FOREWORD

FOREWORD

2011 turned out to be the best, and worst, year of my life. It was the year I put my wild plan of running for Congress into action. I knew the system was rigged but I thought I could beat it. So did Leslie Sorrell. We were wrong.

I was honored when Leslie agreed to take a meeting with me to talk about my future campaign. She was well known in political circles as a quiet warrior, one of the best in the business when it comes to fundraising and strategizing. It's why she was my first and last call when it came to picking the person to lead my campaign. You see Leslie isn't brash or pompous like strategists you see on the cable networks each night. She's prefers to operate behind the scenes. It's a tribute to her as leader.

When Leslie agreed to take me on as a client I knew I would change her life, I had no idea I would destroy it, at least the life she knew.

I will be forever grateful to this woman who also happened to change my life, for the better.

She forced me to think before I react. She forced me to listen more than speak. But most of all she forced me to never accept mediocrity from myself.

Leslie never ever held back when she disagreed. A rare quality in an industry filled with weasels whose sole job is to appease the Congressman they are paid to suck up to. She didn't want to make me someone I wasn’t, she just wanted to pull out the best in me.

With my first town hall just days away, Leslie insisted I practice. I always felt I was "a gamer," a player who peaked during the game, someone who didn't need practice. I was so confident in my abilities as a communicator and my grasp of the issues I laughed at the thought of practicing. I did live TV for 20 years, how hard could a town hall be? Leslie refused to take no for an answer.

The next day, during a mock town hall, I flopped. I was awful. She had the campaign staff come up with questions I had no idea how to answer. I looked foolish in front of Leslie and a dozen other campaign staffers who had dedicated their immediate lives to my success. I was embarrassed and ashamed. Leslie wasn't angry, even though I let her down. She looked me in the eye and said, "good thing that wasn't the real deal." We both started laughing and immediately went to work insuring that would never happen again. It's what Leslie does. She identifies a weakness and finds a solution. For nearly a year, Leslie Sorrell was my Guardian Angel. She cared. She was committed and she did her best to protect me from the negative attacks that the establishment launched from all directions.

Leslie was a blessing. My supporters were too. I was humbled by the sheer number of people who put so much faith in me. There would never have been that many people if it wasn't for Leslie.

America is the greatest nation in the world. And Leslie Sorrell is a great American. Sadly, many of the leaders of this country turned against her simply for having faith in me and her quest for a better nation. It's disgusting how corrupt and conniving our elected leaders can be when you threaten their gravy train life as a member of the ruling class. They will stop at nothing to crush anyone who gets in their way. Even a kind, optimistic, principled young lady who supported someone she believed in.

I am forever apologetic, for the damage I brought to Leslie’s political career. But really it's Congressmen like Kenny Marchant and Eric Cantor that owe her a sincere apology.

I will also be forever grateful for Leslie. Because of her I am a better man today. She’s a thought pioneer others and sees angles to issues most people fail to consider. My success today is due in large part to Leslie. My campaign loss set up my victories as a conservative commentator.

I believe this book is Leslie's way of bringing her quest for a better, more principled nation to the masses. There are lessons in this book you will learn from. It will make you think and ask hard questions of your elected officials. It will also make you realize how far we, as a nation, have fallen. But because of people like Leslie Sorrell and her willingness to take on the Washington elite, America can be saved. It starts with next page.

-Grant Stinchfield
Conservative T.V./radio host
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