Reagan Day Dinner

The Seminole County Republican Executive Committee is hosting it’s annual Reagan Day Dinner tonight at the Altamonte Springs Hilton. Featured guests include: John Boehner, US House of Representatives Minority Leader; and Dean Cannon, Speaker Designate of the Florida House.

John Boehner (Bay-ner) represents Ohio’s Eighth Congressional District and is Republican Leader of the United States House of Representatives. Throughout his career as a small businessman and Member of Congress, John has been a passionate advocate for the Republican values of freedom and security. A staunch opponent of pork-barrel politics, John is fighting to eliminate wasteful spending and balance the federal budget without raising taxes.

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, John knows a thing or two about compromise and conflict — he has 11 brothers and sisters. He and Debbie, his wife of 35 years, have two daughters.

John also knows something about leadership and vision. First elected in 1990, he made a mark early by taking on the Democratic establishment and making Congress more accountable to the American people. In his first term, John was part of the “Gang of Seven” that forced Congress to live by the same laws as everyone else. John was instrumental in crafting the Contract with America, the bold 100-day agenda so pivotal in bringing Republicans to the majority in 1994.

Rising through the ranks in the House, from House Republican Conference Chairman, to Chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee, to House Majority Leader, John has distinguished himself at every level. He’s written legislation expanding school choice, strengthening America’s pension system, and making federal spending more transparent and accountable. Whether working to lower our dependence on foreign energy or increase access to high quality affordable health care, John has always pushed the envelope of reform and has a reputation for winning debates that matter in real people’s lives.

On November 19, 2008, Boehner was elected by his colleagues to serve a second term as House Republican Leader. He is leading an effort to earn back by the majority in Congress by crafting bold new solutions rooted in our enduring principles and by fighting for a federal government that is smaller, less costly, and more accountable.

October Meeting

Do not forget to join us at our October Meeting,  (October 26th) at 6:30pm at Gators Dockside in Lake Mary.

Along with our guest speakers and action items, we will also be going over the SCYPR fundraiser being held November 13. MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Never Forget

All too often we forget what we are really celebrating on the fourth of July. It is not about the celebration itself but the reason for it. It is about the men and women (our founding fathers) who were willing to sacrifice everything for the cause of freedom. And it is about those that made the ultimate sacrifice (our troops) in blood. Today remember all our troops that are in harm’s way around the world and be thankful that they are willing to die so that we may live free!

Lets Say Thanks to one of our soldiers today!

The Greatest Gift

This Christmas I was reminded that the Greatest Gift of all is Love. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” This holiday we are not only reminded of Jesus sacrifice- but also those of our soldiers who willingly gave their lives that we may live free. Many have died and many more have spent Christmas away from their families. During this new year Let’s Say Thanks to our troops and show them how much we love them!

Let’s Say Thanks


Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and was able to share some turkey with friends and family. Let’s not forget that we are able to share this day in peace only because of those who have sacrificed so much. Earlier this month we celebrated Veteran’s Day, but I would encourage each of you to drop a line to one of our soldiers currently serving overseas and let them know how much you appreciate all that they do. All you need to do is go to Let’s say Thanks and follow the instructions. It is a free service. Please drop a soldier a note this weekend. I know they’ll appreciate it.

Remembering our Veterans

defenders of freedom

Today we remember our Veterans and all those who have given their lives in service for our country. We must never lose sight of the fact that the struggle for freedom is a just cause.

And it never ends. As long as there are those who would wish us harm…we will defend.

Today we remember our “defenders of freedom” who are currently serving fighting the war on terror.

Take a minute today to pray for our troops and send words of encouragement.

Good, Bad, & Ugly

The Election is over and that in itself is reason to celebrate. This has been a long, hard week for all of us and I for one and glad it is over. Some races turned like we wanted, others not so much. But we got through. Here is my take on the election: the good, the bad and the ugly. (Limbaugh’s take on the election)

First, the Bad. Katherine Harris and Tom Lee lost their races. Katherine was not only beat- but embarrassed. Blame this one on the party. The Florida GOP didn’t get on board soon enough to make a difference in this race and this is disappointing.

I was shocked to see that Tom Lee lost this one or should I say that Alex Sink won. We can’t blame this one on our Get Out The Vote Efforts, because we walked, called and put up signs. No, this one was lost only because of Sink’s slick advertising. She was able to convince voters that she was right for the job. And there is nothing we can do to change that.

Second, the Ugly. Well, what can I say except, I wish it would have turned out different. We lost control of the House and we came close to losing the Senate as well. And it is no one’s fault but our own for failing to get our message out and get Republican voters to the polls.

The Democrats and Nancy Pelosi have a vision of the future that is different than ours. Right now all we can do is Imagine a world with no liberals- regroup and plan our strategy for 08. We need to remember, even though the election is over, there is still much work to be done.

Finally, the Good. We as SCYR’s should be proud of our efforts. While we didn’t have a good night nationally, we had a great night locally! Out of all the races that we worked on ( John Mica, Tom Feeney, Sandy Adams, Lee Constantine, Mike Ertel, Joanne Lucarelli, Chris Dorworth, Jeff Bauer, and Timothy Brodeur) we only had one come up short. Our efforts paid out. And that is something we can all be proud of.

On the Campaign Trail…

Today was another busy day on the campaign trail. This afternoon I received a call from Jessica Brien who asked me to come by the victory office to see Tom Lee – who was making a stop in Orlando. I arrived at the Victory Office about 12:30 and spent the rest of the day in the OC.

When I arrived, the place was jumping with people- making calls, delivering signs, and whatever else needed done around the office. After pizza and a soda I jumped right in to making Get Out The Vote Calls- while we were waiting for Lee to show up. 2 hours and several pages of calls later, he arrived.

We all took a break to greet him and talk about the campaign. Then it was back to work. I made several calls- then went with Jessica to pick up and deliver some signs to the Firefighters who promised to put them out for us tonight.

On the way back to the office we stopped to join our fellow sign wavers on the corner of Colonial and Lake Underhill. Sherry McInvale and John Quinones had several supporters out there already waving them on to victory.

We made it back to the office just in time to greet the Channel 9 news cameras- doing a story on the election. And by that time the place was really jumping. We had so many people all over the office making get out the vote calls- that we ran out of phones. Pretty good, huh?

While I was at the office, I spotted several other YRs including Delmar and Lovejoy. Delmar, who dropped off literally a ton of Crist signs- gave me a high 5 on the way out- and said, ” See you on the campaign trail….”

On the Campaign Trail…

Today was another long but fun day of campaigning. I joined the Lee Constantine Magical Mystery Bus Tour. We left the HQ this morning about 9:30 and toured District 22. We made stops at several stops, greeted constituents, waved signs and had fun.

We began our tour at St. Mary Magdalene this morning where the Father blessed us and sent us on our way. We toured a few neighborhoods and made our way to the Lake Eola Fall Fiesta in the Park whwere we got out- greeted people and passed out literature, stickers and flags.

We then got back on the bus and made our way to Charlie Crist Rally in Sanford- stopping along the way to greet more people and wave signs. We made it just in time to see Rudy Giuliani and Crist speak- before leaving on their whirlwind plane tour. While there, we ate lunch, hob nobbed and made a pit stop before getting back on the bus.

We made our way to the Lake Mary Festival of the Arts where we attempted to track down Durso but he was nowhere to be found. While there we saw a lone Jaspon supporter and heard that he caused quite a scene yesterday with his megaphone in hand. He not only pissed off a lot of voters but he was asked to leave. Needless to say this was quite good news for Lee.

On the way back to the office, we made stops at two early voting locations, where people were lined up along the sidewalks to vote. We cheered and waved signs. We made such a scene at one Library that we were asked to leave. Hey! In all fairness we did not violate the no campaign barrier. I’m just not sure they appreciated the megaphones. Oops! Or maybe it was the bus with Lee Constantine stuff plastered all over it. Hmm.. I wonder.

All in all, it was a fun day. It was great to see all the supporters in the district. And if the turnout on Tuesday is anything like it was this weekend- I have no doubt that Republicans will prevail. Special thanks to John Kerry and his idiotic comments. Keep up the good work!

And I’ll see you on the campaign trail…

On the Campaign Trail…

Well, my day ended on a more positive and encouraging note. I just got home from the grocery- had to pick up a few last minute items, when the bagger started talking to me about the election. I forgot I was wearing my GOP shirt when he commented, “Hey, you’re a Republican. Me too.”

While he was walking my groceries out to the car he started talking about how we need to get Republicans elected- because he didn’t want to see Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. He commented how the Democrats policies and socialist agenda were bad for America. And that’s why he is voting Republican on Tuesday.

I was encouraged that our message is getting out. I believe, as long John Kerry keeps talking and we Republicans keep up our get out the vote efforts- I think the Democrats will be in for a big surprise on Tuesday.

See you on the campaign trail….