Ghosts of Ron Paul haunt Florida GOP

You may not have heard of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Northeast Florida. It's a small but determined group of Ron Paul supporters who say the St. Johns County Republican Party leadership refuses to let them join the party in what they say flies of state chairman Jim Greer's talk of an inclusive GOP. "We wanted to get involved," said Will Pitts, a Jacksonville real estate developer and Paul loyalist. "Is there just a certain flavor of Republican that is wanted these days? Are we becoming a party of exclusion?" 

In an e-mail response to complaints by Pitts and others, St. Johns GOP chairman Bob Veit said he blocked the Paul supporters because "their often stated intentions were to wrest control of the Republican Party apparatus for the purpose of turning it into a campaign committee for either a particular candidate or a narrow political philosophy (Liberty Caucus) that had limited appeal to Republican voters."

This has not escaped Jim Greer's attention. It also may shed light on the importance of the new, broader loyalty oath that all rank-and-file party precinct committee members must sign. The outdated oath essentially barred Republican activists from supporting a Democrat. The new oath (included in the 2007 law that moved up the presidential primary date) adds a clause that outlaws activity that the party chairman might view as "likely to injure the name of the Republican Party or interfere with the activities of the Republican Party."

Greer said he remains committed to the "big tent" theory where everyone's welcome, but that he's torn between backing county GOP chairs who are at odds with activists pushing narrow agendas. "The only thing that I can't take is somebody who wants to burn the house down," Greer said. "No one segment of the party controls the outcome any more."

Greer's attorney, GOP interim general counsel Richard Coates, recently sent a memo to Kristi Bronson in the state Division of Elections, noting the importance of the new loyalty oath: "Party rules require that the individual has a party loyalty oath on file with the state party office," Coates wrote.   

Comments

The problem with Paul folks is they only want their agenda to be the agenda of the GOP. I welcome them and think the debate will make our party stronger, but that doesn't mean the Republican Party should be run over by the supporters of any one candidate.

[Steve, Lutz, FL]

I am in the REPUBLICAN Liberty Caucus of Florida. We have been around since 1990. We are Republican who have from inception supported returning the Republican Party to its conservative roots. Its conservative roots means supporting "individual liberty, limited government and free markets."

What exactly is wrong with that?

I am not speaking for the RLC, by the way.

I am also a precinct committeeman of my local REC. The changes to the oath should be onerous to any America. Essentially, it says that if in order to be a member we cannot support any candidate that the RPofFL Chairman does not support. If Greer and the RPofFL chooses to support Barak Hussein Obama and we object, we can be thrown out of the REC. Not saying they will this election cycle, but why should we be required to abdicate that choice to an anonymous them? Don't the members of the Republican Party decide who they choose to represent them?

If the Republican Party of Florida is a 'big tent', why would someone who supports the concepts of Goldwater, Reagan or Ron Paul face ostracism?

I know Will Pitts. He is a builder not a developer. He builds houses and buildings in the Jacksonville area, and has been active in the republican party for years. He is well respected for his contributions to the community.

Regarding Ron Paul and his supporters, they stand for the US Constitution. Why would that be a problem to any American? We seem to accept the Socialist Party, the Communist Party, the Democrat Party and the Nazi Party and a bunch of others, but people who only want what they consider the concepts which made this country great are not welcome...or wired...or fanatics?

The RPofFL and Jim Greer seem to only want republicans who fit into their small-minded concept of a party person. To me--a retired soldier--it smacks of the membership requirements of the communist party. Not what I fought in Desert Storm and Just Cause to defend.

[frodo]

If Steve in Lutz was actually and REC member he would know that his group doesn't have permission to use the Republican name. Also Ron Paul people are trying to bully the Republican Party to accept their out of touch candidate. Paul received less than 5 percent of the vote here in Florida accept the fact that majority of republicans just don't care for your candidate who is more in touch with Barack Obama in defending this country than John McCain.

[Victor Wilhelm Jr]

Mr. Frodo (Baggins) should be aware that the RLC of Florida is not required to have permission to use the Republican name as it was a Republican club in place for ten years when the new rule requiring a charter went into affect. People who are confused about this should look the rule up before continuing to embarrass themselves.

Let's get another thing clear.

Ron Paul IS NOT going to be the nominee, so it has nothing to do with Ron Paul supporters taking over the party. Even if it did, how can a candidate whose supporters only got 5% of the vote in Florida take over the GOP? That is an absurd assertion.

What is really going on? We have RINOs running around ruining the name Republican while trying to pursue their own personal agendas of tax increases to fund social programs and big government. People supporting positions that are contrary to the agenda that the party "leadership" is pursuing are punished and shut out even though these positions are the traditional GOP values.

The RINOs do not believe in competition (or free markets); hence, they are using any and all tactics to maintain their tenuous hold on the leadership of the party.

[J.M. McMillan]

A fielty oath, either with us or against us!?
This is the exact sort of totalitarianism that Ron Paul has so decried! If the GOP EVER wants to be viable again it better NOT forget us freedom lovers as we carried it to its level of success to begin with!

Ron Paul will lose the debate in the marketplace of ideas. The gold standard would be a disaster. Look at what happened to england when they switched back.

[Former GOP]

Pardon me for butting in; I know I have no right to comment on a strictly Republican issue, unless you consider my being a Republican for most of my adult life a qualification.

I just want to tell you that the GOP has lost it's heart, if it ever had one, and absorbing wingnuts like the Ron Paul supporters will only push you further in the wrong direction. Let me tell you how the average person views your talk about patriotism, "freedom", less government, and free markets. Imperialism, corporate welfare, and no compassion whatsoever for anyone who has fallen on hard times or might need governement assistance.

My former party has become a bunch of totalitarians, and those good sounding things you claim to support are just sham rhetoric that actually apply only to a chosen few. As a human being, I find your selfishness and heartlessness disgusting.

"likely to injure the name of the Republican Party or interfere with the activities of the Republican Party."

uh, yeah, like electing crist, selecting greer, and nominating mccain AREN'T likely to cause injury to the name of the GOP?

[Will Pitts]

We in America enjoy certain rights and liberties. Along with these we have responsibilities. They country was founded by people who believed deeply in participatory government. In that same spirit, we are working to encourage participation in both the government process and the Republican Party. Essentially we are looking for conservative Republicans of the Calvin Coolidge, Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan and Robert Taft bent to become active in the Republican Party. Participation in the government is the responsibility of every citizen and participation in the party is the responsibility of every Republican. Any attempt to thwart a citizen’s participation in the government or a Republican’s participation in the party should be met by all with great suspicion. It is impossible for Republicans to take over the Republican Party because the party belongs to ALL registered Republicans.

[Tragic Magic]

Quote from original article:
"Greer's attorney, GOP interim general counsel Richard Coates, recently sent a memo to Kristi Bronson in the state Division of Elections, noting the importance of the new loyalty oath: "Party rules require that the individual has a party loyalty oath on file with the state party office," Coates wrote."

Fortunately, the State of Florida Division of Elections wrote a terse letter back to the Republican Party of Florida, telling them that any Republican can become a precinct committee person. At least someone can see that the R.P.O.F. is trying to exclude membership. Big question is WHY??

Ronald Reagan was the beginning of the end for the GOP. His shortsighted irresponsible policies are now coming home to roost on our nation.

You have another Reagan in McCain. If elected, he'll succumb to Alzheimers early in his term and become a puppet of the worst elements of the GOP, just as Reagan did.

[Charlie]

The RLC complains of exclusion, but they want to make the party exclusive to their somewhat noble, but totally outdated ideals and candidate. I think it’s a bunch of doubletalk on their part, especially since they’ve declared their intentions. I think the party should not go backwards no matter how romantic the old days seem to be, we need to come up with new approaches and fresh leadership in order to survive, not revert to isolationism and 19th century mindsets. I think that the actions and selfish complaints of the LC will only deepen the misconception of the general public towards the GOP; a conception that it’s an archaic, totalitarian party bent on civil abuse. In reality that’s the keystone definition of the Democratic Party! The GOP embodies the most classic American ideals, ideals that go beyond the LC and ideals that the LC seems ready to forfeit in its desire to singularize and reform the party in its own image. How can they call themselves Republicans when they’d rather discredit and divide the Party via misinformed backlashes from their failed attempts at takeover? Yes the GOP needs help, but it sounds like the LC is completely out of touch in their assertions of what the Party is becoming and what it should be. They mean to do exactly what they accuse the GOP of doing and their stance just doesn’t make any sense!