Words cannot adequately express the fullness of love and respect felt by OR-RA members toward Ronald Reagan. We can't begin to imagine the extent of loss Nancy Reagan must feel now that she can no longer look upon and touch her "Ronnie". May God carry her through what has to be the hardest time of her life and comfort the Reagan family as they and the nation say their farewells.

Ronald Reagan is the essence of all the Republican assemblies throughout the nation. He embodies what they stand for in a truly Republican candidate. Reagan acknowledged this fact.

Visitors to The California Republican Assembly’s (CRA) web site can watch a video of Ronald Reagan in which he calls them the “conscience of the Republican Party.” California Republican Assembly (Go to bottom right of the page).

The CRA was a key factor in catapulting Ronald Reagan to the governorship of California in the 1960's and later on to the White House in 1980.

Americans yearn for another Ronald Reagan in public office. Every Republican candidate is searched for how much like Reagan they are. Ronald Reagan was the standard bearer of the modern conservative movement. He turned "conservative" from a pejorative term to a mainstream ideology.

RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) know all too well how much people yearn for another Ronald Reagan. This is why, in spite of holding to none of his principles, they will call themselves “Reagan Republicans.”

RINOs know the deep emotional attachment people feel when Reagan’s name is invoked. They know too, that busy people will accept the shorthand message his name imparts to convey decency, pro-life values, conservative values, anti-tax and anti-big government messages. The degree of dishonesty in using his name, while intending to oppose his values, is often stunning. Tender terms of endearment are often used, strictly for political advantage, while not meaning a word. Such attempts to steal the legacy of Ronald Reagan will continue.

However, true Republicans are fed up with the hijacking of Reagan's name and legacy while abandoning his principles. This is why the number of Republican Assemblies has been increasing. In 2004 OR-RA became the forty-first state to form a Republican Assembly and will be accepted into the National Federation of Republican Assemblies at their national convention, in Indiana, June 25th, 2004. Washington State is currently in the process of forming a Republican Assembly of its own.

For many Washington Republicans the squelching of conservative, political free speech during primaries and at their state convention has gone too far for too long. This is exactly the sort of behavior for which Ronald Reagan would not tolerate. RINOs don’t want any process which allows Republicans to filter between real Republicans and pretenders.

Many Republican candidates aspire to be admired and loved as Reagan was, but they want this love minus the decency & principled leadership that Reagan possessed.

While some candidates admire Hitler as much as Reagan for having enough charisma to attract followers, Republican Assemblies aspire to elect men & women who hold to the same traditional values cherished by Ronald Reagan.

The essence of the Republican Assemblies is to carry on the tradition of Ronald Reagan. This dictates reminding people of what constitutes a real Republican, identifying candidates who are true Republicans and supporting them as they run for elected office.

Reagan is our modern example. We intend to defend the same Christian conservative values he defended with the same refusal to be intimidated. We, too, will stand up for the name of Jesus Christ to be spoken in prayer within the arena of Republican politics. Like Reagan we refuse to let our own party squelch prayerful recognition of the Almighty author of liberty as they have attempted to do in recent months. Reagan did not acquiesce on such matters and neither will the Oregon Republican Assembly. This is our pledge.