We Are The Wind In The Sails Of The Republican Party! Now We Must Become It's Rudder!

A lot of tea party patriots are rightfully basking in the satisfaction of a major Republican victory. They were the ones that put 'enthusiasm' in the Republican sails. They pushed the GOP to unbelievable voter turnout.

And certainly there is the time for some time for R&R.

But we can't let this storm die! We must start now rebuilding the Republican party from the ground up. We saw too often how the existing status quo leaders have often (but not always) thwarted more traditional grassroots candidates. This cannot continue and now is the time to act.

First, everyone, and I mean every husband, wife, and student must get familiar with how the inner party works. Each county has something called the [insert your county name] Republican Executive Committee. This is usually denoted by acronyms (like in my case) the Orange County Republican Executive Committee or OCREC for short.

You want to be involved with this at YOUR county. To find yours go here:
http://www.rpof.org/local.php

Yeah, you're going to have to go to some boring meetings. They last about an hour or so. Some are boring and some are pretty good. Regardless you must come to these to getting voting rights in the official Republican party.

When you've gone to a few of these and expressed a sincere desire to help with the Republican party you become a Precinct Committee Man or Woman. To be fair, you have only a tiny say in the party, but you know what they say about many voices banding together!

Take my advise, membership in the REC's will be a lot more easier (and effective) than standing on a million street corners. The possibilities are truly awesome!

And some of us, if we are really serious about growing AND transforming the party may move from representing precincts, to representing county's, and then even higher positions at the state and national levels. But this all starts at the county and neighborhood level. We need officially recognized Precinct Committee representatives.

And lets put one other commonly held myth to bed. Voting, volunteering for, or in any other way getting into 'third party's' is just a waste of time. In Florida the Libertarian party continues to poll under one half of one percent. Other party's do even worse.

By all means you can discuss theory till you're blue in the face. But running candidates and even more importantly winning elections is the exclusive purview of the Democrat or Republican party. If you are passionate about making a difference (if you are conservative) the Republican party is the only game in town.

This is really no surprise since winning elections is about knocking on doors and getting out the vote. Typical voters, and by typical I mean the ones that 'don't have time for politics'-- these are the folks that just look quickly at candidates and make quick decisions.

All hands on deck, and into the boats!

Volunteers Needed To Make Calls For Rick Scott

This is going to be a squeaker. My choice is Rick Scott for Governor. The best thing you can do for Rick right now is make phone calls. The technology of the Scott campaign is first rate. You don't have to dial numbers. There is nothing complicated. It's a normal looking phone that is hooked up to a computer (although you'll never see it).

But make no mistake, a real live human making phone calls to voters is huge.

Here's where you can go:

1064 Lee Rd. #1
Orlando, Fl 32810
964-471-2921

1037 S. Florida Ave.
Lakeland, Fl. 33803
863-259-9801

4131 NW 13th Street
Gainesville, Fl. 32605
352-262-2025

1221 W. Cass St.
Tampa, Fl. 32606
727-692-3212

Call for hours, but generally they open at 9am and go till 8pm

Little Bird Tells Me That Grassroots Republican Mike Yost Might Just Pull Upset On Liberal Democrat Congresswoman Corrine Brown!

If there ever was a congressional race that had all the underpinnings of the upset of the century, it's the outsider Mike Yost running against multi-term career politician Democrat Corrine Brown. It's a district that Republican Party of Florida purposely carved out that would cater to minorities.

Using the word 'gerrymandered' to describe District 3 is an understatement. It somehow runs from Jacksonville to Orlando with some parts so narrow that a cat swishing it's tail would cross opposing boundaries.

The big surprise is that far from being a giveaway to the loony left, never once having a Republican congressman represent it, now it's 'in play.' Even veritable analyst Dick Morris has taken notice, trumpeting Mr. Yost as one of his favorite upsets.

During a recent visit to Orlando on the "Take Back America" tour, Mr. Morris singled out Mike with strong praise for his race. He challenged the Republican Party of Florida and the tea party movement to get behind this "winnable race" and has marked it as one of his "races to watch."

Today this writer helped on a precinct walk that gave a startling glimpse of what might be. After knocking about a hundred doors the proof was there to see. Constituents of Ms. Brown were ready for change. I saw only one forlorn sign, leaning over (to the left of course), proclaiming 'Corrine Brown DELIVERS.'

After a morning's work, there were MANY signs in the yards of Mike Yost supporters!

Afterwords I sat down to talk with a professional Republican campaign field director familiar with the race. He/she must remain anonymous for obvious reasons.

"I've run the numbers on this district and Mike can win. Even though Dem's have a lead in registration, I've looked at national Gallop Polling predicting a low turnout among the Democrat base. I've overlaid that on the district and with an expected high Republican turnout, you have a very different outcome."

When asked why the Republican Party of Florida has not taken much of an interest in this race, the reply was "they're more interested in not making this a profile race. They think that supporting Yost might energize Democrat turnout." Even more astounding was the statement, "They are persona non grata when Mike wins. No one that didn't support us will be invited to the victory party, nor will they be invited up on stage for the victory speech."

Was this just typical bravado in an uphill race? The source replied, "Mike went from having very little money to campaign on, to now (after the Dick Morris pronouncement), having enough to hire a small professional staff. I came down here from (location deleted) and took a pay cut to help stage this upset."

Okay folks, this has got my attention, now how about you?

We grassroots/tea party movement types are always spoiling for a fight against the worst elements in Washington that are destroying our nation. Corrine Brown has taken for granted her district and now we have a chance to catch her napping.

What my source tells me is that all we need is a last minute surge of volunteers to pull the upset of the century! We need live bodies to run the phone banks. We need fearless patriots that aren't afraid of walking into Democrat territory to rouse Republican and Independent voters announcing victory is at hand.

Corrine Brown's slogan is "I deliver". Problem is that even after grabbing over $600 MILLION taxpayer dollars for her district, most of her constituents are still mired in poverty! Mike Yost on the other hand grew up in poverty himself in West Virginia. He learned that government doesn't teach people to stand on their own two feet, they subjugate them with phony programs that perpetuate their low economic outcomes.

Mike Yost learned one more thing in 'Almost Heaven' West Virginia. And that's 'how to beat Democrats.' As a teenager he got interested in a Republican that wanted to run for office. The candidate told him it was a long shot. Fortunately, Mike didn't understand demographics and polling data. But on election night the long shot candidate pulled out a squeaker and Yost got educated.

Here's YOUR challenge and chance to be a part of a race that will be written about in political history books. This will be the upset of the CENTURY!

Simply reply to nicholasegoroff@hotmail.com (my personal email) and I'll forward your contact info to Mike and the rest of the gang (including the professional campaign field director). We'll teach both the Democrat and Republican party's a lesson about popular uprisings!

Remember, if you live in Jacksonville, Orlando, Palatka, Orange Park, Gainesville, Greene Cove Spring, Interlachen, Deland, or anywhere near there, we need boots on the ground. If you live far away, we can give you lists to phone call and rally our base.

Please also consider donating to the effort:
https://secure.piryx.com/donate/I1bo1IcP/Yost-for-Congress/

In Liberty,
Nick Egoroff

The More Things Change At RPOF, The More They Stay The Same!

This is a story where everybody is talking, but no one is telling what's REALLY going on.

The first talker is Jim Greer. He rode high on Charlie Crist' shoulders when the governor installed him as the head of the Republican Party of Florida. But that was in 2006, now he's fallen from power along with his benefactor.

So eager was the 'new' RPOF to get the Crist/Greer saga behind them that they had to drag Greer out of their Tallahassee HQ. John Thrasher (who replaced Greer) and a host of big names like incoming Speaker of the Florida House Dean Cannon & incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolis wanted Greer to go quietly.

First there were offers of a sizable 'severance' package for the unpopular Greer. That blew up when the amount became known to other RPOF executives around the state. Mr. Greer said no severance, no quiet resignation.

Then it was discovered that Jim Greer had been taking a commission on all the money raised for the state party. Greer says this was a common practice in fund raising and RPOF knew about it all along.

Things got very confrontational between Greer and RPOF as some 'dirty laundry' began to turn up in the media.

Conflicting reports started surfacing about a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation. Finally, an indictment against Greer was announced in July and the once mighty chairman was led away in handcuffs from his posh Seminole county home.

At the press conference the next day various state attorney's outlined charges of money laundering against Greer. But one question came up that may have set the stage for what was to follow.

Bill McCollum was the State Attorney General and some reporters asked if there wasn't a conflict of interest since Mr. McCollum was a well known RPOF insider and those doing the investigation of Greer answered to the A.G.'s office.

The prosecuting attorney's bristled at the idea that their legal findings might be influenced by McCollum. But they readily agreed that Bill was their boss and they talked to him on a regular basis.

The press conference continued with how much evidence had been gathered against Greer and how eager the state attorney's were to bring this case to trial.

No more has been mentioned about this curious conflict until yesterday when a sudden announcement was made that the trail that was to happen in early fall was postponed until 'sometime' in 2011.

No reason was given for this long postponement. But it does accomplish one very important objective: there will be no opportunity for voters to hear how business is done at RPOF. Greer had promised that he would name names and explode the myths of how he was forced out.

Marco Rubio, Cannon, Haridopolis, and many others have close ties with financial dealings of the state party. It would not do to have this kind of hot testimony coming out right in the middle of campaigning.

So the question must be asked, 'What caused a seemingly open and shut case to be re-scheduled so long into the future.' Also remember that this investigation had been going on for many months and neither side had hinted at a need for more time.

But a careful reading of the story filed by The Orlando Sentinel raises more questions than it answers. Read between the lines of 'both sides agreed to postponement' (that would be the state attorney's office and Greer's high-powered defense lawyer) and you'll see a sudden shift. Link http://j.mp/dn1yp5

No longer was the state in a rush to try and punish Greer. And no longer was the defense wanting to clear their client's name. Instead, out of the blue, comes 'let's do this after the election.'

Again, no one is talking, and no media are asking the tough questions, about why this sudden change of strategy. Instead just a brief press release and perfunctory 'no comments.'

We'll have to wait to see what finally does happen.

But the typical outcome from these high profile cases usually runs like this:

1) After many postponements, the public loses interest in what happened a long time ago.

2) Then prosecutors and defense lawyers work out some plea-bargaining.

3) Everyone gets what they want.

Greer will avoid any prison time. John Thrasher get's to keep the party secrets.

Greer is gone with legal stipulations agreeing to not sing like a canary.

In the end there's lots of talk... but it's business as usual when money is involved.

One Narrative That Might Change The Florida Governor Race Between Rick Scott and Alex Sink!

Could this fall election change from the usual blather to some very hard hitting and hard to defend accusations? Alex Sink may have signaled that she will turn Rick Scott's successful 'corruption in Tallahassee' message back against him.

In her latest commercial ad, Sink moves right into setting herself apart from special interests and corruption in the state capital. Take a look... http://j.mp/bEspi3

This is fairly tame stuff that may change as the contest heats up. Will she bring up the same pictures of disgraced Republican Party of Florida chairman Jim Greer that Rick Scott used so effectively to beat Bill McCollum?

Only time will tell. The problem for Mr. Scott is that he knows that the insiders control Tallahassee. And since the Republicans have been the majority party for a dozen years, Sink is provided an opportunity to tie Scott to all the scandals that plague the Florida GOP.

This could put the Scott campaign into a defensive posture that he might never recover from.

Naturally, Scott will say 'I'll clean house,' but this may ring hollow to the all important 'independent' voters that are so crucial to winning. They may reason: why not get rid of the party all together?

Keep your eyes peeled for the next salvo from Ms. Sink. We may see if she turns the mirror back on Scott. This could get very ugly very quickly.

Rick Scott's Choice For Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll

Orlando Republicans welcomed Rick Scott and his new pick for Florida Lt. Governor, Jennifer Carroll. Rick gave a short speech which he read from notes. Ms. Carroll then stepped to the podium and spoke without notes. She did an outstanding job, befitting her experience as a multi-term State House Representative.

Obviously race and gender played a role in her selection. But I really liked her presence and warmth which seemed genuine. After talking with other folks there, we all seemed to agree that she was a fantastic choice. Mr. Scott will be well served in giving her as much face-time with voters as possible.

I by chance was approached by The Orlando Sentinel reporter asking me if I thought she would really make much of a difference, "Isn't Lt. Governor largely a ceremonial position?" My reply was that in the past this was true. But look how Vice-president Dick Cheney and Vice-president Joe Biden have played significant supporting roles. Add to this that Rick Scott is used to running large corporations. That means he's learned how to delegate responsibility.

Time will tell, but I think all indicators are pointing to a good ticket for voters to support.

Will Special Interest Money & Old Line Republican Party of Florida Power Compromise Rick Scott?

As the Republican Unity Tour makes it's way across Florida, it might be a good time to raise questions about the future of Mr. Scott's campaign. His ascent to nominee was both costly ($50 million out of his pocket) and shocking to the state GOP establishment.

But even billionaires have self-imposed limits to which they'll gamble their fortunes. It appears now that Mr. Scott has reached his.

He's quoted in media as saying that 'I spent more than I would have liked to' on defeating McCollum. In the next breath he says, "I'm ready to start fund raising for the Republican Party of Florida," with the understanding that lots of that money will be funneled back to his campaign.

To accomplish this the, the traditional establishment of RPOF must be brought in. Which is what happened today in Orlando.

The Unity Tour brought together not only Rick Scott, but Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos, and Florida State House Speaker Dean Cannon. Each congratulated the other without a hint of the rancor that marked the Republican governor's primary.

But here's the rub. If Mr. Scott has indeed reached his limit to self-financing his own campaign, are these show's of 'unity' coming at a price?

Mr. Scott has said publicly that he welcomes lobbyist money as long as they are supportive of his agenda. Fair enough, and we'll have to take him at his word. But hundreds of our Republican state legislators say that they are not influenced at all by lavish spending of corporate special interests that fund their campaigns, yet vote for boondoggles like SunRail, the US Sugar land deal, and others. These same entities make sure to reward helpful incumbents with millions at election time.

And still we have Mr. Scott who says that he is beholden to no one and will use the special interest money for his campaign with no strings attached. Let's hope so. But the biggest reason Scott beat McCollum was the desire by rank and file Republicans to stop the whole circus up in Tallahassee.

Remember this. When Bill McCollum got into trouble RPOF was able to funnel millions in corporate donations to prop up his campaign. Will Scott follow in the footsteps of others that have accepted special interest money? Wait and see!

Hope the old saying that 'he who pays the piper calls the tune,' does not apply here.

Rick Scott And RPOF Begin November Campaign With Lots Of Questions

Now that the contentious primary is over, Rick Scott will see if the Republican Party of Florida wants to back a winner. There are serious questions whether this will just be a token effort or sincere support.

The Orlando Sentinel has a great piece about the back-story of Scott and RPOF (http://j.mp/9ThEFH). The usual cast of characters like powerful money lobbyists that oil the wheels in Tallahassee are understandably concerned. They're used to long term good old boy contacts not some newbie they've, ahem, 'never done business with before.'

And while some insiders are concerned with whether Scott can be bought, others like US Sugar, is looking to cash a $197 check from the state for an overpriced land deal. And the fact that they contributed $100's of thousands of dollars to fund anti-Scott commercials, will certainly make for some awkward moments.

But most intriguing of all might be whether RPOF and Republican state leaders would be happy to not strongly support Scott at all, purposely loosing the election for governor. The reasoning runs that if Scott were to win the governorship, it would strengthen him above the traditional RPOF power structure.

Scott could make wholesale changes in the board of RPOF and spoil state legislator's cozy system with lobbyists. No more trains to nowhere (like SunRail), no more sweetheart land deals (like the US Sugar one), and no more having taxpayers foot the bill for a brand new state prison (that was later given to a private corporation for free).

In order to protect all these 'family secrets' it has been suggested by those in the know, that RPOF may have a lot more to lose if Scott ever moves into the governor's mansion. Therefore a loss is preferable to a win.

To be fair there have been some congratulatory comments emanating from some legislators. A meeting is scheduled in Fort Lauderdale between Scott and party chairman John Thrasher. Wonder if Mr. Thrasher will soften his negative campaign rhetoric against Scott! He better.


But talk is cheap. Let's keep an eye on how Florida GOP executives respond to the 'new guy in town.'

Republicans Counting On Tea Party'er Support To Win Primaries Come Up Short

One lesson coming from last night's Florida primary: if you thought there were legions of tea party voters eager to support 'one of their own' running for office, you are mistaken. In every race with a grassroots candidate in it (speaking statewide here) there is single digit loss after loss. The career politicians and bureaucrats still rule at the ballot box.

But this does not have to be. Many of the mistakes of the tea party movement can be traced to running multiple grassroots candidates in the same race. Congressional District's 8 and 24 in central Florida are great examples of this.

Both had 3-4 conservative/constitutional tea party activists trying to win office for the first time. Pro's know that even winning a primary requires a lot of money AND volunteers. Splitting this up between multiple candidates yields the kind of results we saw last night. Lesson? Next time try and figure out who has the most resources, then persuade weaker candidates to 'get behind a winner'.

Likely these mistakes of underfunding and splitting votes will not be repeated again.

What is more troubling is the apparent lack of tea party voters at the poles. Statewide only about 23% registered voters bothered to go to the polls. In some major Florida counties, turnout was BELOW 20%. Wasn't this supposed to be the year of outraged voters yelling 'I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!'

Sounds more like a whimper to me!!

Well we live and learn. I've talked to several tea party organizers, activists, and candidates. Most are pretty depressed and I can't blame them. When you give you're all to a race and then see dismal results, you have every right to 'not even want to get out of bed the next morning' as one campaign aide told me.

One tea party leader even told me that "the tea party movement in Florida is dead." Say it ain't so! But the dwindling numbers at various state events indicate otherwise.

There's always November. Another battle is brewing. Time to get to work!

Bill McCollum Continues To Whine That He Didn't Get Office He Deserved

I guess this is how career politicians take their final bow. As the audience boo's at an over-choreographed show, Mr. McCollum steps on stage and blames everyone but himself. Even in his concession speech, he rips Rick Scott with the same mud, oblivious that most people didn't like his summer performance and were actually rooting for the other guy.

But this is what McCollum's part of the Republican party stands for. Shady backroom deals and then closing off any opponents that aren't part of the club.

It took a multi-billionaire to do it, but there will now be open fissures in the Republican Party of Florida. True, our hero does not ride on a white horse, but he vanquished an enemy that we have so long wanted to be broken up.

So there is lots of drama in RPOF. But perhaps this new star will tell a story that rank and file Republicans (and Floridians as a whole) will find more appealing.

The Orlando Sentinel link to McCollum's concession speech. http://j.mp/d4qGAV

One Paragraph Tells It All In Florida's Governor Race

"As the evening wore on, the mood turned grim at McCollum headquarters at a Hilton in Altamonte Springs, just north of Orlando. The candidate and his wife, Ingrid, were sequestered in a suite watching returns. The lobby bar, filled with hopeful Tallahassee lobbyists earlier in the evening, was quiet."

This one paragraph taken from The St. Petersburg Times really speaks volumes about what exactly is ailing the Republican Party of Florida. People have seen the headlines of RPOF corruption recently displayed by last year's chairman being led out in handcuffs. It also entailed a list of dirty tricks that activists don't like.

And those activists are the ones that came to the lightly voted primary. They were saying no to the Tallahassee elite of the GOP. They were saying we want complete change!

Sure, RPOF brought to bear it's full might to crush outsider candidates like they so often have done in the past. This time the activists spoke clearly that they would take a never-tried newcomer to the incumbent that they knew all too well.

Round one is in the books. Let's see if Rick Scott can persuade the rest of the voting populace that he is more than just a protest vote against a corrupt regime.

Could The Florida Race That No One Is Watching Be The Most Important Of All?

Not mentioned much in Florida's big dollar political slug fests, is Florida State Senator John Thrasher against fellow Republican Charles Perniciaro. What makes this more than just a normal primary, is Thrasher's role as the Republican Party of Florida state chairman.

If Mr. Thrasher were to loose his state senate race, would it not also tarnish his standing as the RPOF chair? Many people think so and are wondering how that race is looking.

Through my network of political activists, it appears the race is trending in Mr. Perniciaro's favor. Volunteers knocking on doors in this Jacksonville-based district are reporting 'high negatives' for Mr. Thrasher. Apparently there is still bad blood flowing from when Thrasher bought his way to victory in a highly contested special election.

The person previously holding that senate seat was Jim King who died unexpectedly prompting the special election. That race had four legitimate contenders splitting the vote. Thrasher narrowly won, but did not receive a majority of the votes cast.

One volunteer I spoke with said, "Most people I talked to were definitely voting against Thrasher. Once in a while a homeowner will say they're for Thrasher, but not many. We are also having success with reaching the undecided's."

Mr. Pernciaro is a medical physician, and has had a lot of financial support lending his campaign more than $300,000 dollars and then raising a million dollars more. Mr. Thrasher has accused the doctor of only recently registering Republican. Pernciaro responded by showing that he has only donated to Republicans.

Keep your eyes out tomorrow for this low profile race with big implications.

Was Mike Huckabee Ready To Sell His Endorsement to Rick Scott for $250,000?

I have spoken with a reliable source telling me that a little over a week ago, Mike Huckabee approached the Rick Scott campaign and made overtures that his endorsement could be had for $250,000 dollars.

A heated exchange occurred between Rick Scott and his campaign staff whether to pay-for-play for Huckabee's endorsement. Scott made the final call saying that, 'we're not going to have that kind of a campaign.'

My source is inside the Scott campaign and cannot be disclosed. Suffice to say they are on the payroll.

Once the offer was rejected, Mike Huckabee obliged establishment candidate Bill McCollum with the endorsement.

The Vested Powers Have Spoken: We Control The Election Process/Newcomers Need Not Apply

Judging from the latest polling in the Florida governor's race, it appears that the party insiders have taken the lead. Both Jeff Greene and Rick Scott have been condemned by the power brokers as 'not one of us, so you can't trust them.'

Let's set aside the charges of fraud leveled at these upstart candidates (no one has been indicted, let alone convicted of anything). More often than not, when you hear accusations of bad business practices coming from career politicians you can bet the elected official has a hidden agenda.

The fact of the matter is that you will need to be a multi-billionaire to upend the wishes of the state leaders of Democrats and Republicans. And to amass this much wealth, you're going to have to engage in some ruthless business practices.

The real issues facing voters are quickly fading into which power club is going to run our state. I'm not real comfortable with this and here's why.

The huge amounts of money that the Democrat and Republican party's rely on to mold public opinion come from lobbyists and special interests. This is not good because they are then beholden to the sources of this cash and that obscures the debate on issues.

The answer to this payola scheme is not more laws. We've been writing them for decades and nothing has changed.

What needs to happen is we MUST get involved (read takeover) the Democrat and Republican state party's. That means gaining voting rights for your favored group via their local county executive committees.

I will shortly be launching a website that will detail how this can be done. The window for this insurgency is quite short. Please add me as a friend on Facebook (Nick Egoroff) so I can keep you informed.

Till then, good luck with the mudslinging and accusations.

Down To The Wire: The Race To Beat Congressman Alan Grayson

Birds are tweeting that the Florida 8th Congressional district race has both narrowed and tightened. Three separate internal polls are showing that Todd Long and Dan Webster are in a statistical dead heat. All the other candidates: Ross Bieling, Dan Fanelli, Patricia Sullivan, Kurt Kelly, Bruce O’Donoghue are far behind in single digits.

This brings up an interesting question for those of us who still haven't voted. Namely that if we vote for any of the other five candidates, we're likely going to be backing a non-winner.

But here's where it get's really complicated. If we assume that Todd Long is the tea party front-runner, and Dan Webster is a career politician, a vote for anyone else would be splitting the tea party vote and give the election to Mr. Webster.

I trust that my sources are correct on the polling data. Now comes decision time. Barring any other late breaking news, I'm going to the Orange County Library and pulling the lever for Todd Long.

While I like all the candidates for differing reasons, I feel comfortable with Todd. As to all this mudslinging about his past drinking problems, I've talked with Todd off and on for the last couple of years in a variety of different situations. Never have I seen him show the slightest bit of inebriation. And his profession of christian faith helping him to reform his character appears genuine.

Amazing how writing something out makes decisions so much easier.

Let's Get Ready To Rumble: After the August 10 Primaries

I try to remain objective in politics, which is sometimes misunderstood by my friends because I don't mimic the party line. With that in mind, here's my take on the August 10 primaries.

Overall, I think the Democrats aren't going down without a fight. They stuck with Bennett, a strong Obama supporter, against a Democrat outsider. So Dem's are going to feel embolden to fight against the tea party surge.

And speaking of surges, Colorado conservatives really pulled off a surprise victory. Starting as an underdog, Ken Buck beat the Republican insider candidate who was thought to be a shoe-in. Jim DeMint's Senate Conservatives Fund played a huge role.

Bottom line? Money is still important. One billionaire lost (Dem Ted Lamont in Conn. governor) and one won (McMahon for Maryland senate). Is Rick Scott listening?

And still too close to call: Georgia's Governor race. Less then 2500 votes separates the two Republican run-off opponents. One backed by Palin, another backed by Newt. This is less than a 1 percent difference in hundreds of thousands of votes. Like they say, 'every vote counts.'

The Most Important Information Political Activists Will Ever Need!

Over the years I've tried many strategies to influence people's votes. Sign waves? Done 'em (lots of sunburn to prove it). Writing letters? Yep, and it is cool when one get's published. Posting notes to Facebook and emailing friends? Yes, and who can resist the internet!!

But here's the one that has worked for multiple decades and always will: Getting a map of your precinct along with voter records from your local Supervisor of Elections. Armed with these two powerful weapons you'll learn more about politics and political behavior then anywhere else.

Let's start with the basics. On election night we are glued to the screen as the votes role in. They're presented usually with the adage: "With 12 percent of the vote counted, Harry Houdini leads his opponent by 11,000 votes." Most people assume that all the votes cast that day are stacked up in a huge pile and counted one by one. Nothing could be further from the truth (and more misleading).

What really happens starts long before election night and even longer before a candidate even enters the race. It's all based on something called PRECINCTS. These small squares drawn within each county are the building blocks of the candidate's district. To put it another way, before a candidate can win an elected office he must win a plurality of precincts.

Precincts have a long history attached to them which is easily seen from records obtained from the local supervisor of elections. In my precinct (#319 in Orange County Florida) there are about 1000 houses. That's a lot of houses (not to mention most houses contain at least two adults).

But thanks to the meticulous record keeping of the Orange County Supervisor of Elections, I (or more precisely my candidate/chosen political party) can ferret out all sorts of info to help me be more successful in shifting electoral outcomes.

Right off the bat they will tell me which houses to go to that have REGISTERED voters. Would it surprise you to know that about half the adult population is not registered to vote? So all those sign waves, emails, and letters to the editor fall on deaf ears so to speak since 50% of the folks you reach can't vote even if they wanted too. Voter registration is an altogether different subset of what I'm trying to explain and won't be delved into here.

But here is where it really gets interesting. The records from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections span decades. And the particular candidate that I'm volunteering for is interested in only reaching Republicans and those registered Independent. So with this criteria I now have a print out with a map showing me that there are just 327 houses that I need to contact. A much more manageable number!

There are a lot of other data that a campaign might choose to use in precinct walks. For instance when I go to someone's door I would know how often they vote, what party they are registered with, etc. Some software will tell me if they are gun rights supporters, their age, and just about anything else.

Here's the real kicker: how often have you ever wondered 'were those sign-waves really that effective? Was it really useful to attach brochures to cars in Publix parking lots?

Answer: YOU'LL NEVER REALLY KNOW, because elections aren't done in parking lots or on street corners.

Precincts are the only place you will know proof positive whether you're efforts really paid off! That's because the hours you spend leafleting in precincts, knocking on doors in precincts, and making calls into precincts; all can be quantitatively measured on the night of the election.

A simple process of comparing a precinct that has been 'worked' with one that hasn't will teach invaluable lessons. You'll see how 'real' voters (not political junkies and activists) vote. Nowhere else will you get clear feedback on the viability of a given candidate and their message. Nothing affected me more than when a candidate I worked my heart out for still lost despite herculean effort on my part. These are lessons I have learned well and draw upon all the time in political debates.

One more thing about precincts. Professional political consultants and candidates count precincts like Vegas gamblers count cards. They constantly scrutinize trend voting in precincts to determine likely hood of which party and candidate would win. Key: running a Republican in a district composed of trending Democrat precincts is a fool's errand.

I could go on and on about the underlying forces that determine and shape the political landscape.

But here's one tidbit of information. If just one person in each precinct determined that they would knock doors and make phone calls for a chosen candidate or cause, THEY COULD AND WOULD CHANGE THE OUTCOME OF ELECTIONS!

Think about this when you decide how to use your time! Meanwhile, I'm still going to hangout on Facebook (friend me under Nick Egoroff). But now through the 2010 election I'll be volunteering some of my time 'out in the field' to really affect change.

See you on election night, where I'll be either crying in my beer or gloating over a job well done. I'll compare my efforts to those other precincts and know for certain what really happened.

Nick Egoroff

Follow Me On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nick.egoroff?ref=profile
Follow Me On Twitter: http://twitter.com/NickEgoroff
Follow Me On Digg: 'Nick Egoroff'

Strange Case Of Hypocrisy In the Florida Orange County Republican Executive Committee

Orange County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Lew Oliver has 'got some 'splainin' to do! He sent out a mailer to central Florida Republicans reminding them that Orange County Mayoral candidate Bill Segal is a hardcore Democrat. The race is non-partisan meaning there are no R's or D's listed next to candidates' names.

Seems reasonable enough. So why the reference to Ricky Ricardo and his oft heard question to hapless wife Lucy?

Simple. While Lew Oliver prattles on about how "Bill Segal = Obama/ACORN" he seems to have forgotten something. His State Committeeman gave the MAXIMUM donation to Bill Segal's election campaign! That's right, Jerry Braley (former Republican Executive Committee Chair and it's current State Committeeman) saw no problem supporting the evil liberal Bill Segal.

One has to wonder about how serious Florida Republicans are about embracing constitutional conservative principles when one of its highest officials gives generously to Democrats.

Lots More To Florida Governor Race Than Meets The Eye

As campaign mudslinging reaches new heights, Florida's two Republican gubernatorial candidates have something else at stake. Should one of them win the November election, they would have tremendous influence over the Republican Party of Florida.

For proof, one must only look at the first thing newly elected Governor Charlie Crist did in 2006: he muscled in a new chairman for day-to-day operations of RPOF. Jim Greer was a little known party insider. His meteoric rise to power and his subsequent fall are well known.

But the story is far from over. While Greer has been indicted for siphoning off some of the money he raised for RPOF, he will soon have the chance to face his accusers.

And as radio commentator Paul Harvey would say, "And now for the rest of the story..." This is the last thing that RPOF want's to hear blaring from radio (or any other media).

Bill McCollum has held many elected offices. He is considered a long time Florida politico that knows where all the skeletons are buried and he's proven his ability to keep his mouth shut.

Perhaps that's why he and legislative leaders Mike Haridopolos & Dean Cannon led the efforts to try and buy off Greer. Why exactly Greer went from party boss to pariah will no doubt be told in court.

But in the meantime RPOF must be very careful to guard the party secrets. That's why longtime insider and lobbyist John Thrasher was rushed into taking Greer's place as chairman. So far, so good.

And with McCollum looking like an easy win, everything seemed fine.

But Rick Scott is looking like the uninvited guest at a private party. Should he win, it will be awfully hard to hide anything from the most powerful elected Republican in the state.

And that friends, is not going to be easily tolerated by insiders that want a nice dark place to conduct business. Big business. Like raking in millions from special interests looking to buy favors from elected officials.

Money is very important to RPOF. Florida election laws place strict limits on the amounts individuals and corporations can give to candidates. Those same rules allow UNLIMITED amounts of special interest money into races as long as it is funneled through a political party.

This has the perverse result of making the party even stronger. And it also shields politicians from being directly linked to any pay-to-play conflict of interests.

The problem with Rick Scott is that he's an outsider that hasn't been tested. Will he keep his mouth shut, or will he go digging in the graveyard? These are questions that will be answered shortly (or not at all IF he does not win)!

Not surprisingly, all the RPOF brass have come out strongly for McCollum. They know that this house of cards is best kept in tack by protecting it from outsiders.

I'm Announcing My Resignation From The Florida TEA Party Political Party

Yogi Berra is quoted as saying, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." That describes perfectly why I will no longer be serving as Communications Director of the Florida TEA Party.

Over the last year the tea party movement has excited much political activity. In Orlando, the first tea party event was organized by Jason Hoyt in March 2009. Attending this small roadside rally portended much greater things to come.

It was followed by bigger grassroots 'uprisings' leading to Washington, D.C. Politics and more importantly politicians, were served notice that the people had awoken!

Recently I have been involved with helping to support a third party called the Florida TEA Party. They now have candidates that will appear on the Florida November ballot.

While I'm no stranger to controversy, aligning myself with FTP has resulted in much criticism and misunderstanding. As a result I've had to weigh the consequences of staying with this group.

My passion has always been to get people to look beyond slogans and party affiliations. I've endeavored on this blog and on Facebook to engage political exploration on a variety of topics.

For this open communication to continue, I'm sensing that I must excuse myself from direct participation in FTP. My hope is that I can now write and speak about topics that won't leave people wondering if I'm just 'fronting' for FTP.

I would also like to thank the many Facebook posters who have engaged in thoughtful discussions on this topic.

No doubt we have all faced our own forks in the road. The choices are out there, but only time will tell if you've chosen the right path. This choice was not easy; but for me I think it was the best one.

Sincerely,
Nick Egoroff

Tempests Within Tea Pots

Today some leaders of some tea party groups decided that they would try to push a number of candidates to 'withdraw' from their respective races. As crazy as it sounds, tea party supporters are condemning grassroots candidates!

The condemnation comes as a result of these candidates wanting to run under the Florida TEA Party banner. Since the Florida Division of Elections recognized TEA a a political party, lots of folks have decided to run under this new third party.

But this has not sat well with some people. These tea party activists have engaged in a relentless campaign to smear and destroy this new political party.

Their reasons boil down to 1) it will split the vote and 2) it is being funded by Democrats. None of these two objections are proven, but there are bigger problems ahead.

When people start to intimidate candidates something has gone terribly wrong. If anyone wants to run for office, they have that free right. Debate the issues and make your choices.

Let's hope that we can return to the importance of platforms and qualifications.

Name calling and rumor-mongering do little except to stir the pot of hatred. Besides, most people prefer their tea with a bit of sweetener to take away the bitterness.

Florida TEA Party (political party) Shakes Up State Legislative Races!

MEDIA RELEASE



For Release June 18, 2010

For Further Information

Contact: Fred O'Neal, Chairman
(407) 719-6796

TEA Party Communications Director

Nick Egoroff (321) 228-9761



TEA Party Takes Aim At State Level Republican Party and Democrat Leadership


(Orlando, FL)- Florida TEA Party Chairman Fred O'Neal announced that twenty (20) candidates for the Florida legislature met qualifying deadline today to qualify for the November general election. All would have the word 'TEA' appear on the ballot next to their name and are the official nominees of the TEA party.

"We promised months ago that Republicans that merely talked about lower taxes but then voted for bigger government would be targeted. Today, incoming Florida Speaker of the House Dean Cannon, incoming Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos, and Democrat leader Ron Saunders all have Florida TEA Party opponents," said O'Neal.

"We will expose these RINO Republicans as the frauds that they are. Taxpayers have a right to a real choice and the TEA Party will give it to them."

O'Neal expects to wage a vigorous grassroots campaign that will oppose the influence of vested special interest money. "Just look at the millions of dollars that Cannon and Haridopolos have raised so far from lobbyists. It is an embarrassment that the Florida legislature is for sale to the highest bidder."

"For over a decade the Republicans have had a majority in Tallahassee and a Republican in the governor's mansion...and all we have to show for it is tax and spend policies that have helped bankrupt Florida's economy."

"We pleased to have a TEA Party candidate running in a Democrat stronghold district that the Republicans were afraid to challenge," he said. O'Neal was referring to Dr. Marshal DeRosa, a professor at Florida Atlantic University running in Senate District 30.

O'Neal also pointed out that Florida TEA Party candidates have qualified from Florida's panhandle to Key West and demonstrate a strong beginning for a brand new political party.

Florida TEA Party is an official political party recognized by the State of Florida and authorized by Florida Division of Elections to place candidates on the November ballot.


www.FloridaTEAParty.US

(END

The Tyranny Of The Primary System

Lots of primary's today, and much talk about who will win. Will the tea party favored candidate trounce the GOP old guard candidate? Are incumbents going to be a casualty?

Heady stuff for sure, but no one seems to look at one glaring fact. Namely that primary's traditionally poll only 20 to 30 percent of the electorate. That is to say that most people stay home and just vote in the November general election.

Is it fair that these 'activists' get to determine the choices for others? I would argue no. Sure, we can warn these 'November Only' voters, that they need to be more involved. But the fact has been verified for the last 50 years: Most people simply are only be willing to come to a polling place once a year and no more.


Add to this the understanding that most states have what is termed 'closed primary's'. This means you must be registered either as a Republican or a Democrat to be part of the primary process.

But wait, what about registered Independents? Too bad, they are going to be stuck with limited choices in November. And remember that more than 25 percent of voters refuse to register with either the Democrats or Republicans!

So if we take the 25 percent registered independents who can't take part in the primary and realize that two-thirds of registered Democrats and Republicans won't be voting today, we come up with a very sobering thought. Far from the primary system being the voice of the people it is instead the tyranny of the few!

Let's think about this for a minute. Do we really want our political destiny determined by so few people? I certainly don't.

Again we can argue all day long with neighbors that they must get involved in the primary process. But like it or not, most people are not political junkies and never will be. They want to vote once and that isn't changing any time soon.

Take my friend Abe (actually his real name;-). Abe is quite opinionated and has a general disgust for most politicians. I've made the case to him months ago that he should consider Marco Rubio. And this was long before Marco leaped to prominence.

But Abe is a registered independent and has been for a long time. He typically votes for Republicans (Bush got his vote in 2000 and 2004, as did McCain. But he refuses to register Republican or get involved in primary's. "Too much trouble. I'll just make my choice in November."

This all leads me to a conclusion. I'm quitting the 'can't vote third party or you'll split the vote.' Nope, since the choices offered by the Republican and Democrat party's are nowhere near the choice of the people, I say: Warmly welcome the third party's!

The point is this. Many people are complaining about the government and their elected officials. Perhaps we should start having more choices rather than making politics a game of point-spreads and adorable animal mascots.

Maybe, just maybe, we can send a real message: We have come to take our government back, and we're not just limiting it to your phony two party choices.

Nick Egoroff

RPOF Chair Jim Greer Arrested: Now For The Rest Of The Story!

"A statewide grand jury indicted Greer, 47, of Oviedo, on four counts of grand theft and one count each of money laundering and running an organized scheme to defraud. All are felonies."

So started the latest chapter in corruption that permeates the Republican Party of Florida. http://j.mp/b1Wh4Y

That someone in politics is exposed as a crook is hardly news. But this story has much deeper roots than a simple pol caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Already the spinmeisters are busy at work to camouflage the crime scene. Their hope is that you'll see the headline, shrug, and say 'good riddance to another crooked politician.'

First we'll start with Florida Department of Law Enforcement. They say, 'We're only investigating Jim Greer and we want to thank the RPOF for their helpfulness on this investigation.'

Ah yes, I'm sure that RPOF is is shocked, yes shocked, that money laundering is going on in the Republican party.' Sure you are. After all, raising astronomical amounts of money from corporate interests and then shoveling it to various elected Republican officials is all just in a days' work for this crew.

Current RPOF Chair John Thrasher and his spinners are busy trying to distance themselves from Greer, even hoping to make some political hay by attaching this scandal to Charlie Crist. Greer was handpicked by Gov. Charlie Crist and "you just can't walk away from that," Thrasher is quoted as saying.

Excellent pivot John! Direct people's view over to the hapless former Republican gov hoping to score some political points in the process.

Of course what gentleman John won't bother to mention is that he's a highly paid lobbyist himself, raising tonnes of bucks from corporate interests. What's the saying about 'the pot calling the kettle black'?

The real crime scene at RPOF (and Democrats do the same thing) is more like EVERYONE is hip-deep in money and it is always a scramble to cover up, er, distribute the cash so everyone stays fat, dumb, and happy. And if you've seen pictures of our rotund former chair, this is literally true.

FDLE should really begin an investigation of how much money is sloshing around the two big political party's. But no doubt both the Dem's and Rep's are holding their collective breath hoping that no one starts poking around and finding where the money trail ends.

Thanks for reading this far. Now for the rest of the story.

This is about much more than 'one good politician gone bad.' Remember that Charlie Crist, Jim Greer, and John Thrasher used to all be good friends. They'd work together shaking down and harvesting the money trees that dot Florida's corporate landscape.

Then they would bring home the spoils to incoming House Speaker Republican Dean Cannon, incoming Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos, and hundreds of other elected Republicans. Happily they'd all sit down to divide up the booty.

But as all crooks know, someone always gets greedy and someone feels left out.

What we saw happen today is just the first act of a well known play that will have many more villains and bad guys.

Little birds are whispering to me that there are many more investigations going on. Word is that Cannon, Haridopolos, Rubio, and many others are all under investigation.

And we're not just talking FDLE. The Federal government would also like a crack at these so-called public servants. And when the Fed's get involved watch out.

Stay tuned, the curtain is about to go up!

Nick Egoroff

North Korea Get's No Respect!

Look they sink another country's battle ship. They disrespect our president and threaten anyone that so much as looks sideways at them.

And what is the US response? Sec. State Hillary Clinton mumbles some bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo. If any country cried out for invasion it's the one who's president is saluted as Dear Leader.

Ho-hum. I guess when you starve your people to death, no one even wants the drama of occupying this wasteland.

Rodney Dangerfield, I think you've met your match!

Paula Dockery Rumors And New Opponent In FL Governor Race...

A little bird told me that Ms. Dockery has cut a TV commercial that will air perhaps this week. No content was revealed, but this is a huge step for the campaign.

Considering that the campaign finance reports are out and that our candidate is not exactly leading the money race, a TV commercial is quite a development. Stay tuned!

I helped leaflet the crowd at the Orlando Tax Day Teaparty rally. I was surprised at the number of people that had heard of Paula. Most of course had not, but were attracted by the colorful brochure.

While the campaign for Florida US Senate is front and center right now, let's not forget that who sits in the Governor's mansion will probably have more impact on our day to day life.

Final development in the governor's race? The sudden entrance of millionaire Rick Scott. He made his money in the health care industry and tags his campaign around running Florida like a business.

Don't know, but I would suspect that Florida Senator Paula Dockery is more qualified, but any news spotlighting the governor race is probably a good thing for us.

Nick Egoroff
Admin

PAULA-ticians For Governor Dockery
http://j.mp/UnofficialDockery4GovernorPage

Please feel free to forward...

Something Is Bothering Me About The Tea Party Movement

As April 15 rolls around two things come to mind.

1) The Federal Income Tax

2) Tax Day Tea Party's

Both have significance. But both are leaving me feeling helpless.

As we gather to rail against the powers that be, I can't help but think that we are missing a great opportunity. When I went to my first tea party rally in March 2009, I definitely saw the potential.

True there were only about 75 people on the side of a busy road in Orlando. But that one was soon followed by a much larger one that had many thousands in attendance.

I hadn't seen that much enthusiasm in quite a while. But more importantly these were crowds turning out with very little organization from the top. Nothing more than a few people exchanging email lists.

And as the year progressed, there were more rallies, meetings, and finally trips to Washington, D.C.

Much good has been accomplished, yet I still feel that we are consigning ourselves to just 'call your congressman' mode.

How I wish that instead of going to feel good events, sometimes traveling for hours and spending hundred's of dollars, we could know what the pro's know.

Namely, if you want power, you run for office. Granted that some brave patriots step forward and begin a campaign for US Congress. This is admirable, but as someone once said, 'First sit down and count the cost.'

Do some investigating and you will find that congressional races routinely cost millions of dollars to win. That is clearly out of our price range or fund raising ability.

But as I have studied the available options, I did what most novices do: Watch what the experts suggest and recommend.

Without exception they have told me, run for local office or your state legislature. This is the equivalent of playing college ball before you go to the pro's.

I've also had the pleasure of talking to many local & state officials. Besides giving me a chance to let them know how I would like them to vote, I've gotten to have many off-the-record conversations.

The subject that I would always broach is 'how did you win your election.' Again without exception they say start small and build a grassroots force.

Here's the bottom line. Either you run for office OR you help someone that is running.

How I wish all the folks traveling to D.C. or spending hours standing in a public park would consider how much impact they would have if that same time and money went towards electing one of our own.

Nick Egoroff

Please feel free to forward...

Please also feel free to ask questions or comment...

Florida Sovereignty Alert: Calls Needed To Block Obama Care

The Florida Health Care Freedom Act is being held up in a Florida Legislative committee. Passing this legislation is important because it gives Floridians the right to 'opt-out' of ObamaCare.

It's stuck right now in a committee and we need your calls to the following state representatives to propel it forward.

When you call just mention that you support Florida State Sovereignty and that you want the Florida Health Care Freedom Act be passed by the committee. Right now it is being stalled by amendments from Representative Bill Galvano.

This will just take a minute of your time. Call Now and copy and paste this to all your internet contacts.

Here's the numbers to call...

Larry Cretul
(850) 488-1450
352-873-6564/352-955-6407
current House Speaker

Bill Galvano**
(850) 488-4086
941-708-4968

Adam Hasner
(850) 488-1993
561-279-1616

Will Weatherford
(850) 488-5744
813-558-5115

This really needs your urgent attention. Please call everyday for the next few days until we hear that it will be passed through the subcommittee and onto the House floor!

Nick Egoroff
Admin
Florida State Sovereignty Movement
http://j.mp/FlaStSovMove

Please Copy And Paste And/Or Post Links

Disgraced Former Chairman Jim Greer Shows What Is Wrong With Republican Party Of Florida

Finally someone has launched a criminal investigation into what was (and probably still is) going on at the highest levels of the RPOF. Some may think that this is just the final chapter of the mysteries surrounding the state party.

I don't.

The Orlando Sentinel is breaking the story here
http://j.mp/as3q0p

Briefly the facts are that Greer through his stooge Executive Director, Delmar Johnson, had cozy arrangements to back-pay each other from campaign contributor's money. Everyone is now running for cover saying they 'alerted' Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement as soon as they discovered what was going on.

But let's take a look at the cast of characters to see who is really culpable.

First we have Bill McCollum. He says he notified FDLE when he heard about it. But wasn't this the same Attorney General McCollum that stood on stage wrapping his arms around Chairman Greer when McCollum announced his candidacy for Governor? This after months of intense speculation that something was going horribly wrong in Tallahassee party headquarters?

Somehow you would think that McCollum would at least look into what was going on. But no, McCollum (and others) insisted that Greer had the complete confidence of the party leadership.

And isn't McCollum supposed to investigate this kind of corruption instead of waiting for a local newspaper to splash it on the front page before he feigns surprise??

The next escape artist was RPOF heavyweight lobbyist John Thrasher. He too says that as soon as he heard that criminal activity might be going on he too went to the proper authorities.

But how many people would expect Thrasher, who's business it is to raise money for the party, to not know what is going on with that money??

Yes, a lot of more questions have been raised than have been answered with this latest revelation.

And here's another one.

Are we to expect that this is the only instance of politicians and bureaucrats raising money for politicos and instead lining their own pockets?

I have consistently been told that Republican (and Democrat) state representatives are directing special interest groups to funnel money into sham privately held corporations. Then the pol will be hired by the shell corporation as a 'consultant.' He then takes the money and doesn't have to disclose it on campaign finance forms.

I think the real story here is that a lot of people have a lot of questions to answer.

Too bad that it will probably be swept under the rug as so many of these allegations are.

Nick Egoroff
Admin: Restore The Republican Party Of Florida
http://j.mp/ReformRPOF

New Message Florida TEA Party Announces 1st 3rd Party Candidate For Congress!

While many so-called experts pontificate to 'just vote Republican', the Florida TEA Party gives the people a real choice.

Today, Peg Dunmire announced in Orlando, FL that she would run as the Florida TEA Party candidate in the 8th Congressional District. This seat is presently held by Democrat Alan Grayson.

Ms. Dunmire had been exploring a run as a Republican, but considered the Republican party dominated by RINO's and found the Florida TEA Party offered a more grassroots oriented base.

"I have been a registered Republican all my life. However, they have drifted from being the party of liberty, the party of Lincoln, the party of small government and a belief in the value of the individual," said Ms. Dunmire.

Fred O'Neal, chairman of the Florida TEA Party, introduced Peg at party headquarters on the 15th floor of the new Plaza North Tower in downtown Orlando. Several local media were there to cover the event.

Ms. Dunmire then gave a short enthusiastic speech outlining her platform of a 'people's voice candidate.' Previously she had been an executive at a major Pittsburgh hospital and a consultant within the health care industry.

The question of running as a third party candidate is dismissed by some. But all Peg is asking is to look at her platform and credentials. Then decide if it isn't time for someone outside the repetitive two party 'I'm better than the other guy' choices of the past.

Peg Dunmire's Facebook Page http://j.mp/Peg4CongressFB
Her Official Web Page http://www.dunmireforcongress.com/

Nick Egoroff
Communications Director

Florida TEA Party
http://www.floridateaparty.us/

Facebook
http://j.mp/TEApartFL

Calling All Central Florida Patriots

We all know that the national political scene is important. Pictures of the White House and Capital building in Washington, D.C. seem to be the embodiment of power.

But right here in central Florida we have another bastion of government. Matthew Falconer is running for Orange County Mayor because he knows that just like the US President, the executive branch (whether federal or in this case, county) has tremendous power to directly influence your life and freedom.

Did you know that Orange County government controls a THREE BILLION dollar budget? This is money that comes from everyone that lives within the county and benefits from it's services.

Unfortunately we have a county board of commissioners that are nothing more than career politicians that have grown the budget exponentially as compared to the general population. All of Matthew's opponents have voted for astronomical budgets that are now crippling our local economy.

Our answer is a people's candidate that is not beholden to the corporate special interests that control Orlando and Orange county. As a result he will not have the generous donations that can only come from real estate developers, engineering firms, legal attorneys and the panoply of crooks, chiselers, bamboozlers, charlatans and flimflam men that contribute to his opponents.

Mr. Falconer has studied local government and found that a thorough reexamination of the bureaucracy is in order. Combining redundant services at both the county and city levels could save us millions of dollars.

Again don't look to the so-called experts to endorse his ideas and help fund his grassroots education of voters. Nope, they're too busy making money sucking off the government teat.

My friends and fellow patriots, we face a tough road ahead.

We either get behind Matthew Falconer For Orange County Mayor and volunteer a couple of hours a week--or we sit back and let the lobbyists hand us another one of their stooge candidates.

We don't have big bank accounts to pay for slick commercials. They on the other hand will. And come four weeks before the August election, will ply you with lies and deception.

What we DO HAVE is a small but determined army of average folks that say NO MORE to this decade long charade of Republican and Democrat big spenders.

Every Saturday we meet to take our battle for good clean government house-to-house.

Is it easy? No. But we refuse to be lied to again by politicians and bureaucrats promising us jobs & growth if we'll just give taxpayer money to their buddies.

I challenge you to join us. If you live close then give up a Saturday morning or two to walk with us.
http://j.mp/Facebook4Matt

If you're older or live far away, then this can be your battle too! Send a Matt a financial donation.

His Facebook page is at http://j.mp/Facebook4Matt

His internet site is http://www.matthewfalconer.com/

This email is NOT paid for or endorsed by Matthew Falconer. It is just my view about the importance of this race.

Nick Egoroff
Citizen Patriot

Who Is More Powerful: Congress Or Florida Legislature?

Most would answer Congress, but the answer is not that simple.

Congress does have a huge impact on foreign and domestic policy. And with the onslaught of nationalized health care and deficit spending it is easy to be transfixed on Washington.

But our representatives in Tallahassee merit our attention just as much. This year's budget will approach 70 BILLION dollars. Next stop: a TRILLION dollar yearly budget is within site.

So what's a poor taxpayer to do?

Figure out who your elected representative is here

http://j.mp/FLStateSenate & http://j.mp/FLStateHouse

Look carefully on the part of the page that says 'Find your representative (you'll need your zip code and the extra 4 digits that comes with junk mail/bills.

It is vitally important that we start putting teeth into our efforts for not only State Sovereignty but a raft of other issues/taxes.

The best thing about state representatives is that it is so easy to talk to them either face to face or over the phone. Mine knows me by my first name and greets me warmly when ever I'm at tea party events.

We will be soon doing a bus trip to Tallahassee to visit (harass!) our legislators. Expect a day around the end of March. We'll leave early from Orlando (7am) and return around 10pm.

Please spread the word on this!

Nick Egoroff
Admin: Florida State Sovereignty
http://j.mp/FLStateSovereignty

Orlando Tea Party Split! No Room For Anyone But Republicans!

Phil Russo, who along with Jason Hoyt and Tom Tillison, organized most of the Orlando tea party events is splitting from the group because Republican influence is becoming too strong. He had tried throughout the last year to maintain the autonomous nature of the group.

The last straw came when Tea Party Patriots Live, the radio show that he helped create, interviewed Adam Lovejoy, the newly elected vice chairman of the local Republican Party. According to Russo it was nothing more than praise for the GOP. No hard questions or criticism of RINO's was voiced.

There are also questions of who would control the movement. Previously Mr. Russo had been free to put out press releases as he saw fit. Then after putting out one that was mildly critical of Marco Rubio, that policy was abruptly changed. From now on Mr. Russo would have to clear the press releases with Hoyt and Tillison.

"There was all of a sudden a feeling that Hoyt was in control," said Russo.

He also pointed to financial concerns. Recently Jason Hoyt flew to Washington, D.C. to attend the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) conference. According to Russo, Hoyt spent money out of the Orlando tea party account without consulting anyone.

"I have to get my press releases cleared, but Jason can spend hundreds of dollars without asking," he said.

The three had also been planning a April 12th Tax Day Tea Party Protest in downtown Orlando. On the stage would only be Republicans. Russo said, "You can now be assured that only Republicans will be at that event."

The main speaker is 20 year incumbent House Minority Leader John Boehner (R). Mr. Boehner has been branded by many as a RINO and representing everything wrong with the GOP.

There have been many questions whether the tea party movement was just an arm of the Republican Party. People have been excited about the potential for tea party's, but it now appears that the leadership has begun to be sucked into the world of political intrigue.

Jason Hoyt and Tom Tillison have become active participants of the Orange County Republican Executive Committee. Hoyt was also tapped to give a speech praising longtime insider Adam Lovejoy when Lovejoy was elected vice chairman of the local party. Hoyt further cemented his support for the GOP when he invited Lovejoy on Tea Party Patriots Live to sing the praises of all things Republican.

Florida TEA Party = Ultimate Nuclear Option!

The politicians and bureaucrats are hard at work within the tea party movement. Republican National Committee Chairman Micheal Steele holds confidential meetings with tea party 'leaders.' Endless emails from Republican Party operatives masquerading as tea party'ers saying, 'stick with the Republican party.'

Sometimes things can get a little confusing.

But one thing is clear. Americans are demanding change and they are waking up to the lies that both the Democrat and Republican party's are spewing.

The Florida Tea Party is one answer to the question, 'What happens when there is no patriot running in a race.' Then the solution is GO NUCLEAR!

Instead of just voting for Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dumber vote for the Florida TEA Party candidate!

When paperwork was filed with the Division of Elections to get Florida TEA Party listed as a political party there was a reason. And that reason was to first take the strong appeal of the tea party movement and use it as an opportunity to answer the two party monopoly.

Sure, there are other minor party's. But no one really knows what they stand for. Most people know the tea party movement which is the key.

But FTP is no ordinary political party. It is a hybrid. Because when a freedom-loving candidate is offered from the Dem or Repub party, the Florida TEA Party will stand down in that race.

However, when the Dem's and Repub's offer nothing but big government/big tax candidates the Florida TEA Party stands ready to threaten and if necessary, launch a candidate.

This candidate will clearly say that there is no constitutional patriot--HERE AM I: Pick Me!

Of course the ruling elites will bellow that you have no right! We will answer that you have stolen our rights and we want them back.

So the next time someone says that America is a two party system, tell them the following:

When the two party's agree to give us constitutional obeying candidates, we have no quarrel. But when they try to trick us into believing that only they have the right to run candidates, remind them that our freedom comes from the Constitution NOT from the Republican or Democrat party's.

If truth and logic won't persuade them, tell them that you have a secret weapon. A nuclear weapon. And it will be used.

Ronald Reagan said it best, "Trust, but verify." Implicit in that was the threat of force. We now have it.

Candidate Announcements Coming Soon!

Nick Egoroff
Communications Director
http://j.mp/FLTEAParty

Please feel free to forward!

Republican Party Of Florida Goes Whistling Past The Graveyard

With the recent election of millionaire lobbyist John Thrasher as the new chair of the Republican Party Of Florida, many GOP'ers are hopeful for change. I think their desire to stem the rebellion is wishful thinking.

It is becoming apparent that money is the most important goal to RPOF. First we had Gov. Charlie Crist break fund raising records (tapping over $6 million from special interests).

Then he appointed a lobbyist (George LeMieux) to hold Florida's Senate seat till he could occupy it.

Now we have Mr. Thrasher beating out the grassroots favorite Sharon Day for state chair. Sources have said that Thrasher's promises to lavish money on county Chair's was enough to flip early support from Day.

Some will say 'If RPOF can raise lots of money...so what?' The problem is that this money won't be coming from Mr. and Mrs. Florida Republican.

It will be coming from corporate interests that will want something in return. That 'something' is beneficial legislation to how business is regulated and taxed in the Sunshine State.

They'll also want nice big fat expensive projects which will benefit--you guessed it--the very same special interests that fill RPOF coffers.

Mr. Thrasher is well acquainted with this process. He was a huge benefactor (and lobbyist) for the Central Florida Commuter Rail Project. This multi-billion dollar boondoggle is going to richly reward those firms that are well connected.

Taxpayers, well, they'll be stuck with the bill for a train to nowhere. Nice work if you can get it.

The prevailing hope for Republicans has been the tea party movement. And yes, they do represent a lot of necessary votes. But any hopes of the Republican party being controlled by the people/grassroots seems rather far fetched.

And one more thing. Let's remember that the one of the drivers of the tea party movement has been their disgust with legislators not listening to them and voting for bailouts.

These bailouts to Wall Street are onerous enough. But bailouts come in all flavors and colors.

Favorites of Mr. Thrasher's lobbying firm are ones with names like 'alternative energy' and 'business development'. They are all code for taxpayer funded; which also means you'll be paying for them.

John Thrasher better whistle a really upbeat tune while he strolls past the graveyard. If those skeletons buried deep in disclosure forms ever rise up...now that would be truly frightening!

Nick Egoroff
Admin: Restore The Republican Party Of Florida
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?id=676589249&gv=12#!/group.php?gid=114057504448

Please feel free to forward

As expected, money trumped all other considerations. John Thrasher, millionaire registered lobbyist, was elected State Chairman of the Republican Part

As expected, money trumped all other considerations. John Thrasher, millionaire registered lobbyist, was elected State Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.

The election wasn't even close: Thrasher 135, Sharron Day (viewed as the grassroots favorite) 85.

While this was the expected outcome, it is important none the less. We now have yet another indication that the RPOF is just going to be about money.

And we're not talking little $50 or $100 contributions. No sir, this is BIG FAT CORPORATE special interest money. You see, because of campaign finance laws, each candidate state-level candidate can only collect $500 per individual supporter.

The main purpose of RPOF is to act as a repository for the big six and seven figure checks from lobbyists. These million dollar checks go to the party chairman who is able to accept them because of our campaign finance 'reforms'.

Now Mr. 'Money Bags' Thrasher will be able to dole out the cash to his favored RINO Republicans and keep the special interests satisfied with preferential legislation.

Many Republicans had hoped that Sharron Day winning might signal a new, more grassroots oriented party. Today's results speak otherwise.

Now starts the consideration of whether RPOF will EVER become a party of small government and lower taxes.

Why? Because big business (and their well-heeled lobbyists) want a bigger government that doles out bigger taxpayer funded projects!

Mr. and Mrs. Sunshine Republican, I have some bad news for you. Your party has been sold and you are left holding an empty bag.

But not to worry. Mr. Thrasher has reached into his deep pockets and pulled out a couple of coins. Perhaps you can go down to the store and buy that new stuffed elephant you always wanted.

Nick Egoroff
Admin: Restore The Republican Party Of Florida
http://j.mp/RestoreRPOF

Please Feel Free To Forward

Is The Tea Party Movement Just A Dating Service For The Republican Party?

Been watching a fair amount of coverage of the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) confab being broadcast on CSPAN. Couldn't afford the $750 entrance fee, to say nothing of travel and lodging, but here are some observations.

It seemed to be overflowing with Republican politicians looking for a cheap one night stand with eligible tea party voters. Yes the talk was good, but nary a mention of that pesky matrimonial relationship with big government and higher taxes.

I'm afraid that the seduction of power and prestige is too much for some of the neophyte leaders of the tea party movement.

One word of warning.

If you go to bed with a Republican party panderer that tells you that 'You're the only one I really love,' you might hate yourself in the morning.

Folks, the problem with the Republican party is that it has an incestuous relationship with corporate money and power. They are like the proverbial housewife that forgives the wayward husband that promises to repent of the drinking and fornicating.

I hope that this time it will be different, but history does not indicate it.

Please have the gumption to call these cheats for what they are. The only speaker that I have heard there that did, was from the Club For Growth. No johnny-come-lately he: CFG has a long history going back more than a decade of blasting Republican RINO's.

He reminded us that the Republican party endorsed Arlene Spectre over Pat Tomey, gave us Scarzafava in New York, and endorsed Crist over Rubio. Needless to say he started his speech with, "The Republicans may well win a majority in Congress in 2010. But can we trust them to bring conservative principles with them to Washington? I don't know."

And how about this quote, "The growth of taxes and government under the years of Bush paved the way for the future election of Barack Obama." Very quite applause for that line!

I suggest that we keep a very sharp eye on these wayward philanderer's!

Nick Egoroff
Admin, Restore The Republican Party Of Florida

http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?id=676589249&gv=12#!/group.php?gid=198005734919

Please feel free to forward.

Everett Wilkinson/South Florida Tea Party, Inc. Rejects Compromise: Files Suit Against Florida Tea Party

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 5:55pm | Edit Note | Delete
Below is a reprint of a press release issued today. The undersigned are leaders in various Florida tea party movements. Their statement tries to persuade Everette Wilkinson, a leader of South Florida Tea Party, Inc., to cease and desist from filing a lawsuit against the Florida TEA Party (recognized by the Florida Division of Elections as an official political party).

Wilkinson declined to withdraw the lawsuit which was filed by him and a couple of others on January 19, 2010.

While many of the undersigned do not agree with the Florida TEA Party operating as a political party, all agree that taking this to court is not helpful to the movement. When offered a compromise that would make clear that NO ONE had exclusive rights to the name 'tea party', not only did Wilkinson reject it, he would not even show it to membership.

It is obvious that Mr. Wilkinson is spoiling for a fight. This is all the more evident when the compromise clearly stated Fred O'Neal, Chairman of the Florida TEA Party, agreed not to take legal action over use of the name 'tea party.'


This is a statement by Robin Stublen on the lawsuit...

Over the past two weeks Nick Egoroff and I have been working behind
the scenes to find a compromise between the political party Tea Party
of Florida and several Tea Party groups who had filed a lawsuit
against the political party. While I do not know Nick personally, I
would like to thank him for working with me on this issue. Hopefully,
we can get this behind us and work on slaying dragons.

Disclaimer: I am not a plaintiff in this lawsuit. I did not at the
time and do not now agree with the suit and have always believed we
could work something out. The agreement below proves that this is
actually the case.

The three defendants in the suit have all agreed to the agreement and
are willing to sign a formal written agreement as stated below. Tom
Gaitens and I have attached our names only to show support for this
agreement and believe this is the best course of action. We have no
legal standing.

I have given this to the primary plaintiff in the case (Everett Wilkinson) and have asked
him to forward it to the other plaintiffs. He has refused to forward
it to them and has told me not to speak to any of them.

Robin Stublen
Punta Gorda Tea Party

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Below is a copy of the press release:
___________________________________________________________________________________________





Contact
Nick Egoroff
Director Communications/
Florida TEA Party
(321) 228-9761
email nicholasegoroff@hotmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE




Recently Florida Tea Party was registered as an official political party through the Florida Division of Elections. As a result, many misleading and misinformed emails and unfounded allegations have circulated over the Internet. This has resulted in threats of legal action over the phrases "tea party" and "Florida Tea Party." It is agreed by all concerned that individual Tea Party groups in the state of Florida shall continue to use "Tea Party" in their group or organization name and activities.


We the undersigned wish to put a halt to the miscommunication. In no way do we support or condone ANY group seeking to own the name Tea Party. Any individuals or groups that have taken actions or made threats are asked to rescind them for the betterment of the tea party movement.

The power and force of the tea party movement in Florida should continue to grow with each tea party entity taking separate paths and doing what it does best.

Let this be an example of how misunderstandings can lead to serious consequences and how communication can result in positive action.


Nick Egoroff
Communications Director
Florida TEA Party


Robin Stublen
Punta Gorda Tea Party


Tom Gaitens
Freedom Works (Florida)


Fred O'Neal
Chairman: Florida Tea Party


Doug Guetzloe
Chairman: Ax The Tax



###

About: Florida TEA Party is an officially recognized political party by the Florida Division of Elections. It has no affiliation with movements using variations of the phrase 'tea party.'

Here's How The Republican Party of Florida Really Works!

Monday, February 1, 2010 at 9:57pm | Edit Note | Delete
Great behind the scenes look at how the party dictatorship, er, leadership picks the next party chairman.

First the incoming Speaker of the Florida State House legislature (Dean Cannon) gets together with the incoming Florida State Senate Speaker (Mike Haridopolos) and they decide who the next state party chairman will be. http://j.mp/crdEYm

That's it, it's settled. Now if anyone wants to question their choice, Cannon and Haridopolos blatantly remind everyone that they raise millions for the party so SHUT UP!

I don't know about you, but this reeks of top-down management.

Not to mention whatever happened to all the talk about opening up the RPOF books? Seems to me that this whole Dump Greer brouhaha started because of lavish spending! Now all of a sudden it seems like that is being swept under the rug!

Let's demand full transparency from our state party officials.

Nick Egoroff
Administrator: Restore The Republican Party of Florida

Please feel free to forward.
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?id=676589249&gv=12#/group.php?gid=198005734919

GOP adopts platform test for candidates during Hawaii meeting

Friday, January 29, 2010 at 10:49pm | Edit Note | Delete

Below is a late breaking story from the Republican National Committee meeting in Hawaii. Basically the RNC has tried to clearly delineate what a Republican should be supporting.

As mentioned in the article, this is the 'less stringent' 10 point litmus test that was much more restrictive.

My view is that the problems with the Republican party are not just platform oriented. They/we must see new leadership that is not part of the 'good ol' boy network.'

Too many of the leaders of the Republican Party of Florida have held office for DECADES. As any well run business knows, people that stay too long in a position tend to stultify.

And we don't even have to go into an entrenched power structure!

Stay tuned, the election for Chairman (or Chairwoman if Sharon Day should win;-) will give SOME indication where the party is heading.

Sincerely,
Nick Egoroff
Admin



HONOLULU — The Republican National Committee, pressed to find a way to more clearly distinguish itself from Democrats, on Friday adopted a rule that requires GOP candidates to support the party's platform to obtain financial support.
Quantcast

The resolution, enacted by voice vote with no opposition at the party's winter meeting here, is an alternative to a more stringent proposal that would have required GOP candidates to support 10 policy positions if they wanted party help.

That proposal, sponsored by Indiana RNC member James Bopp and backed by the RNC's more conservative members, was strongly opposed by party Chairman Michael Steele and a group of state party chairs.

The alternative, offered by RNC member Bill Crocker of Texas, does not contain a specific litmus test and thus grants party officials more flexibility in how to vet GOP candidates seeking party support.

It urges leaders of local, state and national Republican parties to "carefully screen" the voting record and positions of Republican candidates that want party backing, and determine whether they "wholeheartedly support the core principles and positions" of the party as laid out in its platform.

The platform is adopted every four years at the party's presidential nomination convention.

The new rule will not prevent support for moderate Republican candidates but will bar funding for those judged to be too far to the left, Crocker said.

"No more Scozzafavas, please. No more Specters, please. No more Chafees, please," Crocker said, referring to Dede Scozzafava, a GOP candidate for a U.S. House seat in New York whom conservatives opposed; U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, who switched his party registration from Republican to Democrat last year, and former U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, a liberal Republican.

Crocker urged the party to "present candidates who will be attractive" to the people who like those in the Tea Party who are really dissatisfied with our political conduct over the past several years."

Bopp withdrew his proposal and supported the alternative, contending it will be more effective because party leaders will have to consider a broader range of issues than just those cited in his resolution.

His proposal would have barred financial help for GOP candidates who disagreed with three or more of 10 policy positions, including support for "market-based" health care reform and climate change policies, and opposition to gun control, government abortion funding and amnesty for illegal immigrants.

There appeared to be some disagreement over the practical effect of Crocker's resolution. Bopp said it requires party leaders to compare GOP candidate positions to the party platform. But Bob Tiernan, the GOP state chairman in Oregon, insisted it is not binding.

"There's nothing mandatory in it," Tiernan said.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100129/BREAKING01/100129052/GOP+adopts+platform+test+for+candidates+during+Hawaii+meeting