Memorial Service for David Bitner

RPOF sent out an email announcement regarding the scheduling of memorial services for our Chairman, David Bitner, who lost his battle with ALS this week.

Additional memorial services will also be held at a later date in Port Charlotte.

WHAT:           Celebration of Life memorial services 

WHEN:           Thursday 3:00 PM, Sept. 15, 2011 

WHERE:        WC Dover Farms, 534 Dover Road, Havana, FL 32333

Please remember to keep David's wife Wendy, and the entire Bitner family in your thoughts and prayers.

Senator Rubio's reflections on September 11th

YouTube | SenatorMarcoRubio | Senator Rubio reflects on 9-11

Obama has a campaign plan. Ted Cruz has a JOBS plan.

Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz introduced his twelve-step "Jobs and Growth Agenda" earlier this week, winning praise from conservative stalwarts like Senator Jim DeMint.

Today, the day after President Zero's campaign stunt alleged jobs speech, the Cruz campaign has released a video in response. Quite a contrast, hmmm?

YouTube | Ted Cruz for Senate | America Needs Jobs

More information available at the Ted Cruz for Senate website.

Reactions to Obama's Jobs Speech

Last night, President Zero gave a campaign speech jobs speech. I've collected the reactions of several Republicans to our Teleprompter-Reader-in-Chief ordering Congress to "pass this bill right away!" 

Read and watch the videos, after the jump:

AIPAC Orlando Reception and Policy Briefing

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is hosting a reception and policy briefing on September 19, 2011 here in Central Florida.

The program is titled “Showdown at the United Nations: Diplomacy or Delegitimization?” and will feature Dr. Tal Becker, the lead negotiator during the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations under the Annapolis Peace Process. Dr. Becker also served as a Senior Policy Advisor to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2006-2009, and his recent book, Terrorism at the State: Rethinking the Rules for State Responsibility, received the 2007 Guggenheim Prize for Best International Law Book. Dr. Becker's discussion will focus on the ramifications that the Palestinians’ efforts to unilaterally declare a state at the United Nations will have for Israel and for the greater Middle East. Their first real push in the U.N. Security Council is scheduled to take place the very same week as this event.

Event flyer with RSVP instructions after the jump:

Morning Coffee Reading for September 9, 2011

Here's your morning coffee reading for today:

• Yesterday was a sad day for Florida Republicans, as RPOF Chairman David Bitner died after a valiant battle with ALS. Saint Petersblog has done an excellent job collecting messages from leaders around the state in reaction to Bitner's passing:

Saint Petersblog | Rest in peace, Mr. Chairman: RPOF's Dave Bitner has died after battle with ALS

• Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz released his twelve step "Jobs and Growth Agenda" earlier this week, and posted some of the reactions to it on his campaign website's blog. I'm thrilled that my blog post was quoted right after conservative stalwart Senator Jim DeMint:

Ted Cruz | Blog | Sen. DeMint, Others Weigh in on Jobs and Growth Agenda

• The myth that moderates are more "electable" is debunked in this American Thinker article, with a discussion of the 1964 Goldwater-Johnson race, the 1980 Reagan-Carter race, and several recent Senate races:

The Road to Hell is Paved with 'Electable' Candidates

Win a Free Dinner! Egobamania Contest!

State Representative Scott Plakon is having a very funny contest on his Facebook page: whoever guess the number of times that President Obama uses the words "I," "me," and "my" in his speech tonight will get free dinner for two with Plakon and his wife:

Win Free Dinner for 2! How many times will POTUS use "I", "Me" or "My" in Thurs speech? http://ow.ly/6opfC #sayfie #tcot Pls RTThu Sep 08 03:50:34 via HootSuiteScott Plakon
scottplakon

Enter your guess here. You have until 7 pm Eastern time!

And for the record, Plakon isn't the only one to notice our Teleprompter-Reader-in-Chief's tendency to focus speeches on himself. Check out this video (hat tip: Jason Hoyt):


YouTube | AforP | You Probably Think This Speech is About You

Last Night's Debate at the Reagan Library

Here we go again. The Republican presidential candidates squared off last night at the Reagan Library, so once again, I did an analysis of the trending topics on Twitter immediately after the debate ended. (Don't miss my previous posts on the New Hampshire debate and Ames debate.)

The only debate-related topic that was trending nationwide was "Did Ron Paul." Yes, you read that correctly. Unfortunately for Paul, the vast majority of the tweets for that topic were along the lines of "Did Ron Paul really just say that crazy thing?" Many of these tweets centered on Paul's comments that a border fence could also be used to keep Americans in, and that we should save money by taking away the air conditioning units from our troops in Afghanistan. Huh?

Scott Plakon named AFP Florida's Legislator of the Year

Americans for Prosperity's Florida chapter released their "Legislative Scorecard" today, grading Florida's State Representatives and Senators on their voting records during the 2011 session.

The press release included this statement from State Director Slade O'Brien:

The legislative scorecard allows our 86,000 members to see how their elected officials voted on issues affecting individual liberty and economic prosperity. The 2011 legislative session was one of the most business-friendly in years, with successful reform measures addressing unsustainable pensions and Medicaid, health care freedom, and burdensome regulations stifling job growth. These are the issues that will move our state forward and guarantee continued economic growth for Floridians.

Americans for Prosperity-Florida applauds all 79 Legislators - six Senators and 73 Representatives - that received A+ scores for advocating for less government, less taxes, and decreasing burdensome regulations on businesses. These are critical policies our lawmakers must support in order to ensure Florida can compete on the national and international level. The elected officials that received scores of D and F show hostility towards the free market and protecting the individual liberties on which our country was founded.

AFP also awarded State Representative Scott Plakon its "Legislator of the Year" award, noting that he had "repeatedly proven to be a principled leader set on protecting liberty with his sponsorship of vital legislation including the Health Care Freedom amendment." State Senator Joe Negron was chosen from the Senate.


View AFP Florida's Legislative Scorecard here.

November elections for Altamonte Springs & Lake Mary

Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Michael Ertel sent out an email today with information about the upcoming municipal elections in Altamonte Springs and Lake Mary (Oviedo and Longwood were originally scheduled to have elections as well, but the incumbent city commissioners were reelected without opposition):

• Election day will be November 8th for both Altamonte Springs and Lake Mary.
• If you just moved to Altamonte Springs or Lake Mary, October 11, 2011 is the last day you can register to vote and participate in this year's city elections.
• Altamonte Springs residents can vote at the City Hall building at 225 Newburyport Avenue.
• Lake Mary residents can vote at the City Hall building at 100 North Country Club Road.
• Early voting will be 10 am to 6 pm on Friday, November 4, noon to 4 pm on Saturday, November 5, and noon to 4 pm on Sunday, November 6 at the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections office at 1500 East Airport Blvd., Sanford, FL 32773.
• You can get an absentee ballot by calling 407-585-VOTE (8683) or at www.voteseminole.org.

Dear Republican candidates, please plagiarize from Ted Cruz

Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz had a conference call for bloggers earlier today, to discuss a new "Growth and Jobs Agenda" plan he published today at National Review Online and answer our questions.

The plan (also available at www.tedcruz.org/jobsandgrowth) has twelve steps.  Contrasting himself with the Obama administration, Cruz stated that he believes that "government doesn't create jobs, but it can kill jobs," characterized the first six steps of his plan as defensive against the President's "war on jobs," and the last six as proactive, designed to spur growth and stimulate job creation in the private sector. 

Here's the twelve steps in a nutshell, but make sure to read the full article:

Adam Putnam recalls spending 9/11 with President Bush

On the morning of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush was visiting an elementary school in Sarasota, Florida. Accompanying the President was then-Congressman Adam Putnam, now Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture. 

Here's an interview the St. Petersburg Times did with Putnam about what he remembers from that terrible day:

St. Petersburg Times | During Sept. 11th attacks, then-Rep. Adam Putnam was with President George W. Bush 

..."It's hard to believe it's been 10 years," said former U.S. Rep Adam Putnam, now Florida's agriculture commissioner, who was at the school. 

Putnam, a Bartow Republican the president nicknamed "Red," and the others were preparing for a feel-good event: a visit with students that would highlight the school's improvement. 

The call Bush took was startling, but no one knew what was really going on. Officials first thought a small propeller plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. 

Bush continued with the program, reading along as second-graders recited The Pet Goat, a story in a workbook. Then Card walked over and whispered in his ear, "A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack."

What "L'affaire de Greer" is really about

I've decided to start referring to the whole Jim Greer controversy as "L'affaire de Greer," in homage to "l'affaire du collier," also known as "The Affair of the Necklace," which involved Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in the lead up to the French Revolution. Both scandals involve political intrigue, extravagant spending, public outrage, and the betrayal of former allies.

Watergate was much more than a burglary ("It's not the crime, it's the coverup"), and likewise, l'affaire de Greer is about so much more than just the excessive spending. While I'll concede the point to Greer that you cannot give a big-time donor some cheese and crackers and then ask them for a five-digit check, the spending was absolutely ridiculous and weakened the party by undermining donors' trust and depleting the coffers as we approached a crucial election. The frequent use of private planes and limo services was especially inexcusable.


But, frankly, overspending on a company card is not a unique problem. Most people's spending habits are different when they are spending their own money versus being able to write off a meal or travel to their employer. Greer took it to an extreme, but what sets this scandal apart, and what I believe deserves the most attention and investigation, is the usurpation of RPOF resources and power to interfere in primaries - most egregiously, the 2010 Senate race. 

Morning Coffee Reading for September 5, 2011

Here's your morning coffee reading for today:

• Surprise, surprise. The Heritage Foundation has finished their annual "Score Card" of Congress, and Marco Rubio scores very well, and Bill Nelson, eh, not so much (yet another reason why we should replace Nelson with someone who would work better with Rubio):

Red County | Dr. Richard Swier | The Score Cards are In: Senator Marco Rubio 93% and Senator Bill Nelson 10%

• The St. Pete Times nails it in their selection of Winner (RPOF Chairman David Bitner) and Loser (George LeMieux) of the Week:

St. Petersburg Times | The Buzz | Winner and Loser of the Week in Fla politics

Thank you @DaveBitner for your service to the GOP- your courage to serve the cause while battling an illness is an inspiration to us all.Wed Aug 31 21:17:51 via EchofonReince Priebus
ReincePriebus

9-11 Memorial Events in Central Florida

The 10th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks is a week from today.

Bess Auer, who is the editor of the excellent Central Florida Top 5 blog, has compiled a list of events in the Central Florida area. Check it out here:

Central Florida Top 5 | 9-11: Central Florida Remembers

Ed Schultz Calls Rubio "Stupid" - Seriously?!

Just in case there was any doubt that liberal and conservative brains are different, here comes MSNBC's Ed Schultz to remind you.

As you may have heard, my Senator, Marco Rubio, gave an incredibly moving speech at the Reagan Library about a week and a half ago. (If you haven't seen it yet, click here.) Normal people and journalists watched that speech and felt that it was an excellent followup to his maiden speech on the Senate Floor, and the speculation about Rubio being the GOP's Vice Presidential nominee became nearly deafening.

Well, Ed Schultz watched the same speech that you and I did, but had a much different reaction. Here's a two-part YouTube video where Schultz calls Rubio "stupid," "offensive," and "psycho talk", among other pleasantries:

[Video and discussion after the jump]

If I were any more transparent, I'd be invisible

Blogging is a wonderful but often weird and wacky hobby. The ability to contribute my ideas and opinions to the political discussion, not to mention the chance to potentially shape that discussion, is a privilege, and not one that I take lightly. Lately, there has been a lot of debate about the proper role for political bloggers and the controversial influence of advertising money and other conflicts of interest, so I thought I would share a few thoughts.

President Zero

The new jobs report just came out this morning, and...ouch.

Unemployment remained stagnant at 9.1%, which means that the economy gained zero jobs in August. CNBC noted that this was the first time since World War II that the economy had created net zero jobs.

Drudge Report headline this morning

Obama's problems with Jewish voters

Here's a video from the Miami Herald a few weeks ago interviewing South Florida Jewish residents about whether they would vote for Obama in 2012:

Miami Herald | Insights | Jewish Voters on Obama

Note that many of those who supported Obama in 2008 have lost faith in him; more specifically, they have lost faith in his administration's support for Israel. South Florida has the third highest concentration of Jews in the country, and it's clear that Middle East foreign policy issues are a priority for this group of voters.

For more on this topic:

Sunshine State Sarah | Excellent video explanation of why Israel cannot withdraw to its 1967 borders
Sunshine State Sarah | A historical perspective on why Obama is wrong about Israel
Sunshine State Sarah | Krauthammer on Israel, and a history lesson

Morning Coffee Reading for September 2, 2011

Here's your morning coffee reading for today:

• Sweet. I'm number one again on the list of "Florida's Top Political Tweeters." Well, technically I'm tied for first with Progress Florida, but I think they have several people working that account and I'm just little ol' me, so I'm going to go ahead and declare victory. High five to State Representative Scott Plakon, who improved his score an amazing 27 points, making him the 2nd highest ranked politician, right after Allen West.

Saint Petersblog | Florida's Top Political Tweeters for September

• The Jim Greer situation continues to slog on through the courts and the media, causing nightmares for a number of Florida politicians, including Florida Senate candidate George LeMieux:

Miami Herald | Jim Greer TV Tell-all is bad news for George LeMieux 

And that's bad news for LeMieux as he runs in a crowded Republican primary where he's trying to shake the legacy of calling himself and acting like a "Charlie Crist Republican." Judging by the first night's installment, the TV piece won't have much new in it. But it raises the issue of Greer and it specifically highlighted LeMieux, thereby making the old story news again. And campaigns are all about examining a candidate's past to help determine his future. 

LeMieux has tried to distance himself from his old boss (and Greer) by saying that Crist drifted left after he left the governor's office as chief of staff. But Greer told us a while back that he inked a little-known $10,000 monthly Republican Party of Florida contract — ultimately worth $150,000 — to pay LeMieux to continue giving Crist advice through a company called MTC Strategies. 

Greer owes a measure of his chairmanship to LeMieux, who was Crist's top campaign and gubernatorial advisor early on and therefore rounded up the votes on the Republican Executive Committee of RPOF to help make Greer chairman.