Mitt Romney won the state of Florida’s GOP Primary, and we congratulate him – To paraphrase Dr. Ray Stantz in Ghostbusters 2 – “Mr. Romney, you’ll be happy to
know that almost 33% of our staff voted for you in the Primary…”
That being said, as the staff sat around the conference table on Wednesday, we asked each other what the GOP Primary showed us both good and bad – here’s what we came up with…
First, we learned that Romney is not a pushover when he is behind the 8 ball. Coming off of a pretty crummy showing in South Carolina, Romney was determined to make a good showing in Florida and did so. He exercised good strategy in spending a massive amount of money in the more populous areas for advertising. Outspending Gingrich by 5 to 1*, Romney blanketed the airwaves, and his numbers in these areas showed the results.
Second, we learned that Romney can get Florida Republican voters. Well, half of them at least – in the areas where there is a large portion of Republicans of a more moderate demeanor. This worked well for Romney in the Primary, where only Republicans were able to vote. Florida (particularly SOUTH Florida) has had a tremendous upsurge in voters who have switched their party from Republican to Independent. Like much of the country, this switch in Party affiliation is not to demonstrate ‘Centrism’ but instead to voice a lack of confidence in the Republican Party’s Conservativism. While this bodes well for a Republican candidate in the General election, Gingrich and Santorum were much more heavily favored in his group. It should also be noted that despite an increase in membership numbers, the Republican Party is now the 3rd Party in Broward County from a membership perspective. The independents are often members of conservative grassroots organizations such as 9/12 and the Tea Party and their focus is constitutional Conservativism, which is by all indications is to the right of where the bulk of Romney’s platform sits.
Also, we learned that Romney can perform well in a debate. Romney took Gingrich to task during the Florida Debate about th
e negative ads that Newt’s campaign had run. Instead of taking the most expeditious and genteel route, an immediate apology, Gingrich responded with further attack, giving Romney greater latitude. Furthermore, Romney was able to justify the significant attack ad spend as a response to Gingrich’s truculent attitude in the debate. It was a well-played debate by Romney, and may have cost Gingrich all 50 of the Florida Delegates (at least at the time of this writing). Gingrich is normally very strong in a debate, but had an off night, and came under serious attack. We will state for the record that BOTH Romney and Gingrich are entirely too thin skinned in the debates. All of the candidates are politically experienced, and should be beyond this kind of rattling
Finally, we learned that Romney is good on the economy, but will run into difficulties with the Government-provided healthcare issue. Senator Rick Santorum pointed this out in the debate, and it is likely that no matter how many times Romney says he will make the repeal of Obamacare his primary mission; all it will take is Obama demonstrating the similarities between the Massachusetts plan and the Federal Plan to effectively hamstring Romney’s arguments. Romney needs to strengthen his case on this issue.
The primary also showed us that Gingrich can rally Tea Party support, but that he needs a more effective ground team in each of the states. We also learned that establishment Republicans are worried about having Gingrich as the Republican nominee. It can be inferred that this concern is due to his knowledge of the way things work in DC. Bottom line, they won’t be able to pull one over on Gingrich. Gingrich has need of a good, trustworthy, consistent ground team – and it is not too late to have one. If he gets that in the next few weeks then FL becomes a hiccup, rather than an ulcer.
Additionally we learned that Santorum can give a good accounting of himself when he is given the chance, but that unless he is able to canvass the state, his election performance will be curtailed. Santorum has strong convictions, and is, by all acounts, a very ‘nice guy’. Some of the moderate elements of the Republican ‘Big Tent’ have differences of opinion with his personal beliefs, but outside of Florida that group will not be as significant.
The Florida GOP Primary was tough for many of our staff to watch, because every one of the candidates has one or two (or several) supporters on our team. All of the candidates have strengths and despite our internal preferences, we are all committed to supporting the eventual nominee when the National GOP Primary process has been completed. Each of us has our own “favorite” candidate, but we recognize that this election is too important to let our 20% differences derail efforts to turn this country from the dangerous path it is on.
Hopefully all Republicans, both Moderate and Conservative will be able to accomplish that same unification when the dust from the GOP Primary has settled!
Keep Watch!
One of Newt Gingrich’s best events yet was missed by the mainstream media. It wasn’t a big event, and it wasn’t surrounded by fanfare. It didn’t have massive press coverage, and it wasn’t ostentatious, but because he had said he would do it, he did.
A couple of days ago, the Political Watchman published an
to putting the country back on track by getting back to the bedrock of the Constitution. The Grassroots/Tea Party groups present at the event are strong, passionate, patriotic groups, and while they don’t always agree on every point, they stand together in the belief that the country can be saved.
Primary race. Newt Gingrich believes that decision will not be decided by the Mainstream media, or the GOP establishment. He believes that the Grassroots and Tea Party groups reaching out and connecting with Americans across the nation will carry him to the Republican Nomination, and the White House. If Gingrich is right, then every call dialed, every sign made, and every vote cast by the patriots in Grassroots and Tea Party groups made his victory a reality.
Coral Springs, FL – Speaking to a crowd of more than 1200 South Floridians, Newt Gingrich inspired belief in a return to greatness for the United States –“I stand for American Exceptionalism, not because you and I are exceptional - we’re normal- but because the system we have inherited from the Founding Fathers is the most exceptional system in history.”
Debbie Wasserman-Schultz as Chairperson of the DNC has spent the past few days making strong statements about Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney and the effects of the grassroots movement known as the Tea Party.
Though Liberal/Progressives continously refer to the grassroots Tea Party movement as “violent’, ‘extremist’, and ’dangerous’, the incidence of verified (not speculated or implied) violence occuring at the THOUSANDS of Tea Party events held nationwide in the past few years is below 20 incidents. Furthermore, attributing the tragic shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords to the grassroots Tea Party movement is irresponsible and malignant. The shooter in that incident (we will not mention his name here due to the disgust it causes our staff and hopefully our readers) has been thoroughly investigated and has been found to be a mentally unstable, anarchistic, anti-government, and a convicted drug offender, with no ties to any local or nationwide Tea Party organization. 
By contrast, the effects and efforts of the ”Occupy” Movement have been 
January 5th, 2012 – Redistricting in Florida is causing an outcry from South Florida and a ‘call to arms’ effort to keep Florida Congressional District 22 leaning slightly Republican, and in the hands of Allen West. 
n West. The 22nd U.S. Congressional District has historically been slightly Republican leaning, thanks to certain sidesteps into heavily Republican neighborhoods. Candidate Lt. Colonel Allen West benefitted from the District lines during his campaign, and secured victory in the 2010 election by a significant “get out and vote” effort by his campaign staff, and his genuine grassroots appeal.
District 20 – Florida – The race against Debbie Wasserman-Schultz for the United States House of Representatives seat in Florida’s 20th Congressional District may or may not have just gotten a shot of adrenaline. On October 4th, 2011 Ozzie deFaria announced his run for the District 20 seat that, to date, has been a candidate-killer for the Republican side of the ticket. To all appearances, Mr. deFaria is just what the race has needed – a true businessperson, with the education and experience to recognize what will help America’s economy, and first-hand knowledge of what happens to business when government gets in the way.
ve been fed to the sharks by their own kind. Rep. Wasserman-Schultz is no dummy, and liberal Democrat machine she’s built has worked hard to ensure that the weakest Republican candidate is the opponent she would face in elections. The Republican Primary of 2010 was a prime example of the Dem Machine combining with self-described ‘conservative’ infiltrators to tear down some of the most promising candidates in years, e.g. Donna Milo – a conservative contractor of Cuban descent; Robert Lowry- an irreverent and humorous, yet highly intelligent businessman. Both of these candidates were the subject of numerous attacks and wrongful allegations. Both were strong candidates who were attacked by alleged conservatives. Both were well capable of taking on Wasserman-Schultz, and were committed to doing so, but because of the Dem Machine and ‘friendly’ fire, both were passed over. District 20 was left with the weakest, and most unqualified candidate for the Republican ticket – Karen Harrington. Ozzie deFaria would do well to keep that 2010 race in mind.
Joe Kaufman, an outspoken activist against Muslim extremism, and Islamic Terrorism. He is the founder of Americans Against Hate, has been an investigative journalist, and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communications.
Karen Harrington, a restaurant manager from Davie, Fl. Wife, and mother of three, as well as a cancer survivor, but apparently chose to work at her family’s business rather than attend college after High School.
Joe Goldner, a self-described Tea Party activist, and leads a group himself, and indicates that he graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
