Crist: No to Rewarding Teachers

Today, Charlie Crist once again ignored the will of his party leaders in Florida, including his colleague, former Governor Jeb Bush, and voted with the Democrats and Teacher Unions by vetoing Senate Bill 6.

Crist’s motivations are unclear, especially considering he is losing support among the conservative base in his Senate Race. With this vote, he only confirms that he is a RINO- Republican in Name only. He is not someone that we want to send to Washington to vote on healthcare reform or cap and tax.

Immediately, after the veto, his own Attorney General, Bill McCollum put out this statement:

I am deeply disappointed Governor Crist succumbed to the pressure from Democrat Alex Sink and the unions by putting bureaucracy above the best interest of our children and teachers. The veto of Senate Bill 6 is a significant setback to our strides in education reform, which will limit Florida’s ability to compete on the world stage. We need to reward teachers and give them the tools to succeed, as was proposed in this legislation. As Governor, I will lead the charge to enact reforms that will ensure our children and teachers are positioned to be the very best they can be.

The final result of this move has not been seen yet, but several of Crist’s key supporters withdrew their support after his veto of Senate Bill 6.

Their has been speculation in recent days that Crist will pull out of the Republican Party and run as an independent in the upcoming General Election in November. So far, his campaign has not ruled it out as a possibility.

FFYR Taps GOP Celebrities

ffyr lineup

The FFYR Convention in February is proud to present a star-studded lineup of some of the right’s biggest celebrities including: Grover Norquist, president of Americans For Tax Reform; Lt. Colonel Allen West, recent adviser to the Afghan Army; Rita Cosby, former FOX News TV anchor; George P. Bush, son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush; Tucker Carlson, MSNBC’s Senior Campaign Correspondent; Pete Coors, Coors Brewing Company; and George Allen, former Virginia Governor.

Grover Norquist

Grover Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a coalition of taxpayer groups, individuals and businesses opposed to higher taxes at both the federal, state and local levels. ATR organizes the TAXPAYER PROTECTION PLEDGE, which asks all candidates for federal and state office to commit themselves in writing to oppose all tax increases. To date, President George W. Bush, 193 House members, and 41 Senators have taken the pledge. On the state level, 7 governors and 1,221 state legislators have taken the pledge.

In the words of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Grover Norquist is “the person who I regard as the most innovative, creative, courageous and entrepreneurial leader of the anti-tax efforts and of conservative grassroots activism in America . . . He has truly made a difference and truly changed American history.”

Mr. Norquist holds a Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, both from Harvard University. He and his wife, Samah, live in Washington, DC.

Lt. Colonel Allen West

LTC Allen West has lived his life in service to America. In 2004, when it was time to retire from more than twenty years of service in the US Army, he brought his wife and two young daughters to Broward County, Florida, where he taught high school. He then returned to Afghanistan as an advisor to the Afghan army, an assignment he finished in November 2007.

In his Army career, Col. West has been honored many times, including a Bronze Star, three Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals (one with Valor), and a Valorous Unit Award. He received his valor award as a Captain in Desert Shield/Storm, was the US Army ROTC Instructor of the Year in 1993, and was a Distinguished Honor Graduate III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas Air Assault School.

He is currently running for US Congress. He has a wife, Angela, and two daughters, Aubrey and Austen.

Rita Cosby

Rita Cosby is a veteran TV news presenter and senior correspondent who has worked at MSNBC and Fox News.

While at FOX News she hosted both The Big Story Weekend Edition and FOX News Live with Rita Cosby. At MSNBC she hosted a daily evening news program.

She is known for her exclusive interviews with top newsmakers, including her historic back-to-back interviews with former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Cosby has also interviewed former Presidents Ford, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton.

Cosby has received three Emmy Awards, the Jack Anderson Award for investigative excellence, the Matrix Award, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

George P. Bush

George P. Bush, son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Nephew of President George W. Bush, and Grandson of President George H.W. Bush, is a Partner of Pennybacker Capital, LLC. His primary responsibilities include preparation and negotiation of transaction documents consistent with the investment strategy, sourcing and providing analysis of potential investment opportunities, and coordinating the Fund’s investor relations functions.

Prior to joining Pennybacker Capital, LLC, Mr. Bush practiced corporate law in the Dallas office of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP where he conducted legal due diligence and prepared transaction documents in connection with mergers, acquisitions, offerings, credit facilities, securities filings and divestitures for private equity clients and publicly held corporations. After graduating from law school, he clerked for the Honorable Sidney A. Fitzwater, a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas.

Mr. Bush received his undergraduate degree from Rice University and obtained his Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law. He is a member of the Texas Bar Association, ICSC, CCIM, and the Real Estate Council of Austin.

Tucker Carlson

Tucker Carlson is a political news correspondent and commentator who formerly co-hosted CNN’s Crossfire and MSNBC’s Tucker. Currently, Carlson is listed as MSNBC’s Senior Campaign Correspondent, and appeared regularly on Verdict with Dan Abrams as a panelist in political discussions.

Carlson began his journalism career as a member of the editorial staff of Policy Review, a national conservative journal then published by the Heritage Foundation (and since acquired by the Hoover Institution). He later worked as a reporter at the regionally influential Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Carlson most recently served as host of the MSNBC program Tucker. Carlson joined MSNBC in February 2005 from CNN, where he was the youngest anchor in the history of the network. While with CNN, he hosted a number of shows and specials, including the network’s political debate program, Crossfire. During the same period, Carlson also hosted a weekly public affairs program on PBS, Tucker Carlson: Unfiltered. As a magazine and newspaper journalist, Carlson has reported from around the world, most recently from Iraq and Lebanon. He has been a columnist for New York and Reader’s Digest. He currently writes for Esquire, The Weekly Standard, The New Republic and The New York Times Magazine and The Daily Beast.

Pete Coors

Pete Coors is a businessman and entrepreneur. He currently is the chairman of the Coors Brewing Company in Colorado and vice chairman of its parent company, Molson Coors Brewing Company. Coors is slated to become the first Chairman of a combined MillerCoors joint operating venture, announced October 9, 2007. Coors is also a partial owner of the Colorado Rockies, a Major League Baseball team in the National League West division. In October 2006, Coors was appointed by the University of Colorado Hospital Board of Directors as chairman of the board for the new University of Colorado Hospital Foundation.

George Allen

George F. Allen served the Commonwealth of Virginia for over twenty years, as Governor, in both bodies of the United States Congress, and as a delegate holding Thomas Jefferson’s seat in the Virginia General Assembly.

Sworn in as Governor in 1994 George Allen brought sweeping reform that made Virginia a national model in economic development, public safety, education accountability, and creative government. As a self-described “Common Sense Jeffersonian Conservative,” Allen pushed through cutting edge reform with bipartisan support in a legislature held by the opposition.

Currently, George Allen is President of George Allen Strategies, LLC, and also serves as the Reagan Ranch Presidential Scholar for the Young America’s Foundation.

Joe Scarborough

Former Congressman Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.) serves as host of “Morning Joe,” weekdays from 6-9 a.m. ET on MSNBC. “Morning Joe” features interviews with top newsmakers and politicians and in-depth analysis of the day’s biggest stories.

Previously, Scarborough hosted “Scarborough Country,” in primetime on MSNBC.

Republicans United

Last night I attended the Seminole County Unity Dinner. It was a good showing. We had so many people there at Luigino’s it was standing room only. Jim Greer, campaign chair for Crist in Seminole County, was the master of ceremonies. Crist was not in attendance again, though he did make an appearance at the rally downtown with Jeb earlier in the day. Some of the other speakers of the evening included: Our Chairman, Jim Stelling, Tax Collector Ray Valdez, and our own Alex Setzer who was named co-chair of the Crist campaign in Seminole.

Jim and Alex both stressed the importance of a united front in the upcoming election, especially if we want to get good Republicans elected to office. It was a good start to the next election cycle.

So lets all try to get along and get out there and get Republicans elected this fall!

Video of this event coming soon!

Gone to the Dogs!

Gov. Bush will be in Orlando this afternoon to sign the Doggy Dining Bill into law.

“The legislation gives local governments the authority to decide whether to let restaurants allow dogs to eat with their owners in outdoor dining areas. The bill started taking shape after many Orlando businesses started allowing dogs on outdoor patios- some even offering separate pet menus. State of Florida health inspectors ultimately shut down the practice, citing health code violations. Gov. Bush will hold the bill signing ceremony at Sam Snead’s near Lake Eola.”

Hopefully this legislation doesn’t come back to bite the Restaurant Owners in the butt. What if one of these dogs gets into a fight with another dog? or worse yet bites a patron? And just who is on poop partol? I can see the bus boys loving this one.
“Sir can you come over here and clean up this mess?”

It won’t be long till restaurants are forced to provide separate dining areas for people with dogs and people without.

While this may seem like a good idea on paper. I’m not sure I want to be sitting next to poochie drinking my cafe latte.

Keep11th commandment

I was disturbed the other day when I heard that Jeb broke the 11th Commandment- “Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican” when he publicly stated that Katherine Harris could not win the Senate race. While he was blunt and spoke what is on the minds of many Republicans these days- I felt his comments were inappropriate. It was neither the time nor the place for such a discussion.

It would have been far better for him to use a little tact by setting up a time to speak to her privately on the matter. The press is already giving her such a time- Republicans should not be piling on.

As a result of this incident, Katherine Harris was on Sean Hannity the other day. When he questioned her about the incident, she was very gracious commenting that she felt no ill will toward him. She stated unequivocally that she saw her chances of winning were great and that she welcomed his support. And she believed in the end she would have it.

As Republicans we need to stand behind our candidates running for office. Our own Lincoln stated time and time again: “A house divided against itselff cannot stand.” As of now there is only one Republican seeking this Senate seat. For good or bad we should be with her till the end.