U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, addressed rising gas prices, November’s presidential race and the attributes of Texas Saturday in Cleburne.

The senator served as guest speaker at the Johnson County Republican Party’s July Jubilee celebration.

About 110 people crowded into Johnson County Republican headquarters for dinner catered by Red Chew Chew Barbecue Restaurant. The party then moved next door to the Plaza Theatre Company for a speech by Cornyn and a performance of “Ghost of a Chance.”

Cornyn urged listeners to become involved in the political process, not only through voting and volunteering but also by discussing the issues with their friends and neighbors.

“We need change; you might have heard that phrase,” Cornyn said with a laugh in reference to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s catch phrase. “But, we need the right kind of change, the change we need.”

Cornyn didn’t spare either party in his assessment of the current situation.

“I always say I want to make D.C. more like Texas,” Cornyn said. “A lot of these people, and a lot of Republicans, get there, and it’s like they’ve gone to D.C., which is driven by politics, pundits, spinmeisters and media, and they begin to believe that’s the real world.

“To me, that’s like visiting Disneyland and thinking that’s reality. We can’t forget that the power of our government comes from we the people.”

High prices for fuel and other goods are squeezing people’s budgets and leaving them looking for answers, Cornyn said. The problem, he said, springs from years of neglect by the federal government and lack of a sound energy policy, along with prohibitions on domestic drilling and exploration.

“We need to tell Congress to drill here, drill now and pay less,” Cornyn said.

Drilling in Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and the outer continental shelf “would mean three million barrels of oil a day we don’t have to buy from Saudi Arabia, OPEC or that guy down in South America, Hugo Chavez,” he said

The need to do so is more pressing, Cornyn said, given the growing economies and fuel demands of China and India.

Domestic drilling would supply only part of the solution, he said.

“We have to look for ways to conserve, alternatives, and be ecologically sound, Cornyn said. “That’s where we use good, old-fashioned American research, entrepreneurship and ideas.”

Cornyn also addressed many Republican’s lukewarm enthusiasm to Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

“You know, I don’t agree with John McCain on everything either,” Cornyn said jokingly. “And he doesn’t always agree with me either. Which, frankly, leaves me flummoxed.”

Cornyn called McCain one of the nation’s most courageous budget hawks and said he agrees with McCain’s stances on national security and nominations of federal judges.

“We need the right judges with the right philosophy,” Cornyn said. “Not someone who believes they are self anointed to impose their own agendas. When you have that situation, it doesn’t really matter much what the executive and legislative branches do.”

For those reasons, Cornyn urged attendees to support McCain.

“Many have said they have no passion for this presidential race,” Cornyn said. “But they need to focus on the positives of McCain and the negatives of Barack Obama.

“Now, I’ve worked with Obama. And he’s a charming guy who can give a great speech. He also has the most liberal voting record in the Senate. That’s not easy to do. Can you imagine how hard you have to work to be more liberal than Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi and John Kerry?”

Cornyn said he considers himself blessed to be in Texas. More Fortune 500 companies have headquarters in Texas than any other state, a condition Cornyn attributes to strong free-trade sentiment, Texas’ being a right-to-work state, tort reform and Proposition 12, which capped noneconomic damages on medical malpractice suits.

“That’s led to a 30 percent reduction in medical insurance rates,” Cornyn said. “It’s enticed hundreds of physicians to move here to practice, which means more access to care for all of us.”

Cornyn didn’t mention Rick Noriega, his Democratic opponent in November’s election. He said he hopes to continue his work and reiterated his desire to “make D.C. more like Texas.”

Former Johnson County Republican Chairman Dan Hunt called the night a success.

“We sold out three days ago,” Hunt said. “We anticipated about 50 people. When I got back from my honeymoon in Hawaii, they told me they’d sold 110 tickets. It’s crowded, but I’m not worried. That’s a good problem to have.”