Now how cool is this? Candidate for lieutenant governor Pete Snyder wins a St. Patrick’s Day endorsement from the former Lord Mayor of Dublin-turned-Virginia Beach businessman, Royston Brady.
From the press release:
St. Patrick’s Day is a time for Irish-Americans to reflect on the enduring bonds that tie our nations together. From America’s earliest days, the Irish have shown great commitment to the development of the United States with many Irish men playing a distinguished role in America’s War of Independence. Virginia’s greatest political son, George Washington, acknowledged this support when he famously said “Ireland, thou friend of my country in my country’s most friendless days, much injured, much enduring land, accept this poor tribute from one who esteems thy worth, and mourns thy desolation.”
In our own time, it is important to note that Pete Snyder has a good insight and deep respect for the strong historical ties of affinity that unite the Irish and American people. Pete has been and remains a strong friend, supporter and advocate of Irish people living in the United States.
The Irish, like the Americans, know the price of freedom and recognize that this precious concept has to be defended at every hands turn. A great Irish-American President, Ronald Reagan, once said “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”
At its core, Pete Snyder’s campaign is characterised by the need to uphold and preserve the great personal freedoms and individual liberties which have made America great. Pete has a huge respect for the rights enumerated in the United States Bill of Rights and this is the type of resolute political leadership Virginia needs in these challenging times. Pete crucially supports the greatest freedom of all, the right to life. He is whole-heartedly pro-life and this will have a powerful resonance and find strong support with people of Irish extraction.
Mayor Brady notes that he recently relocated to Virginia Beach to do business, and economic freedom is what brought him to do business in Virginia.
Before folks go off asking “who cares about this guy?” — the pope cared. Cared enough to give Brady a papal knighthood for his work among Dublin’s poor as mayor.
Elected at age 26, Brady is still seen as a rising star in Ireland. Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny has even asked Brady to join Fine Gael and re-enter Irish politics… but apparently, as many newcomers to Virginia learn upon arrival, the Commonwealth is just too nice a place to simply pick back up and leave!
This note of confidence from a man with Brady’s background is a pretty resounding — if a little fun — endorsement a couple days before St. Patrick’s Day.
