Friday, November 05, 2010

GOP Resilience in Broward County – Richard DeNapoli’s Plan is Needed

Throughout the now concluded election season, one person’s analysis of precincts, ability to organize BREC and willingness to lend crucial ground war advice to all candidates stood out above the rest. Richard DeNapoli’s knowledge of the numbers and his ability to use them to our advantage was unparalleled throughout the last cycle. Broward Republicans need him as our Chairman going forward into this crucial redistricting term.

A prolonged battle to safeguard Broward County’s few Republican seats is already shaping up. This battle should not only be of interest to Republicans, but to all who want to see strengthened cooperation between Broward County and our state government, with jobs and opportunity coming to Broward.

Richard DeNapoli has also released a plan to strengthen the local clubs and to enhance BREC activism. I won’t rehash the details, as a copy of his plan was sent out to each committeeperson, but I will say that his ideas are just what the doctor ordered for a stronger local party.


Unmatched Competence – DeNapoli Kept the Broward GOP Afloat During an Impossible Election Season


As Treasurer, Richard DeNapoli singlehandedly revived Republican coffers in a year in which little money flowed, and whatever did generally went directly to candidates. Richard DeNapoli used his position, his ingenuity and his ability to place the Broward GOP into a solid financial position, while 90% of people were tapped out donating to candidates.

The primary roles of Chairman are to a) devise a winnable battle plan, b) to fundraise enough to be able to see it through and c) to motivate others to volunteer for a better tomorrow. Richard has accomplished much in all of the above areas and his election is crucial to the success and expansion of BREC.


A True Leader


During the past cycle, DeNapoli made himself available to all who asked for his advice. His grasp of the numbers and analysis of precincts was unequaled by any other Republican advisor.

I’ve seen candidates in nearly impossible races pay consultants tens of thousands of dollars. As someone who has advised many myself, and who has been horrified by how outside consultants charge way above the norm to do virtually nothing for first time candidates (and who has refused to do same, for candidate after candidate), I can attest first hand to how rare Richard’s honesty is in today’s political climate.

Furthermore, Richard didn’t just support candidates with big and flashy names. He offered some of the best advice available to any good candidate who asked. He also encouraged disheartened primary supporters to rally behind our slate of nominees.

That’s someone who cares. And that’s someone who will make a great Chairman.


A Team of Leaders


He can’t do it alone. Michael DeGruccio, a leader who spends weekend after weekend and many long nights helping the party, needs to stay on as Secretary. He, like DeNapoli, is also one of the best minds in Broward County. And after outgoing Chairwoman Cindy Guerra and Vice-Chair Ken Haiko’s spectacular performances in only six months on the job, their importance to the movement speaks for itself. They took the job temporarily and they worked it as if it were their lives’ missions.

Broward chairmen have a long history of excellence. No senator has worked harder on the job than outgoing Sen. George LeMieux, who cut his teeth in politics as Chairman of the Broward GOP. Richard DeNapoli will need their past insights, as well as all of our support, to be the excellent chairman that he can be, but no one is better positioned to do just that.

In the end, Richard DeNapoli became the undisputed Maestro of the ’10 election in Broward County. He represents unparalleled brilliance and dedication and he will organize and reinvigorate Broward Republicans like no other.

He needs our help and support. And he deserves nothing less.


Yomin Postelnik
Chair, A Better Florida PAC’
Broward Committeeman, Precinct B007


PS A Better Florida PAC’s mission is to elect good Republican candidates and to advocate for needed policy. A Better Florida PAC generally abstains from making recommendations on local REC positions, except in cases which are deemed necessary for redistricting efforts. The above is one such case.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Please ignore the liberal google ads on this blog

They post automatically.

If you click on them, you may cost the DNC 3 cents per click. But is the DNC really worth 3 cents, or your time?

Ken Keechl - A New Low Even for Democrats

Keechl’s Despicable Tactics Disgrace Our County – Although They Do Hide His Kickbacks


When an embattled commissioner who’s been called to the floor for finding a legal, albeit far from ethical, way of pocketing campaign donations plasters his opponent’s face onto an orange jumpsuit, you know that the bar has been lowered, even by the standards of Broward politics.


Ken Keechl’s Goebbelsesque attack on Chip LaMarca, a city commissioner with a record of public service in the district, goes far beyond shameful. It should anger every decent person in the county.


As Republicans, we disagree with many Democrats on the County Commission, including Lois Wexler, Ilene Lieberman, Kristin Jacobs and others. No one, however, questions their dedication to public service. Stacy Ritter, even in her highly partisan manner, remains decent and stays on the issues.


Not so Ken Keechl.


In an act of desperation, Keechl’s campaign consultants, with the full knowledge of Ken Keechl, doctored a photo of his far better opponent, Chip LaMarca, placing his face from a campaign photo onto the body of a man in an orange jumpsuit! They photoshopped bars onto the final product for good measure. Then in an act befitting a three year old, Keechl also changed his opponent’s name to denote something sinister.


Below the desperate photoshopping is a sad rendition of wild accusations that were news to Chip, to law enforcement, indeed to the entire county. Looks like Keech has been hitting the crystal meth a bit too hard.


The facts speak for themselves. LaMarca has never so much as been charged with a felony! What Keechl did was an unprovoked and unwarranted attack on a city commissioner, a public servant with a long and proud record of public service and a charitable man who serves on the boards of many local nonprofits - not to mention a fellow constituent of the district that Keechl is supposed to be representing.


Chip’s had a rough year. His 20 year old nephew was killed in an accident a few months ago. His longtime family dog passed away six months ago. But I can only imagine the shock and horror of having a clearly fake photo of him in an orange jumpsuit sent out to all of his constituents, friends, family and voters who he doesn’t even know. Does Keechl not realize that many voters will look at the clearly doctors photos for all of 2 seconds, not recognize the Willie Horton silhouette imagery placed around Chip’s face and think that those are actual photos? Of course he does. He’s counting on it!


Chip LaMarca deserves better. And Broward County deserves Chip LaMarca.


But it gets better.



Ken’s actions aren’t illegal, but they are unethical and anyone who votes to reward him with another term has to question why.


While Chip’s done nothing unethical, the same cannot be said of Kenneth “Kickback” Keechl.


To be sure, Kickback Ken did nothing illegal. He simply paid himself $3,100 a month in rent for campaign space every month since Jan. 2009. Paying yourself rent from campaign donations isn’t a crime. But it is unethical. It doesn’t warrant a second term.


Maybe such actions will help Keechl make a run for Property Appraiser offering “innovative solutions to make money in a down real estate market” but they make him wholly unfit to be a county commissioner.


And that’s not all. Keechl also took $13,000 in trips, all paid for from campaign donations. Again, not illegal. Each trip did involve a few meetings with some potential donors. But that wasn’t the purpose of the trip and it’s just an easy way of legally bilking the system.


Not illegal, but you’d have to be dumber than a doornail to vote to reelect him.


Keechl’s defense – “He hasn’t even made back the money he spent on getting elected in ’06.” Is that why you ran for office Ken?



The Real Truth – Keechl Fiddles As Broward Burns, LaMarca Offers Tangible Economic Solutions


Chip LaMarca’s even stayed away from Kickbackgate.


He’s proposed real and tangible solutions. He’s the only County-level candidate this cycle to propose a real solution for jobs and for the economy.


Chip’s a non-ideologue and leaves Keechl nothing to run on other than doctored photos, lies and smears. That andcricket chirps when it comes to real issues of substance.



Doctoring Photos a Disgraceful Art Form That Shames the County – Call it a “Keechl Special”


It doesn’t matter if the issue is euthanizing harmless pets or running for a second term. Ken Keechl uses faked photography to corrupt the argument and to win at any cost.


He did this a few months ago when outraged pet owners protested Keechl’s “one bite” law, a law that euthanizes pets even if they were attacked by smaller dogs. At that time, owners of pets that were unfairly entrapped by that law showed pictures of their loving pets to the public and to the media.


Common sense dictated that Keechl’s “one bite law,” enacted after his own little dog started with a larger one – and escaped, was not only unfair, but that its implementation would prevent families from moving to Broward. Keechl was desperate. So, instead of admitting error, he went on the airwaves with gruesome pictures of dead dogs. Problem is, those pictures weren’t of the dogs in question or even representative of the attacks.


I don’t use the term “Goebbelsesque” lightly. Joseph Goebbels incited genocide with his use of doctored imagery. He destroyed millions.


But Ken Keechl’s use of doctored imagery destroys individuals.


No one should have to put up with a fake photo of themselves in an orange jumpsuit mailed directly to tens of thousands of people in their neighborhood. Chip deserves a medal of honor for running against the corrupt Keechl machine, not a second helping of Keechl’s vicious smears.

Upset? Disheartened?


Disgusted?


You should be.
Now do something about it!


Vote for Chip Leadership LaMarca (how’s that for a namegame, Ken?), forward this important email and have your friends do the same.

Friday, October 29, 2010

A Most Needed Voice: Allen West

At a recent debate, Allen West sparred with Ron Klein over terror and national security. Klein's comments were dangerously ignorant.

West stressed the need to be on the lookout for problems in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries. He recognizes that we cannot rely on forced alliances to protect American security. By contrast, Congressman Klein showed his ignorance and his adherence to conventional wisdom as a substitute for terror policy, callously stating that "Iran is the enemy" and that we must bolster the Afghani, Pakistani and other armies. To be sure, the Iranian regime is a huge enemy of the West and even of Saudi Arabia, but focusing on them alone is wrong and dangerous.


In truth, Iran has the largest number of pro-Western citizens of any country in the Middle East, outside of Israel. There is hope for regime change, as long as we can stop radicals like Mousavi from hijacking those reform movements. And of course we need to deal with the current threat and the current regime. But that doesn't mean that we should turn a blind eye on the Taliban and al-Qaeda, as Ron Klein wants us to.


To eradicate terror, we need to show common sense and firm resolve on the international front, as well as introduce domestic policy to end terror recruitment in prisons by sentencing non-violent offenders to work details or military service instead of long prison sentences where large numbers are recruited every year.

There is no simple solution and only a multi-pronged change to domestic policy, coupled with foreign vigilance, will see the terror threat erased. But Ron Klein's position is shockingly ignorant and dangerous to America's security. By contrast, Allen West's is a tremendous step in the right direction.

Congressman Ron Klein has failed to do anything in his four years in Congress and is dangerously naïve on the international front. Colonel Allen West understands global politics and what is needed internationally. It's time to give him an opportunity to lend his voice to solving our most glaring global problem.

On Nov. 2, vote Allen West. The future of America relies on common sense solutions.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Alex Sink: Webster 2010, Alan Grayson 2012?

This term will see redistricting, a once in a decade process by which all congressional, state level and regional seats are redrawn. We need to work hard to elect a Republican governor, unless we want to cede as many as 6 congressional seats to the Dems.

As of this email, Sandy Adams is poised to beat Suzanne Kosmas. We may be well on track to seeing Allen West elected to Congress in South Florida. Alan Grayson appears to be going down to defeat.

But elect Alex Sink as governor and Alan Grayson, Suzanne Kosmas, Alan Boyd and Ron Klein may well be back in two years, not to mention the future of the two new seats being gained by Florida in the process.

The Governor has veto power over any redistricting plan. A Republican governor helps ensure that these seats stay Republican. A Democrat governor would demand compromise from the Florida House and it’s doubtful that Tallahassee leadership would hold the line in great enough numbers and have the media savvy to win that battle.

That’s why electing Rick Scott is absolutely crucial to the Republican effort and why his race is the most important one in this election cycle.

Best regards,

Yomin Postelnik
Chairman
A Better Florida PAC



A Better Florida PAC Voter Guide

United States Senate
Marco Rubio
------------------------------------
United States Representative

U.S. House of District #24
Sandy Adams

U.S. House of District #8
Daniel Webster
(Not the Democrat-backed vote splitter Peg Dunmire)

U.S. House of District #22
Allen West

U.S. House of District #19
Joe Budd

U.S. House of District #20
Karen Harrington

U.S. House of District #23
Bernard Sansaricq

U.S. House of District #17
Roderick Vereen
--------------------------------------
Florida Governor
Rick Scott

State Attorney General
Pam Bondi

State Chief Financial Officer
Jeff Atwater

Commissioner of Agriculture
Adam Putnam
----------------------------------------
State Senate
Vote Republican, including:

State Senate District #25
Ellyn Bogdanoff

State Senate District #27
Lizbeth Benacquisto

State Senate District #32
Patrick Laffey

State Senate District #35
Corey Poitier

----------------------------------------------------------
Florida State House
Vote Republican, including:

State House District #91
George Moraitis

State House District #87
Bill Hager

State House District #89
Steven Rosenblum

State House District #85
Tami Donnally

State House District #83
Pat Rooney

State House District #95
Scott Yardley

State House District #98
Kim Burgess

State House District #90
Alison Rampersad

State House District #100
Ed Bender

--------------------------------------

Justice of The Supreme Court
Should Be Retained In Office?

Charles Canady – Yes

Jorge Labarga – No – Undemocraticly voted to remove the “Florida Health Care Freedom Act” from the ballot.

James Perry – No - Undemocraticly voted to remove the “Florida Health Care Freedom Act” from the ballot.

Ricky Polston – Yes
------------------------------------------

Constitutional Amendments

No. 1 – Review and decide
No. 2 – Yes
No. 4 – No
No. 5 – No
No. 6 – No
No. 8 – No - Amendment 8 would only make a bad situation worse. While lack of a qualified hiring campaign, the Teachers’ Unions and an inflexible curriculum are primary causes of stagnation in Florida public schools, raising the class size without improving the curriculum by bringing creativity to the classroom or hiring more qualified teachers would only make a bad situation worse. Every dollar spent PROPERLY on education betters the future of the state and is even fiscally prudent, by leading to savings on criminal justice and juvenile delinquency programs. Increasing the class size without fixing the educational structure is just plain wrong.
--------------------------------------------------

Nonbinding Statewide
Advisory Referendum

Yes



Political advertisement paid for and approved by A Better Florida PAC, 4699 N. Federal Hwy, Ste 103, Lighthouse Point, FL 33064

Get involved at www.ABetterFlorida.com

Democrat Congressman Threatens Opponent’s Life, Again


This Sunday, at a retirement home in Belle Glade, Florida, a United States congressman threatened the life of his opponent in front of an entire group of senior citizens. For those familiar with the entitlement mentality that has so sullied the left, the party of the esteemed Congressman can be left without saying. For all others, I’ve included it in the title.

Sunday’s riff was par for the course with Alcee Hastings. During the 2008 cycle (three days or so before the election), Democrat Hastings, a member of Congress since 1993 and the only impeached judge ever to be elected to higher office, brought up his own impeachment in a public forum, all but proclaiming it to be a badge of honor. His opponent at the time, former state Chief Medical Officer Marion Thorpe, being a quintessential gentleman, didn’t engage him head on, but instead reminded the audience that Hastings’ impeachment had precluded him from being an effective voice on issues affecting his district.

Alcee went ballistic. Although it was he, not his opponent, who had brought up his own impeachment, Hastings approached Thorpe after the debate and told him (among other things not fit to print), “you ever bring up that impeachment again and I’ll take you out.” The two then sat down and let the candidates for state attorney take the stage, Alcee’s threats having almost been within earshot. Alcee was soon at it again, finishing off the evening by standing up, waving his finger at Thorpe and hissing “it ain’t over, it ain’t over. I’m coming after you.”

Whatever…“Congressman.”

Hastings’ reward for that most comical charade was reelection to a ninth term in Congress. To be sure, he doesn’t have much clout and Pelosi et al made him “Chairman of the Helsinki Commission,” to make sure that he spends most of his time amusing the good folks of Europe, doing his best to “bolster” our national image.

(Details of the above incident are available online at The entire incident is available at http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/172989/opponent-accuses-rep-alcee-hastings-threatening-his-life/mark-hemingway. Of note, I was in the room when it happened, albeit not close enough to hear Alcee’s gracious and poetic threats.)

That episode was mild and pales in comparison to what happened this weekend at Quiet Waters Retirement Home, a Belle Glade, Fla. nursing home that will be quiet no more.

Alcee Hastings arrived with Kendrick Meek and the media. Kendrick gave a good speech and left, the media following suit.

Alcee’s Republican opponent - diplomat, community leader and renown human rights activist Bernard Sansaricq - was at the home, meeting with residents. Sansaricq notes that this was after a full day of campaigning and listening to the concerns of constituents in Belle Glade, the poorest area in the state and one with an unemployment rate of 42%. Surprisingly, while Sansaricq has visited the area 20 times, Hastings had been a no show until that afternoon.

With the media gone, Alcee gave his speech. Winding down, he turned to his opponent and announced that the Tea Party had invited him to a debate, rebutting “I have nothing in common with the TEA parties, so I refused.” At that point, he called out to Bernard to stand next to him and demanded that “Bernard debate (him) right here and now.” That move would prove foolish, even by Alcee standards.

Alcee, now both the candidate and self-appointed moderator of the debate, continued on about how much he loved Belle Glade, where he grew up (but hasn’t been seen since). His concluding remarks were that he “was an impeached federal judge.” He added that he’s “now under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, but none of that matters because I represent the people.”

The esteemed Congressman continued:

“Bernard Sansaricq posted accusations on his site that I pay my girlfriend, who is also my staffer, $160,000 a year. And I have one word for him. You, Bernard should go find out what I did to my last opponent. I sued his -expletive deleted- off.”

First point of contention:

It wasn’t Bernard Sansaricq who broke that story. It was national news sources, including the ultra-liberal Sun-Sentinel (see http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-03-06/news/fl-congress-spending-20100304_1_budgets-staff-salaries-office-expenses).

Second point of contention:

Hastings’ expletive laced rant took place in a nursing home, right in front of elderly residents!

Third point of contention:

Hastings never sued (or attempted to sue) the honorable Dr. Marion Thorpe, Jr., former Chief Medical Officer of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration. He threatened him with physical harm.

Well, we know what you “did to his last opponent.” And just like his impeachment, he may not want to bring it up in public.

You would think that would be enough. But, Alcee being Alcee, there was more to come.

Bernard Sansaricq is a serious man who cares about the plight of people in Alcee Hastings’ district. Hastings would have been well advised to leave him well enough alone. But he didn’t and now it was Bernard’s turn to fire back:

Turning to the audience, the statesman responded:

“I have visited Belle Glade 20 times since the beginning of the campaign and I intend on being YOUR Congressman. And I won’t tell you that you need to hire a lobbyist when you need something from me. That’s because your congressman is elected to be your lobbyist!

Belle Glade has a 42% unemployment rate. You can be sure that when elected, I won’t hire some girlfriend and pay her $160,000 of the people’s money when those funds can be used to hire eight people in Belle Glade. I also won’t take trips to Europe with that girlfriend on the taxpayer dime. I will remain here and have a presence in the district, fighting for you.”

Alcee’s response, in full earshot of all of the assembled elderly residents of the no longer Quiet Waters, “You’d better travel safe! You’d better travel safe! You’d better travel safe!” For those who don’t understand thug-ese, that’s a desperate threat (albeit an empty one) on Bernard Sansaricq’s life.

When asked about what had transpired, Sansaricq stated, “that was obviously not the speech I had in mind to give. But since he laid it all out on the table, there was really no choice but to oblige.”

Alcee Hastings was right about one thing. He has nothing in common with the TEA parties, or any other citizens’ movement for that matter.

The most riled up members of our grassroots movements are motivated by a desire to help America realize its potential. They respect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Alcee Hastings threatens his opponents and he chases the pursuit of girlfriend staffers.

What’s also true is that Alcee Hastings needs psychiatric help. As far as being a decision maker or community leader goes, suffice it to say that I’ve met wild armadillos more intelligent than he is. With 42% unemployment in parts of his district, Florida’s most impoverished one, it’s a shame that they don’t have better representation.

Alcee Hastings is the embodiment of a disgrace. Compared to Sansaricq, whose amazing bio cannot be given justice in this article (though readers are encouraged to visit www.sansaricq4congress.org to see for themselves), Hastings appears to be nothing more than a shadow of a man. And the Democratic Party, even with their pervasive entitlement mentality, should be ashamed to have him as their nominee.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

O’Donnell Was Factually Right, Coons and Widener Law Students Were Shockingly Foolish

The First Amendment establishes that Congress shall declare no official nationwide religion. The First Amendment does not ban the mention of religion in public. In fact, it protects same. While far left radicals like Chris Coons may wish to knowingly distort or ignore this fact of American history, it is as shocking as it is sad that the entire student body of a supposedly “prestigious” law school seemed to be equally ignorant and/or oblivious to our founding principles.

Yes, I know that in saying so I’ve just bucked conventional wisdom, which dictates that self proclaimed Marxist aficionados such as Chris Coons, wise men like Al Franken, erudite speakers like Barney Frank and great thinkers of our times like Howard Dean are the epitome of normal, while hard working Americans and Reagan Democrats, now referred to as “Tea Party Activists,” are the “extreme.” Too bad.

The real radical in the O’Donnell-Coons race is Chris Coons
The real radical in the O’Donnell-Coons race is Chris Coons, which is patently obvious to anyone who’s reviewed his positions or life experience. Pinning that term on O’Donnell, in this race, is like saying that Queen Elizabeth should learn decorum from a more famous O’Donnell of a more Rosie nature. As much should be clear to all Delaware Republicans, Castlonians and Christinians alike.

The false picture portrayed by the media of the O’Donnell-Coons race in general, and of their latest exchange in particular, represents a new low even for Network News. While O’Donnell was able to enumerate the five freedoms actually guaranteed by the First Amendment, Coons was not. Too bad that factoid didn’t make its way to the “fair and balanced” Democratic media.

As to the issue at hand, the First Amendment guarantees freedom of all religions on the federal level, the ability to express thoughts in public and other similar rights. Coons’ use of the amendment as a pretext to ban speech, thought or open discussion in public classrooms is to attribute to the First Amendment all that it is truly against. In so doing, Coons may as well have continued that line of reasoning and gone on to explain how the Second Amendment demands confiscation of all firearms.

In truth, his distortion of the First Amendment should be as offensive to Americans as calling Karl Marx a capitalist would be to a guy like Coons.

A proper reading of the First Amendment would be even more shocking to Coons and Widener Law School company. The Amendment was actually established to protect statewide religious practices from federal interference. One should read the sources that Thomas E. Woods, Jr. so brilliantly brings together in his Politically Incorrect Guide to American History (among them, historian David Hackett Fischer) for more information on this subject.

And it cannot go without saying that Coons also showed a profound ignorance of science, which in its un-politicized form (in other words, the kind no longer taught in universities), demands logic and shuns dogma; even liberal, conventional dogma. But that’s for a more in-depth discussion on the gaping holes in conventional scientific theory. For now, suffice it to say that the foolish nature of liberal dogma is as far reaching as it is wrong.

The main lesson remains as follows: Congressional Democrats have made Chris Dodd, Barney Frank and Tim Geithner in charge of banking during a time of national crisis (Geithner by way of senatorial approval). Less than two short years ago, they sued to make the Grand Statesman of the Century, Mr. Al Franken himself, a full fledged Member of the United States Senate. And they have elevated to the speakership a radical who was commonly referred to as “San Fran Nan” prior to said elevation.

Yet they persist in calling us “radicals?”