeee:

[ldyjocelyn]

From Instagram:

The Little Mermaid play with Clay Fucking Aiken! #littlemermaid #clayaiken #2002

http://instagram.com/p/rBAbPCAszt/