Comment

Comment by amanda choate on May 27, 2011 at 5:23pm

BTW, if Mike Hogan expects to get elected ehy on earth would he run a low key race?

Comment by amanda choate on May 26, 2011 at 6:30pm

Scott Brown voted against the Ryan Budget. Just because of one election in western New York these folks are all going to get wobbly kneed. We need to buck them up. You are never going to convince progressives that Medicare is a bad thing, they will always expect the government to take care of the elderly. For people like me who pay in every week to create a welfare state for people who have decided it was better to let the government take care them in their old age. Life is like the oaks in Billie's yard, your family takes care of you when you get old and sick, not the government. Only Rand Paul voted against this plan for the right reasons, it doesn't go  far enough. Enough of welfare people, it is time to care of yourselves. I work five days a week, 5 hours of that is spent earning money to take care of people who sponge off the rest of us. It is called insurance, but there will be no insurance for me when I get there,so I am done paying for other people. Sorry, that is how I feel.

I got trashed on this site for saying we should work harder and keep our spirits up and forget our bitterness. So as you can see by my picture I am well over 30 years from receiving any benefits from my insurance policy that I pay into every week, that I paid into as a fifteen year old scooping ice cream for minimum wage. I have felt conservative before, now I just feel greedy, I want all that is mine. That is after all what Ayn Rand talked about as being the only moral course for a human.

So if you are getting a check or Medicare, send it back, it is immoral to take it any longer knowing that those who paying for you will never get anything in return. you are in essense stealing from me and I an notgoing to accept it any longer. To say that you paid in doesn't matter, you know that I will never see a penny and to take money from me under those circumstances is stealing. Do not expect me to pay for your blunder. You should have done something about this when you were my age.

Embrace your bitterness and disappointment. Hold it close, it gives you strength. hopefully it will keep you warm and fed.

Comment by JL Gawlik on May 26, 2011 at 1:00pm

Here is another good group to get on their mailing list, they mail daily Founding Fathers quotes:

http://patriotpost.us/   also: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html

and http://www.wallbuilders.com/   http://www.liberty1.org/  

and Roma's site: http://educatorssite.com/?p=411

Comment by JL Gawlik on May 26, 2011 at 12:51pm

The whole point of the TeaParty is NOT to become part of a party or to create a third party from my understanding, it is similar to the 9/12 project, the Tenth Amendment Center and the Heritage Foundation.

To preserve our Liberties and Freedoms. To limit federal government, to stand up for individual freedoms, personal responsibility, free markets, and returning political power to the states and to the people. Also To stand up for our founding fathers' principles, values, and documents, (Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, U.S. Constitution, Federalist Papers), to look for candidates who do the same and to support them and to help get the word out to help them be elected into office so we can return our country back to constitution fiscal conservatism that made our country so great, so exceptional and to unite ALL, again to a be a country again, united as one under God.  UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL.

Whether the Republican party  stays splintered trying to garner liberal votes from the other side like it has strayed in the last couple of decades is their decision. They need to get themselves to gather and learn how to research and get behind TRUTHFUL, HONORABLE candidates not the ones that they have supported in the past that did not stand for the party but were progressives. The RNC almost destroyed it self picking moderate liberal McCain back in 2008 as their nominee, i knew so many people who respected McCain for his service but not his politics. Many of them did not vote, some fell for the lies of the other candidate.

 

It remains to be seen whether the Republican party survives the attacks from the Progressives who have successfully destroyed the original Democratic party and possibly true liberalism. 

 

There are many RINOs still in office and still running as candidates in the Republican party, they need to be responsible and vet them out. The Tea Party and the 9/12 Project are working hard to vet out any of those disingenuous candidates. Jacksonville has had two RINO Mayors for the last two decades, Audrey Moran was a RINO. It would seem that the Republican party is still splintered and weak when it comes to what the party actually stands and supports. Otherwise WHY do we have all of these disingenuous candidates who are not what they say they are. The Republican party has been dead in Jacksonville for many years.

 

It is not about one party winning elections over one party, that is the Progressives agenda, to win period. Ours is a movement of WE THE PEOPLE to reform all political parties and government so that the core principles of our Founding Fathers become once again, the foundation of upon which America Stands.

That is WHAT the TeaParty stands for, TRUTH, HONOR, PRINCIPLES and VALUES of our Founding Fathers. These are my thoughts. Please someone correct me if i am mistaken or wrong. I guess you to read the Founding Fathers' documents, all of them to really understand, at least they are a LOT shorter than the massive bills that the 109th,110th and 111th Congress rammed through Congress without reading under the dangerous leadership of Pelosi and Reid.

 

Here are the Nine Principles and Twelve Values from the 9/12 Project:

The Nine Principles 1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

The Twelve Values

1-Honesty
2-Reverence
3-Hope
4-Thrift
5-Humility
6-Charity
7-Sincerity

8-Moderation
9-Hard Work
10-Courage
11-Personal Responsibility
12-Gratitude

Here are great sites for reference, reading and informaton: http://www.the912project.us/

http://www.heritage.org/    http://www.heritage.org/Research  

http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/  http://florida.tenthamendmentcenter.com/

http://jacksonville.tenthamendmentcenter.com/  http://www.i2i.org/robnatelson.php

http://theteaparty.net/  http://www.redstate.com/

 

There are many more great sites also, but these are the main ones that i visit and i am on their mailing list as well as the First Coast Tea Party.

One other thing i would love to see Americans drop is the hyphenating of Americans such as Latino-American, African-American, Japanese-American, etc., that the Progressives promote for a good reason, to divide Americans. Perhaps getting rid of the Congressional Caucuses also that clearly divide Congress.

Just my thoughts.  Interesting to note former President Clinton got caught off camera with Paul Ryan discussing his budget and Clinton's concerns about our debt and medicare. Many Progressives are using fear mongering and demagoguery on medicare and social security, they are offering a plan themselves, just as they are not offering another budget after our country has been without a budget for over 756 plus days, they are saying the Republicans want to kill seniors and small children, i find that very offensive. I have heard Nancy Pelosi, Charlies Schumer, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and many others actually state that out and out lie. We need to get out the truth. Thank goodness we have honorable Allen West down south to do that but in many other areas they are not so lucky.

Comment by J.R. on May 26, 2011 at 10:38am

Patriot One, you're absolutely right. The leadership in the GOP remains on the defense and it's because they continue to back career establishment Republicans, including RINOs like John McCain and dealmakers who use the taxpayers' money as if it were chips in a poker game... "I'll see your 100 bailouts and raise you a debt ceiling increase."  And then they expect the taxpayers to swallow it like chocolate flavored pablum.

The GOP leadership are still in that one best way mentality, ie. we've always done it this way, therefore we'll always do it this way.  Their overall message is weak and their delivery of it is weaker. If they would deliver strong leadership and a strong message, and back it up with very strong organization all the way down the chain to the grassroots level, they would be more successful. But, it seems they're more interested in protecting their turf and maintaining the status quo in Washington.

Elections are about the entire country, and what the people want and need their government to do for them. We put them there, and they are supposed to represent us and our best interests, not the vested interests of political party potentates and career politicians that won't leave office until the grim reaper snatches them out of Washington.

It's time for a sea change and that's what the Tea Party is all about. 

Comment by J.R. on May 26, 2011 at 9:44am

Mr. Yost, you missed my whole point about documented opposition research. And from your new lecture here, it appears you would have us all be GOP clones. That will never happen in the Tea Party and you are insuring it won't with your lectures that are obviously about you and the fact that we don't toe the GOP party line.  We are successful in what we're doing, more so than the GOP.  The progressives and their allied media attack us because they fear us and our successes all over the country. So, the GOP... and you... might do well to take some lessons from us.

And, I would hardly call it patience that you displayed when you attacked Mrs. J.L. Gawlik, to whom you still have not apologized, or when you sarcasticly responded to my legitimate questions in two separate comments. Rhetoric is educational only when backed up by solid, documented facts. If the Tea Party had endorsed your candidacy, you would very likely believe we were all top drawer and had the best judgment in the world. And, it appears you stood outside this organization and it's website until you had a bone to pick. 

Comment by Barry Lee Phillips on May 26, 2011 at 9:20am

Mike,

I want to thank you for your input and your patience (although I think you were finding it tough to remain patient) explaining things from your perspective.

I found it useful and educational and I am sure others who have been reading all of the posts may now have a better idea of how things work even if they do not agree with you.

One can simply not stand outside of an organization and expect it to change if all you are going to do is shout.  To effect real change requires participation as you so well illustrated.

 

Comment by Patriot One on May 26, 2011 at 8:21am

Mike run silent. This back and forth blame game is exactly what the Dems. want.  Bottom line we need a machine that can deliver 150,000 conservatives to the poles. We need to rebuild district by district so we are so strong the Dems. won't want to waist their money on one of our districts. 

 

I know you don't agree but, I don't think the current republican leadership can deliver. The current leadership is always on defense. We need a leadership that is willing to go on offense.

 

The republican leadership assumes people will see through the lies of the democratic machine. The fact is they don't. The democratic lies are reinforced by the mainstream media and most believe it.

 

Its my opinion that almost 70% of Americans have no clue what is going on in our country and therein, is the problem.

Comment by Michael "Mike" Yost on May 26, 2011 at 8:15am

I would like to better address the "opposition research" that seems to be a sticking point for many.

 

The DNC and also the RNC has in the past, put together various "generic" ads and ran them in many venues. These are always partisan and always promoting the various planks of the National Parties.

 

For example, there is a recent DNC ad that shows "grandma being pushed over a cliff". It was designed as opposition type ad and demonizing the Ryan Medicare plan.

 

Now, IF a candidate who happens to be a Democrat who is running in a very conservative district has that ad aired in HIS area, it COULD hurt him- especially IF he supports the Ryan Plan. Would he want to have to defend THAT AD???...of course not. So he would NOT want it released for his voters to see. Otherwise, he has to defend the DNC's position that is totally and diametrically opposed to his position. It makes him look like someone the voters should not trust and probably would not elect.

 

The same is true of Republicans who run who take differing positions from the Party's overall intent of their opposition ads. IT DOES HAPPEN all across the nation. You end up pitting one group against the other within your own party and that does NOT create unity nor wins elections. Sadly, that is the way BOTH parties operate and is it always good? You can't please everyone with every detail. The same holds true in ANY organization- the FCTP included. You may not like one candidate they endorse in one election, but you still belong and still support their overall vision.

 

There is a very old adage- ALL politics begins at the local level and ALL elections are either won or lost at the local level. The candidates who best put that axiom to use, will win elections. When you have your PARTY doing independent opposition research, you MIGHT and often do, get a PARTY slant rather than the candidates actual position put out there that hurts that candidate. He might be right on EVERY SINGLE ISSUE from the Party standpoint, but in opposition to the party on just ONE. THAT can hurt his campaign, especially if it ties him and the Party as being one and the same.

 

Therefore, with that in mind, on a LOCAL LEVEL, there is no releasing of opposition research by the local Party- even though it MIGHT sound wise to do, it can and does in many cases, hurt the candidate. The ad example is one case.

 

You don't want Pro-life candidates on the Dem's ticket having Pro-choice positions released by your Party. OR if a candidate takes NO POSITION on an issue, you don't want the Party sending out THEIR position either to further decay the candidates efforts.

 

Let's say that as a Candidate I bring an alternative idea to the Ryan Medicare plan. Perhaps it is a GREAT idea and one worthy of discussion. (THIS IS BUT AN EXAMPLE AND DOES NOT INDICATE MY POSITION ON THIS ISSUE EITHER WAY!!) It might be a plan no one ever thought of before and has tremendous potential. Would I be in a position to win IF the party started releasing Ryan Plan information to the public??? or would I be in a better position to win if I gain support for my plan and ideas??? It makes would make me look like I support the Party's supported plan rather than my own. AND it would make me seem like I am fighting my OWN rather than bringing new ideas to the table that ARE solid and workable.  What IF my opponent happens to LIKE my plan too??? and my own party is supporting the "Status quo" as you would want them to do? How would my opponent paint ME in that case?? as the villain who "supports the Party plan". Try defending that in an election without TONS of money to do so. AND if it happens inside that last 2-3 week window, there MIGHT NOT BE time enough to counter that damage. Most voters make up their minds in that last 2-3 week period as to who they are going to vote for!!! That is a very sad fact and indicative of how many people vote.

 

A candidate MUST control his message, his opposition research, and his positions on issues. EACH election and District is different. Some issues you might NOT want to make part of your campaign for a number of reasons. Others you might want to exploit more. Each candidate has to determine that for him/herself and NOT be fighting his own party if his positions differ somewhat.

 

Here is Florida, the Party DOES NOT determine who can and can't run for office (not true in all states as each has it's own method for selecting candidates- IE in Utah, there is a caucus system). ANYONE can run as a Party affiliated candidate, an NPA, a Socialist, a Libertarian, or whatever they want to run as. It makes for a FAR MORE open and idea driven election system. It eliminates the ability of one or two people determining who their "favorite" is to a great degree. The candidates with the best ideas, the best messaging, and the ability to get that message to the most voters wins. The "party" tried that in Charlie Crist and how did that work out for them??? They had to back-track and in the end, it didn't help matters a whole lot overall. It ended with the State Chairman facing a trial and the overall Party got hurt because of the acts of a couple of bad apples. It wasn't the Party's actions, but the action of a couple of people that tarnished the Party overall.

 

This is WHY it is so important that there ARE "watchdog groups" like the FCTP doing their own "thing" rather than the Party doing their own "thing" as well. The goal of the Party is to elect members of their Party- even if it is the WRONG PERSON....personally I think the 2008 election proved that point totally. There were few local, grassroots efforts in that election and shows how important they are. This too, is why it is so important for members of these groups to have a direct voice within their supported party- not a a group, but as individuals FROM that group.

 

Even though it seems like there are "Party candidates", the reality is that it is up to you to get your candidate elected in Primaries that YOU support. Being part of the REC's means you can promote from within YOUR candidate(s) and make your case to the group. THEN you effect elections and bring candidates to the General elections that YOU support. You may not always win, but you can sure say you have a voice and one that is not totally ignored.

 

Again, ALL politics starts at the local level. Even the National Parties are directly influenced by the Local Level organizations. They ultimately elect their Representatives to the National Party Committees and unless you are participating, you don't get to influence many changes.

Comment by Michael "Mike" Yost on May 26, 2011 at 6:25am

First J.R. I agree that your effectiveness as a group is not dependent on the GOP.

 

Second, I DID NOT pay Dick Morris ONE RED CENT to do anything- much less the YouTube video.

 

Now, let's clarify somethings. First the National GOP- officially called the Republican National Committee (or RNC) is the "head" of the Party. The same holds true for the Dems- or DNC.

 

They are THEN organized into the States as the various State party committees. Without that, there would be NO support for the state candidates. The same holds true for the Democrats. In Florida it is called the Republican Party of Florida- RPOF.

 

Then you have your local committees- all on the county level. This is to support the local and county level candidates. In Duval County, that is the Duval Republican Executive Committee. There is a local committee in every county in Florida- again, the same for the Democrats.

 

ALL activity begins at the LOCAL LEVEL and there are also 2 duly elected Committee persons- one man and one woman- from each county. They are our State representatives for ALL activity on the State level. They are our voting members to the State RPOF along with the Chairperson from each County level committee.

 

From there, the State committee persons and Chairs elect our State Reps to the RNC. THEY in turn make decisions at the National Level. along with the State Party Chair, ALSO elected at the State Level.

 

Without your support and joining at the Local level, you have NO VOICE in the overall function or activities OR election of any of the chairman of your local party. Unless you do, then your criticism is only that- and nothing you would like to see changed is going to happen. So you only voice opposition without really the ability to make any changes. Kinda like riding a horse with nothing but a saddle and no horse to put it on.

 

Now, in runoff elections, the local REC DID support the "last Republicans Standing" as you referred to them. However, when 2 Republicans are in a race- as was the case in the Tax Collectors race- there is NO supporting one candidate over the other. There were several races in Duval Co. that were that way in our Unitary election system on the second election ballot. There really is NOT a Primary election here in Duval. ALL candidates are on the first election ballot that qualified to run and unless ONE takes 50% plus one vote, the top two vote getters move to the second election. It COULD be 2 Republicans or 2 Democrats or even 2 NPA's in that case. The local REC only supports ONE candidate over another IF there are no other Republican in the second election. It has been that way since day one of the Unitary Election system here in Duval County.

 

You STILL miss the point on Opposition research and WHY it is not done by the local party. It is NOT in the best interest of the candidate to release information independently of the Candidate since there is ALWAYS that chance that something erroneously gets released OR is released that DOES NOT FIT into that candidates campaign strategy. It might sound like a good idea, but trust me, it isn't. As a partisan candidate, when your "support group" is working independent of your campaign, you OFTEN get something out there that is NOT going to help you and puts YOU on the defense.  This is true for EVERY partisan candidate from ANY party.

 

Now, when an independent group, NOT directly tied to the campaign puts out something against the opponent, as a candidate, you cannot control that, did NOT endorse it, and do not have to defend it. IF it is erroneous. This is often WHY many candidates choose NOT to seek certain groups endorsements especially when the endorsement is NOT given and there is information released that are skewed against them. Perhaps this is why Brown chose not to answer FCTP's questions, but you have to ask him that.

 

Trust me, as I was there, the LOCAL REC did NOT quit in this race. There was constant activity from the day of the first election being won by Hogan.

 

There is no anger toward the FCTP or any of it's members. What does upset me is that more are not involved at the local level in the Duval REC or whatever county one lives in. You complain about the local, State, and National party not "doing enough", yet YOU are the party only when YOU are involved in the decision making process. Sitting outside, you have no input or voice, so your criticisms fall on no ones ears except your own and does nothing to inject anything new into the function of the local REC's. Trust me, you DO have the opportunity to effect changes, but not without bringing them to the local party, the State party, or the National Party. Refusing to join at the local level only means that you tell everyone where you stand and no capability to introduce them where you want to see changes made. YOU could even become that State Committee person, the local chairman, the State Chair or even the National Chair. But, unless you are a member of your local REC, you are NOT eligible to even run for those offices. If you have a good idea or a better light bulb, keeping it tucked away or just telling someone about it does nothing to get it into fruition. Unless you are a member of the local REC, you are not even going to get your ideas to the floor for discussion.

 

And JR, no one is blaming anyone for anything. Personally, I WANT to see more FCTP members involved in the local REC's. It would bring far more to the table for discussion than it ever would do harm. I don't see any need to apologize for that and if you do, then sadly, you misinterpret the intent. You can't change anything from the outside with complaints, but when you work inside, you can.

 

The local party DID NOT fail this election. They did their job and did it as well as the various campaigns would permit. They fully supported every candidate where there was a R vs D or R vs NPA in this election. Again, they DO NOT take sides in R vs R races- and never will. Because the Candidates party affiliation is ALSO linked back to the Local Party, there is never any "opposition research" done independent of the candidates. It is up to the candidate to determine IF and WHEN that information will or should be used and released. Unless you do that, you as a candidate, are put in the position of defending something you MIGHT not want to defend or even use. Every campaign makes mistakes in every area of their campaigns. The key is to make FAR FEWER than your opponent and to control that message 100% internally.

 

I attempted to answer your questions as best I could and if you didn't like those answers, then I can't control that. I was as honest and open as possible. There is no animosity on my part toward ANY FCTP member or the group as a whole. My only concern is that there needs to be far more involvement in the local party on everyone's part if you want to see something better emerge. That includes the Democrats here as well. There are approximately 200 people that are members of the Duval REC. Why are there not 2,000 or 20,000???? Unless you join, you will see the same 200 people year after year making the decisions for the local party. Complaining about their decisions or actions doesn't change that. Joining and injecting YOUR ideas does.

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