Senatorial Candidate Forum – December 12

Jim Sackett, WPTV NewsChannel 5 news anchor, will be our special guest moderator at our Senatorial Candidate Forum on Monday, December 12th. 

We have invited all of the primary candidates for the Florida US Senate seat and now have confirmations from: Mike McCallister, Ron McNeil, Deon Long, Craig Miller and Marielena Stuart..

The forum will be held in the large ballroom at Binks Golf Club.  Doors will open at 5:30pm.  The $15 dinner buffet will start at 6pm and the Forum will begin at 7pm.

Directions to Binks Country Club

We will have limited seating so please click on the button below to RSVP by Wednesday, December 8th.

Here’s What Barack Obama Might Say in a 2nd Inaugural Address

January 20, 2013
Washington, DC

Many pundits thought Barack Obama was going to be a one-term president. However, he and his 2012 team found much of the mojo of the 2008 campaign. That plus a largely friendly and protective media, clever use of the advantages of incumbency, an ill-timed gaffe by the Republican presidential nominee, a significant financial advantage, and a massive, union-led GOTV effort enabled Barack Obama to eke out a tiny popular vote plurality and a bit more comfortable Electoral College majority.

Here is the transcript of his just concluded Inaugural Address.

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My fellow Americans and my fellow global citizens everywhere,

I stand here today humbled and yet invigorated by the tasks before us, and grateful for the trust you have once again bestowed upon me. We celebrate today not the victory of a man, nor the victory of a party, but the victory of an idea, an idea whose time has finally come. The idea that we are all in this together, that every man, woman and child is important and deserving, regardless of where in our world they may live. All have the right to the fruits that result from the world’s resources and our ever improving technology. This is the idea of the Common Good, which means that we can only make progress as a species if some more fortunate people make a few sacrifices for the betterment of the whole. If we choose the path of selfishness, then this nation, this civilization, and indeed this planet will face great, unprecedented and rapidly increasing peril. But if we choose the path of using the power of government to implement policies that further the common good for all humankind while honoring Nature, then ultimately we will achieve a collective salvation for our planet.

All citizens of the globe have a right to be free from the ravages of unnatural climate change. All global citizens have a right to a living wage or to the provision of life’s basic necessities. And all have the right to adequate health care; it is especially unfortunate when this right is not honored for those in the prime of life, as has too often been the case in the past.

The Constitution wisely provides for the possibility of a second and final presidential term, a term of four years during which a president unencumbered by petty politics can pursue the common good without concern about popularity and reelection. Perhaps other presidents so situated may have nevertheless played some politics, whether to help their party or their personal popularity or both; but this president shall be focused solely on what is for the common good and thus expects that, in the full light of history, this Administration shall be judged as having fulfilled its promise to fundamentally transform the United States of America.

We began this fundamental transformation four years ago today. We have made progress towards making the ideals of progressivism a reality in America, but much remains to be done. As one who has authored two books, delivered countless speeches, given innumerable interviews, and twice run successfully for President of the United States, there can have been no doubt about my values of social justice and greater economic equality. Now that the American people have spoken at the ballot box and given their collective imprimatur to my values and four more years of this transformative presidency, we must not let anything stand in the way of fulfilling the promise and we shall finish the job. That is why I issued several key Executive Orders in the post-election period, and why more such orders shall be forthcoming in the weeks ahead.

To my fellow citizens of planet Earth: We pledge to work towards a lasting peace. Never again shall the United States take unilateral military action, unless of course we are first attacked directly by another nation. Should we believe there is a need for military action, we shall go before the United Nations and receive approval before acting. We pledge an end to the American arrogance that prevailed in the Twentieth Century and much of the first decade of this century. We pledge to continue to learn from you, particularly those of you who enjoy religious and cultural traditions different from America’s past. We pledge to honor those traditions in every region of the globe, whether Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and so forth. We pledge to support what is best for the region as a whole rather than a particular regime in an individual country. Nowhere in the world, including the United States, can the 1% be allowed to stand in the way of the welfare of the 99%. We pledge to move aggressively towards full implementation of Agenda 21. We pledge to do whatever it takes to roll back the specter of a warming planet.

To the peoples of poor nations everywhere: We cannot, unfortunately, substantially alter your plight in a matter of weeks or months, but know this: Help is on the way. This Administration shall not rest until there is a markedly greater degree of global equality. As part of this initiative, we will, effective immediately, commit to a 90% increase in our annual contribution to the United Nations. This will not solve the problem, but it is a step in the right direction. And we shall be taking more such steps soon with the funds we will save from substantially reduced defense spending.

To Americans of all races, regions, ages, religious and non-religious outlooks: We have been a lucky people to have had what we have had for so long; but the status quo is unsustainable. The world is in need, and must no longer be ruled by greed. To preserve much of what we have, we must be governed by a spirit of sharing and caring. Narrow interests must give way to the common good. Outmoded concepts of individualism and self-interest must yield to the spirit of service and sacrifice. The Age of American Hegemony is over. Global problems demand global solutions. Imperialism and jingoism and so-called American “exceptionalism” must give way to global cooperation and sharing and fairness and becoming a big part of the solution, instead of a big part of the problem.

The major domestic issues in the recent campaign were immigration, energy, and the related issues of spending, taxes and the size of the federal government. Allow me to briefly address each of these, but first a point about the tone of the recent campaign. The rhetoric became quite heated. This is understandable during a campaign. But for the good of the nation, we must move on. Yet some in the media, and this includes but is not limited to talk radio and the Internet, have not moved on. They are entitled to their views, but no purpose is served by the strident tone of their vitriolic rhetoric. Indeed, it is harmful to the common good of the nation. Thus we shall pursue two fronts to restore a civil tone to our national dialog.

First, the FCC shall increase its monitoring of the Internet and other suspect media, regardless of political persuasion. When deemed necessary, warnings shall be issued. If warnings go unheeded, web sites shall be shut down and licenses revoked. Second, our political debates had a far more civil tone when the media was dominated by the great newspapers and news magazines that helped make America great. Through no fault of their own, they have been seriously hurt by the rise of the Internet. Out of a sense of fairness, and of respect for traditional American media, and to help restore civility to America, we shall use some of the funds from an Internet tax to aid some of these traditional newspapers and magazines. It is critically important to restore a civil tone in America and thus avoid future tragedies. As John F. Kennedy said from this very spot exactly 52 years ago today: “Civility is not a sign of weakness.” We can make strong points and still make them civilly.

We have always been a nation of immigrants and so should we be now and in the future. It is time that we allow those who have labored for us to participate in our democracy and, with their children, to come out of the shadows and into the safe sunlight of American democracy. Accordingly ICE is being downsized and reorganized. Furthermore, my Administration shall take steps to assure that there is no denial of voting or other rights to any adult immigrant, regardless of current technical legal status, and also to assure that there is no such denial to any non-immigrant, including persons of color.

As for energy, all thinking people know that my system of cap and trade is the only viable solution. As I have said before and repeated again earlier in this address: We must do whatever it takes to roll back the specter of a warming planet. Otherwise our children face an unprecedented disaster.

Government spending is necessary for the good of the economy. Of course, there are a few places where savings can and will be achieved, especially in defense. Much government spending is for government employees, who are necessary to carry out this Administration’s programs and policies. To keep these valuable people, we must reward them accordingly. That is why there can be no further reduction in taxes. Indeed, we will soon unveil a more fair tax policy that will raise taxes on those in higher brackets of income and will impose a tax on retirees who have a private nest egg that is larger than they could reasonably spend in their remaining years, according to actuarial studies.

We must mature in our thinking and not cling to the past and its outmoded concepts. The centuries-old way of doing things will not work for any of us in this new age of an ordered world.

We now truly have a rendezvous with destiny. A great collective opportunity is ours, an opportunity to change and modernize America and to help better the world. Let us not waste it, let us not shrink from the challenge of embracing this opportunity and advancing economic and social justice here and around the globe.

Thank you, and let us move forward quickly to achieve the Common Good for all citizens of the world.

GOP Booth at Palm Beach Gardens Green Market

Palm Beach Gardens Green Market:

• Sunday November 20, 27, Dec 11 & 18
• 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
• Market is located at City Hall Complex next to PBG Fire Station # 1 at 4301 Burns Road
• We will register volunteers
• We will direct people to SOE web for voter registration
• We will hand out information on issues and candidates

• Our booth will be recognized by the American flag proudly on display and the elephant logo
• Candidates can stand in the booth and speak to visitors
• Candidates are allowed to walk around but not campaign as walking
• All handouts can be placed at the booth
• All signs can be placed at the booth
• Contact person is Linda Gore- please call 686-1616 to volunteer

Senator Nelson Calls for Investigation of Conservative Activists

Some of you may have received this letter from our Democrat Senator. He is claiming that

“..a handful of super-rich conservative activists are behind an orchestrated effort to keep millions of seniors, younger voters and minorities from casting ballots next year…”

and he is calling for a Senate investigation to

“..see if Florida’s law was part of a plan that led to similar voting law changes in more than a dozen other states this year.” and then “.. I have asked the Justice Department to look into who’s behind these changes. “

This is chilling. Where was Senator Nelson when Acorn was subverting the election process all across the country and Black Panthers were intimidating voters at the polls. This is a part of an organized effort to weaken our election laws and all the more reason why everyone who is able should volunteer as a poll worker or watcher to help keep elections fair.

County GOP Picnic Draws Assortment of Candidates and Enthusiasts

Quite a few 912 and Tea Party members were sighted among the 120 or so attendees at the PBCGOP picnic today in John Prince Park, in spite of the competition from the Tea Party Convention in Daytona and the AFP Conference in DC. The food was good and the networking was worth the visit, but the program was somewhat chaotic.

In addition to the local luminaries – Congressmen Allen West and Tom Rooney, Florida House members Bill Hager and Pat Rooney, and former Senator and candidate George LeMieux, we were joined by Presidential candidate Rick Santorum, and a surrogate for Texas Governor Rick Perry, his son Griffin.

Senator Santorum gave a rousing speech (in my opinion), focused on some of the issues that have been minimized in the campaign so far. These include the importance of the family in restoring America to greatness, and the importance of bringing back viable manufacturing to this country to restore the position of the middle class. Unfortunately, by the time the Senator spoke much of the crowd had drifted away and many of those who were left continued talking among themselves and hardly paid attention to the speech. This seemed rude to me, but when the Senator had finished it got worse. The speakers that followed him had to shout to be heard and were ignored by most of the crowd. If this is the way the Republican Party of Palm Beach treats its candidates then we are in for a rough 2012 indeed. Nothing was done by the organizers to restore decorum to the gathering.

This was a shame as two very interesting candidates for the seat being vacated by Bill Snyder (FH82) introduced themselves near the end. Calvin Turnquist and MaryLynn Magar are new on the scene and both seem to have a lot to offer. We also got to see Anna Trujillo who is running for Ted Deutch’s CD19 seat, and the candidates for County Commission district 1, Hal Valeche and Laura Hanley, and Senate 25 candidate Mike Lameyer. Others who were present, including Albert Key and Karen Harrington did not speak, probably because it got to the point that very few were even listening.

Besides the rudeness of the crowd, another troubling thing was the way Joe Budd was refused the opportunity to tell the crowd about the Herman Cain PBC Convention Center event in a little more than a week. “NO SURROGATES” said chairman Dinerstein. Interesting – what was Griffen Perry, chopped liver? I guess there must be a rule exception for relatives of candidates.

Herman Cain is in town on 11/16 for several events, including a $50 fundraiser at the Convention Center expected to bring out the grassroots volunteers before he goes over to the island for the big bucks. This might have been of interest to the attendees, and the appearance of any Presidential candidate in Palm Beach County should be noted. “NO EXCEPTIONS”, we have to stay neutral says the chairman. In the grassroots universe, educating people about candidates is what we do. The local Republican party has a different mission and different rules. This is one reason that grassroots groups like the Tea Party and 912 have arisen – the “establishment” is not always your friend.

Here’s a few pictures of the event.

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Adam Hasner at Boca Chapter Meeting

Think you can vote in the Presidential Preference Primary? Check your voter registration!

New to Florida?  Don’t vote at every election (municipal, primary, general)?  Why not?!

Many of us are all fired up and ready to vote in the upcoming Presidential Preference Primary on January 31.  But not all folks know that Florida is a ‘closed primary’ state – which means that one can only vote in the primary for the candidate(s) in the party in which one is registered.  If you are NPA (no party affiliation) or registered in a party other than Republican or Democrat (should President Obama have an opponent qualified in the primary) – you will not be able to vote for the Republican or Democrat  Party candidates.

So take a look at your voter registration card and make sure that you’re registered in the party in whose primary you plan to vote.  No?  Then you have until January 3, 2011 to change your registration (or to register to vote if you’re not already).

Information on how to register or modify your registration can be found at the Supervisor of Elections Voter Registration website page.  Upcoming elections and the voter registration cut-off dates for each can be found at Upcoming Elections.  And get familiar with the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections website, because it has lots of invaluable information on precinct makeup, registrations by party, election results and answers to questions you may have on everything voter related in the county.  Check it out!

Get Mobilized for 2012 – Lantana Library, 11/6

Candidate Training Classes

Are you thinking about being a candidate for public office? Not sure how to get started?

The BizPac Political Training Institute will be holding classes over the next four weeks that will answer all your questions.

For more information:

• Course Brochure
• Application

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The BIZPAC Political Training Institute (PTI) is designed to give participants a firsthand look at the political process and the technical details of operating a political campaign. From demographic profiles to press relations and fund raising, PTI looks at every aspect and idiosyncrasy of the political campaign process and gives participants the knowledge and the resources they need to enter the political arena. Good for potential candidates, campaign workers or volunteers, PTI covers the do’s and don’ts of successful political campaigning.

PTI includes four Tuesday night sessions beginning October 11th. Each session is held from 6pm-9pm and includes dinner. The schedule is as follows:

Session 1 – Becoming a Candidate and Creating a Campaign, October 11
Session 2 – Funding Your Campaign (Smile & Dial), October 18
Session 3 – Candidate Presentation and Image, October 25
Session 4 – Communicating The Campaign Message to Win, November 1

Each night will feature a panel of instructors including political consultants, elected officials, former candidates, representatives from the media and other professionals who work with candidates.

The cost to attend all four session is $95.

Herman Cain at Presidency 5

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